Benitez thankful for the rest

Rafael Benitez believes the break will do the players good, and is hopeful they can make the most of it and return refreshed when they face Everton next Sunday.

"It's good for us to rest," he told the official site. "It gives us time to reflect on the past week and think about the future.

"Our results show that we haven't done too well when playing a weekend Premiership game just a few days after a midweek Champions League tie.

"So maybe it is a good thing that we don't have a game this weekend and hopefully we will see the benefits in our next game against Blackburn on Wednesday."