Arsenal’s Premier League fixture against Manchester City was set to take place on Wednesday, 19 October 2022. However, the Premier League postponed the game, putting Pep Guardiola and Mike Areteta’s reunion on hold.
Why was Arsenal vs Manchester City postponed?
As per The Sun, the game between the Gunners and City was changed to accommodate the club’s other postponed Europa League match against PSV Eindhoven.
On 15 September 2022, the Gunners were scheduled to host the Dutch giants. However, the game had to be postponed because of worries about the number of police officers needed in the wake of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
Due to the accelerated Europa League group stage this year, Arsenal would not have been able to play the game without moving one of their league games.
Arsenal would have automatically lost 3-0 if they had not agreed to reschedule the game.
The reason was that they were required to finish their group’s matches by 3 November 2022.
Furthermore, the Premier League confirmed that all parties agreed to the change.
When will the rescheduled match take place?
A rescheduled date for the title-race clash between Arsenal and City has yet to be set in stone. While it is possible that it may not take place before the 2022 World Cup, it is still conceivable that the teams may play each other twice in a short period.
This heightens the tension of a potential title matchup if both teams continue to hold the top spots in the league.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on 20 November 2022, makes it even more difficult to rearrange the club football schedule this season.
Just eight days after the World Cup’s conclusion, on 26 December 2022, the league is scheduled to resume.
Arsenal and City have been the best-performing teams in the league thus far.
The Gunners currently sit at the top of the log with 27 points. Mikel Arteta’s team is on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions. Following closely behind is City with 23 points.
Manchester City suffered their first season loss on Sunday, 16 October, in a heated encounter against Liverpool.