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 need to be rescheduled, and these games will fall on either side of the FA Cup final against Chelsea on May 16.
Crystal Palace is typically scheduled before City’s match against Bournemouth, following the League’s policy 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, the Crystal Palace game can only be played at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, May 13, due to Conference League commitments and their own busy schedule.
UEFA is also concerned about the potential clash between the Bournemouth match and their Europa League final a week later, especially since there will be English teams involved in that competition. In this scenario, Pep Guardiola’s team would play on Wednesday, Saturday, and then Tuesday, before all 20 clubs compete in the season finale five days later.
If their request for a change in the order of fixtures is approved, avoiding a trip to the south coast in the days after a final at Wembley would be seen as more beneficial, given the tight race for the title.
Arsenal might feel like the winners if Manchester City were to face Bournemouth during the final week. The Premier League has not yet announced the dates for either of these fixtures.
Only two weeks away from the first rearranged match, fans are facing what feels like a last-minute decision on scheduling at the most crucial moment of the season.
Remaining Games in the Premier League Title Race
Here are the remaining fixtures for both Arsenal and Manchester City:
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
