Betis' final test, with a special flavor for Isco and Pellegrini

Betis concludes preseason training this Saturday at La Rosaleda. A visit to Málaga 's home ground for the 35th Costa del Sol Trophy will serve as the final test before the league season begins against Elche. It will be a special match for Manuel Pellegrini and, above all, Isco Alarcón , who will return to Málaga after more than seven years, although now wearing the green and white shirt rather than Real Madrid's. Pablo Fornals, who played in the youth teams until making his first-team debut, and Diego Llorente will also return to Málaga, although in his case he will have to watch the match from the stands.

The Betis captain has never hidden his love for Málaga , the team that cemented his professional career after his time at Valencia. Signed in the summer of 2011 for six million euros, the price of his buyout clause, his growth was exponential, and two years after his arrival, during which he played 47 matches for the blue and whites, Real Madrid ended up bringing him to the Spanish capital, despite Pellegrini, who had managed him at the Costa del Sol team, wanting to take him to Manchester City.

Isco's presence , although Pellegrini's burden sharing suggests he won't be in the starting lineup, is one of the big draws for this final warm-up match for the Verdiblancos. The Malaga native started against Como, playing 80 minutes, so it seems likely the Chilean coach will limit his presence this Saturday, with a lineup featuring several changes from the one he played against the Italian side on Wednesday.

A great atmosphere is expected at La Rosaleda . Although Betis returned 2,000 tickets on Thursday—of the 5,000 Málaga made available—almost 25,000 had already been sold, and the surge in the final hours leading up to the match will make the Málaga stadium almost full to capacity. The home club initially sold the cheapest tickets to its season ticket holders, with prices ranging from €5 to €15, while tickets were available to the general public starting Monday, though they cost between €25 and €70.

This will be the sixth and final preseason match for the Betis team. The summer began with a triangular tournament in Faro, where they played two 45-minute matches, winning 2-0 against Farense and losing 1-0 to Uniao Leiria, and continued with a victory over Córdoba (3-4). Betis then traveled to England, where they drew 1-1 against Coventry City and beat Sunderland (0-1); while in their last training camp in Marbella, Betis traveled to La Línea to face Como, losing to them in a difficult match (3-2).