Betis challenges Eintracht in pursuit of its European ceiling

There is no truce for Betis. Arriving alive in three competitions in March is a hectic pace for any team and less than a week after reaching the fifth Copa del Rey final in its history, with the league defeat against Atlético at Villamarín in between, The Verdiblanco team faces another exciting date, brought forward to Wednesday due to the match between Sevilla and West Ham, also in the city of Guadalquivir. As a rival, Eintracht Frankfurt, semifinalist of the Europa League in 2019, and in the quarterfinals of the second continental competition.

It is not a minor prize, far from it, since it would mean equaling the ceiling of Betis in Europe. Only twice was the Verdiblanco team among the top eight in a tournament on the Old Continent. It was in the extinct Cup Winners’ Cup on both occasions, in the 1977-78 campaign with the Soviet Dinamo Moscow as a rival and in the 1997-98 academic year, when they gave in against Chelsea, the eventual champion. To reach that stage, Pellegrini’s team first faces a demanding rival, this Oliver Glasner’s Eintracht who, although currently ranked tenth in the Bundesliga, seven points behind the sixth place that grants a continental ticket, has fulfilled with note until now in the Europa League. It also arrives after charging morale with a home win (1-4) against Hertha Berlin.

The German team, which has in its ranks renowned players such as the German PSG exporter Kevin Trapp, the experienced Austrian defender Martin Hinteregger, the Serbian midfielder Filip Kostic or the Colombian striker Santos Borré, reached the round of 16 without going through the previous round , after overcoming Olympiacos, Fenerbahce and Antwerp in a group stage without defeat. Meanwhile, Betis, surpassed by Bayer Leverkusen in their group, had to overcome the difficult obstacle of Zenit Saint Petersburg to reach the round of 16. Eintracht will be the fourth German team that Betis face in European competition, as they already beat Lokomotive Leipzig in the second round of the 1977-78 Cup Winners’ Cup -2-1 in Seville and 1-1 in Germany- and Kaiserlautern, also in the second round but of the 1995-96 UEFA Cup -1-0 in Seville and 1-3 away-. It was before the double duel of this same campaign against Leverkusen, with a draw at Villamarín and the tough 4-0 in the city of aspirin.

To overcome the challenge, Pellegrini would have to deal with the accumulation of matches in his legs, so he will introduce changes in the Europa League with respect to the match against Atlético de Liga. Without Bellerín, Álex Moreno or Guardado, injured, and with Miranda touched, the options on the wings are minimal. Sabaly and a reconverted Aitor Ruibal are emerging as chosen for the lanes and in the axis of defense Pezzella and Edgar will predictably return with fresh legs, after resting the weekend with Bartra and Víctor Ruiz as starters. Rui Silva has so far been the chosen goalkeeper in European competition and with Guido Rodríguez and William Carvalho as the undisputed pair of midfielders, Joaquín points to eleven instead of the touched Canales, with Fekir, Juanmi and Borja Iglesias for the rest of the attacking positions Betic.