Fran Garcia supports 72-hour rest: "The body needs rest"

Real Madrid left-back Fran Garcia highlighted his side's "sacrifice" as the key to the 2-1 win over Villarreal, while also saying that, less than 72 hours after the game against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, "the body needs rest."

"The key has been sacrifice. The work of each and every one of our team-mates. From those of us who started and those who came in. That's one of the factors that is helping us so much this season," he told Real Madrid Television.

"You're a little bit used to it because of the schedule, but the body needs rest and in these demanding games you have to make sure you know that you have to make the effort. The break is going to be good for us, but we have to keep working the same way," he added.

"We are going well into the break. The team is solid, everyone is working hard, from the first player to the last. These two weeks off are going to be good for us to face the end of the season, with some great games", he commented, referring to the international break in March, which starts on Monday.

Fran Garcia was in the starting line-up and will be the only healthy left-back in the Real Madrid first team squad after Ferland Mendy's absence due to a muscular injury. "It's been an important year for me, playing a more important role and working to get that rhythm that I might have lacked last year," he said.