Chelsea vs Brentford will kick off at the unusual time of 7pm on Sunday.
Usually the latest Sunday fixture kicks off at 4:30pm and is normally reserved for one of the biggest games of that weekend.
However, the west London derby was assigned this unique kick-off time by the Premier League in October. The game was initially due to take place on Saturday at 3pm but was moved.
Even stranger still is that another Premier League game will take place at the same time, meaning a 7pm football double-header. But why has this happened?
Chelsea Vs Brentford: Why The Strange Kick-Off Time At 7pm?
The main reason the Chelsea vs Brentford kick-off time has been moved to 7pm on Sunday is down to the Blues’ involvement in Europe.
Chelsea made a 16-hour 7,000-mile round-trip to Kazakhstan after beating Astana 3-1 on Thursday. The UEFA Conference League tie had also been given a bizarre kick-off slot of 3:30pm for UK viewers. This is because Kazakhstan is five hours ahead.
The Premier League giants played in Almaty, around 745 miles south of Astana. The reason for the change in location is due to renovations going on at the host’s 30,000-capacity stadium, the Astana Arena.
As Chelsea played at 8:30pm local time, the turnaround for this weekend’s clash was too short. This prompted the Premier League to move their clash with Brentford back a day.
Enzo Maresca is firmly focused on the next match for Chelsea, and insists his side is not ready for a title race 💬 pic.twitter.com/G9rmNYmfRI
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 9, 2024
However, with Brighton’s derby clash with Crystal Palace taking place on Sky Sports at 2pm and the Manchester derby taking place at 4:30pm, Chelsea were forced to play the unique kick-off time.
TNT Sports usually hold the 12:30pm kick-off time on Saturdays, which was assigned for Tottenham‘s clash with Southampton.
But their clash has also been moved to the 7pm slot on Sunday due to Spurs’ Europa League involvement.
Spurs’ game with Saints can not clash with the Manchester derby so was also moved to late on Sunday.
Late Kick-Offs On Sundays Are Unpopular With Match-Goers
The decision to host games 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. 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.”
