Arsenal’s English Premier League clash against Chelsea which was slated for Saturday, March 2 has been postponed.
The much-awaited London derby has been called off after Chelsea reached the FA Cup quarter-finals.
“We were due to take on the west Londoners at Emirates Stadium on that day, however after Mauricio Pocchetino’s men beat Leeds United in the fifth round on Wednesday night, they will now tackle Leicester City in the last eight of the competition over the course of that weekend instead,” Arsenal stated.
“Details about a new date for that fixture will be announced in due course,” the Gunners announced.
The rescheduling means that Arsenal will not play a domestic fixture for 19 days following their UEFA Champions League second leg with FC Porto on March 12. After the international break, they will travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City in a pivotal game in the league title on March 31.
Mikel Arteta’s men were looking to build on their recent EPL form to grab an important win against the Blues who have had a dwindling form in the league.
Over the weekend, Mauricio Pochettino’s men failed to win their first trophy after closing the Carabao final to Liverpool. Defender Van Dij grabbed a last-minute header in the extra time to win the Carabao Cup final.
However, Chelsea bounced back by trashing Leeds to reach a second cup quarter-final under Pochettino during his first season as head coach despite the mounting pressure on the Argentine.
Meanwhile, Arsenal is keen to grab the first EPL title under Arteta’s reign. The Gunners are also keen to keep their Champions League run alive then they face Porto for a return leg at Emirates.
