Source: Team_Talk
Mascherano plays down fatigue fears
iverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano is confident fatigue will not be a problem against Atletico Madrid despite the 24-hour trek to Spain.[LNB] Due to the volcanic ash cloud that has brought air travel to a virtual standstill over Europe in recent days, Liverpool were forced to make the trip for their Europa League semi-final first leg in a series of phases.[LNB]The 1,300-mile journey began yesterday - the day after facing West Ham in the Premier League at Anfield - with a train to London, followed by the Eurostar to Paris, where they spent the night.[LNB]Today Liverpool took another train to Bordeaux before making a short flight to the Spanish capital to arrive this afternoon.[LNB]It was an odyssey Liverpool would have preferred to have avoided, especially ahead of such an important game, but Mascherano is optimistic tiredness will not be a problem for the players tomorrow night.[LNB]"Hopefully not, it's a semi-final and we cannot have an excuse such as tiredness," he said.[LNB]"It's 90 minutes and we have to play at our best to get to the final so tiredness can't be an issue.[LNB]"Everyone knows it's a long trip but the main thing is that we are here so we are ready to play tomorrow and hopefully we can get a good result to take back to Liverpool."[LNB]The Argentina international is no stranger to long-distance trips, and told journalists: "When I go back to Argentina I have a long journey, so for me it's more or less the same.[LNB]"Every time I go back to Argentina I have a trip of 17 or 18 hours. The important thing is to rest well. Now we are going to train, then we will rest and be ready for the game tomorrow."[LNB]When asked what the players did to pass the time during the journey, the 25-year-old Mascherano said: "It was a good trip, we were talking together a lot. You have to take the positives out of it, and maybe now I know my team-mates a little bit better."[LNB]Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez also gave a more revealing insight as to what the players got up to during the trip, joking: "A lot of them were thinking with their eyes closed."[LNB]He added: "I think definitely we will be ok (tomorrow), we'll see today in the training session but I definitely think we'll be fine."[LNB]Liverpool go into tomorrow's encounter on the back of a 3-0 win over West Ham on Monday night, but despite that result they are still five points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the race for the Champions League places.[LNB]It has been a largely disappointing season for the Reds, who have also played a game more than Spurs, and Benitez's men are determined to try and end it on a high note with victory in the Europa League.[LNB]When asked about the importance of tomorrow's game, Mascherano added: "Trophies are the main thing. I said this a few weeks ago. This is the biggest game of this season for us.[LNB]"We will come to the stadium and we will try to do our best. After a long trip we are together, we are thinking of the game and we know if our mindset is right we can get a good result."[LNB]Liverpool are without star striker Fernando Torres, the former Atletico striker, as he underwent a knee operation at the weekend that will keep him sidelined for the rest of the season.[LNB]Defenders Fabio Aurelio, Emiliano Insua (both thigh), Martin Skrtel (foot) and Martin Kelly (knee) were all also left behind on Merseyside to continue their rehabilitation.[LNB]However, forward Ryan Babel returns to the squad having served a one-match suspension for his sending-off in the last-eight first leg against Benfica.
