Cristiano Ronaldo Slams Clasico Date, Says Liverpool Fans Always Admired Him

Cristiano Ronaldo has criticised La Liga schedulers for choosing to play the upcoming Clasico on Saturday, just three days after Real Madrid's Champions League trip to face Liverpool.

Barcelona didn't need to leave the Camp Nou for their European tie and enjoy an extra day of rest going into the pivotal domestic fixture. Ronaldo believes the game should go ahead on Sunday, as reported by J.L. Guerrero of AS:

"

I don’t really understand why we are playing on Saturday after having played tonight. They don’t take care of the details, and El Clasico is the most important game. I don’t get it, big games like El Clasico need to been looked at in another way – it should really be played on Sunday, not Saturday at 6.

"

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Ronaldo also indicated his side may suffer with fatigue, per Guerrero: "Any professional will tell you that it's not the same having two days to recover from a game like this than having three days."

Irritatingly for the Madrid contingent, this match could have easily been set for Sunday, as noted during Barcelona's fixture announcement in July. Match dates and kick-off times are often confirmed shortly before the encounter is due to take place in Spain, but either way, Madrid will have suffered with one day less to recuperate.

Ronaldo is set to be a key figure in the clash after scoring 18 goals in 10 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League this season, per WhoScored.com. He has netted in 10 consecutive club fixtures stretching back to Aug. 28 and is yet to fail to score in a league display this campaign.

Ominously, his performance will be compared to that of Lionel Messi. Both were substituted early during their recent European appearances with the Clasico in mind, meaning both should reach top form in the Bernabeu clash.

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague offered comment on the rivalry to B/R UK's Ryan Bailey:

Ronaldo scored his first ever career goal at Anfield during Madrid's 3-0 victory over Liverpool on Wednesday, and subsequently received an applause from the home crowd when he departed after 75 minutes.

This reaction will have caught many by surprise—the Portuguese star famously led Manchester United, Liverpool's rivals, to an era of success—but not Ronaldo. Speaking after the one-sided European tie, the 2013 Ballon d'Or winner suggested Liverpool and indeed English supporters in general recognise quality.

"I am not surprised that I got an ovation, they have always had a special affection for me," said Ronaldo, per Real Madrid's official website. "Their culture is different to that of Spain and they also applauded (Karim) Benzema when he scored."

Football writer SamuelJayC posted an image of the moment Anfield clapped the 29-year-old:

Like so many sides this season, Liverpool were powerless to stop Ronaldo's quality. His goal combined a sudden burst of pace, intricate passing and a sublime finish to give Carlo Ancelotti's side the lead after 20 minutes of dominance from the Merseyside club.

The Madrid boss confirmed Ronaldo's substitution "wasn't agreed on earlier, but we did it to avoid problems," per the side's website. "I didn't ask him before taking him off. I didn't need to. It's impossible to ask a player when he's on the pitch. Now we all have to do everything we can to recover from this match."

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Ronaldo stopped Liverpool in their tracks and could have netted more on a night where four of his six shots hit the target, per WhoScored.com. He will be hoping to achieve the same against Barcelona, who are yet to concede a La Liga goal this season. Something has got to give in a fixture which could define where the Spanish crown ends up.

Should Ronaldo receive an ovation in his next appearance, it's likely the Blaugrana's defensive barrier will have finally been breached.