MADRID, 8 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Betis receives Cypriot Aris Limassol at the Benito Villamarín this Thursday (9:00 p.m.) in a match that, if they achieve victory, could mean a pass to the next round of the Europa League, while Villarreal, which is mired in a crisis of results in the domestic competition, will look for its European oasis with a victory against Maccabi Haifa (18.45) that will allow it to get fully into the fight for first place in Group F.
Real Betis will seek its third consecutive victory in the Europa League in front of its fans. A victory that would pave their way to the lead in Group C and direct qualification for the round of 16 of the competition. To do this, Manuel Pellegrini’s men will have to focus on the duel against the Cypriots and not think too much about the league derby that will face them next Sunday against Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.
The Verdiblancos arrive at matchday 4 of the group stage of the Europa League as sole leaders with 6 points under their belt and with the clear objective of achieving first place in the group that exempts them from playing one more knockout round. Furthermore, Betis is experiencing its best moment since the start of the season and has gone 10 consecutive games without losing, having won the last 4 it has played in all competitions.
For its part, Aris Limassol is last in the group, but with 3 points under its belt it is alive in the fight for a ticket to the next phase. The current leader of the Cypriot league already put the Andalusian team in trouble two weeks ago, and it was not until the 75th minute of the game when Manuel Pellegrini’s men broke the tie with a goal from Ayoze to end up taking a long-sought victory.
In the casualties section, the Chilean coach of Betis will not be able to count on his usual goalkeeper in the competition, Rui Silva, who suffers a muscle injury that will prevent him from playing the match. His place will be taken by veteran Claudio Bravo, who has been a starter in the League. On the contrary, and for the second consecutive game, the French midfielder Nabil Fekir will be available to add more minutes to the 4 that he had in his return against Mallorca after the serious knee injury. In addition, rotations are expected in an eleven in which the young Assane Diao and Ez Abde could start.
For its part, Pacheta’s Villarreal returns to European competition a month later, since the match scheduled for two weeks ago at the Cerámica stadium against Maccabi Haifa was suspended due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. For this same reason, the Israeli team will be based in Cyprus, at the AEK Arena in Larnaca. Thus, and with one game less, the ‘yellow submarine’ occupies third place in Group F, one point behind second place, which is occupied by Panathinaikos and 3 behind the leader, Stade Rennes.
Therefore, victory is of vital importance for Villarreal if they want to keep their chances of fighting for first place in the group intact. Against Maccabi, the ‘groguets’ want to find the European antidote and put an end to a poor dynamic of results in the League, where they have only added 6 of the last 21 points, leaving the situation of their coach, Pacheta, in the balance . The Castellón team’s precedents against Israeli teams are not bad, whom they have faced on 6 occasions, being defeated only once.
For its part, its rival, Maccabi Haifa, has not played an official match since last October 5 due to the conditions that Israel is going through, when it managed to draw at home against Panathinaikos on matchday 2 of the group stage of the Europa League. For this reason, the Spanish team should arrive at the match much more quickly, and not be surprised by a team that has lost 9 of the last 11 European matches it has played in the group stage.
In sports, Pacheta will rest some of his most important players, such as Gerard Moreno, who has not even entered the squad list. His place in the eleven could be taken by youth player Jorge Pascual, who made his debut in the League this season against Athletic Club last Sunday, leaving good feelings during his minutes. Those who the Burgos coach will not be able to count on due to injury will be the injured Coquelin, Foyth, Alfonso Pedraza and Denis Suárez, who continue their recovery process.