Pellegrini Faces Player Absences Due to African Cup Semifinals

Manuel Pellegrini will be without the services of Abde and Amrabat for several more days, as both Moroccan internationals have successfully guided their national team to the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations, defeating Cameroon last night. Their next match in the tournament is scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, which coincides with the round of 16 clash in the Copa del Rey between Betis and Elche. Consequently, neither player will be available for the match at La Cartuja against Eder Sarabia’s side. Furthermore, given that there will also be a third and fourth place match in addition to the final, they will not be able to participate in the league encounter against Villarreal on Saturday, January 17.

On a positive note for the Verdiblancos, Amrabat has returned to action after being sidelined for two matches due to persistent ankle issues stemming from an incident with Isco in late November. He made his return to the pitch with just over 20 minutes left in the game, despite his coach indicating yesterday that he was a doubt due to ongoing discomfort. It remains to be seen how he feels after this final segment of the match and whether he is fully recovered.

His teammate Abde started the match and played nearly the entire game, being substituted just four minutes before the 90-minute mark. Goals from Real Madrid’s Brahim, who is in excellent form during the tournament, along with another from Saibari, have propelled Morocco into the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the Algeria-Nigeria match. Regardless of the outcome of that game, Abde and Amrabat will remain with the national team until the weekend for either the final or the third and fourth place match, meaning they will not return to the pitch for Betis until at least their visit to PAOK in the penultimate round of the UEFA Europa League group stage.