The Premier League fixture was originally slated for Sunday, May 18th, but will now take place on Friday, May 16th – a full five days before the Europa League final, which is scheduled to be held in Bilbao, Spain.
Tottenham currently holds a 3-1 advantage over Bodø/Glimt following the first leg of their Europa League semifinal tie, with the return match set to be played in Norway on Thursday.
Villa argues that this fixture rearrangement significantly reduces their preparation time for the crucial encounter against Tottenham, a team they are directly competing with for Champions League qualification. Furthermore, the extended recovery period could incentivize Tottenham to field a stronger lineup in the league match.
The scheduling change also poses logistical challenges for Aston Villa supporters who had already made travel arrangements based on the original Sunday date.
Monchi, Aston Villa's president of football operations, expressed his frustration on social media platform X, stating that the change in the match date "is not what we wanted" and represented "the least damaging alternative." He empathized with the fans, writing, "Our fans didn’t deserve (it), but we tried hard to keep the match to protect the most important for us: YOU and OUR TEAM."
Damian Vidagany, Villa's director of football operations, went further in a lengthy post on X, describing the decision as a "clear prejudice" against Villa fans. He also lamented the lack of similar support for his club during their recent European campaigns in the Europa Conference League last season and the current Champions League season. Vidagany asserted that "European football is not only demanding for English clubs just on the verge of the finals."
Aston Villa currently sits in seventh place in the Premier League table and is embroiled in a tight battle with five other teams for the remaining four Champions League qualification spots, with Liverpool having already secured their place as champions.
While it is a common practice in many other European leagues, the Premier League has historically refrained from rescheduling domestic matches to accommodate clubs participating in European competitions.
Interestingly, Manchester United, the other English club still in the Europa League semifinals with a commanding 3-0 lead over Athletic Bilbao from their first leg in Spain, will also be playing a Premier League match on Friday, May 16th – against Chelsea.
This means that both Manchester United and Tottenham would have the same amount of preparation time should they both advance to the Europa League final. However, this parity does little to assuage Aston Villa's anger at the perceived preferential treatment afforded to Tottenham.