Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has said that the club "are not putting pressure on" Ronald Araujo, as the centre-back closes in on a return to action following a long-term hamstring problem.
Araujo has not featured for Barcelona this season, with the Uruguay international undergoing a hamstring operation in July after suffering an injury while representing his country at the 2024 Copa America.
The 25-year-old recently said that he was "going to come back like a bull", and he has been pencilled in for a return before the end of November, but Flick has said that the club will not rush him back onto the field.
"We are not putting pressure on him to return, he is doing well, and recovering well, but we do not have to put pressure on him. It was a serious injury and we have to take care of him. He is training hard," Flick told reporters ahead of Sunday's clash with Espanyol.
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Garcia will again miss out for Barcelona against Espanyol
Flick also revealed on Saturday that Eric Garcia is not available against Espanyol, while the Spaniard is not expected to be back on the field until after the November international break.
"I think he will return after the international break. We had to decide that he would train separately from the group," said the manager.
Garcia has missed Barcelona's last three matches in all competitions after picking up a muscular injury in the warm-up ahead of the La Liga contest with Sevilla on October 20.
Barcelona will be aiming to make it six straight wins in all competitions when they host Espanyol on Sunday afternoon, and a victory in the Barcelona derby would send them nine points clear at the top of the La Liga table.
"I know what this derby means. It will be a difficult match after a great week. It will be important to play at 100% and with intensity. We always prepare well, it's good to celebrate but we have to concentrate. We concentrated a lot in the session, the road is long. We are doing well and we have to be focused," said the manager.
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Which players are currently unavailable for Barcelona?
Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Dani Olmo have all recently returned from injury problems to boost the squad, but Barcelona are still without some key players heading into their penultimate match ahead of the November international break.
As well as Araujo and Garcia, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen and Ferran Torres are unavailable for selection due to fitness problems.
De Jong is being tipped to start against Espanyol after his impressive performance off the bench in El Clasico, which Barcelona won 4-0 at Bernabeu to send out a serious statement.
"I value very positively what I see with Frenkie. The second half against Madrid brought tranquillity," said Flick. "He is a wonderful player for the team. The injury has been long and we will see how he adapts. It's very positive that he's back."
Barcelona have won 10 of their 11 league matches this season, scoring 37 times in the process, with 14 of those coming from Robert Lewandowski, who has made an excellent start to the campaign.
Matt Law
