Fresh Setback for Abde as Betis Launch Champions League Campaign

Abde Ezzalzouli’s European season has stalled before it even started.

The Morocco international has been left out of Real Betis’s squad for Tuesday night’s UEFA Champions League clash with Lille, with Manuel Pellegrini opting to go without the winger for the opening game of the new league phase.

The Chilean coach announced his travelling group on Sunday. Abde’s name was missing. Instead, the list leaned on the club’s headline talent: Isco, Giovani Lo Celso, Antony and Dani Ceballos all included as Betis gear up for a high-profile trip to France.

For Abde, it’s another frustrating twist.

He had already sat out Betis’s last La Liga outing against Real Madrid, ruled unavailable because of a viral infection. That absence came just as he seemed to be turning a corner. The forward had only recently shaken off earlier physical problems and managed to get back on the pitch, logging several minutes against Levante in the previous round.

Then the illness hit. And with it, his place in Pellegrini’s plans slipped again.

The timing could hardly be worse. Betis are stepping onto the Champions League stage, the kind of platform every attacking player craves, while Abde is stuck on the sidelines trying to rebuild rhythm and fitness.

His target now is clear: recover quickly, prove his condition, and force his way back into contention as Betis juggle domestic duties with the demands of European competition. The games will come thick and fast. So will the opportunities — if he’s ready to take them.