diff --git a/.github/workflows/installers.yml b/.github/workflows/installers.yml
index c2e24d073e..42bb71e1a7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/installers.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/installers.yml
@@ -58,25 +58,26 @@ jobs:
           ${{ runner.os }}-pip-
 
     ### Installation of build-dependencies
+    - name: Install lxml and MPL (Linux + Win)
+      if: ${{ matrix.os != 'macos-latest' }}
+      run: |
+        python -m pip install matplotlib==2.2.5
+        python -m pip install lxml
 
     - name: Install Python dependencies
       run: |
         python -m pip install --upgrade pip
         python -m pip install wheel setuptools
 
-        python -m pip install numpy scipy matplotlib==3.4.3 docutils "pytest<6" sphinx unittest-xml-reporting
+        python -m pip install numpy scipy docutils "pytest<6" sphinx unittest-xml-reporting
         python -m pip install tinycc h5py sphinx pyparsing html5lib reportlab pybind11 appdirs
         python -m pip install six numba mako ipython qtconsole xhtml2pdf unittest-xml-reporting pylint
         python -m pip install qt5reactor periodictable PyQt5 uncertainties debugpy
 
-    - name: Install lxml (Linux + Win)
-      if: ${{ matrix.os != 'macos-latest' }}
-      run: |
-        python -m pip install lxml
-
-    - name: Install lxml (OSX)
+    - name: Install lxml and MPL (OSX)
       if: ${{ matrix.os == 'macos-latest' }}
       run: |
+        python -m pip install matplotlib==3.4.3
         python -m pip install --no-binary lxml lxml
 
     - name: Install pyopencl (Windows)
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 484d7964eb..e99cc8ee36 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -60,24 +60,26 @@ jobs:
 
     ### Installation of build-dependencies
 
+    - name: Install lxml and MPL (Linux + Win)
+      if: ${{ matrix.os != 'macos-latest' }}
+      run: |
+        python -m pip install matplotlib==2.2.5
+        python -m pip install lxml
+
     - name: Install Python dependencies
       run: |
         python -m pip install --upgrade pip
         python -m pip install wheel setuptools
 
-        python -m pip install numpy scipy matplotlib==3.4.3 docutils "pytest<6" sphinx unittest-xml-reporting
+        python -m pip install numpy scipy docutils "pytest<6" sphinx unittest-xml-reporting
         python -m pip install tinycc h5py sphinx pyparsing html5lib reportlab pybind11 appdirs
         python -m pip install six numba mako ipython qtconsole xhtml2pdf unittest-xml-reporting pylint
         python -m pip install qt5reactor periodictable PyQt5 uncertainties debugpy
 
-    - name: Install lxml (Linux + Win)
-      if: ${{ matrix.os != 'macos-latest' }}
-      run: |
-        python -m pip install lxml
-
     - name: Install lxml (OSX)
       if: ${{ matrix.os == 'macos-latest' }}
       run: |
+        python -m pip install matplotlib==3.4.3
         python -m pip install --no-binary lxml lxml
 
     - name: Install pyopencl (Windows)