{"id":1982,"date":"2026-04-29T03:17:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T03:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=1982"},"modified":"2026-04-29T03:17:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T03:17:35","slug":"manchester-city-angered-by-fixture-crunch-of-three-key-games-in-seven-days-manchester-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=1982","title":{"rendered":"Manchester City angered by fixture crunch of three key games in seven days | Manchester City"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Manchester City have been left angered by what they deem to be an end-of-season fixture pile-up that could have been avoided had the Premier League acted quicker to rearrange matches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">City face the prospect of playing three games in seven days as part of their pursuit of the Premier League title and the FA Cup. Their home league game with Crystal Palace, which was originally scheduled to take place on the weekend of March\u2019s Carabao Cup final, will now take place on Wednesday 13 May, followed by the FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday 16 May. Pep Guardiola\u2019s men then travel to Bournemouth, again in the league, on Tuesday 19 May.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">City\u2019s principal frustration is centred on the Premier League having known about the need to find a new date for the Palace game since City defeated Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final on 4 February. Matches are supposed to be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity and City do not believe this has happened in this regard. The club suggested three separate midweek dates for when Palace\u2019s visit to the Etihad \u00adStadium could have taken place with two of them ultimately unworkable due to the south London club\u2019s involvement in the Conference League.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"f2b23f9b-0a52-4239-b3cc-a55ab2f2d1f0\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:3,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;John Stones to leave Manchester City at end of season after 10-year spell&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;f2b23f9b-0a52-4239-b3cc-a55ab2f2d1f0&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/football\/2026\/apr\/28\/john-stones-leave-manchester-city-end-season&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:0,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:2}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Premier League were receptive to scheduling the game in the week commencing 20 April but that solution was curtailed by Palace being selected to play West Ham on the Monday. Nonetheless, City feel there was an opportunity to play the match against Palace last midweek when they instead faced Burnley, with that game then subsequently moved to this week or next.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"ac758746-0710-435d-90ef-6aef3c43da9c\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.GuideAtomBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><gu-island name=\"GuideAtomWrapper\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;c3d09ae2-c6f3-4119-a3d3-dbc700ac6baf&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Arsenal and Manchester City: remaining fixtures&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How their May schedules compare&lt;\/strong&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Arsenal\u00a0&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tomorrow&lt;\/b&gt; Atl\u00e9tico Madrid (a) 8pm BST (Champions League)&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sat 2 &lt;\/b&gt; Fulham (h) 5.30pm\u00a0&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tues 5&lt;\/b&gt; Atl\u00e9tico Madrid (h) 8pm (Champions League)&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sun 10 &lt;\/b&gt; West Ham (a) 4.30pm&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mon 18 &lt;\/b&gt; Burnley (h) 8pm&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sun 24 &lt;\/b&gt; Crystal Palace (a) 4pm\u00a0&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sat 30&lt;\/b&gt; Possible Champions League final&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manchester City&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mon 4&lt;\/b&gt; Everton (a) 8pm&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sat 9&lt;\/b&gt; Brentford (h) 5.30pm&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Weds 13&lt;\/b&gt; Crystal Palace (h) 8pm&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sat 16&lt;\/b&gt; Chelsea 3pm (FA Cup final)&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tues 19&lt;\/b&gt; Bournemouth (a) 7.30pm&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sun 24&lt;\/b&gt; Aston Villa (h) 4pm&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Premier League fixtures unless stated&lt;\/i&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<div data-atom-id=\"c3d09ae2-c6f3-4119-a3d3-dbc700ac6baf\" data-atom-type=\"guide\" class=\"dcr-13gln72\">\n<details data-atom-id=\"c3d09ae2-c6f3-4119-a3d3-dbc700ac6baf\" data-snippet-type=\"guide\" class=\"dcr-g1vsnw\">\n<summary><span