Ange Postecoglou has stated that he will leave the decision over Tottenham's Premier League fixture against Aston Villa to the powers that be. Spurs are due to play at Villa Park on the penultimate weekend of the campaign, with the game currently in the diary for Sunday, May 18.
The current date could prove very problematic if Tottenham are to reach the Europa League final, which takes place in Bilbao three days later. That in turn would leave Postecoglou's team with extremely little preparation time for a match of such significance, especially as they would likely travel to Spain on the Tuesday, providing of course that they do beat Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals.
Tottenham released a statement on Sunday morning revealing that they are in "discussions with the Premier League regarding a change in date to our away Premier League match against Aston Villa, currently scheduled for Sunday, 18 May". Spurs are understood to have suggested a number of alternative dates in order to allow for a larger block of days to mentally and physically prepare for a potential showpiece final.
Aston Villa are said to have opposed a move and now both clubs are waiting for the final verdict from the Premier League. As Thursday marks the start of May, all involved will want an answer sooner rather later as travel arrangements and other things also have to be taken into account.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the Bodo/Glimt game, football.london asked Postecoglou if the Premier League really has to help out on this occasion given a number of foreign leagues do likewise when it comes to their teams playing in big European fixtures.
"I haven't looked too deeply into it, I don't know what sort of precedence there is to it," said Postecoglou. "I know other leagues do it, which you kind of understand for a European final. I'll leave that to the powers that be and I'll concentrate on trying to get us there first of all."
Amid question marks over when exactly the Aston Villa game could be played, Spurs first of all have to try and get the better of Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals of the Europa League. The Tottenham boss knows full well his side are going to be in for a very tough game.
"Bodo are there on merit. They beat Lazio, Olympiacos. They're tough teams," explained the 59-year-old. "I'm from the other side of the world. It doesn't matter where you're from. We're going to treat them with the respect they deserve and give our best."
He added: "Missing Patrick Berg is a loss for them but I think it's always been more about what they do as a team rather than individuals. They've sold a lot of players over the past five years but they've kept doing well."