Barcelona secured a 1-0 win over Villarreal on Sunday night, extending the gap at the top of the La Liga table to 11 points. However next week they will be without whom was for many the man of the match against the Yellow Submarine.
Real Madrid will have the chance to reduce that gap to five points before Barcelona next play in La Liga. After their Club World Cup exploits, Los Blancos face Elche at home on Wednesday night, before travelling to Pamplona on Saturday to take on Osasuna.
Next up, following their Europa League tie against Manchester United this Thursday, is the Yellow Submarine again. Cadiz travel to Camp Nou in a bid to make life difficult for Barcelona at Camp Nou.
Their task is made easier by the fact that central defender Ronald Araujo will be suspended for that match, after picking up his fifth booking of the season in La Liga against Villarreal. The Uruguayan put in a stellar performance defensively, but will be absent against Cadiz after seeing more yellow in the 43rd minute.
While no manager is ever pleased with a suspension, Xavi Hernandez may see this as a lesser evil. Against one of the sides with the weaker away records in La Liga, Cadiz have scored just six goals away from home, while Barcelona have conceded just once at Camp Nou domestically. Compared to other fixtures, this on paper looks like a kinder one for Araujo to miss, although has been seen in the past, Cadiz can make life very difficult for Barcelona.
