Arsenal women’s game v Barcelona moved due to strikes

Arsenal Women's Champions League fixture against Barcelona has been rescheduled due to a planned general strike in Spain. The match, originally set for Wednesday, November 11 at Camp Nou, will now be played on Thursday, November 12 at the same time of 6.45pm local time, which is 5.45pm in the UK. The venue remains unchanged at Camp Nou. The rearrangement was confirmed by Arsenal on Wednesday morning.

The decision to move the game was made because a general strike is set to occur on November 11, the date of the fixture. Spanish reports indicate that the strike was called over housing access, wages, and the cost of living. The trade unions CCOO and UGT are backing the action. Barcelona requested the match to be relocated due to the potential complications the strike could bring regarding staging the fixture. Transport disruptions, as well as practical arrangements for the game, were among the concerns raised.

Earlier reports also suggested the possibility of disruption to the pre-match press conferences and Arsenal's training session at the stadium. Initially, Barcelona had wanted to push the match up to Tuesday, November 10, but this option would have posed another issue for Arsenal. They are scheduled to play Liverpool away in the Women's Super League on Sunday, November 8. Moving the European match forward would have necessitated a change to the domestic fixture as well.