Arsenal may be absolutely flying at the moment, but the challenge of a hectic fixture schedule still awaits them following postponements earlier this season. On top of Premier League matches, Mikel Arteta’s side has also had to turn its focus back on the Europa League after qualifying for the competition last season following a short absence. Additionally, both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup are yet to get under way for the Gunners.
One of the matches to have been called off is Arsenal’s home game with current Premier League champions Manchester City, originally pencilled in for October 19. As it stands, Arsenal find themselves four points ahead of City at the top of the table, setting up an exciting clash as a result.
Why was the match postponed?
Arsenal requested for the game against Manchester City to be postponed in order to accommodate another fixture which was called off - a Europa League match against PSV Eindhoven.
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UEFA regulations mean that the north London side risked forfeiting the points after the original PSV fixture - scheduled for September 15 - was unable to go ahead due to concerns surrounding policing issues in the capital relating to events following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Thankfully, Arsenal managed to avoid that possibility.
football.london understands that Arsenal ideally wanted the game to go ahead and explored a number of different options to try and make it possible. One of these was to flip the fixtures so that the reverse match in Eindhoven could take place first instead. However, the decision was taken that it would be best to rearrange it for another date altogether.
Following talks with the Premier League and UEFA, that date has now been confirmed as October 20, meaning Arsenal’s highly anticipated clash with City will have to be moved.
When will Arsenal play Man City?
At this moment in time, a new date for Arsenal versus Man City is yet to be confirmed. A statement released by the Premier League said that this “will be announced in due course.”
To make things even trickier when it comes to rearranging fixtures this season, there’s the small matter of the FIFA World Cup which is set to begin on November 20, a week after the final round of Premier League matches prior to the tournament have taken place. It means squeezing the City fixture in before the World Cup is an almost impossible task.
It is planned for the league to resume on December 26, just eight days on from the World Cup's conclusion. If any Arsenal player reaches the final with their respective country, they could return to the club having featured in seven games within the space of 27 days.
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