Fuente: © Chelsea FC
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CHELSEA FC: Battles with Betis

/noticias.info/ Mourinho versus his old colleague Serra Ferrer; Del Horno versus Joaquín; the Premiership champions against the Spanish Cup winners.

Real Betis have won the Spanish Cup twice. In 1997 they went into the European Cup Winners’ Cup, reached the quarter-finals and were eliminated by Chelsea. In 2005 they also came fourth in the League, went into the UEFA Champions League, and next week meet Chelsea again.

Their coach, Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, born in Majorca, was in charge in 1997 but left to join Barcelona. There he worked alongside José Mourinho under Luis van Gaal as coaching co-ordinator for three years, and when van Gaal and Mourinho left in 2000 he became head coach for a year. He rejoined Real Betis in 2004 to take them on to their new heights. He is thus the only coach to have won the Spanish Cup with them.

At Betis he found the homegrown Joaquín (pictured celebrating after last season's Spanish Cup win). The 24 year old right-winger has been linked with moves to Real Madrid and Chelsea every summer for several years. An eye-catcher in the last World Cup, he has been joined in the national side by Asier Del Horno over the last year.

Del Horno is not in the current squad after injury, but proved his fitness at Liverpool and is likely to be marking his international colleague next Wednesday.

Other notable Real Betis players at present include Brazilian striker Ricardo Oliveira who scored 26 goals last season, two more goals at Monaco in the Champions League third qualifying round second leg, and the winner at Anderlecht on Matchday 2. He was another payer Chelsea were linked with in the media over the summer.

Edu, a deep lying forward, is not the former Arsenal midfielder, but the former Celta Vigo player who scored against Arsenal in the Champions League a couple of years ago. notas_de_prensa_archivo