Enzo Maresca's Chelsea had their Premier League fixture on Sunday moved to the unusual time of 7pm
Enzo Maresca's Chelsea had their Premier League fixture on Sunday moved to the unusual time of 7pm
Two Premier League fixtures kick off at the unusual time of 7pm this Sunday.
Typically, the final game of the weekend begins at 4.30pm, which is when Manchester City host Manchester United this Sunday. But the Premier League confirmed back in October that Chelsea vs Brentford and Southampton vs Tottenham were both being moved to a later time of 7pm.
That is to give Chelsea and Spurs extra recovery time after their matches in Europe. Spurs were away to Scottish side Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday night, and were offered the rare 7pm slot after their game was selected for live broadcast by TNT Sports.
Chelsea, meanwhile, faced a 16-hour round trip of more than 7,000 miles to Kazakhstan for their Conference League game against Astana, which got underway at 3.30pm UK time on Thursday due to the five-hour time difference. Their league clash with Brentford has not been picked for live television coverage in the UK.
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Sundays are usually dominated by Sky Sports’ two Super Sunday selections. Brighton’s match against Crystal Palace at 2pm, and the Manchester Derby at 4.30pm, take up those slots this weekend.
TNT Sports’ usual slot is on Saturday at 12.30pm, for which they had selected Southampton vs Tottenham. But because of the short turnaround needed for Spurs to play in the 12pm slot, and the fact that they are not allowed to air it in a way which would directly clash with either of Sky Sports' Sunday matches, the fixture has to be played at 7pm.
The rare 7pm kick-off will be seen again next month when Manchester United take on Fulham on January 26, 2025. The match at Craven Cottage was chosen by TNT Sports for midday Saturday initially.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou speaking before the clash with Rangers
Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham face Rangers on Thursday night
But United host Rangers in the Europa League the previous Thursday (January 23), ruling out the broadcaster's usual time slot as the club demanded more recovery time. Premier League clubs argue that 72 hours is needed to allow players to rest appropriately.
Fans have become accustomed to matches moving for broadcasters in recent times, but United supporters were left mystified upon first finding out that they would play on a Sunday evening. It also led to anger from the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) after it was confirmed no trains will be leaving London for Manchester post-match.
The FSA said in a statement: "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. 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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