Fixture fury is brewing in London, Arsenal and Crystal Palace have teamed up to demand the Premier League move one of their December clashes amid a brutal festive schedule.
Both clubs are staring down the barrel of two games in three days, Palace play Leeds on December 21, then face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on December 23. It’s a nightmare run that’s left both managers fuming.
Mikel Arteta didn’t mince his words. “Hopefully then they will move our Premier League match because to play on this date doesn’t make any sense, obviously,” the Arsenal boss said, clearly frustrated at the lack of breathing space for his squad.
He added, “So we will now decide the date. I leave that to the club. I think we’re very clear what was the best thing, the most logical date to play.”
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is equally furious, and wants action. “We are trying the same thing that Arsenal are trying, to move our Leeds game forward to Saturday [20 December], so we don’t have two days between these games,” he revealed.
The Austrian coach said he’s still waiting for an answer from the Premier League. “We didn’t get a response until now… hopefully it will be fair,” he added, calling for equality and common sense.
But not everyone’s impressed. The EFL has hit back, warning that too many fixture changes are damaging the Carabao Cup’s reputation.
“To continue making endless concessions only serves to undermine the reputation of the EFL Cup,” the league snapped in a statement, insisting that constant tinkering “challenges the traditional scheduling of the English football calendar.”
With Europe, domestic cups, and festive fixtures colliding, both Arsenal and Palace are demanding fairness, and a bit of rest. The Premier League’s decision is expected soon, but for now, the managers’ message is clear: enough is enough.
