Arsenal handed Chelsea vs Leeds incentive amid Tottenham North London Derby concern

Chelsea face Leeds in tonight’s FA Cup fifth-round clash. There will be no replays after the rule was scrapped after the third and fourth rounds in 2019 with both Arsenal and Tottenham taking a keen interest in the fixture.

In short,should Chelsea win then it will mean their visit to the Emirates Stadium on March 16 will be rescheduled so they can take part in the competition’s quarter-finals. Lose and Leeds instead progress meaning the Premier League clash can go ahead as planned.

Were the game to be rescheduled, the earliest slot which the game could be rescheduled for is a free week between Arsenal's away clash with Wolves on April 20 and their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 27. There are weeks earlier in April but they will only remain clear should the Gunners get knocked out of the UEFA Champions League.

Arsenal currently trail 1-0 on aggregate following the defeat in Portugal but remain firm favourites to progress, especially considering their home European record this season and Porto’s poor record in England. The Gunners will be hoping for a Chelsea defeat regardless, however.

The North-West London derby will be played in the final weekend of domestic action before an international break. Arsenal’s following game when the league returns on March 31 is the pivotal trip to Manchester City.

If the game with Chelsea happens to be rescheduled it will mean their final clash before the break will be the return Champions League leg against Porto on March 12. This would result in a 19-day break between their match with Man City and potentially upending all the momentum that has been and could still be built up.

Chelsea could hand Arsenal accidental Premier League title boost ahead of Man City clash

Mudryk