Real Betis suffer FIFTH Rangers clash blow as another key man adds to injury woes ahead of Europa League showdown

Real Betis will be without skipper Andres Guardado who adds his name to a worrying injury list for the La Liga side.

The Seville outfit travel to Ibrox to kick off their Europa League campaign against Rangers this week but will have to do so without their captain and main man in midfield. Mexican international and skipper Guardado suffered an ankle injury that will keep him out for at least a month. The defensive midfielder, who won an astonishing 176 caps for his country in 17 years, has been at Betis for seven years and is regarded as a key man even at the age of 36.

Betis were already reeling with several players struggling on the treatment table. Keeper Claudio Bravo is out with a back injury and Portuguese midfielder William Carvalho is also set to miss out with a knee strain. Spanish full back Aitor Ruibal is injured and French international Nabil Fekir has still not recovered from a knee problem suffered last season.

Betis have to go to Catalonia over the weekend to face Barcelona at their temporary home of Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, with the Nou Cam being refurbished. They then fly out to Scotland next Thursday hoping to get their Euro campaign off to a positive start.

The news comes after Michael Beale was dealt a blow of his own with Todd Cantwell joining Kieran Dowell on the Ibrox injury list. There was better news where Tom Lawrence and Kemar Roofe are concerned though as Beale spoke ahead of this weekend's game with St Johnstone.

He said: "The strongest team will play the next game, Tom Lawrence is now fully fit, Roofe is in a really good place. Unfortunately, Todd Cantwell will miss the next three or four games, and Dowell will also miss out.

"Todd (Cantwell) was a an issue with his knee in a