Why is Arsenal vs Man City game postponed? Reason Premier League match is off, has new fixture date been set

Football fans around the world are eagerly anticipating the Premier League game between league leader’s Arsenal and reigning EPL champions Manchester City.

The game was initially due to take place on Wednesday 19 October. But why has the game been postponed and when can we expect to see the big clash at the top of the Premier League table?

Why has Arsenal vs Manchester City been postponed?

Arsenal’s Premier League game against Manchester City has been postponed in order to accommodate the North London side’s upcoming Europa League fixture against Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven. The Gunners were originally scheduled to play PSV on Thursday 15 September, but that game was postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

As a result of this Arsenal were informed by UEFA that they would need to complete all of their Europa League group games before Thursday 3 November, or face the risk of forfeiting the game against PSV. In order to do this Arsenal were forced to postpone one of their Premier League matches.

A statement from the Premier League said: “The Premier League has agreed with UEFA to postpone Arsenal FC’s Premier League match with Manchester City FC, originally due to be played on 19 October, to allow Arsenal FC’s rearranged UEFA Europa League game with PSV Eindhoven. Arsenal FC vs PSV Eindhoven, originally scheduled to be played on Thursday 15 September will now be played on Thursday 20 October 18:00.”

What fixtures are taking place in the Premier League?

The majority of the sides in the Premier League will play two games this week as they look to enter the World Cup break in a rich vein of form. Here is a list of all the fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League. (All games are BST)

Tuesday 18 October

• Brighton vs Nottingham Forest - 7:30pm
• Crystal Palace vs Wolverhampton Wanderers - 8:15pm

Wednesday 19 October

• Bournemouth vs Southampton - 7:30pm
• Brentford vs Chelsea - 7:30pm
• Liverpool vs West Ham United - 7:30pm
• Newcastle United vs Everton - 7:30pm
• Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur - 8:15pm

Thursday 20 October

• Fulham vs Aston Villa - 7:30pm
• Leicester City vs Leeds United - 8:15pm

Saturday 22 October

• Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool - 12:30pm
• Everton vs Crystal Palace - 3pm
• Manchester City vs Brighton - 3pm
• Chelsea vs Manchester United - 5:30pm

Sunday 23 October

• Aston Villa vs Brentford - 2pm
• Leeds United vs Fulham - 2pm
• Southampton vs Arsenal - 2pm
• Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Leicester City - 2pm
• Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United - 4:30pm

Monday 24 October

• West Ham United vs Bournemouth - 8pm

Has there been a rescheduled date for Arsenal vs Manchester City?

The Premier League is yet to confirm a rescheduled date for the top of the table clash between Arsenal and Manchester City. The Premier League announced that the fixture will be announced in due course.

The Premier League will break during this season after the weekend of November 12-13 before resuming again on Boxing Day. It is yet to be determined whether the game between The Gunners and Citizens will take place before the international break or later in the season.

How will the fixture postponement affect the two teams?

Arsenal are in tremendous form at the moment and currently boast a four point gap at the top of the Premier League table.

Mikel Arteta will be aiming to win a first league title for the Gunners in 19 years and undoubtedly has a strong squad at his disposal. However, the challenge of a hectic fixture schedule still awaits Arsenal this season. The Gunners have a much smaller squad then some of their competitors at the top of the league table and will face further challenges in the Europa League and domestically in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. In an ideal world it is believed that Mikel Arteta would have liked the fixture to go ahead rather than face it in the middle of a hectic schedule later in the season.

Manchester City are currently second in the Premier League and have enjoyed a strong start to the season which has been spearheaded by new signing Erling Haaland. Pep Guardiola’s side suffered their first defeat of the season against Liverpool and would have seen this fixture as an ideal opportunity to bounce back.

The Citizens will have a very busy schedule in the second half of the season, and Pep Guardiola and his side will be expected to compete on all fronts both domestically and in the European Competitions. Since joining Manchester City the Spanish manager has won every single trophy there is to win other than the UEFA Champions League and there is no doubt that he will look to prioritise that competition in the later stages of the season.