Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has joined the handful of Premier League managers who claim that the match day schedules are simply not sensible enough for clubs playing European football in the middle of the week.
The Blues face Liverpool next Saturday, but will have to travel all the way to Azerbaijan on Wednesday night. Conte’s men will be facing Group C’s bottom side Qarabag FK in a vital Champions League clash, and have less time to prepare for the upcoming Premier League game at Anfield.
Conte, talking about the game in a press conference after Chelsea’s huge 4-0 win over West Brom on Saturday, believes that Premier League should spend more time and care when planning the match day schedules.
We are going to play Qarabağ on Wednesday, and then we go back to London at five or six o’clock,. But we have another great game against Liverpool on Saturday. Is it normal, this? I don’t think so.
If someone wants more balance in this league I think they must pay greater attention before to prepare the fixtures.
– Antonio Conte
While the Chelsea squad travel to face Qarabag, Liverpool will be visiting Sevilla at Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Tuesday night – meaning they’ll have 24 hours more to spend in England before Saturday’s tie.
The Chelsea team is luckily in good shape at the moment, as only Michy Batshuayi is currently sidelined with an injury. Even Victor Moses, who hurt his hamstring over two months ago, is set to return to the Blues side next week.
