Pellegrini's Betis face Villarreal with six players missing from squad
Betis will be without Isco, Bellerín, Junior Firpo, Cucho Hernández, Amrabat and Abde for their La Liga clash with Villarreal at La Cartuja.
Manuel Pellegrini’s selection headache continues as Real Betis prepare to host Villarreal at La Cartuja with half a dozen key players unavailable for the start of La Liga’s second half of the season.
Injury crisis deepens
The Verdiblancos will be without four players through injury:
- Isco remains sidelined indefinitely after undergoing ankle arthroscopy in late December
- Héctor Bellerín is out with an unspecified injury with no medical timeframe provided
- Junior Firpo and Cucho Hernández both picked up muscle problems last weekend against Oviedo and face around a month on the sidelines
Talk about being caught short at the back! Pellegrini’s defensive options are looking proper thin on the ground with this injury list.
AFCON absences
Compounding Betis’ selection woes, they’ll also be missing:
- Moroccan internationals Amrabat and Abde, who remain with their national team ahead of Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final
The Moroccan duo are unlikely to return in time for Wednesday’s European trip to face PAOK in Thessaloniki, meaning their earliest possible return would be for next Sunday’s La Liga clash with Alavés.
Ortiz returns
It’s not all doom and gloom for the Andalusian outfit though. The gaffer’s received a timely boost with Ángel Ortiz returning to the squad after missing Wednesday’s Copa del Rey round of 16 match against Elche due to muscle overload.
His availability gives Pellegrini options in defence - either starting Ortiz at right-back or keeping Aitor Ruibal there and deploying him further forward on the left wing instead.
Full squad list
Goalkeepers: Álvaro Valles, Adrián San Miguel, Pau López
Defenders: Ortiz, Ruibal, Bartra, Diego Llorente, Natan, Valentín Gómez, Ricardo Rodríguez
Midfielders: Altimira, Marc Roca, Deossa, Fornals, Lo Celso, Antony, Riquelme
Forwards: Pablo García, Chimy Ávila, Bakambu
Betis will hope to overcome these selection challenges as they look to start the second half of the campaign on the right foot. The Villarreal clash represents a proper test of Pellegrini’s squad depth at a crucial point in the season.