Flick outlines date for Araujo, Ansu Fati and Christensen returns

Barcelona's squad is slowly returning to full fitness as Ronald Araujo, Ansu Fati and Andreas Christensen will soon be making their returns. Hansi Flick spoke on the trio ahead of Barca's away trip to Real Betis - valid for matchday 16 of La Liga - and confirmed that Araujo will be the first of the lot to be reintegrated back into the team.
"He will not be ready for Saturday," Flick said on the Uruguayan defender. "Best case scenario he will play against Dortmund, but our objective is to have him back for Leganes. Including him in every match will not be easy because the team is playing well as it is. I'm very happy, we are focusing on Saturday's match in our training sessions," he added.
On Ansu Fati and Andreas Christensen's recovery timelines, the Barcelona boss said: "‘I think when you look at how many games we have at the beginning of next year, it's important to have rotation for players to recover. Of course, I'd like them to heal as swiftly as possible, hopefully, they can all be back before the end of the year".


Speaking on their latest win over Mallorca, which coincided with Lamine Yamal's return, Flick was asked whether Barca could perhaps be dependent on the 17-year-old's presence on the pitch presence. "Well the statistics speak for themselves," the German manager responded. "We have to have the same mentality as we had against Mallorca. Next week we also have the Champions League. The team must believe in its strengths, that's what this young team needs,’ Flick told reporters during Friday's press conference.
The 'Azulgrana' will meet their former striker, Vitor Roque, at the Benito Villamarin on Saturday, who seems to have revived his career with 'Los Verdiblancos' after enduring a tough period at Catalunya. "Every team has good players and the same thing applies to Betis. We have to do our best in defence, they have Vitor Roque who is doing well and improving," Flick said. "When he came here, we realised he wasn't in the best of situation. I talked to him and he wasn't very happy, it was best for him to leave. I'm pleased he's feeling better and more positive".
On their upcoming opponents as a whole, Flick said: "‘They are a very good team with experienced players. At the end of the day, we know what they are capable of, they always press high up so we have to be careful. We have to stay focused on our game". He concluded by sparing a few words on the Real Betis' head coach. "Pellegrini is a very experienced coach who knows how to get the best out of his players. His teams always play great football and love to have the ball. He knows how to convey confidence to the players," Flick said.