Real Betis facing centre-back crisis amid injury and suspension fears | OneFootball

Real Betis are dealing with the fallout from Sunday’s El Gran Derbi defeat at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. Not only was it a terrible result for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, but there could also be further ramifications.

As per Marca, the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) have reported Diego Llorente to the Spanish Football Federation’s Integrity Department. It comes after he made comments about referee Juan Martinez Munuera’s decision to award a penalty to Sevilla – that proved to be the decisive moment, with Dode Lukebakio scoring the winner.

If found guilty, Llorente could be banned for at least four matches. To make matters worse, his centre-back partner Natan is also facing a spell on the sidelines. He suffered a blow in the final stages of Sunday’s match, and according to Diario AS, it’s expected that he has suffered a sprained knee.

If both of these come to fruition, Betis would only have two natural centra defensive options: Marc Bartra and Nobel Mendy. Ricardo Rodriguez, who predominantly plays as a left-back, can only play there if required.