Ez Abde's message to Ismael Saibari gives Real Betis' trip to Borussia Dortmund its emotional hook, but the football part is straightforward enough. Betis go to Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday 4 November at 21:00 with 9 points from 3 Champions League league-phase matches, and Saibari is set for a long spell out after ankle surgery.
Abde's message to Saibari
Speaking to Estadio Deportivo, Abde said: "Soon you'll have us enjoying your football." The line lands hard because it comes with real bad news behind it. Ismael Saibari had surgery on a rupture in the syndesmotic ligament of his right ankle and is expected to miss a minimum of three months.
There is a split in the reporting on how long the layoff could be. One source puts the minimum at three months, while another says the injury could keep him out for as long as half a season. Either way, Betis lose a player who has already delivered 3 goals and 3 assists in 14 official matches for Bayern München.
Betis's task in Dortmund
Manuel Pellegrini called this "the hardest challenge yet" and the numbers back him up. Betis have won all 3 of their Champions League league-phase matches so far, beating LOSC Lille, FC Porto and Feyenoord Rotterdam, and they have 9 points with 7 goals for and 4 against.
The trip is also a test away from Seville. Betis are taking 24 players to Germany, leaving Junior Firpo, Cucho Hernández and Iker Losada behind, while Dortmund sit second in the Bundesliga. That makes Wednesday's game a sharper examination of where Betis are than the perfect start alone suggests.
Betis have already shown they can handle the league phase. The question now is whether that run holds up at Signal Iduna Park, with Borussia Dortmund vs Real Betis set for Wednesday night.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
