PREMIER LEAGUE
Why are there only four Premier League games this weekend?
The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are not in action in the English top flight ahead of the upcoming international break.
It’s the weekend, which should mean a feast of Premier League soccer as the English top flight approaches the finale of a thrilling title race. This weekend, however, fans looking to catch up with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City will have been disappointed to see that the title contenders are not in action, with just four Premier League games to be played.
With the March international break coming up after this weekend some of England’s biggest teams will not return to Premier League action until the end of March. So, what’s going on?
This weekend is the quarter-final stage of the FA Cup, England’s domestic cup competition. Six of the eight teams still in the cup are Premier League sides, meaning that neither they nor their scheduled Premier League opponents will be playing this weekend.
FA Cup quarter-final fixtures
- Wolverhampton Wanderers - Coventry City
- Manchester City - Newcastle United
- Chelsea - Leicester City
- Manchester United - Liverpool
Which teams are playing in the Premier League this weekend?
With six teams in FA Cup action the Premier League fixture list looks decidedly sparse. Even teams who have already been eliminated from the competition, such as Arsenal, may not be playing if their scheduled opponents are still in the cup.
Here are the four fixtures in the Premier League to be played across Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 March...
Premier League fixtures
- Burnley - Brentford
- Luton Town - Nottingham Forest
- Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
- West Ham United - Aston Villa
After a two-week international break the English top flight will return at the end of the month with a full fixture list. Matchday 30 will commence on Saturday 30 March with some key battles as a thrilling campaign approaches its conclusion.
Among the games that weekend are a battle for European places between Aston Villa and Wolves and Liverpool hosting Brighton and Hove Albion.
The game of the weekend, however, will be a potential title decider between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium. The Gunners are the current league leaders but City, who have won the past three titles, are just a point behind Mikel Arteta’s side. This year’s title race looks set to be one of the most exciting in years and this game could fire the starter’s pistol on the all-important run-in.