This archive report was first published on 6 November 2019.
On Wednesday, Arsenal will face Vitoria Guimaraes in the Europa League, a match that was initially scheduled for Thursday. The change in schedule is due to a unique circumstance in Portugal.
According to UEFA, the fixture was moved to Wednesday to avoid a clash with the Champions League games being played on the same evening. The earlier kick-off time of 3:50pm GMT was also chosen to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Champions League matches, which start at 5:50pm GMT.
Additionally, the Portuguese police have forbidden two teams from the same region playing on the same night, citing the strain it puts on their available resources. Vitoria's stadium is located just 15 miles away from Braga, who host Besiktas on Thursday.
Unai Emery's side will look to secure qualification for the knockout stages with a win against Vitoria, who are currently winless in the competition. Arsenal are cruising in the European competition and are currently top of Group F after victories in their opening three matches.
One Arsenal player who won't be in action in Portugal is Granit Xhaka, who has been stripped of the captaincy after he clashed with Gunners fans during a recent game with Crystal Palace.
