Cucho Hernández blow: Betis star sidelined for crucial fixtures after Oviedo injury
Colombian forward Cucho Hernández faces up to a month on the sidelines with a thigh injury, leaving Pellegrini short of options during a congested fixture period.
Betis have been dealt a right old kick in the teeth with star forward Cucho Hernández set to miss nearly a month of action after picking up a nasty thigh injury during the disappointing draw at Oviedo.
Injury Details
The Colombian suffered a miofascial injury to the anterior rectus of his left thigh - basically he’s done his quad in - during the weekend’s match. He immediately knew something was wrong, grabbing his thigh and signaling to the bench that his race was run. While he managed to walk off under his own steam, Sunday’s medical tests confirmed what Betis fans were dreading.
The Chimy Ávila came on as his replacement, but finding someone to fill Cucho’s boots properly will be a proper headache for Manuel Pellegrini.
Massive Miss
You can’t overstate how crucial Cucho has been for Los Verdiblancos this season:
- Only Natan has played more minutes (2,062) than Cucho’s 1,854
- 10 goals and 3 assists in all competitions
- Remarkably disciplined with just 2 yellow cards in La Liga
- Has featured heavily in every match, with his shortest appearance being 76 minutes against Celta Vigo
Fixture Nightmare
The timing couldn’t be much worse for Pellegrini’s men. Betis are fighting on three fronts and face a proper banana skin of a fixture list coming up. The Colombian will definitely miss Wednesday’s Copa del Rey round of 16 clash with Elche at La Cartuja.
He’s also set to be absent for Saturday night’s league encounter with an in-form Villarreal, who are absolutely flying at the moment. The Yellow Submarine are breathing down Real Madrid’s neck for second place, sitting just four points behind Los Blancos.
With Betis still alive in three competitions, Pellegrini will need to pull a rabbit out of his hat to keep their momentum going during Cucho’s absence. Talk about a spanner in the works!