Why Chelsea vs Brentford kicks off at 7pm on Sunday as west London derby moved to unusual kick-off time

Chelsea will host Brentford at Stamford Bridge at a very unusual time this Sunday.

The blues are preparing for a west London derby to continue putting pressure on the Premier League leaders. Liverpool.

However, your pre-game plans could be thwarted due to the game's very strange start time.

The action will begin at 7pm this Sunday night, which is Chelsea time. strangely scheduled second match after Thursday's European match.

Starting in the afternoon on a Sunday is unheard of, so here's a look at why Brentford Will visit Stamford Bridge at that time…

Chelsea vs Brentford: start time

The strange 7pm start time on Sunday December 15 was announced in October when the calendar changes were confirmed.

he went away Chelsea and Brentford fans baffled, considering normal Sunday game times are 2pm and 4.30pm.

But the change to 7:00 p.m. is due to the Blues' long-distance European commitments and television programming.

This game was originally scheduled for 3 pm on Saturday.

However, because Enzo MarescaThe Kazakhstan team will play on Thursday in Astana, Kazakhstan, but the date has been changed.

Teams playing on Thursday cannot report until at least the following Sunday to allow for adequate rest times for players.

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

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Thus, they have been awarded the afternoon kick-off along with Tottenhamwhich will begin at the same time for similar reasons.

The Spurs are also starting against Southampton at 7:00 p.m., with the start delayed also due to European commitments.

They were originally selected for TNT Sports' television coverage at 12:30 pm on Saturday, but to have the necessary rest it had to be Sunday.

And since it can't coincide with the other two games that will be broadcast on Sunday afternoon, it was moved to a late-night time slot.

There are supposedly similar reasons for Chelsea's match to be postponed later, however, their clash will not be broadcast on television…

Chelsea vs Brentford: talkSPORT coverage

Chelsea vs Brentford is not available to watch as if a game is moved from the original 3pm Saturday kick-off it is still part of the blackout.

But don't worry, you can follow live coverage of the match on talkSPORT.

Commentary will be provided by Joe Shennan and former England captain Stuart Pearce.

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

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

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

You'll be able to follow the action on our dedicated live blog. HERE.