Real Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini goes back to Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday with his side perfect in the Champions League. Dortmund is the ground where he suffered one of the most painful defeats of his career.

Free Malaysia Today reports that the 73-year-old Chilean's team have won all three of their league phase fixtures so far. They edged Lille 3-2 before beating Porto and Feyenoord.

The trip carries bitter memories. In 2013, Pellegrini's Malaga conceded twice in injury time against a Dortmund side led by Jurgen Klopp and missed out on a semi-final place. Felipe Santana's winner appeared to come from an offside position. Pellegrini had arrived in Germany on the morning of the match after attending his father's funeral in Chile. He later hit out at the officiating, saying: "They did not want us in the semi-finals."

That campaign remains Malaga's only appearance in the Champions League. Pellegrini left for Manchester City that summer and won the Premier League and two League Cups before departing in 2016. Pep Guardiola replaced him at City.

His earlier record was also strong. He took Villarreal to the Champions League semi-finals in 2006, where they were eliminated by Arsenal. Two years later, his Villarreal side finished second in LaLiga, above Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. That earned him the Real Madrid post in 2009. He collected a then-club record 96 points but was dismissed at the end of the season so that Jose Mourinho could take over.

Pellegrini has been at Betis since 2020, the longest spell of his managerial career. He ended the club's 17-year wait for a final by winning the Copa del Rey in 2022. In 2025 he guided Betis to their first European final, which they lost to Chelsea in the Conference League. The club have now qualified for Europe in six consecutive seasons. Last term they reached the Champions League for the first time in two decades.

He remains committed to attacking football, with Isco and Ez Abde among his forwards. Lille coach Davide Ancelotti said in September that Pellegrini does not always receive the recognition his career deserves.

Betis beat Malaga in La Liga on Saturday. Pellegrini has long argued that trophies should not be the only measure of a coach's success.