Three crucial Premier League matches, including the highly anticipated clash between West Ham and Liverpool, will begin at the unusual time of 2:05pm GMT this Sunday, creating an unexpected scheduling twist for football fans.
Unusual Kick-Off Times for Critical Fixtures
The most prominent of the three fixtures shifted to this later start time is West Ham v Liverpool at the London Stadium. For Liverpool manager Arne Slot, this represents a must-win encounter as he faces mounting pressure to reverse his team's dismal season. The reigning champions suffered damaging back-to-back home defeats this week, losing to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and PSV in the Champions League.
Liverpool currently sit in a concerning 13th place in the table ahead of this critical match. Their opponents, West Ham under Nuno Espirito Santo, are themselves hovering just above the relegation zone, separated from the bottom three purely on goal difference.
The other two matches also kicking off at 2:05pm GMT include Aston Villa hosting embattled Wolves at Villa Park, while Brighton travel to face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Broadcasting Changes Force Schedule Reshuffle
The reason behind these unusual kick-off times stems directly from broadcasting requirements and scheduling conflicts. Crystal Palace's match against Manchester United, which is being broadcast live on TNT Sports, was originally scheduled for the 12:30pm slot on Saturday.
However, this fixture had to be pushed back because of Palace's Conference League clash against Strasbourg on Thursday evening. The Premier League follows a policy of avoiding teams having to play two matches within 60 hours, and Palace's European fixture concluded just 64 hours before their rescheduled match against United.
Domino Effect Impacts Multiple Fixtures
This rescheduling created a domino effect that forced three Sunday fixtures to be pushed back slightly to avoid the risk of games overlapping on television. Sky Sports is broadcasting all three of the affected matches: West Ham v Liverpool, Aston Villa v Wolves, and Nottingham Forest v Brighton.
According to reports from The Athletic, Sky Sports made the formal request to adjust these kick-off times, which both the Premier League and all six clubs involved agreed to. This coordination ensures that viewers can follow all the action without broadcast overlaps, though it means fans attending the matches will need to adjust to the slightly later than usual Sunday start time.
The unusual scheduling provides an additional narrative to what promises to be a dramatic afternoon of Premier League football, with particular focus on whether Liverpool can begin to turn their faltering season around against a West Ham side equally desperate for points.
