Chelsea are back in Premier League action tonight as they face Brentford in a West London derby at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have become accustomed to playing on a Sunday this season, particularly after Europa Conference League fixtures which take place on a Thursday.
In fact, as a result of their participation in the European competition this week, the date of their clash against the Bees was forced to be moved.
However, the kick-off time has been altered. Usually, Chelsea would be in the 2pm or 4.30pm slot on a Sunday depending on if they’ve been selected for live TV coverage.
Instead they are in the rather unusual 7pm GMT timeslot this Sunday evening. The reason for this is to give Enzo Maresca’s side extra recovery time after their exploits in Europe on Thursday.
The Blues faced a 16-hour round trip to Kazakhstan for their Conference League win over Astana, which kicked-off at 3.30pm due to the five-hour time difference.
Amid Maresca’s rotation policy this season, the extra time to prepare is certainly a boost in their bid to keep in touch with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, though the decision has been criticised by The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA).
Chelsea overcame Astana in testing conditions on Thursday.
REUTERS
“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 in a statement to the Times.
“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.
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“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.”
Chelsea vs Brentford cannot be shown live in the UK, because the game was originally meant to take place during the 3pm blackout imposed across English football on Saturday afternoons.