Arsenal vs Tottenham plus Chelsea and Liverpool games may be postponed due to rail chaos

Posted Saturday, September 17, 2022 by Express.co.uk

FURTHER matches are at risk due to rail strikes.

Arsenal vs Tottenham plus Chelsea and Liverpool games may be postponed due to rail chaos
Arsenal vs Tottenham could be postponed (Image: GETTY IMAGES)

Fans attending October's North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham are set to be affected by rearranged rail industrial action, according to reports. Rail staff at 12 companies are due to strike on two days at the beginning of October, which could leave the authorities fearing further postponements.

Arsenal host rivals Spurs on October 1 while Chelsea and Liverpool also have matches that will be affected by the chaos. Chelsea are due to travel to Crystal Palace while Liverpool are due to host Brighton. All of those games could see fans facing problems to arrive at grounds.

Rail industrial action that was due to take place on September 15 and 17 was cancelled as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. New dates have been scheduled for October 1 and 5.

That could put at risk Arsenal's clash with Spurs. It will also affect Chelsea's visit to Palace and Liverpool's game against Brighton. It is unclear if the matches will need to be postponed but, at the very least, the strikes will cause plenty of issues for supporters of all clubs.

Arsenal vs Tottenham plus Chelsea and Liverpool games may be postponed due to rail chaos
Arsenal and Tottenham fans could be affected by train strikes (Image: GETTY IMAGES)

iNews report that the strikes will now take place on October 1 and 5. It comes following the postponements of industrial action that were scheduled before the late monarch's passing last Thursday. It was decided that the action would not go ahead during the 10-day mourning period.

The football authorities will hope that disruption will be kept to a minimum to ensure the games go ahead. The calendar has already been disrupted following several postponements over the last few weeks.

An entire round of Premier League fixtures must be rearranged following the postponement of last week's matches due to the death of the Queen. There is a shorter domestic season due to the winter World Cup, which takes place across November and December.

There are few precedents for matches being postponed due to rail strikes but police resources are currently being stretched due to the volume of people visiting London in the aftermath of the Queen's passing. Brighton's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace scheduled for September 10 had already been postponed before the Queen's death as rail strikes would have prevented thousands of visiting supporters from attending the game.

However, it is understood that decision was largely pushed by Brighton and Sussex Police, who wanted to avoid having away fans stranded in the South Coast city after what is often a heated fixture.