Betis without Antony for their Copa del Rey opener

Betis will begin their Copa del Rey campaign without Antony. The winger will not travel to Alcorcón for the tie against Navalcarnero, scheduled for 21:00 at the Santo Domingo stadium. The club has reported that a viral illness is behind his absence, making him a late withdrawal.

Real Betis plans to fly from Seville to Madrid at 11:30 and return by air after the match. The Madrid team moved the fixture to Santo Domingo in Alcorcón to increase capacity. The tie will be decided over a single match.

Antony is not the only announced absentee: Ian Forns, of Betis Deportivo, is also left out. Iker Losada is included, despite not having played this season. Diego Conde could make his official debut for Betis, while Aitor Ruibal could get his first minutes of the season. Manuel Pellegrini is preparing rotation amid a demanding schedule.

Navalcarnero come into the tie after recovering from a two-goal deficit against Numancia and winning 3-2 at Los Pajaritos. They sit eighth in Group 5 of Segunda Federación and reached this cup round after making the Copa Federación semi-finals. Their coach, Miguel Zárate, says his side arrives “in good form” and calls Betis “a very recognisable team”. He added: “We are more unpredictable.”

The trip also brings back a striking memory for Pellegrini. In 2009, Alcorcón beat the Real Madrid side he managed 4-0 in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie. Madrid won 1-0 at the Bernabéu in the return match but were still eliminated. Pellegrini summed up that game at the time: “We lacked football.” Betis will now look to avoid an upset and continue their cup campaign.