Atlético Mineiro’s Brazil national team duo of Réver (pictured) and Bernard returned to training on Thursday, but admitted that the journey for the non-match in Argentina has taken its toll.
The club, who are still challenging for the Brasileirão title, are heavily reliant on the pair and the news that they have arrived back feeling worse for wear will do little to appease bad-feeling about the scheduling of the tie.
“I’m tired, I had a sleepless night,” Réver told Globo Esporte on Thursday afternoon. “I arrived home and, having a kid, they don’t care if you are tired or if you sleep well. It’s natural to feel worn-down.
“You have to try and deal with it and recover. You must sleep well and arrive at 200% on Saturday.”
Bernard also pointed to the side’s difficult experience on the flight to Argentina, on which they experienced extremely turbulent conditions.
“It was a difficult flight. There was a hailstorm at one point, with stones hitting the aeroplane,” he explained.
“We were diverted 300km. People were looking at each other, some were very frightened. It all worked out in the end though.”
Atlético take on Figueirense on Saturday evening in Belo Horizonte, needing a win to keep pressure on league
