Overview
- Araújo rejoined full group work on Dec. 29, taking part in Barcelona’s open session at the Estadi Johan Cruyff one month after stepping away.
- He had not played since a late‑November red card against Chelsea and maintained fitness with solo work in Uruguay following a spiritual trip to Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
- Barcelona are not rushing his comeback, with reports split on Espanyol derby involvement as SPORT sees it as unlikely and ESPN says he could be in contention.
- Pedri and Dani Olmo also returned to training after brief absences, though their availability for the derby is still uncertain.
- Andreas Christensen’s partial ACL setback has Barcelona evaluating defensive cover options as fixtures resume, including the Spanish Supercopa next week.