Manchester City angered by fixture crunch of three key games in seven days | Manchester City

Manchester City have been left angered by what they deem to be an end-of-season fixture pile-up that could have been avoided had the Premier League acted quicker to rearrange matches.

City face the prospect of playing three games in seven days as part of their pursuit of the Premier League title and the FA Cup. Their home league game with Crystal Palace, which was originally scheduled to take place on the weekend of March’s Carabao Cup final, will now take place on Wednesday 13 May, followed by the FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday 16 May. Pep Guardiola’s men then travel to Bournemouth, again in the league, on Tuesday 19 May.

City’s principal frustration is centred on the Premier League having known about the need to find a new date for the Palace game since City defeated Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final on 4 February. Matches are supposed to be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity and City do not believe this has happened in this regard. The club suggested three separate midweek dates for when Palace’s visit to the Etihad Stadium could have taken place with two of them ultimately unworkable due to the south London club’s involvement in the Conference League.

The Premier League were receptive to scheduling the game in the week commencing 20 April but that solution was curtailed by Palace being selected to play West Ham on the Monday. Nonetheless, City feel there was an opportunity to play the match against Palace last midweek when they instead faced Burnley, with that game then subsequently moved to this week or next.

City also suggested playing Bournemouth on Tuesday 12 May and Palace on Wednesday 20 May but that was ruled out by Uefa due to the governing body’s desire to keep that date free of domestic games given it is when the Europa League final will take place. There is, however, precedent this season for Premier League matches to be on the same night as Uefa club competition matches, with Arsenal taking on Wolves on 18 February, when four Champions League knockout round playoff games took place.

City had also proposed playing Bournemouth on Thursday 21 May to allow for a longer recovery period after the FA Cup final and thought the Premier League was receptive. Ultimately it was not, with it understood that the Premier League wanted to wait until the conclusion of last weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals to confirm fixture rearrangements in order to give certainty to supporters.

Arsenal, who lead City in the title race by three points having played a game more, have also had a game moved. Mikel Arteta’s side will now face Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on Monday 18 May.

The fixture was originally meant to take place on the Sunday but has been shifted by Sky Sports, something that has frustrated the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust. “This timing creates clear difficulties for both sets of supporters, particularly those travelling or relying on public transport, and increases costs and disruption,” read an AST statement. “As the final home game of the season, it also means the traditional lap of appreciation will not take place until around 10pm, making it less accessible for many fans.

“We did engage with Arsenal ahead of the most recent broadcast deal, recognising that clubs, including Arsenal, play a role in approving these agreements and asking that it give greater weight to the impact on supporters of games being moved. While we understand the significant financial benefits involved and how they support the club’s growth, we would urge both Arsenal and the Premier League to do more so that scheduling better reflects the needs of match-going supporters.”