Empty Premier League schedule explained after FA Cup agreement reached
Manchester City and Crystal Palace will face off at Wembley in the 2025 FA Cup final and the day will not feature any Premier League football before or after the game
The big game today sees Manchester City take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, but there is no Premier League action either side of the 4.30pm kick-off. It marks a change from previous years, but there's a good reason for it.
There were two matches on Friday night, with Chelsea beating Manchester United and Aston Villa getting the better of Tottenham. We've got five more league games to come on Sunday and one on Monday, while City and Palace have midweek responsibilities following their Wembley exertions.
On Saturday, though, it's a Premier League-free day. That's all down to an agreement aimed at preserving the "Magic of the Cup," allowing the final to take centre-stage.
"The Emirates FA Cup is our biggest asset and generates over 60 per cent of our revenue to invest into the game, so it is critical to secure a strong format for the future," FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said in 2024 when the new agreement was reached. "This new agreement between the FA and the Premier League strengthens the Emirates FA Cup and gives this very special tournament exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar.
"The new schedule ensures the magic of the Cup is protected and enhanced, while working for the whole of the English game. The longer summer period also allows a much-needed player break before the start of the next season."
It's not just the final which sits on a day free from Premier League action. Under the terms of the new deal, which runs for six seasons the fourth and fifth rounds are also free of top-flight football, as are the quarter-finals.
The fifth round has also been moved back to the weekend. In recent seasons, it had been a full midweek programme of games.
Finalists Palace and City have taken different routes to the final. Pep Guardiola's favourites have been forced to come from behind on three separate occasions, against Leyton Orient, Plymouth Argyle and Bournemouth, though things were easier against Forest in the semis after going ahead inside two minutes.
Palace's run, meanwhile, has been built on defensive strength. Oliver Glasner's side have conceded just once during their entire run, against Millwall in round five, though they conceded five against City when the teams last met in the league.
"We focused on what we want to do tomorrow at Wembley," Palace boss Oliver Glasner told reporters on Friday. "We analysed Manchester City, but 90% of the time we were talking about us - because this is what we can influence, we can influence our performance, we can influence what we want to do in and out of possession and so the focus was on our game."
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