BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Leaving Old Trafford has — so far — done wonders for Antony.
The Brazilian forward has scored three goals and made two assists in six games across all competitions since he joined Real Betis on loan from Manchester United last month.
That contrasts with his disappointing time with United, when he failed to live up to a $95-transfer from Ajax in 2022 and scored only 12 goals in 96 games.
Next up he faces his biggest challenge so far: Real Madrid is coming to town on Saturday locked in a three-way fight for the league lead.
“He is a player who changes a team, without a doubt,” Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini said about Antony the day before the Madrid match. “He is a player who in an instant can decide a game. He has given us a lot with his play, his goals and assists. He is a player who cost another club a lot of money. He is very talented. So we are trying to get the most out of him.”
Antony was cleared to play against Madrid after the Spanish soccer federation’s disciplinary committee lifted a red card that he was shown in his last game.
Depleted midfield
Star midfielder Jude Bellingham will miss the game for Madrid serving the second of a two-game suspension for cursing at a referee.
On top of that, midfielder Dani Ceballos is out for several weeks with a leg injury just when the regular substitute was getting a starting role. And coach Carlo Ancelotti said Friday that Fernando Valverde, who provides hustle and a blistering long-range strike, will rest to recover from an unspecified knock ahead of a Champions League game against Atletico Madrid.
Not that Madrid will be short of top talent in the middle, even if Ancelotti’s options will be limited.
Eduardo Camavinga looks like a lock to start. With Madrid also having recovered enough defenders from its injury list, Aurélien Tchouaméni could move back up into his natural role as holding midfielder. That would leave veteran Luka Modric and Arda Guler to fill the third midfield spot in a more attacking role.
“It is too bad (the injury) to Ceballos because he was helping the team a lot with his attitude, work and talent, but, like always, we will find solutions,” Ancelotti said. “What I am worried about is the strength of our rival, not our missing players.”
Kylian Mbappé will be back after missing one game, a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey, with a dental problem.
European derby looms
Madrid is level on points with leader Barcelona at the top of the table with Atletico just one point behind the pair.
Atletico, for its part, has a home game on Saturday against fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao, which is just six points off the lead. Barcelona hosts Sociedad on Sunday seeking payback for a loss in their first meeting this season.
But Madrid and Atletico are also eyeing their European clash on Tuesday when the Santiago Bernabeu will host the first game of their round-of-16 Champions League meeting.
Ancelotti said that he won’t hold anything back at Betis, however, and “play my best team to win the three points that are vital for the league title fight.”
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press
