Arsenal's huge fixture headache! Gunners handed scheduling nightmare as Carabao Cup clash with Crystal Palace clashes with women's team playing at Emirates

The men's team, after an emphatic victory over Preston North End, secured their place in the last eight, where they will host Crystal Palace in December. However, scheduling for this game has proven challenging due to the pre-scheduled UEFA Women’s Champions League match between Arsenal Women and Bayern Munich at the Emirates, leaving club officials searching for an appropriate solution.

The quarter-final ties are expected to take place on either Tuesday, December 17, or Wednesday, December 18, dates intended to accommodate the teams’ tight schedules. Palace’s original Premier League fixture against Brighton was initially set for the evening of Monday, December 16. To ease the scheduling, Palace’s league match has now been shifted to Sunday, December 15, with an afternoon kickoff at 2 p.m., giving Palace a better buffer for the midweek Cup game. This change, while helpful, does not resolve all issues, as it still places the men’s and women’s teams in a potential schedule overlap at the Emirates Stadium.

Adding to the complexity, Arsenal Women’s team are bound by UEFA requirements that prohibit shifting the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich to any other location or date. Meadow Park, where Arsenal Women play most of their home fixtures, does not meet UEFA’s stadium standards, making the Emirates Stadium the only feasible venue. Tickets for the Bayern match have been available for over a month, and demand remains high, emphasizing the importance of keeping the original schedule intact.

A Thursday night option for the Carabao Cup has also been considered and ruled out. Palace are scheduled to face Arsenal once again, this time in a Premier League match on Saturday, December 21, and both teams need adequate preparation and rest before the weekend clash. While a solution has yet to be finalized, both the men's and women's teams are eagerly awaiting confirmation of the final schedule, with hopes that they can deliver seamless performances amid the complex logistics.