Arsenal Discover Fate of Their Premier League Fixture Shake-Up Request
Arsenal's Premier League fixture against Everton scheduled for next month has been moved to December 20th to accommodate their Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Crystal Palace three days afterward.
The match was originally set, along with Palace's encounter against Leeds United, for Sunday afternoon on December 21st, but Arsenal submitted a formal request to the Premier League for rescheduling, emphasizing the necessity of having more than a 48-hour gap between consecutive fixtures.
The situation became more complex due to Palace's participation in the Conference League. Oliver Glasner's team will take on KuPS on December 18th during what will be their final match in a grueling stretch of 10 games between November 22nd and December 23rd.
Since Arsenal's clash with Everton was selected for live television coverage in the United Kingdom, the Premier League needed to identify an appropriate slot that would accommodate broadcast requirements, which significantly limited the available alternatives.
December 24th was briefly considered as a possible date for the Carabao Cup quarter-final, but as Arsenal confirmed in their official announcement, this option was dismissed to prevent additional inconvenience for fans during the Christmas period.
Consequently, Arsenal will now meet Everton on December 20th at 8 p.m. (GMT), with Palace's fixture against Leeds also rescheduled to the identical kickoff time.
"The wellbeing of our players, supporters, and staff remains our top priority, and we completely recognize this date change may create difficulties for fans traveling to Liverpool for the match," the club stated. "As a result, we are arranging extra supporter coaches for this fixture. All coach transportation will be subsidized for fans, costing just £10 for the round trip to Everton."
Regarding Palace, they will still encounter two matches within a three-day span between December 18th and December 20th, but the Eagles have exhausted all viable options considering their packed schedule of twice-weekly games continuing through mid-January.