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Barcelona FC will be without two key players when they take on Atletico Madrid in a crucial La Liga encounter on Tuesday, with Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo both ruled out.
The club confirmed that Dutch midfielder De Jong has been sidelined by a fever, making him unavailable for the important fixture at the Camp Nou. Head coach Hansi Flick also revealed that Araujo will miss the match due to what he described as a “personal matter”, declining to give further details.
“I won’t go into it,” Flick told journalists on Monday. “It’s a private situation and he is not ready at the moment. I ask for respect.”
The Uruguayan defender was sent off during Barcelona’s heavy 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League last week, and reports in Spain suggest he has requested time away from football to focus on his mental well-being.
Both players were already absent from Saturday’s league victory over Alaves. At the time, the club said De Jong was dealing with a family issue, while Araujo had been suffering from a stomach complaint.
Barcelona are also missing Fermin Lopez, along with long-term injury victims Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Gavi, further stretching Flick’s options ahead of the high-stakes clash.
The Catalans currently top the table and hold a three-point advantage over Atletico, who sit fourth, making the showdown a potentially decisive moment in the title race.
