oi-Sauradeep Ash

Football fans looking at this weekend’s Premier League schedule will notice something missing: two of the biggest teams, Arsenal and Manchester City, are not playing their league matches.

The Gunners are currently positioned first in the Premier League table with 70 points, nine points ahead of the second-placed Man City, who have a game in hand.

Arsenal’s Rescheduled Match Against Wolves

Arsenal was originally scheduled to play an away game against Wolves this weekend. To avoid a heavy fixture pile-up later in the season, the Premier League decided to bring this match forward.
Arsenal has already played this rescheduled fixture against Wolves on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. This means the Gunners have already completed their league duty for this specific matchweek. As a result, they currently have no pending games in hand and can fully focus all their energy on winning the Carabao Cup trophy.

Premier League Standings: PL 2025-26 Latest Points Table on March 21

Man City’s Postponed Match Against Crystal Palace

On the other hand, Manchester City was supposed to host Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium this weekend. Unlike Arsenal’s game, this match could not be played earlier in the calendar due to scheduling conflicts.
Instead, the Manchester City versus Crystal Palace fixture has been officially postponed to a later date. The Premier League will announce the new date for this match soon. This means Manchester City will have a “game in hand” in the Premier League points table, which they will need to play during the busy run-in at the end of the season.

If you are wondering why Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are absent from the regular weekend fixtures, the answer is very simple. Both teams will be facing each other in the highly anticipated Carabao Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, March 22, 2026.

Because of this massive domestic cup clash, their original Premier League matches for Matchweek 31 had to be moved. However, the two clubs have dealt with their rescheduled games very differently.

Why are Arsenal, Man City not playing in Premier League This Matchweek?

If you are wondering why Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are absent from the regular weekend fixtures, the answer is very simple. Both teams will be facing each other in the highly anticipated Carabao Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, March 22, 2026.

Because of this massive domestic cup clash, their original Premier League matches for Matchweek 31 had to be moved. However, the two clubs have dealt with their rescheduled games very differently.

Both teams get a break from the league pressure to fight for the first major piece of silverware of the 2026 season. Once the cup final is over, Arsenal and Manchester City will immediately return to their intense Premier League title race.

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