Liverpool and Aston Villa denied fixture change despite brutal schedule; Premier League stance criticised | OneFootball

Aston Villa’s request to reschedule next week’s clash with Liverpool has been rejected by the Premier League (via The Telegraph), despite both teams facing a relentless fixture pile-up.

Villa are frustrated by the refusal to move their home game against us, leaving them with an exhausting run of five matches in just 14 days.

But it’s not just them suffering – our schedule is similarly brutal, with five games crammed into just 15 days.

Unai Emery’s side are juggling domestic and European commitments, facing Ipswich, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Crystal Palace in the league before taking on Cardiff City in the FA Cup.

Meanwhile, Arne Slot’s side have got a relentless run ourselves as we continue our pursuit of silverware across three fronts – after elimination from the FA Cup by Plymouth.

Both teams are being punished for a successful season

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The match was initially set for March 15 but was moved forward to next Wednesday due to our Carabao Cup final against Newcastle.

Villa had hoped to push the fixture into March, given they only have one league game that month against Brentford.

It’s strange that we both face fixture congestion now yet will have a relatively empty March, but still, the Premier League has refused the request.

Emery voiced his frustration, saying (via The Telegraph): “The schedule doesn’t make sense. We are going to play a lot of matches in a row in February and not many in March. It is not really fair for us.”

It’s a rare situation where both clubs would have benefited from a change, yet the rigid fixture list leaves us both facing a punishing fortnight.

Villa’s squad is already stretched, with key players like Ollie Watkins, Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, and Matty Cash all missing their FA Cup tie against Tottenham.

Meanwhile, we’re battling our own fitness concerns as we navigate a relentless campaign and Arne Slot provided his latest update before our match with Wolves.

With both clubs fighting for their respective ambitions – Villa aiming for a top-four finish and us looking to secure multiple trophies – it seems a reasonable request.

But once again, the Premier League’s scheduling leaves no room for flexibility, forcing us both to manage an unnecessarily hectic workload when a simple solution was available.

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