Chelsea v Aston Villa kick off time explained as 'high risk fixture' has knock on effect
Aston Villa head to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon while continuing to hunt for their first win since their last trip to west London, when they emerged victorious at Fulham in the middle of last month. Villa have won only one of their last seven Premier League games and are winless in seven in all competitions, but Chelsea presents a rather daunting challenge if they're to rediscover that winning feeling this weekend.
The Blues are top of the Europa Conference League, ahead of their trip to Heidenheim on Thursday night, and they've begun the era of Enzo Maresca impressively; they currently sit third, ahead of Arsenal on goals scored, although they could drop a place or two depending on how the Gunners and Brighton get on this weekend.
Villa visit Stamford Bridge for a game which has been selected by Sky Sports for live coverage, as part of their Super Sunday programme; Chelsea v Villa precedes the blockbuster meeting between the top two, Liverpool and Manchester City, at Anfield, and there are differing times to both kick offs for a specific reason.
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Usually the earlier game on any given Sunday is at 2pm, a match which is then followed by the second instalment which normally begins at 4:30pm. Merseyside Police, however, have listed Liverpool v Man City as one of its high-risk fixtures because of concerns over supporter safety. As a result, they've requested that the game be brought forward by half an hour, something the Premier League have agreed to.
In order to keep enough time between both matches, that has had a knock-on effect on the Villa game, which also has come forward to 1:30pm. This game was always due to take place on Sunday, irrespective of Sky's selection of it, because of the European commitments of both clubs this week.