Canales and Fekir come on stage

Manuel Pellegrini insists on the importance of LaLiga to hunt down this season’s goals. And his lineups also reflect that the high priority is to maintain this growing pace in the league championship to try to extend that presence in the Champions zone of the classification. And to look for a victory against Mallorca this Sunday he will have two fundamental pieces back in his plans, perhaps the most decisive of his squad: Sergio Canales and Nabil Fekir. Neither of them was present in St. Petersburg for the Europa League match. The first due to COVID, the second due to sanction. Now, both want to give a new blow and be incisive in the eleven of the Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini.

Neither Canales nor Fekir were on the pitch at the Gazprom Arena. Without them, Pellegrini decided to rest William Carvalho and thus launch a clear statement of intent on priorities that it tries to have when it comes to using its best assets. They do aim to be all three against Mallorca. Canales to be more creative in that scheme of the Chilean and Fekir to be differential in attack. But the calendar also warns: Zenit arrives later at Villamarín, the derby against Sevilla and the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals against Rayo Vallecano. An express invitation to madness.

Will Pellegrini use his best weapons in the following matches? His rotations were so far unpredictable. But he also always stressed that his players are prepared to play two games in a row per week without this wear and tear affecting his performance too much. For this reason, the coach trusts that Canales and Fekir will start a race of challenges that begins this Sunday against Mallorca. And that there is continuity in this reappearance of two of the great figures of this Betic project.