Two of this weekend’s Premier League fixtures will be played at the unusual kick-off time of 7pm on Sunday.
Chelsea v Brentford and Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur will both begin after the Manchester derby finishes in the more familiar 4.30pm time slot.
After the postponement of last Saturday’s Merseyside derby, this is the third weekend in a row without a 12.30pm kick-off in the Premier League.
European commitments shift the Premier League time slots
Chelsea and Tottenham both play in European competition on Thursday, meaning neither can play in the Premier League on Saturday. But there are different reasons behind the move into the rare 7pm slot.
The Blues face a long trip home from Kazakhstan after their Conference League game against Astana, a 3.30pm kick-off on Thursday for Chelsea fans watching at home. The later kick-off in the Premier League will allow them extra recovery time after their European exertions.
Spurs aren’t travelling nearly as far for their Europa League match this week. Glasgow is their destination for an 8pm kick-off against Rangers. It’ll be a special occasion for under-fire former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou but there’s a knock-on effect for fans.
Postecoglou’s team would have shifted into the 2pm kick-off slot on Sunday but TNT Sports selected Tottenham’s trip to struggling Southampton for live broadcast this weekend.
The second 7pm game on Sunday is the cost of topsy-turvy Spurs being pure Premier League box office.
They can’t play in the Saturday lunchtime TNT Sports slot so their game against Southampton moves to Sunday. TNT can’t clash with Sky Sports’ 2pm and 4.30pm slots on Sunday afternoon so they slide to the next available time and kick off at 7pm at St Mary’s Stadium.
The simple logic of the teams’ travel requirements, recovery time and television scheduling isn’t much solace for match-going supporters, who face the unpleasant prospect of getting to and from a Premier League game in the depths of a Sunday evening.
Manchester United and Fulham will play at 7pm on Sunday 26th January. Man United play Rangers at home in the Europa League the Thursday before and their trip to Craven Cottage is TNT Sports’ pick that weekend.
A possible 12pm kick-off on Sunday was rebuffed by Man United, who argued that it didn’t allow the required recovery time.
With 2pm and 4.30pm off the table, 7pm was the inevitable outcome. There are no trains timetabled to leave London for Manchester after the game.
Most Chelsea and Brentford fans might not be inconvenienced as much with the proximity of the clubs and access to the TFL, but supporters going further afield to Southampton – or from Manchester to London and back – won’t appreciate the extra complications of Sunday evening travel.