Morocco’s Abde Ezzalzouli not fully fit as knee injury keeps him out of Betis Champions League opener

Real Betis head coach Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that Morocco international Abde Ezzalzouli is still not fully fit as he continues his recovery from the knee injury that disrupted his season and ruled him out of the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

The 24-year-old has been left out of Betis’ squad for Tuesday’s Champions League league-phase opener away to French side Lille.

Pellegrini said the Moroccan winger continues to experience discomfort and is not yet ready to return to full fitness.

‘Abde is not yet 100% recovered’

Speaking ahead of the match in France, Pellegrini provided an update on the fitness of the Atlas Lion.

“Abde is not yet 100% recovered,” Pellegrini said. “He still has a knee injury, and it is a complicated injury because it causes a lot of discomfort.”

The Chilean coach remains hopeful that the winger will make further progress in his recovery in the coming days.

“We hope that over the next few days he can recover to 100%,” Pellegrini added.

Pellegrini did not provide a specific date for Abde’s return to competitive action.

Knee injury disrupts Morocco star’s season

Abde initially suffered the injury while representing Morocco in a pre-World Cup friendly against Norway in June.

Medical examinations revealed a moderate sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

The injury eventually forced the winger to miss Morocco’s campaign at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The Betis player subsequently travelled to France for a specialised rehabilitation programme before gradually returning to training with his club.

He resumed partial group training in August after spending much of his recovery period working individually.

Cautious approach to return

Pellegrini has taken a careful approach to Abde’s return throughout the early stages of the season.

The Morocco international was left out of Betis’ match against Real Sociedad in August as he continued his recovery before later returning to the squad for their La Liga encounter with Levante.

However, his continued discomfort means he will miss another important fixture as Betis begin their Champions League campaign.

Focus on full recovery

Betis will face Lille on Tuesday at 20:00 Moroccan time in their opening match of the 2026-27 Champions League league phase.

Abde’s immediate focus, however, remains on completing his recovery and avoiding any further setbacks.

The winger’s absence will also continue to be closely monitored by Moroccan football supporters, particularly after the injury deprived the Atlas Lions of one of their attacking options at the 2026 World Cup.