Players will have to adapt fast to empty stands: Raul Garcia

Madrid, June 7 (IANS) Athletic Club Bilbao return to action in LaLiga with a game at home to Atletico Madrid next Sunday and once again it will be a special game for veteran Raul Garcia, who spent several seasons with Atletico.

Speaking to the newspaper Deia, Garcia said that it would be difficult for teams to return to action behind closed doors after only a limited preparation following a 3-month break to the Spanish season due to the coronavirus, reports Xinhua news agency.

Garcia said that preparation had been ‘different, but we have to adapt’.

“We know what the situation is and we know it is important to finish the season (there are 11 games left to play),” he said, although he lamented the fact that competition would restart without any practice games to test players’ fitness.

“It would help, not just to test ourselves, but also to help avoid injuries. I think they are thinking a lot about finishing the season and not so much about the injuries that could happen,” said the attacking midfielder, who believes that muscle problems are ‘inevitable if you go from 0 to 100’.

However, what will be different is the fact that the rest of the season will be played behind closed doors without supporters in the stands.

“Everyone who has seen games in Germany will have realized that they are totally different from normal and we have to try and adapt as quickly as possible. On a level of making mistakes or losing concentration, it is very different from a normal game.”

“It is going to be very different and we will have to get used to it very quickly,” concluded Garcia.

–IANS

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