"We already know the level Lamine is at"

Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini said after losing 5-1 to Barcelona in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey that one of the keys to the defeat was that his players were not as "aggressive in recovering the ball" as in the last La Liga game against Flick's side.

"There, we played a very good game and deserved to win (they drew 2-2 at the Benito Villamarin). We were more aggressive than we were today, waiting in our own half and not attacking the ball. The aggressiveness in the recovery was an important difference," said the Chilean coach.

Pellegrini also admitted that the current Barca team is at a higher level than the one that played in Sevilla "not only because of Lamine Yamal, who we already know the level he is at, but also because they have four or five players, such as Raphinha, Pedri and Olmo, who are also going through a good moment and that is reflected in the results they are getting".

The former Man City boss, who confirmed that the injury that forced Ruibal off the field in the first half is a sprained ankle - "tomorrow, we'll see how serious it is" - wanted to look on the bright side of the Copa del Rey exit.

"Now, it is important that we focus on the league because we will have a month to recover the points we have lost before returning to the Conference League. We have the squad. Maybe we haven't shown it in the last few weeks, but I think it will give us much more," said Pellegrini.