RANGERS manager Steven Gerrard believes the SPFL must review their scheduling of matches to help Scotland’s representatives in Europe – and has revealed he would welcome a return to later kick-off times in Sunday games.

Gerrard fears that playing in lunchtime Ladbrokes Premiership matches less than 72 hours after competing away from home in the Europa League makes his players more susceptible to picking up injuries.

He also feels that early kick-offs on a Sunday – like the one that Celtic, who played Lazio at Parkhead on Thursday night, have against Aberdeen at Pittodrie this afternoon - make it far harder for teams to perform at their best and entertain paying spectators and television viewers.

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“Celtic have got the worse one this weekend,” said Gerrard. “They have got to travel up to Pittodrie and they have the early kick-off. We have been there. Last time out we got the early kick-off.

“I understand TV want to buy certain games. I think that’s where the governing body have got to help European teams and give you the kick-off that helps the players be more recovered. Because surely the players’ safety is better. Surely the outcome of Scottish football is very important.

“You have got to give the players time to recover and be in the best shape to go and entertain the people who are actually watching on the TV.

“You would prefer the later kick-off and you would prefer being at home. Especially if you have been travelling away like us. The worse one is being away and then you have to go away again and you have got a very early kick-off. That is hard to prepare for, not just physically, mentally as well.

“It is definitely something that needs to be discussed. I don’t know if Derek (Aberdeen boss McInnes) and Lenny (Celtic manager Neil) have the same opinion. From where I’m at, if you have the schedule Thursday-Sunday it is a very difficult kick-off time.

“Look, if there is a massive fixture – I can understand why Aberdeen v Celtic should be on TV. It is a big game with the level of clubs and stuff. But sometimes we feel like there are other fixtures in the league which could maybe be on that early TV game rather than ourselves, especially after Europe. But we get no support from that point of view. But it’s life. We get on with it.”

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Later kick-off times in Sunday matches were done away with by the SPL due to supporters’ unhappiness and crowd trouble, but Gerrard feels they would be beneficial for his Rangers side immediately after European fixtures.

Asked if a later start would help his team, he said: “Of course it does. If you think about a 12.15 kick-off, you have got to be out of bed at 7.30 to prepare yourself for travelling to wherever you are, you have got to have your pre-match meal.

“So you are losing sleep, you are losing preparation time, you are losing time for the body to get back into the shape you need it to be in to perform. There are all kinds of small details within it which are not beneficial.

“There is no doubt about it in my mind that if Aberdeen v Celtic was at night you would see a better quality game because of the recovery. Night games are always better than morning games anyway. But you can’t control the TV times, that’s just my personal opinion. But, look, it is what it is. We have just got to crack on and confront and accept it.”

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Gerrard stressed he was in constant dialogue with his sports science team at Rangers to ensure that his players don’t suffer injuries as a consequence of the Ibrox club’s hectic schedule of domestic and European fixtures.

“I think from the final whistle you’ve got to do everything you can, across the board,” he said. “Even if it is small things like your compression socks, your treatment, everything you can do for your recovery. Your diet, your hydration. Your sleep. Everything you can do from the final whistle to the next kick-off.

“The players have got to now be more professional and really, to the very smallest detail, make sure they do everything perfect to recover in the best way we can.

“Look at our situation right now. We’ve just had Ryan Kent and Ryan Jack come back from injuries and play a game with that intensity. Away from home. The turnaround is very quick to have them ready to go again so we are in constant dialogue with the sports science. Are they ready to go again? Or do we need to protect them?

“These are the things that go on behind the scenes. The temptation won’t go away. You want to play your best players and pick your strongest team in every game, but unfortunately with the schedule and players picking up knocks and certain bodies are different.

“Some need more protection than others, some are more robust. Sometimes you’ve got to pull back a little bit from that temptation but trust me, I wish I was in a position to pick my strongest team game after game after game. But if I did that then they’d be done by the end of November.”