Image Credits: Imago Images
Sunday’s trip to the London Stadium could prove to be a make-or-break afternoon for Arne Slot as Liverpool’s alarming slump shows no sign of relenting.
The Reds have suffered nine defeats in their last 12 matches across all competitions, including humiliating 3-0 losses to Manchester City and Nottingham Forest either side of the international break, followed by a 4-1 capitulation at home to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night.
The defending Premier League champions now sit closer to the relegation zone than league leaders Arsenal, and by kick-off on Sunday, they could find themselves as low as 14th in the table.
Adding to the unusual circumstances surrounding this fixture is its 2:05pm GMT kick-off—a start time that no other Premier League match has been handed this season.
Typically, Sunday afternoon fixtures begin at either 2pm or 4:30pm. However, this weekend’s schedule has been disrupted by Crystal Palace’s European commitments.
The Eagles were originally set to host Manchester United at 12:30pm on Saturday.
However, with Palace playing Strasbourg in the Conference League on Thursday evening, the Premier League was forced to push the fixture back by a full day to Sunday at 12pm to ensure adequate rest.
This created a knock-on effect for the three matches originally scheduled for the 2pm slot—West Ham vs Liverpool, Aston Villa vs Wolves, and Nottingham Forest vs Brighton.
To avoid any overlap between the end of the Palace game and the start of these fixtures, all three have been pushed back by five minutes to 2:05pm.
The Premier League operates under strict scheduling guidelines that prevent teams from playing two matches within a 60-hour window. With Palace also facing Burnley on Wednesday, and Manchester United hosting West Ham the following Thursday, Sunday afternoon was the only viable option.
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