Manchester City’s attempt to adjust the order of their final two Premier League matches of the season has been turned down by the league, which ruled that the proposed change would raise concerns over the fairness of the competition.
City had asked to move their away trip to AFC Bournemouth earlier in the calendar, to fall before the FA Cup Final against Chelsea on 16 May. In doing so, the club’s home game against Crystal Palace would have been pushed back to the final day of the season on 19 May. The Premier League, however, declined to approve the switch.
In explaining its decision, the Premier League pointed to a number of factors. Among them was the order in which postponed fixtures had been scheduled, as well as the fact that City’s match against Crystal Palace had already been moved once, a rearrangement that came about due to Palace’s involvement in the EFL Cup. To shift it a second time, the league concluded, would not be appropriate.
Competition integrity concerns” cited as the principal reason for the rejection.
Crystal Palace’s own European commitments this season were also listed as a reason why the fixture arrangement should be left as originally set. Altering the schedule at this stage would, the league argued, place an unfair burden on the south London club during an already demanding run-in.
Bournemouth, for their part, raised a separate concern. The south coast club pointed out that the proposed change would have left them with less time to recover between matches, and formally objected to the request on that basis.
Manchester City’s end-of-season schedule therefore remains unchanged. They will host Crystal Palace on 13 May, face Chelsea in the FA Cup Final three days later, and close out their league campaign with the trip to Bournemouth on 19 May.
Whether the original fixture order will have any bearing on City’s performance across those three matches remains to be seen, but the club will now have to prepare for each game in the sequence that was always planned.
Original Schedule
vs Crystal Palace (home): 13 May
FA Cup Final vs Chelsea: 16 May
vs Bournemouth (away): 19 May
City’s Proposed Change
vs Bournemouth (away): 12 May
FA Cup Final vs Chelsea: 16 May
vs Crystal Palace (home): 19 May