Manchester City’s Fixture Congestion Dilemma
Manchester City are currently in discussions with the Premier League regarding a challenging schedule in the week leading up to the final day of the season. The club has two matches against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace that require rescheduling, and these games will be positioned around the FA Cup final against Chelsea on May 16.
Crystal Palace is typically scheduled before City’s match against Bournemouth, following the League’s rule that the game listed first in the calendar takes precedence. However, City is seeking to swap the fixtures, which would result in them playing three matches over eight days instead of seven. If the current order remains, Crystal Palace can only play at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, May 13, due to their Conference League commitments and other fixture challenges.
At the same time, UEFA prefers that the Bournemouth game does not conflict with their Europa League final a week later, especially since there will be English teams involved in that competition. In such a scenario, Pep Guardiola’s team would have matches on Wednesday, Saturday, and then Tuesday, followed by all 20 teams playing in the season finale five days later.
If their requests for a change in the order are approved, avoiding a trip to the south coast in the days after a final at Wembley would be seen as more beneficial, with the title race expected to be decided right until the end.
Arsenal might benefit if City were to face Bournemouth during the final week. The Premier League has yet to announce the dates for either fixture.
Only two weeks away from the first rearranged match, fans are dealing with what feels like a last-minute scheduling decision at the most crucial point of the season.
Remaining Games in the Premier League Title Race
Arsenal:
– P34, 73pts
– Wed Apr 29: Away vs Madrid (CL)
– Sat May 2: Home vs Fulham (PL)
– Tues May 5: Home vs Madrid (CL)
– Sun May 10: Away vs West Ham (PL)
– Sun May 17: Home vs Burnley (PL)
– Sun May 24: Home vs Crystal Palace (PL)
– Mon May 4: Away vs Everton
– Sat May 9: Home vs Brentford
– Sat May 16: vs Chelsea (FA Cup final)
– TBC: Away vs Bournemouth
– TBC: Home vs Crystal Palace
– Sun May 24: Home vs Aston Villa
Manchester City:
– P33, 70pts
– Wed Apr 29: Away vs Madrid (CL)
– Sat May 2: Home vs Fulham (PL)
– Tues May 5: Home vs Madrid (CL)
– Sun May 10: Away vs West Ham (PL)
– Sun May 17: Home vs Burnley (PL)
– Sun May 24: Home vs Crystal Palace (PL)
– Mon May 4: Away vs Everton
– Sat May 9: Home vs Brentford
– Sat May 16: vs Chelsea (FA Cup final)
– TBC: Away vs Bournemouth
– TBC: Home vs Crystal Palace
– Sun May 24: Home vs Aston Villa
