Next season's league campaign due to start on September 12, with Wolves potentially playing until August 21 if they reach Europa League final
Wednesday 5 August 2020 21:30, UK
Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has urged the Premier League to give teams in Europe an extended break to protect their players.
The Molineux boss has echoed Chelsea manager Frank Lampard in suggesting squads will need more time to recover from their European exploits.
Wolves host Olympiacos on Thursday in their Europa League last-16 tie having drawn 1-1 in Athens in March.
With next season's Premier League campaign due to start on September 12, Wolves could be playing in Europe until August 21 if they reach the final which Nuno believes is too much.
He said: "I'm hopeful the Premier League will look at that and allow the teams involved a little bit more time.
"Mainly because of the players - they need time. We know we have a tight schedule next season and they must be aware of the health of the players and must take care of them.
"The Premier League should acknowledge the teams involved in Europe, depending on how far they go, as the players require more time to recover. We are going to play in August and we're going to start playing again in September.
"I'm sure they will look at it and adjust the schedule.
"For sure, no team will be able to give too much time for the players to recover.
"It's why we're approaching it as a continuation of what we've been doing so we're prepared to start again.
"It can't be a stop and go - we have to adjust. Everything has been disturbed by the pandemic so we have to look at the continued process through the year."
The winners of Thursday's tie will face a one-legged quarter-final against Roma or Sevilla in Germany, where the competition is being finished off in one-off games behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We can be very happy with the season so far and we have to do our best to end it in Europe as well.
"We've had some rest and days off. It's very important to reload the batteries and be 100 per cent ready. Let's hope we can win and go to the next stage."
Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins believes his side have put themselves back among Europe's elite during this season's Europa League campaign.
Olympiacos knocked out Arsenal in the last round after a late extra-time goal from Youssef El Arabi sent them through with Martins proud of his team's progression.
He said: "The most important thing this season is, with our results, we restored our name in Europe.
"We know the fans are very proud of our results, we have played against very big teams and we know we have lifted the prestige of our team in European competition.
"We know Wolves are very dangerous at home, we have seen their results and maybe they are the best results in this competition.
"We know they have the fight and motivation to win the game but we are Olympiacos and we're also a very good team. We proved that when we played at home, they saw us and they know we're a very good team.
"Both teams have a high level and each of these teams are capable of winning."
