Manchester City's progression to the FA Cup final has led to a fixture conundrum. However, the fact that the cup final is now played before the end of the Premier League season is to blame for this.
City were set to play AFC Bournemouth on May 17, but with the FA Cup final being played on the 16th, their fixture with the Cherries had to be postponed. City had requested that the game be played on the 12th and then their match with Crystal Palace be held on the 19th. However, that has reportedly been rejected by the Premier League.
It remains to be seen when the Bourneouth game will be played, but City face the prospect of playing three games in a week to end the season. This includes facing Palace on the 22nd, and Aston Villa on the 24th to end the season.
The decision to move the FA Cup final away from the end of the season was brought in for the 2024/25 season in order to ease fixture congestion. However, the opposite effect has now happened. The cup final had previously had to be moved to before the end of the domestic season when the Champions League final was held at Wembley Stadium. This happened in 2010, 2013, and 2021. The 2020 final was delayed until August due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is way too much soccer for Man City to contend with
There is an argument that there is too much soccer. City's match with Bournemouth could not be played on the 20th as that is the day of the Europa League final. There will be a Premier League team in that match as Nottingham Forest take on Aston Villa in the semi-finals. The Premier League did not want another match to clash with that fixture.
Even Palace, who City play in their penultimate game of the season, have Europa Conference League commitments. They are in the semi-finals with a two-legged tie with Shakhtar Donetsk on April 30 and May 7. Palace have a real chance of making it to the final on the 27th.
City are now title favorites as they will go top of the Premier League if they win their game in hand. However, Arsenal fans with wishful thinking may feel that City may have a slip-up during their congested run-in. Pep Guardiola must ensure that his team can deal with their busy end to the campaign.
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