Former Barcelona defender Marc Bartra has been forced off the field after just 13 minutes in Real Betis game against Granada this evening. The Seville-based side host Celtic on Thursday but La Liga scheduled Manuel Pellegrini’s side to play tonight, much to the former Man City boss’ annoyance.
Celtic will visit the Spanish side on Thursday evening, kicking off at 5:45pm and this has upset Pellegrini. The Betis boss said that Celtic have an advantage having played on Saturday.
“The people who organised this need to look at themselves. No one wants to play on a Monday at that time – Tuesday is a working day for the fans. In my opinion, the Europa League is more difficult for clubs than the Champions League because when you play away from home, you don’t arrive back until Friday morning and most often you have to play on the Sunday. It’s very demanding.
“We have tried to set up a team that can compete in three competitions. We haven’t started too well in the league in terms of points, but I think we have deserved more points.”
Bartra is one of Betis’ better players and if he is unable to play, that can be a benefit to Ange Postecoglou’s side. It is unfortunate to see a player injured but Betis can rightfully be aggrieved at the league’s decision to schedule a game today.
Celtic are missing a few players themselves but the game on Thursday will go a long way to determining the outcome of the group.