Arsenal match moved as Mikel Arteta's men face gruelling run of fixtures

The Premier League have confirmed an Arsenal fixture change which offers Mikel Arteta some big team selection dilemmas

Arsenal have seen their March Premier League fixture against Wolves brought forward to this month due to their participation in the Carabao Cup final. The Gunners confirmed their spot at Wembley on Sunday, March 22 with a 4-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea and that two-legged triumph has caused a big fixture change.

Mikel Arteta's side were due to face Wolves that weekend, but the game has now been brought forward to Wednesday, February 18, as confirmed by the Premier League.

Champions League play-off ties are due to take place in that midweek, but Arsenal qualified straight to the last-16 through winning the league stage.

Such an achievement seemingly meant two less fixtures this month, but with a cup final to play in March, the match away to Wolves has been brought forward into game week 26. The upcoming schedule for Arsenal has subsequently become brutal with just a few days off rest over the next month

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Following this Saturday's clash at home Sunderland, Arsenal travel to Brentford next Thursday. Wigan Athletic are the visitors to Emirates Stadium just three days later for an FA Cup fourth round clash.

The re-arranged game against Wolves then takes place the following midweek with a North London Derby away to Tottenham on that Sunday. Arsenal do then have a week off but begin March with two games in four days against Chelsea and Brighton.

While the fixture schedule is now less kind to Arteta and Co., he is unlikely to mind that much given Arsenal are in a major final for the first time in almost six years.

The Arsenal boss said after the win: "We are so happy. I think overall, over the last two games, I think we deserved to be through. It was a long match, we expected that.

"We wrapped it up at the end in a beautiful way, with Kai scoring the goal in the match that he did and the reaction from the crowd.

"The starters, the finishers, the staff, it just was magical. So I'm really happy because it was a really tough match against a great opponent and we are in Wembley."

Kai Havertz, who scored the only goal of the second leg, was one of those finishers with that his third goal contribution since returning from injury.

Fitness problems had lessened for Mikel Arteta in recent weeks but he was handed three blows in the last week with Mikel Merino, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard suffering issues.

The latter was a surprising absentee from the squad last night even after his bright cameo off the bench in the 4-0 win over Leeds United last Saturday. The Gunners is expected back relatively soon but the same cannot be said for Merino and Saka.

The former is due to have surgery on a foot issue which is likely to keep him out for several months while Saka is set to miss the next few games, which now includes the re-arranged Wolves fixture, through an injury sustained in the warm-up at Elland Road.