Manchester United has not played in the Premier League in nearly two weeks, and another two weeks will pass before their seventh game of the season.
United’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal on September 4 was supposed to be followed by a trip to Crystal Palace the following week, but the tragic death of Queen Elizabeth II forced the postponement of all ten fixtures that weekend.
United’s match against Leeds, scheduled for this Sunday, has also been postponed, as it was one of three games postponed due to policing issues.
Amid the unprecedented fixture list, made even more hectic and difficult to manage by the mid-season World Cup in November and December, finding a date to reschedule these two games is difficult. Now, it has emerged that UEFA has made a decision in order to find a possible date.
According to news, UEFA is set to allow United’s postponed game against Leeds to be played on a Champions League matchday – something they have previously not accepted.
As per the report, UEFA is now open to relaxing its stance of not allowing domestic games to take place simultaneously with Champions League fixtures.
This season is already longer than normal, with the Premier League campaign kicking off a week earlier and ending a week later.
SN’s verdict…
Of course, it’s promising that governing bodies are working together to solve the scheduling nightmare caused by the World Cup but this could present another issue for United.
United competes in the Europa League and has games on Thursdays. If these games are moved to Tuesday nights, Erik ten Hag’s team will have only 48 hours to prepare for their next game.
United has a large squad, and unless there are too many injuries, Ten Hag should be able to rotate, but scheduling games 48 hours ahead of time increases the risk of injuries.
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