Manager Andoni Iraola has cautioned that his side face an especially difficult challenge this week as they prepare to face Brentford just days after competing in the Champions League against LASK in Linz.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, only hours after his squad returned from Austria, Iraola acknowledged the physical and logistical toll of back-to-back fixtures in quick succession. "I think obviously it's more difficult when we have played yesterday night, we arrive here [at the training ground] quite late at night and we haven't slept the hours we normally sleep," he said.

Despite the demanding schedule, the manager framed the situation as part and parcel of competing on multiple fronts. "But this is the challenge of playing, no? It's competitions like the Champions League and it's not going to just happen this week. It is going to be a constant thing this season so we have to adapt," he explained.

Iraola used the LASK fixture to manage the fitness of several key figures. Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister were both named among the substitutes and featured only briefly, with van Dijk restricted to a 29-minute cameo. Milos Kerkez, meanwhile, did not feature at all in the match, which ended in victory for Iraola's side.

The head coach pointed to the congested fixture list as a recurring theme throughout the campaign, drawing a parallel with a similarly tight turnaround following a recent match against Manchester City. "We have to be ready, the same way it was a quick turnaround after Manchester City, this is going to be a quick one, the next one, we have like four that are just two days in between games," Iraola said. "That is not normal but has happened this time and we have to adapt to these circumstances."

While accepting that rotation was necessary to protect his squad during the busy period, Iraola made clear he expects nothing less than full commitment and sharpness from his players against Brentford, a side he singled out as a particularly uncomfortable opponent. "But I think we could rest some minutes or some players yesterday (vs LASK) and I expect everyone to be at their best mentally and physically. Because you know, Brentford, you cannot play comfortable against them, we know this, so we have to be ready for a battle," he said.

The manager also emphasized the importance of squad depth during this demanding stretch of the season, suggesting that every player would be called upon at some stage. "In this period especially, when we are basically playing every three days – almost less than three days – you need more players. That's why we changed the team a little bit yesterday," Iraola said.

He continued: "We need everyone, we will need everyone in one moment or the other. Everyone has to be ready because we will need him probably."

With a congested run of fixtures ahead, including a sequence of matches separated by just two days, Iraola's comments underline the balancing act he must perform between rotating his squad to manage fatigue and ensuring his team remains competitive against sides like Brentford, who are renowned for making life difficult for more fancied opponents regardless of circumstance.

Based on reporting from Standard Football.