Everton's scheduled trip to the capital to take on Arsenal this weekend is no longer going ahead after the Premier League decided to cancelled all 10 scheduled fixtures for gameweek seven.
Frank Lampard's side were set to take on the Gunners on Sunday afternoon but the passing of Queen Elizabeth II has brought the top-flight schedule to a standstill after clubs decided it would not be appropriate to carry on as normal. A Premier League statement has since been released to explain how this verdict was reached. It read: "At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
"To honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game."
READ MORE: Premier League confirm fixture postponements after Queen Elizabeth II death
The question for clubs now is when this weekend's games can be replayed given the congested schedule that already exists due to the World Cup taking place in the middle of the campaign. Everton's final fixture before the tournament takes place on November 12, with the league resuming on Boxing Day. Due to Arsenal's participation in the Europa League, there are no available midweek slots to stage Sunday's postponed clash and it is therefore expected to not occur until 2023 at the earliest unless both sides suffer an early exit from the Carabao Cup.
The fourth round of the Carabao Cup is due to take place the week commencing December 19, one week before the Premier League restarts, and would be a free week for both clubs should they get knocked out in the third round. Alternative opportunities to play the match the week could arise the week commencing January 16 or February 6.
Possible fixture list (with two possible dates for Arsenal)
Carabao Cup Fourth Round - w/c December 19
Wolves (H) - Monday December 26
Brighton (H) - Monday January 2
FA Cup Third Round - Saturday January 7
Carabao Cup Fifth Round - w/c January 9
Southampton (H) - Saturday January 14
* Arsenal (A) - Tuesday 17 January/Wednesday 18 January *
West Ham (A) - Saturday 21 January
Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg – w/c 23 January 2023
FA Cup Fourth Round - Saturday January 28
Semi Final Second Leg – w/c 30 January 2023
Arsenal (H) - Saturday February 4
* Arsenal (A) - Tuesday February 7/Wednesday February 8 *
Liverpool (A) - Saturday February 11
It remains to be seen if the Premier League may explore the possibility of introducing an extra round of fixtures between Boxing Day and New Year, or between the Carabao ties in December and Christmas Day itself.
*Comments have been turned off for this article but you can leave your tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in this online memorial.
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