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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

Match of the Day MOVED from BBC One and gets new start time thanks to Eurovision

This Saturday's edition of Match of the Day has been booted from BBC One's schedule to make way for the Eurovision Song Contest.

This year's Eurovision final will take place in Liverpool on Saturday - the first time the song competition has been held in the United Kingdom since 1998. That has forced the BBC to move Match of the Day to BBC Two, with coverage starting at the earlier time of 10pm.

Six Premier League games will be played on Saturday, starting with Newcastle's trip to Leeds in the earlier kick-off. Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham will also feature on this weekend's edition of Match of the Day, due to be hosted by Gary Lineker.

All of Saturday's games, expect Leeds vs Newcastle, will kick-off at 3pm. Erik ten Hag's side take on Wolves at Old Trafford, as Chelsea welcome Nottingham Forest to Stamford Bridge. Ryan Mason's Tottenham, meanwhile, travel to European hopefuls Aston Villa.

It promises to be a huge weekend for Southampton, who could be relegated to the Championship if results don't go in their favour. They take on Fulham at St Mary's. Last but not least, Crystal Palace host Bournemouth in a mid-table clash.

Coverage of Eurovision will start on BBC One at 8pm and is not expected to finish until midnight, with the show often overrunning. The UK's entry is Mae Muller with her track 'I Wrote A Song'. The 25-year-old Brit is currently the bookies' 10th favourite to win.

Match of the Day has made way for British Eurovision hopeful Mae Muller (Getty Images)

Will you be watching Eurovision or Match of the Day? Let us know in the comments below!

Eurovision is usually hosted by the reigning champions, with Ukraine winning in Italy last year. Yet Ukraine are unable to host this 2023 event due to Russia's ongoing invasion. As such, the UK will host it on Ukraine's behalf after finishing second last time out.

Last year, the UK enjoyed their best Eurovision finish since 1998 thanks to Sam Ryder's hit single 'Space Man', which also charted at No.2 in the UK's singles' chart. The catchy pop tune transformed Ryder, who initially found fame on TikTok, into a household name.

Liverpool was picked ahead of Glasgow to host Eurovision for the first time in the city's history. A former Liverpool defender will play an important role in Saturday's final, as Ragnar Klavan has been selected as Estonia's spokesperson for their points.

Doctor Who star Catherine Tate has been given the same job by the UK. She joked: "It's very exciting to be announcing the iconic 'douze points' at Eurovision... It's just a foot in the door really as next year I hope to be the UK entrant!"

The other four Premier League games this weekend take place on Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, Everton's fixture against Manchester City at Goodison Park starts at 2pm, the same time as Brentford's home clash against London rivals West Ham.

After those two games, Arsenal face Brighton at the Emirates. The final match of the weekend sees relegation candidates Leicester host Liverpool at the King Power on Monday.

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