Premier League remain in talks with Tottenham and Aston Villa over fixture date change | OneFootball

Spurs are in a strong position to reach the Europa League final and want as much preparation time as possible

Talks: Aston Villa have initially opposed the move

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The Premier League remain in talks with Tottenham and Aston Villa over potentially moving their fixture on Sunday, May 18.

A 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their semi-final tie leaves Spurs with a strong chance to make their first European final in six years, where they will likely face Manchester United, who won 3-0 away at Athletic Club in Spain.

Villa, who are chasing a top-five finish, formally opposed the move because there is no precedent for moving league games to aid English clubs in Europe. The fixture is also Villa's final home game of the season and will include pre-organised post-match activities, some of which involve players' families, which would not be possible to complete if the game was held in the evening.

On Thursday, the Premier League released a number of new dates and times for fixtures which needed rescheduling, including moving Crystal Palace’s final home game of the season, against Wolves, to the evening of Tuesday, May 20 due to the Eagles' involvement in the FA Cup final on Saturday, May 17.

Standard Sport understands the Premier League are continuing to seek a solution to Tottenham’s request to move the Villa match, and new dates and times are being proposed and considered with all relevant parties, including the match broadcaster, Sky Sports.

The game cannot be played on May 17 as the Premier League and Football Association (FA) last year agreed that no top-flight games would be played on the same day as the men’s FA Cup final.

The same agreement noted that there will be no Premier League games on the Friday night before the final, to allow focus on the build-up, but Chelsea vs Manchester United, which is the Blues’ final home game of the season, will kick off at 8pm that evening.

Chelsea and United were due to play on Sunday, May 18 but both clubs requested a change of date to avoid clashing with the women’s FA Cup final, in which both clubs will compete.