Pellegrini omits Ceballos and Abde for Real Madrid trip

Manuel Pellegrini has named his Real Betis squad for the LaLiga round against Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja. With preparation a key factor, the Betis boss includes José Antonio Morante as the main return, while other players miss the trip.

Squad for La Cartuja

As MARCA reports, Dani Ceballos is not included yet after starting his second stint at the club. The midfielder has only had “a couple of training sessions” with the group, and although he has managed to join the work schedule, the coaching staff believe he still isn’t ready to play his first minutes.

Abde out, Lo Celso delayed

Ez Abde also misses out. A viral issue kept him from training and he couldn’t recover in time. Giovani Lo Celso is absent too: he has already had several sessions back with the squad after returning from a muscle injury, but Pellegrini says he’ll be given “a few more days” to keep building match readiness.

The selection likewise leaves out injured players Diego Conde and Aitor Ruibal, still in recovery. Junior does return to the 23-man list after missing the game vs Levante due to personal reasons with the club’s permission.

In his press comments, Pellegrini also weighed in on Mourinho, saying: “I see Mourinho much more mature as a coach now than years ago,” as MARCA records.