When is the next match week in the Premier League: upcoming fixtures and times
The Premier League faces a considerable fixture pile-up following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, with top-flight action due to resume on 1 October.
An already packed Premier League schedule became even tighter following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September, which led to the cancellation of all games in the English top flight the following weekend and the subsequent postponement of three more fixtures – Brighton vs Crystal Palace, Chelsea vs Liverpool and Manchester United vs Leeds – as policing requirements for the sovereign’s funeral left little in the way of available resources for football games.
As such, the current international break could not have come at a worse time for the Premier League fixture compilers, who also have to contend with a truncated season due to the World Cup in November. The tournament in Qatar will see European top flights shut down for a month between 20 November and December 18, with the Premier League set to resume on 26 December during the traditionally fixture heavy festive period.
World Cup conditioning European fixture list
The Champions League is also operating under the same constraints, leading to a glut of European fixtures that also have to crowbarred into a hectic schedule before the World Cup. The Europa League and Conference League are also being crammed into a two-month period from 8 September to 3 November, leaving few opportunities for leagues to squeeze in any midweek fixtures to ease the congestion.
The Premier League, for example, has just one midweek set of fixtures in October, to be played between 18 and 20 October.
The next matchday in the English top flight will be played after the international break, over the weekend of 1-2 October, with Manchester United vs Manchester City the stand-out fixture. Leaders Arsenal also host Spurs in the north London derby while Brendan Rodgers’ job is probably on the line in the Monday fixture as rock-bottom Leicester host 19th-placed Forest, the Foxes having picked up just one point from seven games so far while shipping 22 goals.
Premier League fixtures following international break
Saturday 1 October
- Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur (12:30)
- Bournemouth vs Brentford (15:00)
- Crystal Palace vs Chelsea (15:00)
- Fulham vs Newcastle (15:00)
- Liverpool vs Brighton (15:00)
- Southampton vs Everton (15:00)
- West Ham vs Wolves (17:30)
Sunday 2 October
- Manchester City vs Manchester United (14:00)
- Leeds United vs Aston Villa (16:30)
Monday 3 October
- Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest (20:00)