UEFA have rejected Crystal Palace’s attempt to move their final Conference League group match to ease fixture congestion ahead of their Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal, leaving both clubs facing an impossible December schedule.
Palace had requested permission to bring forward their trip to KUPS in Finland, scheduled for 18 December, while also hoping to move their Premier League match at Leeds United from Sunday 21 December to the Saturday.
That change would have given Oliver Glasner’s side an extra day of recovery before their cup tie at the Emirates on 23 December.
UEFA, however, have ruled out any change, insisting all final league phase fixtures must be played simultaneously to protect competition integrity.
The decision leaves Palace and Arsenal with little room to manoeuvre and will do little to ease frustration for Mikel Arteta, whose side face Everton on 21 December before the quarter-final just two days later.
Arsenal have also asked the Premier League to reconsider their fixtures, but league officials have indicated that congestion is a by-product of UEFA’s expanded calendar.
Arteta, speaking after the announcement that the game would be played on 23 December, was candid about the strain such scheduling places on his squad. “Hopefully, they will move our Premier League match because to play two days later, it doesn’t make any sense obviously,” he said.
“We will now decide the date, I’m sure they will change the Premier League date as well.” It now appears that they will not.
Palace manager Glasner echoed Arteta’s sentiments, saying on Wednesday: “We are trying the same thing that Arsenal are trying, to move our Leeds game [currently scheduled for Sunday 21 December] forward to Saturday [20 December], so we don’t have two days between these games.
“We didn’t get a response until now from the Premier League, just to have the same as Arsenal, if their game is moved.”
He added: “I think that the EFL and the Premier League didn’t solve this problem before the start of the season. They will learn from it and I am pretty sure that next year they will have the solution before the start of the season.”
EFL sources, however, see little chance of another change and expect Arsenal versus Palace to proceed on 23 December as planned.
Originally pencilled for 16 December, the fixture was moved to accommodate television scheduling and the European calendar.
That decision means both clubs will play two games in three days at one of the busiest points of the season.
The wider issue will hopefully start a debate over player welfare and TV influence, with UEFA, the Premier League and broadcasters all implicated in a calendar that continues to add more and more games, regardless of the impact it has on the fitness of the players they are all dependent on for their ‘product’.