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A number of Premier League 2022-23 matches have been postponed, including the Matchday 8 fixture between Manchester United and Leeds United. This game had originally been scheduled for Sunday, September 18, 2022 at Old Trafford, Manchester. Despite the postponement, all other scheduled games will go ahead as planned.
There are three possible reasons for the postponement of Premier League 2022-23 games. The first is because the weekend of September 17 is a Queen's funeral, and over 10,000 police officers will be deployed in London. The second reason is that Liverpool are due to host Ajax in the Champions League. A further match is scheduled for Wednesday, although away fans are barred from the stadium. The EFL fixture list will be published on Tuesday.
The schedule of the English league was announced last summer, when club executives met in London to finalize the 2022-23 schedule. As a result, six weekends in the following season would be postponed. This means that teams in the top league will have to play in two different competitions, the Premier League and the Europa League. Moreover, they will be forced to play at Wembley in May and June, when the EFL playoffs are to take place.
The latest news on the postponement of Premier League games follows the cancellation of several games last week. This means that the Carabao Cup semi-finals may be one-legged affairs. Meanwhile, the Champions League final and FA Cup final are set to take place next month. As a result, all the Premier League fixtures 2022 set for this weekend have been rescheduled for later in the season.
This week's match between Manchester United and FC Salzburg is a no-go, as the United Kingdom's Greater Manchester Police will be supporting other forces in the country. The match carries the highest category of security, meaning that more than 900 police officers are needed. The Manchester Police have already sent officers to Scotland, but will now need to send them to London as well. As a result, the police will have to relocate some of their police officers to other stadiums, and that would make it impossible to play the game at Manchester.
The 2022-23 Premier League season will feature thirty-one teams, including Manchester City, as the defending champion. There are also three Championship sides, and two newly promoted sides. Nottingham Forest will return to the top flight following a 23-year absence. Several teams were relegated, including Norwich City and Burnley.
The Premier League has a variety of problems to work through. It will attempt to squeeze as many games as possible on the vacant midweeks. Teams will need to prioritize domestic cup play and European games in February. FA Cup replays are also at risk, as the Premier League will be forced to postpone some games.