Barcelona defender, Ronald Araujo, returned in style on Sunday night in his first appearance since his break. The Uruguayan defender was sent off in the last few minutes of the Spanish Supercup final against Real Madrid, lifting the trophy afterwards. Combined with the arrival of Joao Cancelo, Flick could have new reinforcements going forward.
The decision to move for Cancelo, confirmed by his signing on Tuesday, has been widely scrutinized, with some questioning Barcelona for bringing in an attacking full-back, where their biggest problems are defensively and in midfield. Last week, Flick described Cancelo as an additional attacking option.
“In Saudi Arabia we have decided what we need now. We are very happy with Cubarsi, Eric, the return of Araujo, Gerard can play in different positions, and we are thinking of someone who can give us a little, and Joao is good and can give us a lot, and in the attack, in the last third to defeat the enemy, and he is a good option in this sense.”
Ronald Araujo and Joao Cancelo are eligible
“I think he can play a few minutes at Santander; we hope he can play a few minutes,” Flick told the media about Cancelo’s fitness. The Portuguese arrived from Al-Hilal on loan, but has not played since September. After making two appearances at the start of the season, he was left out of their squad following a hamstring injury.
Barcelona travel to El Sardinero to take on top-flight Racing Santander on Thursday night, who are top of the Segunda. Flick was asked if Araujo’s return to action also means he’s ready for a bigger role again.
“We haven’t decided whether he can play a few minutes tomorrow. We have one day left and some players are tired, so we have 24 hours to think and finalize the decision. But he is training and he can play a few minutes; it won’t be a problem.”
🚨 Hansi Flick: “Racing Santander is a young, brave team. I like what I saw and the atmosphere in the stadium will be something, so we have to be prepared.” pic.twitter.com/i0KrPw41Py
– barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 14, 2026
Flick on late pressure from Real Madrid
Another question is over the goalkeeping position, with Wojciech Szczesny and Marc-Andre ter Stegen hoping he will get a chance. “I have all the options, I think Joan will play but we’ll see tomorrow,” commented Flick. He did not completely rule out ter Stegen appearing for a second consecutive Copa del Rey, saying “We will decide tomorrow, for now we have nothing to say.”
Both efforts were aimed at Joan Garcia, but Barcelona wasted two good chances against Real Madrid in the dying stages of the Supercup.
“With Joan Garcia in goal, I’m happy and relaxed. We managed to pull it off, and it’s great. We saw a high-quality final from both our side and from Real Madrid. Playing against them with one less player is not that easy, and we’re very happy that they didn’t score the third goal. We have a very good goalkeeper. We won a lot, and I’m very happy with what I saw.”
Earlier in his press conference, Flick expressed confidence in Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso’s ability to bounce back after an early exit. He went on to describe his Barcelona project as ‘something special’, but warned that he could be in the same situation if things change.
