Real Betis playmaker will miss Barcelona clash as club decide against appeal | OneFootball

The next three games for Barcelona see the Blaugrana lock horns with three high-quality opponents across three different competitions.

They first face Atletico Madrid in Copa del Rey, then host Real Betis at home in La Liga before playing against Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal.

Two of the three games are in knockout competitions, but Barcelona must treat even the league game against Los Verdiblancos as a virtual knockout given the situation on the league standings.

A massive boost

Earlier this week, Real Betis superstar Isco Alcaron saw a yellow card in the heated Seville derby against Sevilla and thus accumulated the final yellow card needed for a suspension.

As relayed by Mundo Deportivo in a recent update, Real Betis are not considering challenging the player’s suspension and will not make any appeal to have it revoked.

No Isco for Betis. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

They analysed the player’s foul which led to his booking and have decided against appealing after concluding that there is little to no chance of their appeal being accepted.

Isco, thus, will not be available against Barcelona at the Montjuic next weekend in what comes as a massive boost to Hansi Flick’s plans.

After all, he will be forced to rotate in some capacity against the Verdiblancos given what rides on the games against Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid.

With Isco absent, Real Betis could look to deploy Giovanni Lo Celso in midfield against the Catalans but it is clear that Isco’s absence will be felt. After all, he is one of the team’s biggest difference-makers and creators-in-chief.

Earlier this season, Barcelona dropped two points to Manuel Pellegrini’s men in their first La Liga meeting but managed to win by a whopping 5-1 margin in the Copa del Rey. The game next weekend will be crucial, especially given Real Betis’ sensational run of form in recent weeks.