Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly had a request to move their Premier League match with Aston Villa ‘strongly opposed’ by Unai Emery‘s side.
The Villans and Lilywhites are due to lock horns in the top flight at Villa Park on Sunday, May 18, three days before the Europa League final takes place at San Mames in Bilbao.
Spurs could be contesting the continental final against either Athletic Bilbao or Manchester United if they can get past Bodo/Glimt in their semi-final, with the first leg taking place on Wednesday.
If Ange Postecoglou‘s men do reach the showpiece match, they would currently only have two full days between their game with Villa and the final to recuperate and travel to Bilbao.
As a result, the Birmingham Mail claims that Tottenham have asked to move their meeting with Villa from May 18 to May 15, giving them ample time to recover for a potential Europa League final on May 21.
Aston Villa ’emphatically oppose’ Spurs request
However, Villa are said to be strongly opposed to Tottenham’s request, and the Lions have written to the Premier League to make their feelings clear on the matter.
Aston Villa apparently believe that rescheduling the fixture for Spurs’ preferred date of May 15 would be unfair, as the Lions have often had to play with only two or three days’ rest this season due to their Champions League commitments.
Emery’s men have played eight times across all competitions in April – five Premier League games, two Champions League ties and one FA Cup fixture – and they have never had longer than three days in between fixtures this month.
Fatigue from such a gruelling season appeared to be evident in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final with Crystal Palace, where Emery’s men were played off the park in a 3-0 loss to Oliver Glasner‘s side.
Tottenham did not fare any better in a 5-1 Premier League pummelling at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday, a result that secured the Reds the title with four games to spare.
Comparing Aston Villa and Tottenham’s end-of-season run-ins
With their European and FA Cup dreams dashed, Aston Villa’s sole focus between now and the end of the season is the frantic fight for Champions League football, as they lie seventh in the Premier League table and three points off the top five.
Emery’s side will at least now enjoy longer breaks in between matches, facing Fulham on May 3, Bournemouth on May 10, Spurs on May 18 – for now – and Manchester United on May 25.
Fulham are just one place and six points below Villa in the rankings, while Bournemouth are three places and seven points worse off, so dissatisfactory results in those games could significantly harm their European aspirations.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have a date with West Ham United pencilled in for May 4, either side of their two clashes with Bodo/Glimt on May 1 and May 8, the latter of which comes three days before a top-flight battle with Crystal Palace.
The Europa League final on May 21 also comes just four days before their last game of the season at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, so one cannot knock the Lilywhites for requesting to have the game moved, nor can they bemoan Aston Villa for opposing it.
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