Pellegrini faces Dortmund in the Champions League with painful Málaga memories

Real Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini takes on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League amid painful memories of the German side’s home ground. Betis have three wins from three matches in the group stage, according to the source.

The memory dates back to 2013, when Málaga, under Pellegrini, lost to Dortmund after conceding twice in stoppage time, ending their chance of reaching the tournament’s semi-finals. Pellegrini had arrived in Germany on the morning of the match after attending his father’s funeral in Chile. He then criticised the refereeing after the game over the winning goal scored by Felipe Santana, saying his team had not been given a fair chance to qualify.

Pellegrini moved to Manchester City that summer and won the Premier League and the League Cup twice with the club, but he did not win the Champions League. He took charge of Betis in 2020, led them to victory in the Copa del Rey in 2022 and also returned them to the Champions League last season after an absence of two decades. According to the report, the team includes prominent attackers such as Isco and Abde Ezzalzouli, while their coach insists on playing entertaining football.