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Chelsea have been granted extra recovery time after their 16-hour round trip in the Conference League this week (Reuters)
Chelsea vs Brentford and Southampton vs Tottenham both kick-off at the unusual time of 7pm in the Premier League this Sunday evening.
Typically, the final game of the weekend begins at 4.30pm and this Sunday will see Manchester City host Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium at that time.
However, both Chelsea and Tottenham have seen their games moved to the later time of 7pm in order to give the two clubs extra recovery time after their matches in Europe on Thursday night.
Chelsea face a 16-hour round trip to Kazakhstan for their Conference League game against Astana, which kicks-off at 3.30pm on Thursday due to the five-hour time difference.
Spurs, who are away to Scottish side Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday night, were also offered the rare 7pm slot after their game was selected for live broadcast by TNT Sports.
Premier League games broadcast by TNT Sports are usually scheduled for 12.30pm on Saturday, however, Spurs’ Europa League commitments on Thursday have meant that the Sunday 7pm slot is the only one available in order to avoid televised clashes with Sky Sports’ live fixtures.
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Tottenham’s match against Southampton this weekend will also be held at the unusual time of 7pm on Sunday night (Shutterstock)
Manchester United will also play Fulham at 7pm on January 26, 2025, after they demanded more recovery time following their Europa League game at home to Rangers on January 23.
The decision to host Premier League matches at 7pm on a Sunday has been criticised by The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA).
‘The Sunday evening kick-off slot is really unpopular with match-goers as public transport options are limited and it’s no good for families with young kids,’ a spokesperson for the FSA said.
‘When the general slot was announced the Premier League told us it was a ‘contingency’ — but it seems to be getting used an awful lot for such a provision.
‘A big part of the problem is allowing broadcasters to choose ‘conditional’ picks which are then moved when a team progresses in Europe.
‘The Premier League puts broadcasters first by allowing them to select such games knowing full well conditional picks are very likely to be rescheduled again.’
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