Why Chelsea vs Brentford is kicking off at 7pm on Sunday as West London derby moved to unusual start time

12/13/2024 04:00 AM

Chelsea will be welcoming Brentford to Stamford Bridge at a very unusual time this Sunday.

The Blues are preparing for a West London derby as they aim to continue pressuring Premier League leaders Liverpool.

GettyChelsea are next in action in the Premier League at a very strange time[/caption]

However, their plans leading up to the game will potentially be scuppered due to the game’s very rare start time.

The action will kick-off at 7pm this Sunday evening, which is Chelsea’s second weirdly scheduled fixture after their European tie on Thursday.

An evening start on a Sunday is unheard of, so here’s a look at why Brentford will visit Stamford Bridge at that time…

Chelsea vs Brentford: Kick-off time

The strange 7pm kick-off time on Sunday, December 15 was announced in October as fixture changes were confirmed.

It left Chelsea and Brentford fans bemused, considering normal Sunday slots for games are 2pm and 4:30pm.

But the change to 7pm has been made due to the Blues’ long-distance European commitments and TV scheduling.

Originally, this game was scheduled for 3pm on Saturday.

However, because Enzo Maresca‘s side are playing away at Astana in Kazakhstan on Thursday, it was moved.

Teams who play on Thursday cannot feature until, at the earliest, the following Sunday, to allow the appropriate rest times for players.

In Chelsea’s case this week, their 16-hour round trip leaves them with even more limited recovery time.

Maresca is having to prepare his side for a second straight weird start time

Getty

So they have been handed an evening kick-off along with Tottenham, who will start at the same time due to similar reasons.

Spurs are also kicking off against Southampton at 7pm, with their kick-off moved due to European commitments too.

They were originally selected for TV coverage on TNT Sports at 12:30pm on Saturday, but to get the required rest, it had to be on Sunday.

And as it can’t clash with the two other games set to be broadcast on Sunday afternoon, it was moved to an evening slot.

It’s presumed to be similar reasons for Chelsea’s game being moved later, however, their clash won’t be on TV…

Chelsea vs Brentford is not available to watch as if a game is moved from an original 3pm Saturday start, it remains part of the blackout.

But don’t worry, you will be able to follow live coverage of the game on talkSPORT.

Commentary will come from Joe Shennan and former England captain Stuart Pearce.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

talkSPORT.com will also keep you up to date with all the latest.

You will be able to follow the action in our dedicated live blog HERE.