Pellegrini's Betis squad hit by four absences ahead of Madrid clash
Isco's surgery and three AFCON-bound players leave Betis short-handed for their trip to the Bernabéu, though key players return from injury.
Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis will head to the Spanish capital with a depleted squad as they face the daunting task of taking on Real Madrid in La Liga’s matchday 18.
Four players missing for the Verdiblancos
The Chilean gaffer will have to make do without four key players for Sunday’s clash at the Bernabéu:
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Isco Alarcón - The former Madrid man underwent arthroscopic surgery on Monday to sort out ankle problems stemming from that nasty Amrabat challenge in early December. Proper shame for the lad to miss a return to his old stomping ground.
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AFCON trio - Pellegrini will also be without three players who’ve jetted off for African Cup of Nations duty:
- Amrabat and Abde with Morocco (facing Tanzania tomorrow)
- Bakambu with DR Congo (facing Algeria on Tuesday in the round of 16)
Injury boosts soften the blow
It’s not all doom and gloom for the Andalusian outfit, though. Pellegrini’s squad has been bolstered by several returns from the treatment room:
- Antony has recovered from the muscle fatigue that kept him out of early-week training sessions
- Diego Llorente and Junior Firpo are both back in the fold after shaking off muscle problems that troubled them before the Christmas break
Full 22-man travelling squad
The Betis boss has named a 22-man squad for the journey to Madrid, including a couple of youngsters from the B team who’ve been promoted to the first-team setup.
Goalkeepers: Adrián, Pau López, Álvaro Valles
Defenders: Bellerín, Ortiz, Bartra, Diego Llorente, Natan, Valentín Gómez, Ricardo Rodríguez, Junior Firpo
Midfielders: Altimira, Marc Roca, Deossa, Fornals, Lo Celso, Antony, Ruibal, Riquelme
Forwards: Chimy Ávila, Pablo García, Cucho Hernández
Pellegrini will be hoping his available troops can pull off a result against the league heavyweights, but missing four players of such quality is going to make it a proper mountain to climb at the Bernabéu. Still, stranger things have happened in this fixture over the years.