Manchester United face the prospect of a fixture pile-up after their scheduled trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon was postponed, following the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral in Scotland at the age of 96. The country has now entered a period of national mourning.
In response to her death, the Premier League, the EFL and the Women's Super League have all announced that scheduled fixtures for this weekend have been postponed as a mark of respect. It remains unclear what will happen in relation to matches scheduled to take place across the weekend of September 17-18.
READ MORE: Premier League announces postponement of weekend matches
A statement issued by the Premier League said: "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.
"Further updates regarding Premier League fixtures during the period of mourning will be provided in due course."
The postponement of this weekend's matches means that every Premier League club will now face an even tighter schedule, not helped by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in November and December. Those who are in European action, such as United, face an even more demanding schedule.
With United in Europa League action, most of their midweek slots are occupied by Europa League fixtures between now and Thursday, November 3, when the group stage is scheduled to reach its conclusion. It is currently unclear if United and England's other clubs competing in Europe will be allowed to fulfil their Champions League and Europa League fixtures that are scheduled for next week.
If they do get the green light to go ahead, it still means that United face a dense schedule. Taking the World Cup and fixture dates already confirmed into account, United do not have a free midweek until after the tournament in Qatar, with their only free midweek before then, away from the Premier League and Europa League, taken up by their Carabao Cup third round tie with Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
Villa are scheduled to visit M16 in the week commencing November 7. Should United progress in that fixture, their fourth-round fixture will be staged in the week commencing December 19, just two days after the World Cup final.
The Premier League season will resume on Boxing Day. United have three league fixtures over the festive period, concluding with a home game against Bournemouth on Monday, January 2. The following weekend will see them start their FA Cup campaign.
It is possible, therefore, United could face Palace during that period, but only likely if it could be scheduled for the Thursday evening, with their FA Cup fixture to be played on the Sunday. Alternatively, it could be played the following week in the week commencing January 9, but only if both clubs have exited the Carabao Cup, with the fifth-round of that competition set to take place the same week.
To make matters slightly more complicated, United, in the event of them finishing second in their Europa League group, would have to play a two-legged play-off match against a club that has crashed out of the Champions League to try and make it into the first knockout round of the competition. Those fixtures would take place on Thursday, February 16 and Thursday, February 23, taking up more midweek slots.
If they win the group, United will go without needing to play in the Europa League from November 3 to March 9. But regardless of their Europa League progress, it appears impossible for United to face Palace until January, such is the nature of their schedule and how tight it is. Thursday, January 5 is a possibility, but the following week is far more likely if both clubs have exited the Carabao Cup.
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