African Cup heartache for Betis as Abde and Amrabat march on with Morocco
Pellegrini's squad depth takes another hit as Moroccan duo reach AFCON semis, ruling them out of crucial Copa del Rey and La Liga fixtures.
Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini will need to continue his juggling act as Morocco’s progress to the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals means both Abde and Amrabat remain unavailable for crucial upcoming fixtures.
AFCON success extends absence
The Moroccan internationals helped their nation overcome Cameroon in last night’s quarter-final, booking a spot in the semis scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th. This timing couldn’t be worse for the Verdiblancos, as it directly clashes with Betis’ Copa del Rey round of 16 tie against Elche at La Cartuja.
The headache doesn’t end there for Pellegrini. With AFCON’s schedule including both a final and a third-place playoff, the Moroccan pair will definitely miss the La Liga clash against Villarreal on Saturday, January 17th, regardless of their semi-final result.
Amrabat fitness boost
There is a silver lining for Betis supporters, though. Amrabat, who’s been absent for two matches with persistent ankle problems stemming from that nasty collision with Isco in late November, finally returned to action. The defensive midfielder came off the bench with about 20 minutes remaining, despite his national team coach suggesting he was a doubt just a day earlier.
His fitness will need monitoring, but getting minutes under his belt represents significant progress after weeks of uncertainty about his recovery timeline.
Abde continues to shine
Meanwhile, Abde nearly completed the full match before being substituted four minutes from the end of regular time. Morocco’s victory, secured through goals from Real Madrid’s in-form Brahim Diaz and PSV’s Saibari, sets up a semi-final against either Algeria or Nigeria.
Extended absence
The earliest Betis fans can expect to see their Moroccan stars back in green and white will be for the PAOK fixture in the penultimate UEFA Europa League group stage matchday. That’s a proper kick in the teeth for Pellegrini, who’ll need to find solutions from within his squad for these critical upcoming fixtures.