Real Madrid TV questions Javier Tebas over Saturday fixture after AEK Athens trip

Real Madrid’s club channel has criticised La Liga president Javier Tebas over the decision to schedule the team’s match against Valencia on Saturday, 7 November, just days after their away UEFA Champions League game against AEK Athens.

The criticism was made during the channel’s studio coverage before the Greek side’s visit, when a preview report highlighted the club’s frustration at having to play domestically on Saturday after travelling to Greece for Wednesday’s European fixture, on 4 November.

“​​It does not make sense for Real Madrid to play on Saturday after having to play a UEFA Champions League match today,” the report’s presenter said. “This match has been affected by Tebas’ decisions. He treats us as if we are from Lithuania.”

The gap between the scheduled kick-offs against AEK Athens and Valencia is approximately 74 hours and 15 minutes. However, Real Madrid’s complaint is not based solely on the time between the matches.

The club is also concerned about the demands of an away trip to Greece, followed by the journey back to the Spanish capital. The squad is expected to arrive in the early hours of Thursday, meaning a significant part of the preparation period will be taken up by travel and recovery before the away meeting with Valencia on Saturday evening.

Why Real Madrid feel disadvantaged

The strength of the objection becomes clearer when Real Madrid’s schedule is compared with those of the other Spanish clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League.

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid played their European matches on Tuesday, 3 November, before meeting each other in La Liga on Sunday, 8 November. Villarreal also played on Tuesday, while Real Betis played on Wednesday, with both clubs due to play their domestic matches on Sunday.

Real Madrid are therefore the only Spanish side among the UEFA Champions League participants scheduled to play in the league on Saturday after an away European match on Wednesday.

From the club’s perspective, the Valencia fixture could have been moved to Sunday, providing more time for recovery and preparation. The following week includes an international break, meaning there is no further European match to add pressure to the domestic schedule.

La Liga has not breached the recognised minimum rest period between matches. More than 72 hours separate the two Real Madrid fixtures.

The club nevertheless believes that a calculation based only on the number of hours between kick-offs does not fully reflect the physical impact of travelling abroad and recovering from the journey. It argues that those factors should also be considered when assessing the preparation time available before the Valencia match.