The Premier League has refused a request by Aston Villa to have their fixture against Liverpool next week to be reconsidered, according to Liverpool Echo.
The Echo reported “Liverpool’s upcoming midweek fixture against Aston Villa at Villa Park is set to go ahead as the Premier League has rejected a request from the Midlands club to have it moved. Due to the Reds’ participation in this season’s Carabao Cup final on Sunday, March 16, the fixture was brought forward from that weekend to Wednesday, February 19, by English top-flight officials.”
It is policy that rearranged fixtures take place at the next available date. As both Liverpool and Villa had qualified for the Champions League round of 16 automatically, they believed they would be handed a rest at this time, though instead they found their fixture lodged between two-weekend matches.
The Telegraph, also published that “the Midlands club have been left frustrated that their appeal against the rescheduling has been thrown out so easily. Unai Emery’s team are set to play Premier League meetings with Ipswich Town (H) this weekend, then Liverpool (H), then Chelsea (H) the weekend after, and Crystal Palace (A) in another midweek slot following. Cardiff City are their visitors in the FA Cup fifth round on February 28, bringing to an end a run of five matches in the space of 14 days.”
Aston Villa could be without several key players including Ollie Watkins, Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, Matty Cash, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley, and Ezri Konsa who picked up an injury at the weekend in the FA Cup clash against Spurs.
Their argument included the fact that they only play one Premier League fixture in the whole of March, Brentford (A) on Saturday 8th. However, the Premier League is against a second rescheduling of the Reds’ trip in five days.
Aston Villa are not the only side in this situation, as their guests, Liverpool find themselves in a similar scenario. The Reds host Wolves (H), travel to Villa (A) three days later, the following weekend play Manchester City (A) and lastly face Newcastle United (H) in the following midweek period. Overall, that totals to six matches in 18 days.
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