SAINTS and Premier League clubs are yet to learn if next weekend’s round of fixtures will go ahead, following the postponement of matchday seven.

All of this weekend’s fixtures were postponed following the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, at Balmoral Castle on Thursday.

Saints were due to welcome Brentford to St Mary’s on Saturday, and are currently set to visit Aston Villa on Friday, September 16 (8PM).

The Queen’s funeral is scheduled for Monday, September 19, which will not clash with any Premier League fixtures due to the upcoming international break.

The Premier League, EFL and National League postponed all matches as a mark of respect, while the funeral is likely to draw significant police resources.

Many other sports including rugby and cricket went ahead this weekend, with mass displays of tribute undertaken at the various grounds.

DCMS guidance made no obligation to cancel the fixtures and the decision for next week’s games will lie solely with the Premier League and sporting bodies.

Clubs are expecting to learn the decision in the next couple of days, with consideration for the limited availability of midweek slots to rearrange the postponed matches.

Calling off matches in a season already truncated by the winter World Cup, which kicks off in Qatar on November 20, makes finding slots no easy task.

When can postponed matches be played?

There is no available date this year. Every midweek after the upcoming international break until the start of the World Cup is being used.

English football restarts midweek of December 20 – just two days after the World Cup final – with the fourth round of the EFL Cup, followed by three blocks of Premier League matches over Christmas and New Year’s.

This list shows how congested the schedule is in 2023, with only three vacant midweeks built in to the final day of the Premier League campaign on Sunday, May 28.

Jan 10 - EFL Cup QF
Jan 17 - FA Cup R3 replays
Jan 24 - EFL Cup SF L1
Jan 31 - EFL Cup SF L2
Feb 7 - FA Cup R4 replays
Feb 14 - European competition
Feb 21 - European competition
Feb 28 - FA Cup R5
March 7 - European competition
March 14 - European competition
March 21 - International break
March 28 - International break
April 4 - Vacant midweek
April 11 - European competition
April 18 - European competition
April 25 - Premier League fixtures
May 2 - Vacant midweek
May 9 - European competition
May 16 - European competition
May 23 - Vacant midweek

The vacant midweeks are already earmarked for clubs who must rearrange games due to the EFL Cup final and FA Cup quarter finals and semi finals.

Four rearranged games do not fit into three midweeks, so if a club were to reach the finals of both domestic cups, and get to the semi finals of a European competition, there isn't the available dates to rearrange league matches.

UEFA and the leagues have an understanding not to play league matches on a night in which European competition takes place, if possible.

In 2013, the Premier League were fined over £1million for doing so while France’s Ligue 1 did arrange a match to be played on a Thursday last week, to avoid clashing with the Champions League and scheduled for 7PM.

FA Cup replays in the third and fourth rounds could be needed to again be axed in order to free up guaranteed midweek availability while there may be calls for the EFL Cup semi finals to return to one leg.

This could mean rearrange games are played on January 17, or February 7 if there is further postponements.

But either way, the Premier League will need to be creative and agile as there are no available slots after the current scheduled end of the season due to the Champions League final and an international break immediately after.

Saints wait to learn if they will head to Villa Park next week, with then only one matchday of games for the league to rearrange.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.

Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.

You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.

Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.

Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook

Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook