Liverpool Football Club News

• Nickname:Reds
• Founded:1892
• Manager:Kenny Dalglish

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Mascherano: Fatigue no excuse

22 Apr 2010 - 08:25:00

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Midfielder Javier Mascherano does not accept that tiredness could hamper Liverpool's attempts to reach a European final.

The Reds were forced to make a marathon 23-hour road, rail and then air journey to the Spanish capital ahead of Thursday's semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid following the travel disruption caused by the cloud of ash from the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

They arrived in Madrid on Wednesday afternoon but Mascherano does not believe that fatigue will harm their chances of success.

"It's a semi-final and we cannot have an excuse such as tiredness," he said.

"It's 90 minutes and we have to play at our best to get to the final so tiredness can't be an issue.

"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.

"Every time I go back to Argentina I have a trip of 17 or 18 hours. The important thing is to rest well."