Many European clubs are competing in different tournaments like the UEFA Champions League and Europa Conference League. However, their local leagues have different policies that put certain clubs at a disadvantage. Only five English teams including Aston Villa are currently participating in European competitions. Villa is seeking the English Premier League’s (EPL) support in match scheduling.
They haven’t yet made an official request but they require more resting periods between local and European games. Aston Villa will face Lille on Thursday in the Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg. Still, they will visit Emirates Stadium on 14 April for a Premier League match. On the other hand, Lille are free this weekend since they don’t have a Ligue 1 game.
How Does Ligue 1 Run?
Ligue 1 teams that are playing in European tournaments get a week off to prepare for their fixtures. Therefore, Lille has an edge over Aston Villa as the Premier League side will have little time to rest before visiting Lille on Wednesday for their second-leg match.
Hakon Arnar Haraldsson, Lille’s midfielder affirmed this saying, “We get seven days off and they only get a few so I think it will make a difference. They also play a really strong opponent on Sunday so I think it will make a difference.”
Paulo Fonseca, Lille’s manager opposed Haraldsson’s opinion stating, “Aston Villa are used to playing so many games, but we are not used to it. I am really happy with the option the federation made. It is amazing. They give us the possibility to prepare in more days for this round. But Aston Villa is used to playing three games a week and this is normal. I think this will not influence the games.”
What Can the Premier League Do?
The Premier League needs to offer more support to teams that have advanced to European tournaments’ knockout stages since clubs highly value coefficient rankings. 36 clubs will compete in the Champions League from next season in the league phase (previous group stage). This is an increase from 32 teams as two leagues will get an additional slot in the tournament.
Still, the slots will depend on their teams’ performance in the continent this season. Germany and England are determined to get extra places for the club tournament. But Italian clubs are leading with the highest coefficient points.
Is Ligue 1 More Considerable Than the Premier League?
The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) stated in March 2024, “The progress of French clubs in European tournaments is an absolute priority. All points scored are fundamental for France’s UEFA coefficient. Football constitutes a national flagship and, through the performances of clubs at the European level, it allows France to shine internationally.
In this context, the LFP Board of Directors decided this Thursday, March 21 to adjust the schedule of the three clubs qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League (Paris Saint-Germain), the Europa League (Olympique de Marseille) and Europa Conference League (LOSC Lille) and thus put them in the best position for the quarter-finals.”
The Premier League frustrated Aston Villa last month when it rescheduled their match with Tottenham Hotspur to 1 pm on a Sunday. This was after it moved the Liverpool vs Manchester City fixture to that day at 3:40 pm after the police made a request.
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