Real Betis will be without six top internationals as they look to overcome Rangers and guarantee progression in the Europa League.
As Rangers count the cost of their own absences, Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini also has several injury headaches.
Real Betis will be without veteran Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo (140 caps), Spanish centre-back Marc Bartra (14), Senegalese right-back Youssouf Sabaly (31), 2018 French World Cup winner Nabil Fekir (25), and Portuguese midfielder William Carvalho (80) through injury.
Argentine World Cup winner Guido Rodriguez (29) is also set to miss the Europa League clash through suspension.
The midfielder’s international teammate German Pezzella has however recovered from a hamstring issue.
Rangers set for Real Betis Europa League decider
Between them, the group has over 320 caps and it’s a substantial amount of experience for Manuel Pellegrini and Real Betis to lose for such an important game.
Europa League Group C sits dramatically in the balance heading into matchday six with the Spanish side currently top on nine points.
With Rangers second on eight and Sparta Prague third on seven, the Group is set to come down to the final day with the Ibrox side needing a victory to guarantee progression.
Otherwise, the club must hope Sparta Prague do not win in Cyprus against Aris Limassol, with Rangers’ head-to-head record against the Czechs ensuring progression if the two clubs wind up level on points.
But Rangers will also have to cope with several injuries in their own squad as Philippe Clement looks to rally his team in Spain.
Ibrox injury problems aplenty
Rangers have been nursing injury problems all season-long with the Ibrox midfield a particular problem area heading into this game.
Nicolas Raskin is a long-term absentee and has been joined by Tom Lawrence in recent weeks, with the situation surrounding Scotland midfielder Ryan Jack still unclear.
Striker Danilo faces an extended time on the sidelines with a knee issue, whilst Scott Wright’s current injury status continues to rule him out of Philippe Clement’s side.
Due to the club’s homegrown imbalance, Ridvan Yilmaz and Kieran Dowell – who is yet to feature under Clement – are also ruled out.
It means that Rangers and Real Betis are both set to be without influential players in Spain as the Europa League fate of both clubs is decided.
