- Man United were set to get more recovery time for the Europa League final
- This has now been taken away from them following a fixture change
Manchester United have had their advantage over Tottenham for the Europa League final taken away from them.
The competition’s showpiece event is due to take place on May 21, and United look set to make the final after winning the first leg of their semi-final 3-0 away at Athletic Bilbao last week.
They appear likely to face Spurs after Ange Postecoglou’s men beat Bodo/Glimt 3-1 last Thursday, and United had been scheduled to have a significant advantage with their fixture list prior to the final.
The Red Devils are facing Chelsea on Friday, May 16, while Spurs were due to travel to Aston Villa two days later, giving them less time to recover for the final.
However, following a request by Spurs to the Premier League, their match has now been moved forward so that it will also be played on the Friday night.
Confirming the news on their official website on Tuesday morning, a Tottenham statement read: ‘We can now confirm that our Premier League fixture away to Aston Villa will take place on Friday 16 May, kicking-off at 7.30pm (UK).
Ruben Amorim’s side have had a potential Europa League final advantage taken away
‘This match was originally scheduled for Sunday 18 May.’
Tottenham’s game will now start 45 minutes earlier than United’s, with kick-off at Stamford Bridge scheduled for 8.15pm.
This will give the teams almost the exact same amount of time to prepare for the Europa League final, should they both make it.
Tottenham had first made the move to change the time of their clash with Villa last week, but it was initially met with some resistance.
They have now reached a compromise, with the match being moved less than two weeks before it is due to take place.
It is the latest example of fixture chaos at the top of English football, after the kick-off time for the FA Cup final was only confirmed over the weekend – just two weeks before the Wembley showdown between Manchester City and Crystal Palace.
More to follow…
