. Both Arsenal’s and Tottenham’s men’s teams were drawn at home, against Crystal Palace and Manchester United respectively. A week later, the dates of the fixtures were released, with Arsenal scheduled to host Palace on Wednesday 18 December and Tottenham playing the following evening, policing issues dictating that the north London sides cannot compete on the same night.
The problem? Arsenal’s women were scheduled to host Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League on 18 December.
Could the north London men’s fixtures swap dates? No, because Arsenal would have only one rest day before meeting Palace again on 21 December in the league. Could Arsenal host Palace on Tuesday 17 December? No, because Palace are at Brighton on Sunday 15 December, posing a similar problem. Meanwhile, Uefa regulations require the stadium to be available for the visiting team’s training andmedia obligations before Champions League fixtures. Could the Carabao Cup quarter-final be held in a different week? No, because between the end of the international break and Christmas Day, Arsenal play a midweek game every week. Can the Champions League fixture shift? No, because it must be played concurrently with Vålerenga v Juventus given it is the final round of group games.
The decision Arsenal have taken to solve the problem is to move the women’s team’s potentially crucial Champions League game away from the Emirates Stadium to make way for the men’s team. This poses problems too, tickets having been on sale for some time. Meanwhile, the primary home of the women’s team until this season, Meadow Park, does not meet Uefa’s requirements for group fixtures.
An exemption could be sought, or the club could try to host the game at another ground such as …
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