Premier League: Why Arsenal and Chelsea are kicking off at the same time today | OneFootball

Both London clubs are at home in the Premier League this evening

The Gunners welcome an Everton side, who have a good record away from home, to the Emirates Stadium hoping to secure a victory that would move them ten points clear of Manchester City.

Man City would then have two games in hand on Arsenal, the first of which is against relegation-threatened West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday night.

This will be Mikel Arteta side’s last Premier League game of the month as they face Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie before taking on Man City in the Carabao Cup final.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are aiming to bounce back from defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Interestingly though, both games involving Arsenal and Chelsea in the capital will, unusually, kick-off at the same time today.

Chelsea vs Newcastle was selected for the 5.30pm GMT slot on Sky Sports when the television picks were announced a couple of months ago.

Chelsea are locked in a battle for Champions League qualification

Chelsea FC via Getty Images

However, the kick-off time for Arsenal vs Everton has been altered. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday, March 15 but was moved following the outcome of the Champions League knockout stage draw.

A Premier League statement read: “The Premier League confirmed the above fixtures on 21 January and advised UEFA that clubs scheduled to play on Sunday 15 March would not be available to play Champions League fixtures on Tuesday 17 March.

“Unfortunately, UEFA has not been able to provide any guarantees on its scheduling ahead of the draw. As a result, the Premier League now faces the possibility of re-scheduling its fixtures at even shorter notice, at the inconvenience of supporters and clubs.”

With the Gunners facing Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates in the Champions League last-16 second leg next Tuesday, it meant their home game against Everton had to be brought forward.

Furthermore, as the game was due to be televised by Sky Sports, it had to remain in a broadcast slot, and 5.30pm GMT was the only available option considering Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City all played away from home in the Champions League on Wednesday.