Saturday’s Premier League action will conclude with a lesser spotted 8pm kick-off this weekend, when Arsenal host Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium.
The clash will be a crucial one in both the title chase and the battle for European places. Third-placed Arsenal will hope to close their five-point gap to leaders Liverpool who have the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, and will have just seen second-placed Manchester City visit Bournemouth in the day’s 5.30pm kick-off.
Newcastle begin the weekend eighth in the table and know that they cannot keep dropping points if they are to qualify for Europe again. Travelling Magpies fans, meanwhile, will take umbrage at the late kick-off, as they will be able to return to Newcastle on public transport that evening following the final whistle.
Why is Arsenal vs Newcastle kicking off at 8pm on Saturday night?
It’s all down to a Premier League rule that was introduced at the start of the season, designed to give players who have been involved in midweek European matches more rest time.
The ruling states that if a team has played in a European competition on a Wednesday evening, they cannot play in the 12.30pm slot the following Saturday. Arsenal were in Champions League action against Porto on Wednesday, meaning this ruling has kicked in and moved the Newcastle game from its televised 12.30pm slot, to 8pm.
This will be the third time that Newcastle have been impacted by this new rule, with their August clash against Manchester City and match against Manchester United in December both being moved.
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