Championship players have not had enough time to properly prepare for the league’s resumption, a former head physiotherapist has said.
When Nottingham Forest kick off at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, June 20, it will have been more than three months since their last competitive fixture.
To prepare, they have had around four weeks of training, which the Owls’ former head physio Paul Smith has said is far from adequate.
He is warning clubs to expect injuries, with the Bundesliga, now heading into the fifth weekend of its comeback, experiencing a spate of muscle problems.
“Players are conditioned in a normal pre-season gradually but that takes time,” Smith told the Sheffield Star.
“That's where this problem lies. It's three months since our last game and they're going to have three weeks to prepare for a game against Nottingham Forest. It's very, very tough.
“Players get those games to get up to speed and get their bodies ready in normal circumstances but right now it just isn't the case. There's so much pressure on the fitness staff.
“Three-and-a-half weeks or whatever just isn’t enough to be able to do all that.”
Forest’s Championship clash at Hillsborough kicks off at 3pm on Saturday, June 20, and, if Sabri Lamouchi’s men make it to the play-off final, it could be the first of 12 games in 44 days.
