Arsenal’s request to have Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham postponed has been granted.
The Gunners, who played out a goalless League Cup semi-final first leg at Liverpool on Thursday, made an application to the Premier League on Friday due to a host of players being unavailable.
A mixture of coronavirus, injuries, suspension and players being away at the African Cup of Nations led to Arsenal “reluctantly” taking the step to ask for a postponement.
“With Arsenal having fewer than the required number of players available for the match (13 outfield players and one goalkeeper), the board accepted the club’s application,” the league said Saturday.
An Arsenal statement added: “We are disappointed to announce that Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur has been postponed.
“We know how much this match means to our fans around the world, but the Premier League has made the decision to postpone the match, due to many players across our squad currently being unavailable as a result of Covid-19, existing and recent injuries, in addition to players away with their countries at AFCON.”
Mikel Arteta said on Friday that Arsenal’s “intention is always to play” but Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Folarin Balogun have left on loan this month to join Roma and Middlesbrough respectively while the club’s Under-23s were able to play out a 1-1 draw with West Ham in Premier League 2 on the same day.
Saturday’s scheduled top-flight match between Burnley and Leicester had already been postponed on Friday due to the Clarets being unable to raise a team.
dpa
