Mikel Arteta's Arsenal and Oliver Glasner-managed Crystal Palace are set to lock horns, for a second time this season, in the Carabao Cup quarter-final. Recently, the pair beat Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool, respectively, to reach the next round of the competition – but why is the all-London affair creating an enormous fixture headache?
Glasner, who has emerged as the favourite for the Liverpool job should Arne Slot face the sack, will be looking to get pay-back on the Gunners as, earlier this month, Arsenal's Eberechi Eze – who signed from the Eagles in the summer – opened and closed the scoring in a 1-0 win in the Premier League.
Arsenal and Palace, both keen on earning silverware before the end of term, will be looking ahead at booking a spot in the final of the competition; as will the likes of Manchester City, Brentford, Cardiff City, Chelsea, Fulham and defending champions Newcastle United. But, as things stand, there are concerns over the scheduling of the fixture in question.
As things stand, the quarter-finals are scheduled to be played out in the week commencing December 15 but Palace – reigning champions of the FA Cup – are set to face Finnish side Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) in the Europa Conference League that week. As a result, Glasner's side could be forced to play four games in the space of eight days.
Arsenal v Palace Carabao Cup Tie Causes Fixture Headache
gyokeres arsenal
Unless an alternative date can be found and all parties are happy, such fixture congestion would raise concerns over the welfare of the Selhurst Park squad, which includes the likes of hitman Jean-Philippe Mateta, the generational Adam Wharton and skipper Marc Guehi.
Palace's fixture pile-up is not an ideal situation, of course, but there are very few viable options that will cause no disruption for anyone. Currently, the fixture is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16, 2025, but the Eagles' involvement in Europe is making things rather tricky as the games continue to come thick and fast.
Adding to that, sheduling issues are further complicated by the fact that Pep Guardiola's Manchester City – who they beat in the FA Cup final last season – are visiting south London for a Premier League encounter on Sunday, December 14.
In terms of when the fixture could be re-arranged for Christmas Eve – December 24 – is on the cards. Regrettably though, that date falls on a midweek working day and that would be a challenge for supporters, players and staff.
There is also the potential for Arsenal and Palace's Carabao Cup tie to be played on a weekend too – but that is a rogue solution and one that wouldn't go down with Premier League chiefs as it causes disruption to their broadcasting of England top flight matches.
Without the inclusion of the Carabao Cup encounter, Palace's packed fixtures list comprises four games in 11 days: they face Irish side Shelbourne on Thursday, December 11, before welcoming City to the capital three days later. Locking horns with KuPS is then on the cards on that Thursday before travelling to Elland Road to face Leeds United on the weekend.
Arteta's Arsenal, meanwhile, play at Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday, December 10 before playing host to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday, December 13 – an 8pm kick-off. They round off their week with Everton on Sunday, December 21.
Palace and Arsenal Fixtures Over the Festive Period
Palace
Date
11/12
14/12
16/12
18/12
21/12
24/12
Finding a time that works around both schedules is proving tricky – but it seems that the fixture will be played either on Tuesday, December 16 (which would, therefore, see Glasner's men play four games in the space of eight days) or Christmas Eve, which would be hugely problematic for everyone involved.
A fixture on the day before Christmas Day would have to take place in the afternoon rather than two teams playing in the evening – for obvious reasons. Although it is a very rare occurence, Wolverhampton Wanderers faced and beat Chelsea on Christmas Eve in 2024, and that kicked off at 1pm.
Set to take place at the Emirates Stadium, it is written in the rulebook that all quarter-finals must take place before the semi-finals, the opening legs of which are to be played in the week commencing January 12. Both Arsenal and Palace will have an FA Cup third-round tie on the weekend of January 10-11, which restricts them even further.