[Grammar] Arsenal will play Chelsea in the final vs Arsenal's playing Chelsea in the final

[Gunner1999]

Hi. I would like to ask you a question, which is linked with the future. Which tense is proper, if I want to announce that a football match will happen one day in the future?
1.Arsenal's is playing Chelsea in the final.
2. Arsenal plays Chelsea in the final.
3. Arsenal will play Chelsea in the final.
I know that the present simple is used for fixed events, so I reckon that a football match is a fixed, organised event, which is not personal.
However sometimes I hear the English, who express this information in the present continuous.
Thx

 

[emsr2d2]

In #1, "Arsenal's" is incorrect. With "Arsenal", and by changing "is" to "are" the whole sentence would be correct in BrE.
In #2, in BrE, we would use "play" but, in this context, it doesn't really feel like it represents the future to me. It sounds like a regular event.
#3 is OK.

 

[Tdol]

The plural is more common in BrE, but the singular is OK.

 

[Lynxear]

The only one that is not correct is the first

1. "Arsenal's" is a contraction of "Arsenal is". So you are saying "Arsenal is is playing Chelsea in the final". I don't like the use of a contraction here.

"Arsenal is playing Chelsea in the final"

2. Arsenal plays Chelsea in the final.

I would assume in this limited context that we are approaching the playoffs. So the word "final" in the sentence sets the event in the future.
The use of "plays" instead of "play" is correct at least in Canadian/American English. There is only one Arsenal and yes it is made up of many individuals but they are uncountable.

3. Arsenal will play Chelsea in the final.

There is no problem with this sentence.

 

[Tdol]

If you do use the singular, then Arsenal's playing Chelsea sounds OK. I don't see anything against using a contraction. The original is wrong because it uses two verbs. I would use the plural.