Valverde: Barça at disadvantage playing Thursday before Atletico game

Ernesto Valverde is annoyed at how the fixture list has fallen this week, with Atletico Madrid's schedule handing them the advantage ahead of their trip to Barcelona on Sunday. 

Atletico host Leganes at home on Wednesday, a whole 24 hours before Barça make their longest trip of the season to face Las Palmas in Gran Canaria on Thursday. 

"This week the schedule is against us," Valverde said in his pre-game press conference. "There are a lot of questions and reasons why schedules are the way they are and sometimes the sporting side of things is not considered as much. 

"This time it's us who have the long journey and who play a day later than Atletico. It's not Atletico's fault -- and it could have been the reverse.

"They sometimes have to play in Europe on Thursday and then in the league on Sunday but we're talking about La Liga here, not two different competitions. Considering the importance of Sunday's game, [La Liga]) should have had it in mind." 

Valverde also chose to ignore Diego Simeone's suggestion that his Atletico side -- seven points back from leaders Barça in the table -- cannot challenge the Catalans for top spot. 

"Keeping in mind how Simeone and his teams compete, I have no doubt that they will fight until the end," the Barça coach added. "Not even he thinks the league is over, of course he doesn't -- and nor do we."

PiquE, WITHOUT PROBLEMS

Valverde also revealed that defender Gerard Pique is fine, despite having struggled with a knee problem in recent weeks. 

"Pique is fine," he said. "He trained as normal [on Tuesday] and if he's playing it's because he's fit. I had to take him off against Girona, not to do with his knee injury, he took a different knock. A strong knock, but not to do with the injury before.

"If he is fit, then he's ready to play, there's nothing strange going on there."