class=\"dcr-1ypwo6h\">Quick Guide<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"dcr-1fa5dcn\">Arsenal and Manchester City: remaining fixtures<\/h4>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-55zfp0\"><span class=\"dcr-3j53am\"><span class=\"dcr-41evle\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"-3 -3 30 30\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"m10.8 13.2.425 9.8h1.525l.45-9.8 9.8-.45v-1.525l-9.8-.425-.45-9.8h-1.525l-.425 9.8-9.8.425v1.525z\"\/><\/svg><\/span>Show<\/span><\/span><\/summary>\n<div>\n<div class=\"dcr-17vpao5\">\n<p><strong>How their May schedules compare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>Arsenal <\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Tomorrow<\/b> Atl\u00e9tico Madrid (a) 8pm BST (Champions League)<\/p>\n<p><b>Sat 2 <\/b> Fulham (h) 5.30pm <\/p>\n<p><b>Tues 5<\/b> Atl\u00e9tico Madrid (h) 8pm (Champions League)<\/p>\n<p><b>Sun 10 <\/b> West Ham (a) 4.30pm<\/p>\n<p><b>Mon 18 <\/b> Burnley (h) 8pm<\/p>\n<p><b>Sun 24 <\/b> Crystal Palace (a) 4pm <\/p>\n<p><b>Sat 30<\/b> Possible Champions League final<\/p>\n<p><b>Manchester City<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Mon 4<\/b> Everton (a) 8pm<\/p>\n<p><b>Sat 9<\/b> Brentford (h) 5.30pm<\/p>\n<p><b>Weds 13<\/b> Crystal Palace (h) 8pm<\/p>\n<p><b>Sat 16<\/b> Chelsea 3pm (FA Cup final)<\/p>\n<p><b>Tues 19<\/b> Bournemouth (a) 7.30pm<\/p>\n<p><b>Sun 24<\/b> Aston Villa (h) 4pm<\/p>\n<p><i>Premier League fixtures unless stated<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"dcr-jkwt9a\">\n<p>Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/gu-island><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">City also suggested playing Bournemouth on Tuesday 12 May and Palace on Wednesday 20 May but that was ruled out by Uefa due to the governing body\u2019s desire to keep that date free of domestic games given it is when the Europa League final will take place. There is, however, precedent this season for Premier League matches to be on the same night as Uefa club competition matches, with Arsenal taking on Wolves on 18 February, when four Champions League knockout round playoff games took place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">City had also proposed playing Bournemouth on Thursday 21 May to allow for a longer \u00adrecovery period after the FA Cup final and thought the Premier League was receptive. Ultimately it was not, with it understood that the Premier League wanted to wait until the conclusion of last \u00adweekend\u2019s FA Cup semi-finals to confirm fixture rearrangements in order to give certainty to supporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Arsenal, who lead City in the title race by three points having played a game more, have also had a match moved. Mikel Arteta\u2019s side will now face with their final home game against Burnley now at the Emirates Stadium on Monday 18 May.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><gu-island name=\"EmailSignUpWrapper\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;index&quot;:9,&quot;listId&quot;:4163,&quot;identityName&quot;:&quot;the-fiver&quot;,&quot;category&quot;:&quot;article-based&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Football Daily&quot;,&quot;frequency&quot;:&quot;Every weekday&quot;,&quot;successDescription&quot;:&quot;We'll send you Football Daily every weekday&quot;,&quot;theme&quot;:&quot;sport&quot;,&quot;illustrationSquare&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/media.guim.co.uk\/3913a70a8b2e7b8d826d813515822b0b54952cdd\/0_0_3000_3000\/3000.jpg&quot;,&quot;exampleUrl&quot;:&quot;\/football\/series\/footballdaily\/latest\/email&quot;,&quot;idApiUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/idapi.theguardian.com&quot;,&quot;hideNewsletterSignupComponentForSubscribers&quot;:true,&quot;showNewNewsletterSignupCard&quot;:true}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The fixture was originally meant to take place on the Sunday but has been shifted by Sky Sports, \u00adsomething that has frustrated the Arsenal Supporters\u2019 Trust. \u201cThis timing creates clear difficulties for both sets of supporters, particularly those travelling or relying on public transport, and increases costs and disruption,\u201d read an AST statement. \u201cAs the final home game of the season, it also means the traditional lap of appreciation will not take place until around 10pm, making it less accessible for many fans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe did engage with Arsenal ahead of the most recent broadcast deal, recognising that clubs, including Arsenal, play a role in approving these agreements and asking that it give greater weight to the impact on supporters of games being moved. While we understand the significant financial benefits involved and how they support the club\u2019s growth, we would urge both Arsenal and the Premier League to do more so that scheduling better reflects the needs of match-going supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manchester City have been left angered by what they deem to be an end-of-season fixture&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}