Pellegrini believes Betis can “do important things”

“We are capable of doing important things”: Manuel Pellegrini has made his ambitions clear as Real Betis prepares for its return to the Champions League. The Chilean coach also stressed the need to approach the competition with a sense of perspective. “We feel an important responsibility not to disappoint,” he said, adding that he believes in his squad’s ability to compete against Porto and progress in the tournament.

The coach considers his team to be in good shape, pointing to its results. He also underlined the value of returning from a long break with a win over Osasuna. Betis will now set LaLiga aside and try to win its next four home matches. The first is against Porto, a team at the top of the Portuguese league, Pellegrini said. “We feel capable of taking the three points, even though the opponent will be very difficult,” he added.

For the match, Pellegrini wants his side to reproduce what he sees as the strengths it has shown in previous games: commitment, intensity and personality. He is also counting on the depth of his squad to provide alternatives with matches coming every three days. In his view, as long as the team keeps its vision and functions well, it is capable of aiming high.

Pellegrini also emphasised the difficulty of the Champions League group and the possibility that ambition may not match what a team can deliver on the pitch. “You must always have the greatest ambition to finish as high as possible in every competition,” he said, while noting that the team’s footballing reality has to be demonstrated in play. The immediate target for Betis is to reach the round of 32 or the round of 16, before assessing how far it can go.

He described Porto as a very difficult opponent, accustomed to playing in the Champions League every year. To counter that challenge, Pellegrini said Betis would need strong individual performances and good collective functioning. He confirmed Antony would be in the squad, but did not say whether he would start. He also welcomed Isco’s return and his two goals in the previous match.

The coach summed up his daily demands this way: “I don’t live on memories and, for me, the most important match is the next one.” On next season, he left his future open: “We’ll see where we are coaching next season.”