Arsenal and Crystal Palace Premier League games moved to ease fixture congestion
The Premier League has agreed to move matches involving Arsenal and Crystal Palace to December in order to reduce match congestion.
Arsenal’s trip to Everton and Palace’s match at Leeds – both originally scheduled for Sunday 21 December at 14:00 GMT – will now be played at 20:00 on Saturday 20 December.
The move means both teams will have an extra day to prepare for their EFL Cup quarter-final on December 23.
The cup match was moved by the EFL from its original date of December 16 because it would have meant Palace, who also compete in the Conference League in Europe, would play three times in five days.
They will still have to play two matches in the space of three days, with the Conference League match against Finnish club KuPS scheduled for Thursday, December 18.
The Selhurst Park club saw its request to play the European match the day before rejected by UEFA. It is understood that European football’s governing body has rejected the request on the grounds that it would endanger the integrity of the competition.
Arsenal said the possibility of playing the EFL Cup on Christmas Eve had been rejected due to the impact it would have on the club’s fans and staff.
The Gunners added that they would provide additional coaches at a subsidized price of £10 for the trip to Merseyside on December 20.