Liverpool will face Aston Villa this weekend in what promises to be an exciting Premier League showdown – though fans will have to wait a bit longer than usual to see it. Under Arne Slot, the early league frontrunners have been in superb form, winning eight of their first 10 league games this season, having also won each of their four Champions League matches following a 4-0 demolition of Bayer Leverkusen.
Unai Emery’s team, on the other hand, has been impressive as well. They are currently sixth in the Premier League and are one of only two teams to have defeated Bayern Munich, with Jhon Duran making the difference earlier in the season in a dramatic 1-0 victory. While this match would typically be scheduled for the prime 5:30pm TV slot, though, it has instead been set for 8pm this Saturday. However, there’s a reason behind the late timing (giving fans an extra 90 minutes to anticipate the exciting clash!).
Why Liverpool vs Aston Villa Is On at 8pm
Their commitments in Europe has brought about the change
TNT Sports will be airing the match in the later time slot, replacing the usual 12:30pm kickoff. As a result, fans will have to wait until 3pm for the first Premier League games of the weekend. Typically, the latest Saturday match is scheduled for 5:30pm, but this weekend is an exception due to the teams’ commitments in European competition.
A couple of months ago, Liverpool vs Aston Villa was chosen for TV broadcast and moved to the later kick-off time. The change is due to both teams competing in the Champions League midweek, preventing them from playing in the early Saturday slot. TNT Sports typically shifts the match from the usual 12:30pm start to 8pm in such cases, and this match follows that pattern.
There has been just one other 8pm Saturday kick-off this season, which was Chelsea’s 1-0 victory at Bournemouth in September. And while Arne Slot hasn’t voiced the same frustrations as his predecessor, as Jurgen Klopp regularly blamed the early kickoffs for his side’s downfalls, the Dutchman will still be thankful to steer clear of that dreaded time due to Liverpool’s lack of success at such hour.
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Liverpool in 12:30pm kick-offs since 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Played |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
|
2015/16 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
2016/17 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
2017/18 |
8 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
|
2018/19 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
2019/20 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
2020/21 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
|
2021/22 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
2022/23 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
|
2023/24 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
|
Total |
43 |
21 |
15 |
|