Betis boss Pellegrini moans over the timing of their Sociedad clash

Real Betis boss

Manuel Pellegrini

addressed the media in the pre-match press conference, carried by

:

“I think it’s clear that it’s a key match for the Copa del Rey, we’re in three different competitions and the Copa del Rey is one-legged, so you either continue or you’re eliminated.

“So of course it’s a final for us. We’re going to step up. It has nothing to do with the rest of the season, only with the

, and it’s very important for us to continue advancing in it.”

Pellegrini, on the other hand, made it obvious that he was dissatisfied with the way the quarter-finals were scheduled. The match takes place just hours after a South American-only international break ended, in which numerous Betis players took part.

“What’s strange is that they have put a Copa del Rey match on the same date as the qualifiers,” he said. “I think that’s avoidable, it’s discrediting a tournament as important as the Copa del Rey and it’s giving an advantage to the opponent.

“We’re going to have five fewer players than Real Sociedad. In professional football you cannot give an advantage and the competitions have to be organized so that there’s the total availability of players in the squad.”

So far this season, Betis has surpassed Real

Sociedad

. The Andalusian side is now third in

, six points below city rival Sevilla in the runner-up spot and 10 points behind league toppers Real Madrid. La Real is now in sixth place, slugging it out with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for a place in the top four. They are two points behind Betis in fourth place. 

Both teams are still in contention in the Copa, as well as the

. In the following round, Betis will face Zenit St. Petersburg from Russia, while La Real will face Leipzig from Germany.

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