Betis Unite Over Lunch Ahead of Sunday's Seville Derby
Real Betis brought players, coaching staff and directors together for a squad lunch at their training ground ahead of Sunday's Seville derby.
Betis are doing everything right in the build-up to Sunday’s derby — and that includes getting everyone round the dinner table together.
The club held a squad bonding lunch at the Luis del Sol training complex this week, bringing together the full playing squad, Manuel Pellegrini’s coaching staff, and the club’s top brass in what’s quietly becoming a proper pre-derby ritual at the Benito Villamarín outfit.
All the Big Names Were There
This wasn’t just a casual bite to eat — it was a proper show of unity with some serious names in attendance:
- Ángel Haro (president) and López Catalán (vice-president) both sat down with the squad
- Manu Fajardo, the sporting director, was also present
- Club legend and current board member Joaquín Sánchez was there too, fresh from signing autographs for fans outside — and he summed the whole thing up perfectly: “Unity is always the most important thing”
- Even Isco Alarcón joined in, continuing his comeback from injury
- Giovani Lo Celso was also at the lunch, still working his way back from the muscular injury he picked up in Greece back in January
Why It Matters
Betis go into Sunday’s Seville derby in genuinely decent nick. They’re sitting fifth in La Liga and are hunting a third consecutive win over Sevilla — which, if you know anything about the history between these two clubs, would be a proper statement.
The lunch is clearly designed to make sure everyone — from the lads in the dressing room to the suits in the boardroom — is pulling in the same direction. It’s the kind of thing that might sound a bit soft on paper, but when you’re preparing for the biggest game in your city, getting that collective energy right is no small thing.
The Bigger Picture
For Pellegrini, keeping that fifth-place spot is the priority in the second half of the season. European football is very much in the picture, and a derby win would do wonders for the mood — and the points tally.
The fact that injured players like Isco and Lo Celso are involved in these moments says a lot too. Nobody’s being left out or made to feel like a passenger. Everyone’s part of the group, even if they can’t pull on the boots just yet.
Sunday can’t come soon enough, frankly.