Chelsea and Aston Villa will have to be ready for an earlier kick-off than usual on Sunday afternoon when they meet at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are unbeaten in four heading into this game and they have the chance to capitalise on Manchester City’s recent woes.
Chelsea are enjoying life under Maresca so far
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Chelsea are enjoying life under Maresca so farCredit: Getty
Enzo Maresca’s side sit only a point behind the reigning champions while they also won’t want the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to extend further.
Villa will prove to be a tough opponent, but Unai Emery’s men are having a bad spell and they haven’t won in the league since October 19.
It is set to be an exciting meeting, but fans will need to make sure to check the schedule as there’s going to be a unique kick-off time at Stamford Bridge…
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: Kick-off time
This Premier League clash is scheduled to kick-off at 1:30pm on Sunday this weekend.
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Usually, a typical start time on a Sunday is half an hour later at 2pm.
But this game has been switched to a unique slot, along with Manchester United vs Everton and Tottenham vs Fulham.
There has been no official reason confirmed for this change, however, it is likely due to the fact that Liverpool vs Manchester City will take place at 4pm.
That blockbuster has also been moved earlier because it has become a high-risk fixture for Merseyside Police over fan safety concerns.
This game and the meeting at Anfield are on Sky Sports this weekend, so to make sure coverage doesn’t overlap, they moved Chelsea vs Aston Villa accordingly.
Announcing the time switch in September, a Chelsea statement revealed that the game would be broadcast on television and that it would be taking place on a Sunday.
Emery's Villa are ready for an earlier start than usual
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Emery's Villa are ready for an earlier start than usualCredit: Getty
It read: “Sky Sports will also broadcast the home games against Arsenal and Aston Villa in November, which were both already set to be moved to a Sunday fixture due to our UEFA Conference League matches the preceding Thursday.”
As mentioned in the statement, this game was always going to be on a Sunday due to Chelsea and Aston Villa’s European exploits.
The Blues face German side Heidenheim on Thursday night while Villa drew with Juventus on Wednesday.
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talkSPORT and talkSPORT.com will keep you up to date with all the action this weekend.
Score updates from Stamford Bridge will be on the Sunday Session with Sam Matterface.
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