Manchester City and Arsenal are facing scheduling issues as the Premier League discusses rearranging crucial fixtures. City has two matches pending due to their FA Cup final and previous commitments, impacting the title race.
Key points
Premier League discussing rescheduling of key fixtures
Manchester City has two matches pending
City's FA Cup final creates scheduling conflicts
Title race between City and Arsenal impacted
City's match against Bournemouth needs to be moved
Mentioned in this story
Pep Guardiola
Manchester CityArsenalFA CupChelsea
(Action Images via Reuters)
(Action Images via Reuters)
The Premier League has received pushback in discussions about the rescheduling of two Manchester City fixtures that could prove pivotal to a number of key positions in the table, and the title race with Arsenal.
City’s pursuit of a domestic Treble has also created a fixture headache. After beating Arsenal to the Carabao Cup, Pep Guardiola’s side have once again progressed to the FA Cup final - setting up a clash with Chelsea on Saturday 16 May.
But it now means that City have not one, but two Premier League fixtures that still need to be rearranged - and with just a few weeks of the season remaining. City’s trip to Bournemouth, which fell on FA Cup final weekend, will need to be moved, while the home match against Palace has been without a date for months.
It is up to the Premier League to decide where to schedule both games, and it is a huge decision given how close the title is as City and Arsenal enter the final straight. City could be left with a fixture pile-up that includes four games in 12 days.
Man City’s remaining fixtures
Manchester City have six games left this season, five in the Premier League, plus the FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola’s side currently have a game in hand on leaders Arsenal, due to their progress to both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals this season. After City reached the FA Cup semi-finals, where they defeated Southampton on Saturday, their trip to was rearranged for Wednesday 22 April.
Q&A
What fixtures are Manchester City and Arsenal waiting to be rescheduled?
Manchester City is waiting to reschedule matches against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, which are crucial for the title race.
How does Manchester City's FA Cup final affect their Premier League schedule?
Manchester City's FA Cup final on May 16 has led to the postponement of their Premier League match against Bournemouth, creating scheduling conflicts.
What impact does the fixture congestion have on the Premier League title race?
The fixture congestion could significantly affect the title race between Manchester City and Arsenal, as both teams are vying for crucial points.
When is the FA Cup final that affects Manchester City's schedule?
The FA Cup final affecting Manchester City's schedule is set for Saturday, May 16.
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The precedent in the Premier League, however, has generally been for postponed games to be played in the order they were originally scheduled, where possible. That would in this case mean the Palace game happens on Wednesday 13 May and the Bournemouth game on Tuesday 19 May. The latter would be set for that date due to the Europa League final taking place on the Wednesday 20 May, and Uefa disallowing domestic fixtures to be staged when their showpieces fixtures take place.
Crystal Palace’s participation in the Europa Conference League has complicated rearranging their trip to Manchester City, which was originally scheduled to be played on the weekend of the FA Cup quarter-finals. Palace have reached the semi-finals in Europe and Oliver Glasner’s side will play Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday 30 April and Thursday 7 May. If the Eagles progress, the final would be after the Premier League season finishes, on Wednesday 27 May, but it means City’s match against them has to be played either immediately after the Brentford match or immediately after the FA Cup final.
The Premier League want the Crystal Palace match to be played before the Bournemouth game, as that was the order of their original calendar. But because the Eagles play their Premier League games following European commitments on a Sunday, that also rules out the prospect of playing on a Tuesday. Therefore, of the two free midweeks, Wednesday 13 May is the leading option, with the Bournemouth match rearranged for the following week, but not on the Wednesday due to the Europa League final. That will involve an English club in either Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest.
City had initially wanted the Crystal Palace match to be rescheduled for Wednesday 22 April, rather than the match against Burnley. It appears this was impossible because Crystal Palace were already scheduled to play West Ham on Monday 20 April, so could not play again that midweek.
‘Tension’ in discussions as Man City face fixture pile-up
The situation could nevertheless leave City playing three games in seven days before the potentially crucial final weekend of the season, with the testing trip to Bournemouth coming a mere three days after the FA Cup final. City have consequently been in dialogue with the Premier League to explore alternative options and swapping the order of the Palace and Bournemouth games, but it is understood that has led to pushback and some tension in discussions. Arsenal are also monitoring developments that could affect the title race.
Any movement could also have repercussions for other positions, as Bournemouth aim for a European place for the first time in their history. If their match against City were to be played on Tuesday 19 May, it would mean nine days’ rest for Andoni Iraola’s side, as they now have a free weekend around the FA Cup final, against a mere three for their opponents. That would also be Iraola’s final home match in charge of Bournemouth, in what is set to be an emotional occasion. Swapping the Bournemouth and Palace games would have allowed City to play on Tuesday 12 May, giving Guardiola’s side an extra day.
Sources with knowledge of the discussions say it has been pointed out that this is just the fairness of how it falls and it is a complication that clubs competing on multiple fronts have to face. City have naturally pointed to the unnecessary pile-up, when alternatives are possible.
This has led to pushback, principally over the idea that individual club situations should not be able to override precedent given how other teams have faced similar in the past. Arsenal sources have pointed to how the 2023-24 title race saw City face a rescheduled away trip at Tottenham Hotspur as their penultimate game, when it could have come earlier, despite an expected media circus around Spurs fans not wanting Arsenal to win the title.
Given their own priorities, Bournemouth currently expect their game against City to be played on Tuesday 19 May, with a likely 7.30pm start. Arsenal are meanwhile set to face Burnley in their own last home game on the night before, a Monday, in a move that is already meeting pushback from fans. The fixtures are anticipated to be announced to over the next 24 hours.
