Pellegrini gets Bartra back, rules out Ruibal and talks about Ceballos, Lo Celso and rotations ahead of Osasuna

Real Betis Balompié

Bartra, recovered; Ruibal still not available

Manuel Pellegrini confirmed that Marc Bartra has overcome his physical problems and is back training normally, so he will be available for the match against Osasuna.

«Marc is already recovered and training normally», he said.

Different is the situation of Aitor Ruibal, who has rejoined the group after an injury that kept him sidelined for almost three months.

«Aitor joined the group today after an injury that kept him out for practically three months [...], so he is still not in a position to be called up», he explained.

Therefore, Ruibal will remain out of the squad, although his return to training is an important step in his recovery.

Ceballos improves and will get opportunities

The coach was also pleased with the progress of Dani Ceballos, who has used the international break to sharpen up.

«He worked hard over these three weeks and is another player in the squad», Pellegrini said.

The manager confirmed that Ceballos will get minutes in the coming fixtures, although he avoided specifying when he might appear in the starting XI.

«Dani is recovering, he is better and he will get his minutes», he added.

Lo Celso continues to recover

As for Giovani Lo Celso, Pellegrini said he wants to have him back as soon as possible, although he did not give a specific date for his return.

«I hope Giovani recovers as soon as possible and gets back into the rhythm; he is a player of great quality and an important part of the squad», he said.

The Argentine remains an important piece in the coach's plans, but his availability for the next matches is still evolving.

Álvaro Valles maintains his advantage over Diego Conde

Pellegrini also spoke about competition in goal and highlighted the good run of Álvaro Valles, who appears to have the coach's confidence.

«Álvaro is in a very good moment and it is not a position that wears you out much», he explained.

For his part, Diego Conde continues to regain his best physical condition after an injury that kept him out for practically two months without playing.

Although the coach did not rule out giving him opportunities later on, his comments suggest that Valles will remain the first-choice option between the posts in the short term.

Fidalgo, pending the latest assessment

Asked about Álvaro Fidalgo and possible squad omissions, Pellegrini preferred to wait for the final session and the medical staff's evaluations.

«Tomorrow we will talk with the medical staff and the fitness area to analyze the important parameters before handing over the list of called-up players», he explained.

That way, Fidalgo's presence in the squad has still not been confirmed.

Rotations with a very demanding schedule

Betis will face eight or nine matches in less than a month, an accumulation of fixtures that will force Pellegrini to manage the squad's workload.

However, the Chilean insisted that he will not hold players back thinking about later commitments and that his immediate priority is Osasuna.

«The most important thing is to stay focused on the first match and see which is the best team to win it», he said.

He also explained that he will especially take into account the physical condition of the internationals, with whom he will speak after their return to determine whether they are ready to compete.

Therefore, rotations will be important over the next few weeks, although the coach did not preview any specific changes for this matchday.

No definitive clues about the XI against Osasuna

Pellegrini avoided revealing his lineup and made it clear that the decisions will depend on performance, the opponent's characteristics and each player's physical condition.

The coach was satisfied with Betis' overall performance, who have 16 points from 21 available, although he acknowledged that the team needs to improve its finishing to make better use of the chances it creates.

With Bartra back, Ceballos building momentum and several decisions still pending from the last session, the verdiblanco side will approach the matchday with options to make changes to their starting XI.