Gio Lo Celso omitted from Betis squad and Argentina selection

Gio Lo Celso, the 30‑year‑old Argentine midfielder under contract with Betis until mid‑2028, was omitted from the squad for Saturday’s La Liga clash with Elche despite no reported injury, and he also remains absent from Argentina’s Selección recently.

He had featured ten minutes in the 1‑0 Champions League win over Feyenoord three days after a 5‑2 La Liga defeat to Barcelona on 17 October, where a controversial goal was disallowed. Four days later he added 22 minutes in the 0‑0 La Liga draw with Celta.

He did not feature at all in the following league match against Málaga. He was also an unused substitute in the Champions League tie with Borussia Dortmund.

On Saturday, a day before Betis travel to Elche, manager Manuel Pellegrini decided not to include him in the squad. The club’s official statement reported no physical problems.

Olé reported the omission. The omission came in a La Liga fixture in Spain (España).

In Argentina’s Selección, he was only considered for Lionel Messi’s farewell match against Benin. He has not been called up for the upcoming FIFA window against Uruguay and Costa Rica.

The dual omission has sparked questions in Spain and Argentina about the sudden loss of playing time for the Rosarino midfielder.