Ezzalzouli Left Out of Betis Champions League Squad

Abde Ezzalzouli’s European season has stalled before it has even begun.

The Morocco international has been left out of Real Betis’s squad for Tuesday night’s UEFA Champions League clash against Lille, with Manuel Pellegrini opting not to include the winger in his travelling party for the opening game of the new league phase.

Pellegrini announced his list on Sunday. It underlined the club’s ambition for the competition: Isco, Giovani Lo Celso, Antony and Dani Ceballos all made the cut, a core of high-profile names expected to carry Betis through a demanding European schedule.

Ezzalzouli will watch from afar.

His omission comes on the back of another absence in La Liga. The 22-year-old missed Betis’s recent match against Real Madrid after being hit by a viral infection, just when it seemed he had finally put his physical problems behind him.

The timing could hardly be worse.

Ezzalzouli had only just returned to the pitch, getting a few minutes under his belt against Levante in the last round and hinting at a gradual return to rhythm. Then the illness struck, stopping his momentum and costing him a place in Pellegrini’s squad once again.

For a player still trying to establish himself in a squad packed with attacking options, every lost game feels heavy. Every missed European night, even more so.

Ezzalzouli’s target now is clear: recover fully, regain sharpness and force his way back into Pellegrini’s thinking as quickly as possible. With Betis stepping into the intensity of European competition, the window of opportunity will not stay open forever.