Manchester City hold talks with Premier League over fixture change to boost Arsenal title battle hopes

Manchester City will likely be emphasising that player welfare should supersede rigid calendar directives, and any failure to optimise the recovery period between the Wembley showpiece and league outings could hand a significant advantage to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

Manchester City hold Premier League showdown talks

Now, according to MailSport’s Jack Gaughan, Manchester City are locked in talks with the Premier League in an attempt to switch the order of their upcoming home clash with Crystal Palace and the away trip to Bournemouth.

Those at the Etihad Stadium argue that playing Bournemouth first would allow them to spread three vital matches across eight days rather than seven, with the two games taking place either side of the FA Cup Final against Chelsea on May 16.

The league’s standard protocols dictates that the Palace home game should take precedence on Wednesday, May 13 given its original scheduling order, while rescheduling is further complicated by UEFA, who wish to avoid clashing with the Europa League final and Crystal Palace’s own congested schedule due to Conference League commitments.

Should City fail in their appeal, Pep Guardiola’s side faces a gruelling Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday fixture schedule, concluding with a trip to the south coast just days after the Wembley final against Chelsea.

The Sun’s Martin Blackburn further reveals that Manchester City’s rivals do not believe Pep Guardiola’s side should be given any ‘special treatment’, and talks over fixture scheduling were ongoing on Sunday night.

What could a fixture change do for Man City?

The ramifications of the Premier League’s decision will be felt far beyond the Etihad Stadium, and should a fixture flip be denied, Manchester City will likely have to rotate heavily for the trip to Bournemouth or be forced into fielding the same names regardless of fatigue.

Pep Guardiola has already spoken about the importance of having all of his players available for the season-defining run-in, insisting prior to the FA Cup semi-final win over Southampton that should any player sustain a fresh injury now, then it would be ‘over’ for them.

Looking ahead, the Blues are more immediately scheduled to face Everton on Monday night, where a win will likely be a non-negotiable to remain within touching distance of Arsenal, who will have played two games more than City by the time kick-off arrives on Merseyside.