15 February,2016 08:15 AM IST | | AFP
Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink (right) pleaded with EPL authorities to introduce Friday night football in an effort to maximise his side’s chances of Champions League success
Guus Hiddink
London: Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink (right) pleaded with EPL authorities to introduce Friday night football in an effort to maximise his side's chances of Champions League success.
Guus Hiddink
Chelsea face Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital on Tuesday in a tough last-16, first-leg match-up having played on Saturday evening when they romped to a 5-1 win over Newcastle United. The veteran Dutch coach believes playing their league fixture on a Friday would have provided a crucial extra 24 hours to prepare for such a high-profile European adventure.
It would also allow time for injuries to heal, especially in the case of skipper John Terry who suffered a "small muscular problem" in Saturday's game at Stamford Bridge. Terry was involved in a collision with Newcastle's Aleksandar Mitrovic went off on 37 minutes. Hiddink said: "Midweek is already Tuesday, so we just have two days to recover.
After an intense game, two days for teams having to compete in Europe is not enough. I'm strongly in favour, if you have to play on Tuesday, then we should play on Friday. I know there are commercial reasons not to, but sports has to be on top of that."
