Pep Guardiola has suggested that the Arsenal vs Man City clash in the Premier League in October could be postponed in order to accommodate the Gunners' need to rearrange their Europa League clash with PSV Eindhoven.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday September 8th, the Premier League made the decision to postpone the weekend's fixtures. The Gunners' home clash with Everton will have to be rescheduled as a result.
There was hope that the Europa League clash with PSV would go ahead this Thursday, but the game has subsequently been postponed as a result of a shortage of police resources. The Met Police are putting on the biggest operation in the capital's history this weekend as they up security measures ahead of the Queen's funeral on Monday.
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The Gunners' fixture list is now heavily congested. As things stand, Mikel Arteta's side have to play twice a week until the beginning of the World Cup in November. Because the second of the postponed games has to be rescheduled for a time in midweek, the only way it can be played before the Europa League group stage finishes is if the Premier League allow Arsenal to reschedule one of their upcoming clashes, with their October 19 fixture against Manchester City one of the few possibilities.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of City's Champions League tie with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, Guardiola admitted that he isn't sure whether the tie will go ahead. As cited by the BBC, the Spaniard brought up the fixture backlog unprompted, as he said: "I don't know if the Arsenal game will be played now."
If the Premier League do agree to moving the City clash, it would arguably be a welcomed boost for the Gunners. In addition to eliminating the risk of having to forfeit the PSV game, Arsenal likely won't have to play City until the new year.
The Gunners are currently due to play Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and City in what is a tricky October period, so having to play one less at a crucial time in the season may be a stroke of luck.
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