Former Tottenham midfielder Lo Celso praises Real Betis team-mate Antony ahead of Nottingham Forest clash

Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso believes Antony can make the difference in Wednesday’s Europa League clash with Nottingham Forest, praising the winger’s “contagious” influence on the pitch.

Forest return to European football for the first time since the 1995-96 season, opening their campaign with a trip to La Cartuja, where Betis are playing while their stadium undergoes redevelopment.

Both sides enter the competition with ambition. Ange Postecoglou’s Forest are making their long-awaited comeback on the continental stage, while Betis – finalists in last season’s Europa Conference League – are again among the favourites to go deep in Europe.

Antony’s Betis comeback

The Brazilian winger enjoyed a strong loan spell in Seville last season before completing a permanent move from Manchester United on deadline day in a deal worth up to £21.6m.

Lo Celso emphasised how significant his return could be: “The comeback from Antony is very important for the club, as well as for Antony.

“It’s not been an easy summer for him because we do know how English clubs behave in these situations. They won’t let you train, things get difficult.

“His last game was played in May and he came to the team with a lot of energy. We saw him playing fantastically against Real Sociedad and in the previous encounter as well.

“Every time he touches the ball there’s this danger feeling coming so it’s great. It’s very contagious as well. It’s good and he’s a great addition to the team.”

Antony struggled to settle at United after his £82.1m move from Ajax in 2022, eventually falling out of favour and being included in the so-called ‘bomb squad’.

But at Betis he has quickly re-established himself as a fan favourite.

Pellegrini delighted with Antony’s early impact

Head coach Manuel Pellegrini admitted the club invested heavily to secure Antony’s services permanently, with United also retaining a 50% sell-on clause.

“It’s not been cheap to get Antony,” Pellegrini said. “On a personal level, I don’t have any doubts on him. I do know that he spent some months without training and obviously he needs a bit of time to get back to it.

“But he has a very good performance, he is very aware of his situation, his position and we are pretty happy with his performance honestly.”

The former Manchester City boss confirmed Héctor Bellerin, Diego Llorente, Nelson Deossa and Marc Bartra will all miss the Forest tie through injury.

Forest’s new era under Postecoglou

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, begin their European journey under new manager Ange Postecoglou, who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo earlier this month.

The Australian arrives with pedigree in the competition, having led Tottenham to the Europa League title last season.

Lo Celso, who played under Postecoglou at Spurs, expects a tough test: “Obviously he is a great coach. He is a coach that likes the best kind of football.

“He is very intense, they look for speed, he likes to transition very fast on the pitch and obviously we’re going to try to be superior.”