Barcelona are set to play one final time during the 2022-23 season, taking to the field in a friendly against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo, Japan. It will serve as a Andres Iniesta’s final appearance for Vissel, which will be the main headline of the event.
For the Barcelona squad, most will be hoping to get the game over with and begin their holidays, perhaps with the exception of a youngster like Marc Guiu, who could make his debut. However it will be a big deal for Julian Araujo, who more than likely will make his debut.
Many are unsure how Araujo will fare, having not seen play since his arrival from LA Galaxy, and being something of an unkown quantity to many fans.
“Julian Araujo is a fast, aggressive footballer who gets involved well. He is also powerful and with a good shot from distance,” Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez told Sport.
“He’s training very well, really. I’m very happy with him, he’s a grateful guy and happy where he is, that’s important for him and for us,” he continued at the beginning of May.
Araujo has five caps for Mexico, and has made 109 appearances for the Galaxy, where he began his career. Aged 21, next season will be his fifth in senior football. Barcelona will likely look for a right-back this summer in order to free up Jules Kounde to play in the middle, but Araujo has a genuine chance to make his mark in this game and over the summer. Xavi has said they will see how he does in preseason before making any decisions on his future.
As Cules will recall, Alejandro Balde’s impressive preseason led to him eventually winning a spot in the first team this season. While few would expect him to have a similar ceiling to Balde, Araujo no doubt will have his eyes on spot in the squad at the very least, starting with a good cameo against Vissel.
