The only way Barcelona can have both Raphinha and Araujo for Osasuna clash | OneFootball

The upcoming fixture between Barcelona and Osasuna, scheduled for 27 March, is shrouded in uncertainty.

Neither club was in favour of this date, yet the disciplinary judge confirmed it on Monday. Despite the official announcement, both teams are set to challenge this decision, hoping for a more favourable outcome.

For Barcelona, the primary reason behind their request for a date change is the availability of two key players—Ronald Araujo and Raphinha.

Both footballers will be engaged with their respective national teams during the international break, making their participation in the match extremely difficult.

Araujo, a crucial figure in Barcelona’s defence, is expected to feature for Uruguay in their World Cup qualifying matches, including a clash against Argentina.

Meanwhile, Raphinha will be in action for Brazil, with fixtures against Colombia and Argentina on the schedule.

Given the tight turnaround between international duty and the match against Osasuna, their return to Spain in time for the game would be extremely challenging.

But there is a chance

There is only one way. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Interestingly, there is a possibility that both players could return to Barcelona earlier than expected.

If either of them receives a yellow card in the first of their two qualifiers, they will be forced to serve a suspension in their second match, allowing them to leave their national team duties sooner.

Raphinha is currently on three yellow cards, meaning another booking against Colombia would see him suspended for Brazil’s match against Argentina on 26 March.

Similarly, Araujo, who is also one caution away from suspension, would miss Uruguay’s encounter with Bolivia on 26 March if he is booked against Argentina on 23 March.

World Cup qualifiers impose suspensions after every two yellow cards, a rule that has already affected Raphinha earlier in the campaign.

Araujo, on the other hand, has had a difficult qualifying campaign, having not featured for Uruguay in 2024 due to an injury sustained last summer during the Copa America.

This means the last time he received a yellow card was on 17 November 2023, during a match against Brazil.