C-Reactive Protein Serum Levels as an Internal Load Indicator of Sprints in Competitive Football Matches

This study compared internal load variable dynamics across three consecutive football matches and investigated its relationship with the number of sprints performed by players. Twenty-three male players had blood and salivary samples collected for hormonal concentration (testosterone, cortisol, and testosterone-cortisol ratio), and serum analysis (interleukin-6, interleukin-1-beta, and c-reactive-protein), respectively. Sprints were measured...