PREM chiefs were left with a further fixtures headache after the Champions League last 16 draw.
League bosses had hoped to be able to catch up some of the outstanding matches postponed in the wake of The Queen’s death in September.
Tottenham’s trip to Manchester City and Liverpool’s visit to Chelsea were both called off over the mourning fortnight.
But with Spurs and Liverpool pooled in the same “half” of the Champions League draw for TV purposes, those matches cannot now be rescheduled until the back end of March.
If Tottenham and City had been paired together, it would have allowed them to play their postponed game at the Etihad in February or early-March.