Arsenal vs Reading fixture clash with Chelsea vs Manchester United questioned by Arsene Wenger

The two high-profile games will kick off just 10 minutes apart

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (Getty Images)

Arsene Wenger has added his voice to the chorus of disappointments over the scheduling of Arsenal’s FA Cup semi-final on Saturday evening.

Arsenal play Reading at 5.20pm, just 10 minutes before Chelsea’s Premier League game against Manchester United. While Arsenal vs Reading is likely to out-draw United, by virtue of being on BBC1, Wenger said that it “should not happen” that a cup game should be competing against one of the biggest games of the league season.

“Something should be done about it,” said Wenger, a proud defender of the FA Cup, a competition which he has won five times. “I'm surprised that they did not analyse that in television deals. What has happens is something that should have been planned, that two television channels who pay a lot of money for football, have conflicted interests in promoting games. That inside the country shouldn't happen.”

Wenger said that the size of the game meant that it should not have to compete with other high profile matches tomorrow afternoon. “You would like it to be the unique competition that is played,” he said at his press conference this morning. “Especially a semi-final and a final., you would want it not to conflict with other competitions. It is a surprise to me.”

Reading manager Steve Clarke had voiced similar concerns at his press conference on Wednesday afternoon. “There are things that we should do to protect this great competition,” Clarke said. “It should be special.”