Ronald Koeman annoyed by Barcelona fixture schedule

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has spoken of his frustration at the scheduling of the club’s fixtures following on from the international break.

His annoyance is centred on the scheduling of the clash in La Liga against Atletico Madrid, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday 21 November.

Just three days earlier, many of Koeman’s players will be playing for their nation on international duty and will not have a lot of turnaround time.

On the Wednesday, Spain play the Netherlands while France, Portugal and Germany will also have games that midweek, with Lionel Messi on duty with Argentina to take on Paraguay.

Indeed, the bulk of Barcelona’s players will be in action and will not have a great deal of resting time ahead of the crucial game against Atleti, who so far remain undefeated domestically this campaign.

“There are many international players at the club and of course we like to have people here, because then we can work on more tactical things,” Koeman said, in quotes carried by Diario Sport.

“But we already know that the schedule is very tight. We will play against Atletico on Saturday after everyone has returned from duty on Thursday.”

The Blaugrana play host to Real Betis this weekend ahead of the international break and will be seeking to end their four-game winless run in La Liga.

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