Valverde laments Chelsea's extra Champions League preparation time
The Barça coach would have liked to play Eibar on Friday
Chelsea are playing Hull in the FA Cup on Friday night
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde lamented the fact Chelsea will have extra preparation time for Tuesday's Champions League game between the two sides.
Chelsea play Hull City in the FA Cup on Friday night, while Barça travel to Eibar on Saturday afternoon.
“That day is enough of a difference in terms of recovering physically,” he said in a press conference.
“I would have liked to play against Eibar on Friday, too, to have an extra day before the game against Chelsea."
However, Valverde was happy to have had a midweek off this week for the first time since the turn of the year.
“We needed this week off, on a mental level more than a physical one,” he added.
“When you have more time before games, it’s easier to manage them and prepare for them."
KICK OFF TIMES
On the kick off time against Eibar (16.15h), the same time which saw Barça draw with Espanyol and Getafe, Valverde doesn't think it will be an issue.
"We also drew with Celta Vigo at 1pm and beat Real Madrid," he said. "If we draw or lose, it's not to do with the time.
"When I was at Athletic we used to complain about always being the Monday game… until we realised we were always winning on Mondays!"
