HIBERNIAN manager Mixu Paatelainen admits he is already struggling to keep his players' minds off the glamour friendly with Barcelona next month, despite the more immediate prospect of European football in the forthcoming Intertoto Cup clash with Elfsborg.
The Easter Road squad returned for the start of pre-season training on Monday, with Paatelainen thrilled by their fitness after barely four weeks away from the club since the conclusion of last term.
However, with the excitement already building t
owards the new campaign, the big Finn has revealed the second round Intertoto Cup clash with Swedish opponents Elfsborg on Sunday week is in danger of being trumped by thoughts of the arrival of Catalan superstars Barcelona on 24 July.
He said: "Barcelona are one of the best teams in the world, with some of the best players in the world, and we are playing in a fantastic venue like Murrayfield, so it is a game that everybody is looking forward to.
"From day one back in training, the boys have been talking about the Barcelona game and I'm trying my best to keep their focus on the Intertoto Cup.
"It is a fantastic opportunity for our players to rub shoulders with top-class players.
"Having said that, we won't go into the Intertoto Cup games saying 'it doesn't matter how we do'. We want to win, there's no doubt, but it is a little bit difficult because we want to do well, but we won't be ready."
Paatelainen has revealed just how brief the player's holidays were, with their personal training programmes affording them little more than a week off.
He added: "Our boys had 10 days off. I don't think professional athletes should have any more than 10 days off and then start training again, because they will lose their fitness."
The full article contains 305 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
