The reason why Arsenal's game vs Brentford is the only PL fixture being played on New Year's Day

While 18 of the 20 Premier League teams are in action on Sunday or Monday, Arsenal will not play their match against Brentford until Wednesday, making them the only top-flight clubs scheduled for a game on New Year's Day. The Gunners will be hopeful that they can close the gap between themselves and league leaders Liverpool to six points after Arne Slot's side ran riot with a 5-0 victory over West Ham.

While the obvious reason for the unusual fixture scheduling is that New Year's Eve shares a similar festive atmosphere with Christmas Day, previous seasons have seen Mikel Arteta’s side play on December 31 before. The Gunners traveled to Fulham on December 31, 2023, and faced Brighton on the same date in 2022.

This season, however, is different, and it's led to discussions among fans on social media about the reasons behind the changes, further adding to the confusion surrounding the scheduling process. However, an explanation has now emerged.

Why Arsenal's Trip To Brentford Isn't Until Wednesday

There are no fixtures taking place on New Years' Eve

mikel arteta

Arsenal and Brentford's clash on Wednesday means there is a one-day stopgap between their fixture and Manchester United's home match against Newcastle United in this week's Monday Night Football. The difference this season is that the Premier League has opted not to schedule any games on December 28 and 31, or on January 2 and 3, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

Prior to the start of the campaign, the league also made a commitment to ensure no club would play two matches within 60 hours between December 21 and January 5. With Arsenal scheduled to play on Friday, December 27, a match on Sunday, December 29, was not feasible, as it would have required the team to play twice within 60 hours.

Similarly, a match on Thursday, January 2, was not possible due to Arsenal’s upcoming fixture against Brighton on Saturday, January 4.

While the Gunners could have played on Monday, December 30—similar to Friday's opponents, Ipswich—this was ruled out for a more predictable reason: television broadcasting interests. Television networks sought to air Manchester United’s match against Newcastle United on Monday night, but they also wanted to feature the Arsenal game.

With no other available slots on Monday, the match was moved to the next possible date, which, given that December 31 was unavailable, became Wednesday. However, with a fixture against Brighton awaiting them on Saturday evening, this leaves very little room for rest and recovery in the busy winter period.