Ronald Araujo talks Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Napoli, Champions League dream

Ronald Araujo was at the center of attention during the premiere of the newly-launched streaming service BarçaOne’s first exclusive documentary series ‘Origins: Ronald Araujo’.

The docuseries is built around Araujo’s humble beginnings and his eventual rise to prominence. Several top Barcelona figures attended the event, including President Joan Laporta, who vowed to keep hold of the defender ‘for life’.

Araujo himself had a lot to say regarding Barcelona’s season so far and the prospects ahead, especially ahead of a crucial game against Napoli.

Araujo on UCL & Napoli game

After a fresh setback in La Liga, Araujo highlighted the importance of the Champions League, which appears to be Barcelona’s last remaining avenue for silverware.

“The Champions League is a dream. It is a goal for us, for the club, and for the team as well. We must go step by step. Now we focus on the Napoli match and then we go step by step, but of course, it is a dream and it is a great goal for all of us,” Araujo said.

Adding more on the upcoming second-leg encounter against Napoli, the defender vowed to perform well as a team.

Araujo is hopeful of Barcelona’s chances against Napoli (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“There are a lot of expectations and we know the responsibility of playing that match. I think we played a good match in the first leg and we deserved to win. We will do our best and we will play at home and with our fans and we are ready,” he said.

Barcelona will face Napoli next midweek, with the Catalans needing a win at home in order to qualify for the quarterfinal stage. Araujo, for one, will play an important role in helping the Blaugrana secure a clean sheet and keep the Napoli attackers at bay.

Araujo on recent injuries

Apart from the draw with Athletic Club, a bigger setback for Barcelona on the weekend was the injury to star players Pedri and Frenkie de Jong.

Despite losing the two midfielders, though, Araujo remains upbeat and is hopeful of ending the season on a good note.

“Frenkie and Pedri are very important players, but I think we have a good team. We lost two titles and have two very important titles remaining and we will give everything we have until the end of the season,” he said.

In a major positive for Barcelona, though, Pedri appears to avoided a relapse and could return to action sooner than expected. He may even become available for next month’s Clasico against Real Madrid.

Source: Mundo Deportivo