Premier League hit back at Aston Villa in fixture scheduling row | OneFootball

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has publicly questioned the Premier League’s fixture scheduling, prompting sources close to the league to assert that the club had previously received a comprehensive explanation.

The comments come as Villa prepare to face Arsenal on Tuesday night, their second consecutive Premier League away game in London, following Saturday’s match against Chelsea.

Emery voiced his confusion on Monday, stating he could not comprehend why his team would play Arsenal twice in the league before having faced Nottingham Forest even once. Villa are scheduled to play Forest in a lunchtime kick-off this Saturday.

Adding to the club’s concerns, Aston Villa’s director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, took to X to claim the Midlands club had not been given a "clear explanation" for the scheduling.

He added: "I asked EPL people and they didn’t tell us. So it is a mystery."

open image in gallery

Aston Villa are due to play Arsenal for the second time in a little over three weeks on Tuesday night (REUTERS)

However, sources close to the Premier League have informed the Press Association that Villa were indeed provided with a full explanation regarding this issue when the 2025-26 calendar was released.

Premier League match scheduling and the home-away sequence are understood to be formulated in accordance with fixture compilation rules, which are approved by club representatives.

Vidagany further questioned why fixtures appeared more "convenient" for "certain clubs," highlighting that Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United are all playing back-to-back home games in match rounds 18 and 19.

The Premier League reportedly arranges festive fixtures to ensure that if a team plays at home in the Christmas round (matchweek 18), they will be away in the New Year round (matchweek 20), and vice-versa.

While Villa only hosted Arsenal in the league on December 6, quick reversals – where clubs play each other twice within a short period – have occurred in previous seasons and are incorporated when deemed to provide a better overall home-and-away sequence.

The league also endeavours to ensure clubs play home and away either side of FA Cup rounds and that European competitors avoid away matches on both sides of a continental fixture, though the expansion of European competitions has made consistent adherence to this increasingly challenging.