ARSENAL may have to postpone their top of the table clash with Manchester City next month – to accommodate their re-arranged fixture with PSV Eindhoven.
The Gunners have been forced to call off their Europa League fixture against the Dutch club on Thursday due to concerns of policing following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
They now have to find an alternative date or face forfeiting the game – and with the World Cup looming they are running out of options.
City boss Pep Guardiola revealed there is some doubt over whether the trip to the Emirates – scheduled for Wednesday, October 19 – will go ahead.
Asked about a possible fixture pile-up due to last weekend’s games being postponed, Guardiola said: “Always the fixtures were so tight every season.
“Now it’s different because we stop – not the players but the backroom staff are going to stop and have a break in winter time like how it normally is in Germany – and afterwards we’ll see how they come back.
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“After the international break, we’ll have a one month and half with a lot of games.
“We have seven Premier League games, five games at home, it depends if the Arsenal game will be postponed or not.
“Then the World Cup. And after we’ll see how the players come back from the World Cup, especially their moods – good moods, bad moods, after what happened with their international teams.
“After that, in the last three or four months of competition, we do all we can to be there at the end.”
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Another possibility could be for Arsenal to move their Carabao Cup third round tie with Brighton – due to be played on November 8 – until after the World Cup.
However the draw for the knock-out stages of the Europa League is due to take place the day before that – so Uefa would want all group games to be completed before then.
Arsenal are currently top of the table while champions City are just a point behind after the first six games of the season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
