Arsenal and Crystal Palace league games rejigged due to EFL Cup quarter-final

Reuters

Arsenal's Eberechi Eze (right) with teammatesReuters / Scott Heppell

The Premier League has agreed to rejig the calendar to avoid league leaders Arsenal and Crystal Palace playing two games in three days, including their League Cup quarter-final clash.

With both London clubs also juggling European commitments - Arsenal in the Champions League and Palace in the Conference League - fixture congestion created a player welfare headache.

Last week, the English Football League said the League Cup was being undermined by fixture congestion due to expanded European cup competitions when they confirmed Palace's quarter-final with Arsenal would be played on December 23rd.

The Premier League then announced on Tuesday that the Everton vs Arsenal and Leeds United vs Palace fixtures have been moved from December 21st to December 20th (Saturday), giving both teams breathing room before their cup meeting.

"Player welfare is a priority for the Premier League, and we have therefore granted requests from Arsenal and Crystal Palace to move their respective fixtures," the Premier League said in a statement.

"This comes after the scheduling of matches from other competitions around Premier League fixtures without adequate player recovery time.

"This is also further evidence of the impact the expanded UEFA competitions have on the domestic fixture calendar. The League would like to thank Leeds United and Everton for their cooperation in accommodating these changes."

Arsenal had argued that playing two games within a 48-hour period would have contravened FIFA's recommendations, which advocate for a minimum of 72 hours' rest between games.

"This recommendation is in place to protect player health and fitness. Recovery time between matches is especially important during busy periods of the season, such as December," Arsenal said.

Arsenal rejected the chance to play the quarter-final on Christmas Eve as it would have affected their fans and workforce.

That option had also been ruled out after talks with the Metropolitan Police and Transport for London, who cited limited public transport services.