Ez Abde continues the mystery ahead of European appearance

A new absence

Morocco international Abde Ezzalzouli has been dealt a fresh blow before the start of his European campaign, after Chilean Manuel Pellegrini, the manager of Spain's Real Betis, decided to leave him out of the squad preparing to face France's Lille in the UEFA Champions League.

Pellegrini named his Real Betis squad on Sunday for Tuesday evening's clash with Lille, the first round of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.

Ezzalzouli did not make the cut. The group instead featured a number of the team's most prominent stars, such as Isco, Giovani Lo Celso, Antony and Dani Ceballos.

His absence from the anticipated European fixture comes after he also missed Real Betis's match against Real Madrid, in the last round of the Spanish league, because he was suffering from a viral infection.

The Moroccan had recently returned to action after overcoming his physical problems, playing several minutes against Levante in the last round. Then the trouble resurfaced. A viral infection deprived him of a place in the squad once again.

Ezzalzouli hopes to shake off this setback quickly and regain his fitness, aiming to force his way back into Pellegrini's plans in the coming matches, especially with Real Betis now entering the fray of European competition.