• Sunderland manager expects clubs to field weakened teams in FA Cup
• ‘We’re flogging the lads. There are increasingly injuries every year’
Sam Allardyce has accused the Premier League of putting players’ health at risk and devaluing the FA Cup by staging a full programme of fixtures next Tuesday and Wednesday. In a fierce attack Sunderland’s manager described the scheduling as “diabolical” and said the league was destroying the game. He is convinced many top-tier clubs will field weakened teams in this weekend’s third-round ties to preserve fatigued players for matches a few days later.“Of course I’m going to make changes for our Cup tie at Arsenal on Saturday,” said Allardyce, who believes the glut of matches in late December and early January makes footballers more vulnerable to potentially serious injury. “If the Premier League decides to set aside a silly fixture midweek when they don’t bloody need to, and then I haven’t got much choice.
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Source: theguardian.com