Real Betis fearing serious injury to important defender, key attacker also forced off in Granada victory | OneFootball

It has been an up-and-down season for Real Betis. They currently sit in seventh place, on the cusp of the European places in La Liga, but they have already been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and the Europa League (they will play in the Europa Conference League instead).

Manuel Pellegrini’s side have often struggled throughout the campaign, and injury problems have added to this. Eight players missed Saturday’s slender victory over Granada, and the list looks set to grow ahead of next weekend’s showdown with Barcelona at the Benito Villamarin.

Aitor Ruibal and Ayoze Perez were both forced off with injuries against Granada. The latter took a hard blow to the ankle and could not continue, while Relevo say that Ruibal’s could be more serious, as his knee was injured without contact, which has caused significant fears within Betis of a long-term absence.

The problem for Real Betis that they are unlikely to be able to sign any replacements this month due to their ongoing financial problems. A significant sale would need to happen in order for arrivals to happen, but given the nature of their injury crisis, head coach Manuel Pellegrini cannot afford to lose anyone right now.