Arsenal were drawn at home to Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, presenting the EFL with a fixture headache due to the Eagles' participation in the Conference League
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Viktor Gyoekeres of Arsenal battles for possession with Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on October 26, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal's tie against Crystal Palace has been given a date(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Arsenal have lost their battle with Crystal Palace after the date of the two teams' Carabao Cup quarter-final clash was confirmed. Both London clubs reached the last eight of the competition last week, with all four ties due to be played on either December 16 or 17.
But Palace had a problem. Before their impressive 3-0 win away to Liverpool earned them a quarter-final berth, Oliver Glasner's side had already been scheduled to play Finnish side KuPS in the Conference League on Thursday, December 18.
The Eagles manager hit out at decision makers for their poor planning, labelling them 'irresponsible' as his team faced playing three games in five days before Christmas. Fortunately for Palace, they've avoided that scenario.
It's been announced that Arsenal will instead welcome Palace to the Emirates on Tuesday, December 23, with kick-off at 8pm. The Gunners originally wanted the fixture to be played on Tuesday, December 16, slotting in nicely between their Premier League games against Wolves on the previous Saturday and Everton the following Sunday.
Speaking on Friday, Mikel Arteta argued that it wouldn't be 'fair' if the cup tie was moved, saying: "I don't think that is fair because we have other competitions as well. We knew at the start of the season the competitions that each club is playing in, so on balance we have to try to accommodate the best possible way for everybody."
Now both Arsenal and Palace will have to play two games in three days, sharing the burden of a tight turnaround. Both teams are up north on the Sunday beforehand, as Palace travel to Leeds for a 2pm kick-off, the same time Arsenal face Everton.
Arteta, though, reiterated his concerns over player welfare, with fixture congestion a hot topic in recent years. Last season, Manchester City star Rodri claimed that players could go on 'strike' due to being overworked.
"Every decision that we make in terms of a fixture has to be guided on two main things; players' welfare, and then supporters, and that is it, and the rest has to come very, very far away from that. And we should never forget that principle," the Arsenal boss said.
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 23: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, and Oliver Glasner, Manager of Crystal Palace, look on after the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Crystal Palace FC at Emirates Stadium on April 23, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta and Oliver Glasner had differing views
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"If we have that big piece of paper with those two principles there in front before we make any decision, all of us in our industry, we won't get there. If we don't and we just ignore that, then anything is possible.
"If we look after the players' welfare and our supporters, we are never going to get to that point (strikes). We have to close the window there. We cannot open that window. It has to be closed. It's our most precious value.
"We have the best league in the world and we cannot just open any window for anything just to lose that because we don't respect that, and we forget what we are made of and what makes this game and this league so, so special. And if we respect that, I'm sure we're going to be totally fine."
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