Barcelona star given time off for mental health reasons just days after struggling in Chelsea defeat

Although the club initially cited a stomach illness to explain Araujo’s absence from Barcelona’s weekend victory over Alavés, head coach Hansi Flick has now confirmed that the defender is dealing with private matters unrelated to injury.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday night’s league fixture against Atlético Madrid, Flick said: “Ronald is not ready at the moment. It’s a private situation. I don’t want to say more. Please also respect it. This is what I can say and what I want to say.”

Spanish media reports claim that Araujo has felt he is “not at his best mentally and psychologically” since the red card at Stamford Bridge, with some suggestions that the difficulties predate that match.

The decision to allow him indefinite leave is believed to have been taken to give him the time and space required to regain stability away from the demands of elite competition.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta publicly backed the club captain last week, signalling an institutional effort to support him through what he described as a challenging spell.

“He has been heavily criticised, and I don’t think that’s fair,” Laporta said at an event in Andorra.

“He gives his all on the pitch, he’s our captain, and now he needs to get through this difficult period because he’s a very emotional person with strong feelings.

"He’s had a tough time, and I want to tell him that we’re behind him, that he needs to turn the page because here we all win and we all lose, and no one person is responsible for defeats or victories.”

Araujo, who joined Barça in 2018 from Boston River in Uruguay, has accumulated 190 first-team appearances and is widely regarded as one of the club’s most committed defenders.

His absence comes at a pivotal moment in Barcelona’s season, with the team holding a slender one-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga and sitting three points ahead of Atlético Madrid, who they face on Tuesday.

The timing and open-ended nature of Araujo’s leave underline the seriousness with which Barcelona’s hierarchy is treating his situation.

Although neither the club nor the player has offered further detail, the expectation internally is that he will return only once he feels mentally able to resume the responsibilities of a central role in the side.

Meanwhile, Barcelona boss Flick has called on his team to rise to the occasion against Atletico as two of LaLiga's biggest forces prepare to go head to head.

"It would be a good time to win our first game against one of the top teams," he said. "We have to play at our highest level. They are one of the best teams in Europe.

"And they increased their quality with the signings they made in the summer market. They are a fantastic team in defence and attack. I like to watch them play.

"But we have quality, and we have to show it. We know that we are playing against a fantastic team, with a great coach.

"I'm happy, we can recover our best level. The other day, we made a lot of mistakes. We have the quality to control the game better, and we have to raise our level."

Atletico boss Diego Simeone, meanwhile, is hopeful his team can continue their winning form - having secured victory in all off their last six matches.

"I never give my opinion on what others think, everyone has their thoughts," he said.

"We continue to work on improving as a team. The margin for improvement is much more than what we have already shown."