ARSENAL are facing a nightmare fixture pile up in December after being drawn against Crystal Palace in the League Cup.
Mikel Arteta’s side progressed into the quarter-finals of the competition after beating Preston 3-0 on Wednesday.
However, that is set to cause club chiefs a huge headache due to a major scheduling issue involving them and the women’s team.
The Emirates tie against Crystal Palace is due to be played on either Tuesday 17 or Wednesday 18 in December.
It came with Palace being due to play Brighton on Monday, December 16, though this fixture has since been moved to Sunday at 2pm with Bournemouth v West Ham now filling the Monday evening slot.
Holding the clash on Wednesday is not possible due to Arsenal Women facing Bayern Munich in the Champions League at the Emirates.
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Logically this would leave Thursday as the obvious solution.
However, the two-day turnaround is far from ideal, with Palace due to host Arsenal on Saturday, December 21 in the evening clash, also leaving Friday out of the question.
It would be possible to host the Palace game on Wednesday, December 18 if the women’s game could be moved.
Arsenal Women play all of their European home games and eight of their 11 home games in the Women’s Super League at the Emirates, with tickets for the Bayern game on sale since September 28.
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But Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park, where the women’s team used to play their home games, does not meet Uefa stadium regulations.
However, one possible solution could be Arsenal agreeing to a stunning VENUE SWAP with Palace.
There has been a precedent in the League Cup this season to move fixtures to another stadium.
Newcastle’s third round fixture with Wimbledon was switched from Plough Lane to St. James’ Park after floods caused a sinkhole to form in the middle of the pitch.
Manchester City faced a similar problem to Arsenal earlier this season when they faced Watford in the third round.
They were due to meet on the Wednesday, but local rivals Manchester United were already playing at home that night and the two teams can’t play at the same time.
Pep Guardiola’s side were offered the chance to play away at Vicarage Road or switch dates to Tuesday or Thursday, which left them with less of a turnaround for either the League Cup game or Prem clash.
They ultimately opted to play on the Tuesday just 48 hours after their 2-2 draw with Arsenal, and emerged with a 2-1 win over Watford at the Etihad.
Speaking of the dilemma at the time, Guardiola said: “I prefer to play at home than go to London because this way our fans can watch this lovely, adorable team at home.
“That’s why I decided to play on Tuesday. If we had said Thursday we wouldn’t have time to recover to go to Newcastle.
“Hopefully we can select two teams and be fit and have no injuries but everyone knows the schedule will be tight this season.”
On fixture congestion, he had previously said: “The week is seven days. We cannot create eight days a week or nine days a week.”
It means the EFL could, based on precedent, offer Arteta’s side the chance to swap the venue of the League Cup clash from the Emirates to Selhurst Park to allow it to then be played on Wednesday and give Arsenal appropriate rest days between their league games.
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The ultimate decision over the date of the game is in the hands of the EFL.
It is understood the organisation are currently consulting all the relevant stakeholders on the timings and broadcast arrangements for each of the four quarter-finals.
Arsenal ratings vs Preston
ARSENAL cruised through their Carabao Cup tie at Preston.
The Gunners won 3-0 to set up a home tie against Crystal Palace in the next round.
Sun Sport’s Sam Dymond reveals who has done enough to feature in the quarter final – and who might be a bit worried.
Tommy Setford – 6
A clean sheet on debut for the teenager. After a quiet first half, he looked nervous when put under pressure by Preston’s forward.
Jurrien Timber – 7
Really looking the part in the Arsenal defence after injury. His crosses caused chaos before being replaced at half-time
William Saliba – 7
Settled back into the side after suspension, and was rarely troubled on a night where he continually swept up possession.
Jakub Kiwior – 8
Partnered Saliba admirably in defence, but showed his attacking worth by providing two assists.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7
A solid display before his removal on the hour, perhaps with one eye on the weekend.
Jorginho – 7
Kept things moving in midfield, and even showed off some sublime skill when the opportunity arose.
Mikel Merino – 7
A much more confident performance from the Spaniard following his goal on Sunday. Combined well with Martinelli and Nwaneri during the opening 45 minutes.
Ethan Nwaneri – 9
Serenaded by the Arsenal fans as ‘one of their own’, this talented teenager once again excited Gooners everywhere.
The scorer of one sublime strike, he came so close to bagging a second goal too.
Raheem Sterling – 7
The Carabao Cup king did everything but score. Perhaps let down by his decision making, he’s looking more at home at Arsenal than he ever did at Chelsea.
Gabriel Jesus – 8
Constantly alive to the ball inside the box, he was rewarded with a first goal since January to get the scoring underway.
Gabriel Martinelli – 8
Often Arsenal’s biggest attacking threat with his direct running and ability to beat defenders. Replaced after taking a couple of heavy knocks.
Subs
Thomas Partey – 6
Replaced Timber at the break and once again did the job asked of him with few complaints.
Kai Havertz – 8
Scored a superb header shortly after his arrival as a half-time sub, and was an imposing figure in both penalty areas.
Bukayo Saka – 6
More minutes in the legs for the Arsenal star as he continues the recovery from his hamstring injury.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6
Misplaced a couple of passes after his introduction, but fits in well among the first-team squad.
Ayden Heaven – 6
Offered a glimpse of genuine pace as he made his senior debut for the final ten minutes.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
