Sky have agreed with the Premier League that Arsenal’s match against Liverpool will be played at 12:30pm on Christmas Eve, according to reports.
The Daily Star claim that Sky and the Premier League higher ups have come to a compromise, after the initial suggestion for a 4pm kick-off was met by widespread opposition from fans.
This just about falls in line with what Arsène Wenger was saying earlier in the day during his pre-Watford press conference.
Wenger on possible Christmas Eve fixture: "Personally, I think not any game should be played after 2pm [on 24 December]."
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) October 12, 2017
Well, it seems like it isn’t going to be after 2pm, but I doubt those supporters are going to be appeased much by the new kick-off time.
Although it makes travelling to and from the game slightly easier, there are still likely to be delays during the holiday period as people rush to get home for Christmas, and that’s assuming trains and coaches are running at all.
Some have suggested on social media that the game could be boycotted if it takes place on December 24th, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.
Of course, there are Arsenal fans who will turn up at the Emirates any day of the year and would miss their own wedding for an away game against Manchester United.
However, we’ve seen in the Europa League and League Cup matches so far, as well as the West Brom match on a Monday, that many season ticket holders aren’t interested in the more difficult kick-off times.