Premier League Clubs Face Grueling Fixture Schedule This December
Mikel Arteta expresses dissatisfaction with Arsenal's festive fixture schedule, raising valid concerns regarding the team's upcoming matches.
Following Arsenal's match against Brentford on Wednesday evening, the team is set to travel to Aston Villa for a 12:30 GMT kick-off on Saturday, resulting in a very quick turnaround.
Arteta contends that the Villa match should have been scheduled for Sunday to allow for additional rest.
However, Arteta's complaints may not lead to any changes, as only teams playing away in Europe on Wednesday nights have the option to opt out of the Saturday lunchtime television slot.
December is notoriously busy for Premier League clubs, featuring midweek matches, festive fixtures, European games, and the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
So, which teams face the most challenging run of fixtures over the next five weeks leading up to the first weekend of January?
1. Crystal Palace
December is particularly challenging for teams in the Conference League, and Crystal Palace is about to face the consequences of their success in the EFL Cup.
Palace will play their final two Conference League matches on consecutive Thursdays, visiting Shelbourne on December 11 and hosting Finnish side KuPS a week later.
In total, Palace, currently fifth in the Premier League, will compete in 11 matches—six of which are away—over the 36-day period from November 30 to January 4. Their longest rest period is just five days, making for the toughest schedule among all clubs.
Palace has an EFL Cup quarter-final against Arsenal, originally set for the midweek of the KuPS match but rescheduled to Tuesday, December 23. Consequently, their match with Leeds has been moved up to Saturday, December 20, forcing them to play KuPS and Leeds within 48 hours before facing Arsenal.
Over this demanding five-week stretch, Palace will have played Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Newcastle.
2. Chelsea
Chelsea's schedule, while not as daunting as Palace's, is still challenging for manager Enzo Maresca.
The team has 10 matches lined up, six of which are away. After a loss to Leeds on Wednesday, Chelsea will visit Bournemouth at 15:00 GMT this Saturday.
Additionally, they face a tough Champions League away game against Atalanta next Tuesday.
Fortunately, Chelsea will enjoy a full week off between their match against Newcastle on December 20 and a home game against Aston Villa on December 27. They also benefit from two home matches after Christmas against Villa and Bournemouth, while their EFL Cup quarter-final is away to League One club Cardiff City.
3. Newcastle United
Newcastle United also has a busy schedule with 10 matches, evenly split between home and away.
Their task is complicated by an away Champions League match in Germany against Bayer Leverkusen next Wednesday. However, they do gain an extra day's rest before facing Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday, December 14.
Newcastle is one of only two clubs, alongside Palace, that does not have a full week off during this period.
The longest rest they will have is six days between their home game against Chelsea and an away match at Manchester United on December 26. They will also play two away games after Christmas, but their EFL Cup tie is at home against Fulham.
4. Arsenal
Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta, will also play an equal number of home and away matches, with five of each.
Both Arsenal and Aston Villa played on Wednesday night and will have European away games next week, with Arsenal traveling to Club Brugge and Villa visiting FC Basel.
Arsenal will also face a Wednesday-Saturday schedule next week, followed by a match against Wolves on Saturday, December 20. They have received a scheduling reprieve, as their EFL Cup quarter-final has been rescheduled, allowing them a midweek break on December 15 instead of the week leading up to Christmas.
Post-Christmas, Arsenal has two home fixtures against Brighton and Villa but will have a shorter rest period compared to other teams playing 10 or more matches, with an away game against Bournemouth on January 3.
5. Manchester City
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City also faces a balanced schedule of five home and five away games.
City will travel for a challenging Champions League match against Real Madrid next Wednesday, but like Newcastle, they won't return to Premier League action until they visit Palace on Sunday.
City's EFL Cup match is at home against Brentford. While they enjoy a week off during Christmas, they will return to play two away fixtures at Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, with an extra day of rest in between.
6. Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest has a demanding schedule with nine matches, five of which are away.
They will travel to the Netherlands to face FC Utrecht in the Europa League on December 11, followed by a home game against Tottenham on Sunday.
Forest faces a tight turnaround with only three days between their Christmas fixtures at home against Manchester City and Everton.
7. Liverpool
Arne Slot's Liverpool also has five away matches among their nine games.
Their schedule includes trips to Leeds on Saturday and Inter Milan next Tuesday, followed by a home match against Brighton the following Saturday.
Afterward, Liverpool will have a two-week period with just one game, hosting both Wolves and Leeds during the Christmas fixtures, and they will enjoy two extra days of rest compared to some teams.
8. Aston Villa
Aston Villa will play five of their nine fixtures at home.
The downside is a short three-day turnaround after Christmas, with challenging matches against Chelsea and Arsenal. However, without EFL Cup commitments, they will have a stretch of one match in 13 days.
9. Tottenham Hotspur
In a quirk of the fixture list, Tottenham is the only one of the nine English clubs in Europe to play at home next week.
This matchup against winless Slavia Prague is favorable for Spurs, who will enjoy a period of one game in two weeks. Although they will face back-to-back away games after Christmas against Palace and Brentford, both matches are in London and come with an extra day of rest.
10. Brentford and Fulham
Brentford and Fulham both have EFL Cup commitments but are not involved in European competitions.
They will play away games and have a similar distribution of league fixtures.
12. Bournemouth, Brighton, Everton, and Wolves
The remaining nine clubs only have Premier League fixtures to contend with, so fixture congestion poses no significant issue for them.
Bournemouth, Brighton, Everton, and Wolves have a slightly tougher schedule, with away matches on December 27 and December 30.
16. Leeds
Leeds will have an extra day between two away fixtures over Christmas, but both matches are away, at Sunderland and Liverpool.
17. Sunderland
Sunderland has a well-distributed schedule, with four days between their home match against Leeds on December 28 and a clash with Manchester City on January 1. They have no cup games scheduled but have already faced Liverpool this season.