Barcelona: The worst hit by scheduling post Champions League
Barcelona had to play after just two days of rest following the Manchester City clash, for no reason when they could have played Sunday
Lionel Messi’s penalty gave Barcelona three golden points against Valencia at Mestalla. The club were not happy with the scheduling of their fixture against Valencia. They played on Wednesday in the Champions League and cannot understand why they had to face Valencia at 4.15 on Saturday.
Atletico played on Wednesday against Rostov and played their game on Sunday. Madrid played on Tuesday and do not have to play until Sunday night.
The unwritten rule is that if you play in the UCL on Tuesday you can play in the league on Saturday. But if it’s Wednesday, then it’s more normal. Just like Atletico did in the first three Champions League weeks - and Madrid. But Barcelona have not had a gift in this sense. Curiously of the teams that had less rest than Barcelona—Arsenal and Rostov—drew 0-0.
The president Josep Maria Bartomeu is likely to complain about it to Liga president Javier Tebas on Monday. The club understands that, as is normal there are certain interests in the mix when the calendar is drawn up. By complaining, they will hope the situation does not repeat.
