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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Mark Walker

Real Betis facing goalkeeping crisis ahead of Rangers Europa League clash

Real Betis face a goalkeeping crisis ahead of their trip to Rangers after manager Manuel Pellegrini saw his 70th birthday ruined in Barcelona.

Rangers welcome the La Liga side to Ibrox on Thursday for their opening Europa League group stage game, but the Seville side suffered a nightmare weekend.

Former Manchester City and Real Madrid boss Pellegrini watched his side demolished 5-0 by Barcelona on the day of his landmark birthday.

And his keeper Rui Silva had to be substituted after a thigh tear and he will be assessed to see the extent of the damage, after reports he could be out for a lengthy period.

Veteran former Manchester City and Barcelona keeper Claudio Bravo is a major doubt for Ibrox with the 40-year-old being out for weeks with a calf injury.

And their only other keeper on their books for Europe is third choice Fran Vieites, who plays for Betis B in Segunda Federacion - the fourth tier of Spanish football - and was only brought into the squad after the injury to Bravo.

His second-half appearance in Barcelona was his debut for the club and Pellegrini isn't optimistic about Bravo or Silva being ready for Ibrox.

He said: "Rui Silva will discover the extent of the injury, but it could be a tear. As for Claudio Bravo, he has only just started to train with the squad after his calf injury.

"I have my doubts that he will be available for Thursday. It was an ugly defeat, but we will pick ourselves up from this.

"It won't define our season. We also missed a few chances in the first half. Barcelona dominated and in the second half we took risks and their goals came with the space we left."

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