The http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 head coach has voiced his opinion regarding the lack of rest allowed to Athletic Bilbao prior to their match against La Blaugrana.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Marcelo-c23554 Beilsa’s men were found in action on Thursday and have to take up the challenge of the current Spanish Champions on Saturday.
Football purists around http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011 have voiced their concern over the fact that the Basque outfit will only have one day to rest before they lock horns with Pep Guardiola’s men over the weekend.
Bilbao faced German Bundesliga side Schalke 04 in the Europa League quarter final on Thursday night. The Spanish giants travelled to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Germany-c2904 in midweek and returned back home on Friday, giving them 48 hours before they go head-to-head against Barca.
Even though Bielsa’s men were successful in securing a crucial 4-2 win away from home against Schalke, they now face their toughest challenge of the season.
To make matters a little more complicated for Bilbao, they have to face the Catalan giants at the Nou Camp, where they have not been beaten in their last 32 Spanish La Liga fixtures.
Nou Camp, which has established a reputation of being a fortress, boasts a tremendous record on the part of the Spanish juggernauts.
However, Guardiola has downplayed the importance of this tough schedule for Bilbao and has argued that it should barely make a difference for the Basque club.
The timing of the match has been set to the convenience of the Spanish champions as they are set to face AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, hence they have been allowed a day’s rest on Sunday.
While addressing the press, the Spanish trainer was quoted as saying:
"The timing is what it is. It's better to have three or four days off but teams that want to reach the finals must play many matches close together and in this kind of situation. And we'll do well not to think that Athletic will arrive here tired."
The Catalan tactician has gone ahead in warning his side against the complications they may come across when they take the field against Bilbao.
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