Pique: Real Madrid Had Extra Rest, Still We Beat Them 5-1

Pique: Real Madrid Had Extra Rest, Still We Beat Them 5-1 By Admin Gerard Pique questioned Santiago Solari complaints about the fixture schedule after the Real Madrid coach asked why Barcelona will have an extra day to prepare for Wednesday's Clasico, noting extra rest did not help Los Blancos when the clubs clashed in October. The two La Liga giants meet in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final in midweek, with the tie level at 1-1 after the first game at Camp Nou. Yet that contest will come just three days on from Madrid's visit to Levante, while Barca have a four-day gap following their 4-2 victory at Sevilla on Saturday. Solari called the decision to give one club more rest than the other "curious" at his pre-match media conference, but Pique suggested the shorter gap may actually benefit Madrid, after an extra day of rest in October saw them hammered 5-1 by Barcelona in a match that cost then-Blancos manager Julen Lopetegui his job. "The last time they had an extra day's rest we beat them 5-1!" Pique said after his team's 4-2 win over Sevilla. Likewise, Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde downplayed the situation, saying that while these things can have an effect, it is also something that every club must deal with from time to time.