BERNARDO SILVA BECOMES THE LATEST HIGH-PROFILE NAME TO SLAM 'ABSURD' FOOTBALL CALENDAR - AS THE MAN CITY STAR ECHOES TEAM-MATE KEVIN DE BRUYNE'S CONCERNS OVER PLAYER WORKLOAD

Silva's City could play up to 68 matches this season given recent date changes
Competitions have been lengthened and stars will also go on international duty
SOCCER A-Z: Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube. New episodes every Wednesday

Bernardo Silva has slammed the scheduling for top level players while on international duty with Portugal.

Silva is preparing to play in his sixth match of the season when Portugal take on Scotland on Sunday, though the schedule is only going to pick up with European competition nearing.

In the Champions League this year, teams will play eight matches rather than six in the league phase, while a play-off round prior to the last-16 ties has also been added.

At international level, teams have been competing in the Nations League with three international breaks scheduled before Christmas.

Silva, speaking to Record, opened up on the impact the heavy schedule has had on him as he explained the struggles some top players are facing.

'The schedule is completely crazy,' he began. 'We've just received the news that we only have one day off for the English League Cup game.

'We'll probably play every three days for months. It's been absolutely absurd'. 'In the Champions League, if you don't qualify for the round of 16 you still have to play two more games.

'It's true that the squads are bigger, but I'm not going to say that it's easy. It hasn't been easy. I spend very little time with my family and friends. The amount of games we're subjected to is absolutely absurd.'

City will also take part in the new-look Club World Cup this summer, meaning their campaign could finish as late as July 13.

In total, if they were to reach the final game of every competition, Pep Guardiola's side could play 68 matches this campaign, with players also playing internationally.

A number of high-profile names have spoken out about the schedule before, including Jurgen Klopp and Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Maheta Molango.

Silva's club team-mate, Kevin De Bruyne, has also been criticial of the schedule while on international duty with Belgium.

'The problem is that UEFA and FIFA are making extra matches,' he said this week.

De Bruyne's Belgium will take on Israel and France during the current international break.

2024-09-06T12:48:13Z dg43tfdfdgfd