Tough game for Betis in Europa League as Pellegrini prefers not to think about future

MADRID, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Betis and Celta Vigo are in Europa League action on Thursday night while Rayo Vallecano aims for another three points in its Conference League campaign.

Betis looks for three points in a difficult home game against Olympique Lyon, who reached the semifinals of the competition last season and travels to Seville with three wins in three matches so far in the group stage.

The Spanish side has also been in excellent form in La Liga in recent weeks, with Antony impressing in a 3-0 win at home to Mallorca at the weekend, but has lost first choice goalkeeper Pau Lopez for several weeks with a knee injury.

Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini said Alvaro Valles would play on Thursday and confirmed Lopez would be out for "at least a month," while suggesting he would make changes in his starting 11.

"We always analyse the risks some players might face; there are four or five players we need to manage carefully to determine what's best for Betis and for them," said Pellegrini.

The veteran coach, who is out of contract at the end of the current season, was also asked about the possibility of becoming the Chile national team coach and refused to rule out coaching his homeland.

"We'll see about the future when the time is right. Nobody knows what might happen or can predict the future. Right now, I'm here at Betis, my contract ends in June, and we'll see what the future holds for the club and for me," he said.

Celta Vigo travels to face Dinamo Zagreb with the club's morale sky-high thanks to consecutive wins in La Liga, while the side coached by Claudio Giraldez is also handily placed in Europa after wins against Nice and PAOK Salonika.

Rayo Vallecano's match against Lech Poznan is a high-risk game with over 400 police and security guards on duty with around 800 Polish fans expected in the south of Madrid for the match in the compact Vallecas Stadium. ■