Arsenal dealt fixture headache as new Carabao Cup date causes Women's Champions League clash

Arsenal Women must find a new venue or date for their Champions League showdown against Bayern Munich after it clashed with the men’s side’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace.

Arsenal Women had been due to host Bayern at Emirates Stadium on December 18 and tickets have been on sale since September 28.

The game, however, now clashes with Arsenal men’s side hosting Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

The EFL confirmed the date for that game on Wednesday afternoon and Arsenal are now liaising with UEFA to find a solution for the match involving their women’s team and Bayern Munich.

A fixture clash has proved hard to avoid due to number of factors. Crystal Palace are in action on the Sunday before their quarter-final, which makes playing on the Tuesday difficult due to the 48-hour turnaround involved.

Even if that were to happen - as was the case for Manchester City when they hosted Watford on a Tuesday after playing on the Sunday before - UEFA rules state Arsenal would have to make Emirates Stadium available the day before the game.

Under UEFA guidelines, travelling teams conduct their press conferences at the opposing side’s stadium the day before a match and are able to train on it if they wish. Therefore, Arsenal and Palace could not play their quarter-final on the Tuesday.

Arsenal Women and Bayern would also struggle to play their game on the Tuesday at Emirates Stadium, given this is the final round of group of games and all matches in the group are due to kick off at the same time.

Arsenal and Crystal Palace could have played their quarter-final on the Thursday - but the two sides face each other on the Saturday after.

There is also the issue of Tottenham playing Manchester United in their Carabao Cup quarter-final on Thursday, and policing rules around crowds dictate Arsenal and Spurs do not play at home on the same night.

Arsenal announced in the summer that Emirates Stadium would host 11 Arsenal Women matches in the 2024-25 season, making it their main home.

All three of their Women’s Champions League group stage games were due to be at the Emirates, as well as their home knockout legs if they make it that far.

Borehamwood’s Meadow Park, where the women’s team play all domestic cup fixtures, does not meet UEFA’s stadium regulations and so is not an option to host the Bayern game.