Why is Arsenal vs Crystal Palace being played a week late? | OneFootball

The prolonged Carabao Cup quarter-final stage will come to a close tonight as Arsenal play host to Crystal Palace.

The clash at the Emirates Stadium oddly takes place six days on from the competition’s semi-final draw being made, with all three of the other last-eight ties having been played out last week.

This was not the original plan, however. Arsenal’s visit of Palace was due to happen in sync with the rest of the quarter-final last Tuesday before a fixture pile-up led to the game being rescheduled.

Palace faced the mildly ludicrous prospect of playing four games in eight days in mid-December – hosting Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday 14 December before the Carabao Cup clash with the Gunners on Tuesday 16 December, a Conference League match against Finnish side KuPS two days after that and then a league game against Leeds to round off the hellish week on Sunday 21 December.

Eagles boss Oliver Glasner had slated the proposed fixture schedule and claimed it would be harmful to his players.

"It's dangerous, irresponsible to say that you should play Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday," fumed Glasner.

Even Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta concurred with that sentiment, saying there were "much better options" than that date.

And Palace were thus given something of a reprieve, with the quarter-final being moved to Tuesday 23 December instead.

It meant Palace faced the slightly more manageable prospect of four games in 10 days instead and will enjoy the luxury of a five-day gap after the Gunners game before taking on Tottenham on 28 December.

Arsenal and Crystal Palace’s Carabao Cup clash had to be rearranged (Getty Images)

Nevertheless, the quarter-final still acts as a second fixture in three days for both sides, with Arsenal and Palace having respectively travelled to face to Everton and, as previously mentioned, Leeds on Sunday.

The change in schedule has not exactly led to a positive impact on results for Palace, who have lost both league clashes with Man City and Leeds in the past nine days and were also held to an underwhelming draw with KuPS, which saw them miss out on a top-eight league-phase finish and therefore automatic qualification to the Conference League round of 16.

Arsenal, meanwhile, got their mojo back with an assured win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on the weekend after two own goals spared them from embarrassment against rock-bottom Wolves.

Arteta and Glasner go into tonight’s match at the Emirates knowing the road to Wembley that lies ahead, with a tantalising two-leg semi-final with Chelsea awaiting the winner. Newcastle and Manchester City clash on the other side of the draw in the new year.