Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini refused to talk about favorites in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals against Sporting de Braga, admitting that his team carries more responsibility after the draw in Minho.
“There are no favorites at this stage. We have more responsibility because we managed a draw (1-1) in the first leg. It is always difficult to get a good result away from home, especially in a knockout tie. We achieved the goal, which was to try not to lose [in Braga], now we have to try to secure [the passage] here at home,” said Manuel Pellegrini.
The Chilean coach, who was speaking at the pre-match press conference held at the Luis del Sol Training Center, said he has “great hope” for a good result and stressed that “the atmosphere in the stadium will show that it is a special match.”
“It is the first time that Betis is trying to reach a Europa League semi-final, especially at home, in front of our fans,” he recalled.
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Asked about Sporting de Braga, the coach of the Andalusian side stated that they are “a team with a lot of ball possession, who like to build plays well to reach the opponent’s half,” and asked his players to be intense in that aspect.
“We will have to show intensity to contest possession if we want to damage their defense. We have to play a very good game if we want to overcome them,” he emphasized.
Manuel Pellegrini also downplayed Betis’s recent negative streak, having won only one of their last 10 official matches—specifically the 4-0 home win against Greece’s Panathinaikos that secured their qualification for the quarter-finals.
“The fans are happy, otherwise we wouldn’t have 62,000 or 63,000 people in the stadium tomorrow [Thursday]. We are competing for access to the Europa League semi-finals; I don’t think there are any unhappy fans. We always want to win every game, but it’s not always possible when we play twice a week,” highlighted the coach of the team currently in fifth place in the Spanish League.
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For the match against the Minho side, Pellegrini cannot count on Brazilian defender Natan, who is suspended, nor on defender Júnior Firpo and forward Ángel Ortiz, both injured, in addition to Argentine midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who is not registered for European competitions.
Conversely, the Chilean coach, who refused to address “speculation and rumors” regarding Sporting’s alleged interest in midfielder Sergi Altimira, confirmed that Spanish international Isco, absent since November due to injury, could get some minutes against Braga.
Betis and Sporting de Braga play on Thursday at 21:00 local time (20:00 in Lisbon) at the Estadio Olímpico de La Cartuja in Seville, with officiating by Italian referee Davide Massa.
