Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool all in agreement over 'joke' Premier League fixture farce

As the Premier League title race between Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool intensifies, the potential impact of an agreed-upon fixture pitfall may have significant implications.

Boasting merely three points between them with eight games left, each club understands the high stakes at this pivotal point in the season as they juggle their European ambitions along with domestic challenges.

In what could prove a critical juncture, City travel to Selhurst Park for Saturday's 12.30pm kick-off against Crystal Palace which might just throw the spotlight on an element of the fixture list that has been collectively bemoaned by Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta. All three coaches believe that the lunchtime slot following a midweek match is unnecessarily problematic.

Now it's City's turn to grapple with the quick succession of matches, having finished their 4-1 win against Aston Villa well past 10pm on Wednesday night. However, Liverpool will soon be subjected to a similar test later in the month while Arsenal potentially confront an early kick-off after a Tuesday night Champions League semi-final match.

Currently, regulations exempt teams from Saturday 12.30pm games following a Champions League bout, yet such leniency does not extend to back-to-back League fixtures — much like the one City are about to approach this weekend.

Liverpool boss Klopp and City manager Guardiola tend to take issue with the 12:30pm Saturday slot, usually broadcast on TNT Sports which coincides with prime time for Asian audiences. Just last week, Guardiola bemoaned his club's football schedule with an exasperated declaration, stating: «You want to win at Crystal Palace, you compete in Madrid to get a good result then they come here. But, pfft,