Premier League face crucial decision over Tottenham fixture that risks wrath of rivals

The Premier League faces a huge decision over Tottenham's fixture at Aston Villa next month as they run the risk of failing to appease all parties.

The match between Unai Emery's side and Spurs is currently set for Sunday, May 18 and if the north London outfit were to overcome Bodo/Glimt in their semi-final then that would give them just three days to recover and prepare for the Europa League final in Bilbao on May 21.

Spurs are in discussions with the Premier League about a number of alternative dates in order to allow for a larger block of days to mentally and physically prepare for a potential showpiece final. Villa are said to have opposed such a schedule change with it being their final home game of the season and a number of pre-planned family activities for their supporters which will not be possible if it was to be an evening fixture.

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There are problems for the integrity of the league if the fixture remains as it is, as is likely to name a complete shadow XI of fringe players and young players, in order to protect the team he wants to play in any potential final. While that would benefit the home side at Villa Park, it's not going to go down well with the other clubs in the top five chase.

There's a further issue if Manchester United win their semi-final against Athletic Club and Spurs progress because Ruben Amorim's side are currently set to travel to Chelsea on Friday, May 16 rather than having a weekend game. That would mean a two-day advantage over Tottenham should both teams make it to the final, meaning the Premier League would have allowed one of their teams to have an advantage over another in a major European final, which would open them up to plenty of criticism.

Our Spurs correspondents Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest discussed the decision to be made by the Premier League as well as diving into the defeat at Liverpool in the latest episode of their podcast Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

You can listen to the podcast by or you can watch it on YouTube by .

Why the Premier League must act if Spurs reach the Europa League final - to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham