Arsenal remain hopeful Wednesday night's Premier League clash at
home to Bolton will go ahead as planned, despite the snow in
London.
Tuesday night's Carling Cup semi-final first leg between
Blackburn against Aston Villa and the eagerly-anticipated derby
between Manchester City and Manchester United in the other
semi-final, which had been scheduled for Wednesday night, were
postponed after Arctic conditions swept across the north west.
Although the snow has drifted south overnight and on
Wednesday morning, it is hoped conditions around the stadium and
the capital's transport network will not be adversely affected so
as to force the game to be cancelled on safety grounds.
During February 2009, Arsenal's FA Cup fourth-round replay
against Cardiff at the Emirates Stadium had to be postponed when
severe snow brought London to a standstill.
The Gunners could close the gap on leaders Chelsea to one
point should they beat managerless strugglers Bolton, who are
looking to agree compensation deal with Burnley for Owen Coyle.
Undersoil heating at modern top-flight stadia now means
surfaces are likely to be playable in most conditions. However,
severe weather often makes access to grounds from surrounding areas
a problem.
With no immediate end in sight to the current cold spell, the
disruption could continue into the weekend. Most of the country is
expected to be covered in snow by the end of the day and then after
that continued sub-zero temperatures will cause more problems.
With night-time temperatures predicted to average around
minus four and barely get above zero during the day, there will be
little opportunity for grounds to thaw.
All Premier League grounds are required to have undersoil
heating, but frozen pitches are likely to be a problem at lower
levels and north of the border.
