Aheed Abrar
Barcelona boss Xavi to use Ronald Araujo to man-mark Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford
Xavi, the head coach of Barcelona, will use Ronald Araujo to man-mark Manchester United star Marcus Rashford and keep him quiet, according to AS (h/t The Sun).
The 25-year-old has been in fine form in the current campaign. He has shouldered the burden of the Red Devils’ attack under Erik ten Hag. As a result, the England international will evidently be a key player for us against the Blaugrana in the Europa League.
On Thursday (16 February), the Old Trafford side will visit Camp Nou to take on the La Liga leaders. The Spanish giants will deploy the Uruguayan centre-back to hinder and keep Rashford out of the game.
Xavi hopes to reduce spaces for the 25-year-old by keeping the 23-year-old defender on him. The Spanish manager will also task Raphinha with tracking Luke Shaw and stopping any link-up play on the left wing.
While Araujo is a centre-back by trade, he has played as a right-back on a few occasions. The Uruguay international is used to playing a similar role against Real Madrid and has successfully kept Vinicius Junior quiet over the last few El Clasios.
The 23-year-old broke into Barcelona’s senior side in the 2020/21 campaign. However, last season, the defender established himself as a regular starter and has now cemented his place in Xavi’s team.
However, Rashford has been unstoppable at moments this term. After failing to make an impact in the previous campaign, the England international has found his feet with the arrival of the Dutch manager.
This season, the 25-year-old has been our talisman. He has found the back of the net 21 times and has provided eight assists in 34 appearances in all competitions.
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Araujo might be one of the best defenders in Spain. But hopefully, stopping Rashford will be easier said than done for the Uruguayan. It will be interesting to see how the battle unfolds on Thursday.
