Arsenal vs Chelsea rescheduled – What does it mean for the title race?
By Kian Long
Breaking news from the last hour has indicated that the fixture between Arsenal vs Chelsea will now take place on Tuesday 2 May (20:00 BST), instead of the previously arranged Saturday 29 April (17:30 BST). This is according to the Premier League official website.
But, what does this mean for the title race? Obviously, it won’t mean anything for the travelling team since Chelsea fans should be more concerned about fighting relegation than they should be winning the title. However, it does affect Arsenal.
Until now, the Gunners had the upper hand since they would coast through until the end of the season, playing one game per week. However, they now have two difficult fixtures at the start of May, which could decide the title.
Here’s a look at Arsenal’s final Premier League run-in now…
- Sunday 16 April – West Ham United vs Arsenal
- Friday 21 April – Arsenal vs Southampton
- Wednesday 26 April – Manchester City vs Arsenal
- Tuesday 2 May – Arsenal vs Chelsea
- Sunday 7 May – Newcastle vs Arsenal
- Sunday 14 May – Arsenal vs Brighton
- Saturday 20 May – Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal
- Sunday 28 May – Arsenal vs Wolves
As you can see, the rescheduled fixture sees Arsenal only pick up a 5-day rest between the Chelsea and Newcastle fixtures. They still come straight after that tough fixture at the Etihad Stadium which will surely decide who wins the title.
Of course, Arsenal fans are in no position to complain. Their main competitors Manchester City are still in two other competitions, and face two tough fixtures against Bayern Munich, before potentially facing Chelsea or Real Madrid twice.
Therefore, it’s still advantage Arsenal. Of course, Mikel Arteta has drilled into his players to take this title race game by game. Therefore, he won’t be thrown off course by the slight tweak to the fixture schedule.
Who do you think will win the Premier League title race?