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By WILL GRIFFEE Published: 21: 14 AEDT, 14 March 2026 | Updated: 22: 29 AEDT, 14 March 2026 28 View comments Fans settling in for their usual routine of Saturday Premier League action may be confused by the scheduling this week. Arsenal's huge clash with Everton, which has major title implications attached, and Chelsea's game against Newcastle are both taking place at 5. 30pm. The 5. 30pm slot is usually reserved for just one Premier League game on a Saturday - usually a high-profile encounter. But this week, the Premier League are doubling up and there is no 12. 30pm kick-off, with supporters having to wait until 3m for the first fixtures of the day. Chelsea and Newcastle were originally supposed to play in the evening slot on Saturday but matches have moved around to accommodate Champions League rules. Arsenal's game was brought forward after they were drawn against Bayer Leverkusen in the last-16. Declan Rice and Co will be in action in one of two kick-offs at 5: 30pm on Saturday They had to play the first leg against the Bundesliga side on Wednesday this week, which finished 1-1, because they were not allowed to have the return fixture on the same day as Spurs host Atletico Madrid in London. If the Arsenal game against Everton had not been shifted from Sunday, Mikel Arteta's men would have played domestically and in Europe with a gap of only 54 hours. The Premier League try to allow all teams to have a 72-hour gap between kick-off times to protect player welfare. It has been a delicate balance for the Premier League to arrange fixtures given the nine English clubs that qualified for Europe progressing to the last-16 stage of each competition. Man City played their first leg away at Real Madrid on Wednesday night, meaning they did not have to play the early kick-off on Saturday. Instead, they face West Ham in the late game, kicking off under the lights at 8pm, allowing for slightly more recovery time.
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