Liverpool’s Premier League title defence has been a complete and utter disaster, with things potentially getting worse on Sunday.
The Reds, who have lost six of their previous seven matches in the competition, visit a resurgent West Ham United side as they aim to exit the bottom half of the Premier League table. The Irons are on a three-game unbeaten streak which has included confidence-boosting wins over Newcastle United and Burnley on home soil.
Liverpool will be fearing the worst having lost all three of their trips to the capital this season and will have to contend with one of their least favourite time slots—the clash with West Ham kicking off at 2:05 p.m. GMT rather than the more familiar 2:00 p.m Sunday slot.
But why are the Reds playing at such an unusual kick-off time?
Why Does West Ham vs. Liverpool Kick Off at 2:05 p.m.?
Liverpool’s slightly delayed kick-off time actually boils down to the fixture between Manchester United and Crystal Palace during Gameweek 13. Originally selected by TNT Sports as their televised 12:30 p.m. kick-off on Saturday, the match was forced to be rescheduled to Sunday at 12:00 p.m. due to Palace’s Conference League commitments.
To allow a little extra time between fixtures and ensure there is no crossover, all of Sunday’s 2:00 p.m. kick-offs have been moved back five minutes to 2:05 p.m. The change impacts West Ham vs. Liverpool, Nottingham Forest vs. Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers. The day’s late 4:30 p.m. fixture between Chelsea and Arsenal is unaffected.
For the superstitious within the Liverpool fanbase, Sunday’s switch is bad news. The Reds have played in the 2:05 p.m. slot on just five occasions in the Premier League, losing three of those fixtures and averaging just 0.8 points-per-game.
Fortunately for Liverpool, they have a strong recent record against West Ham. Arne Slot won all three duels with the Londoners last season—including five-goal victories in the league and Carabao Cup— and the Reds have lost just one of their past 20 matches against their weekend hosts.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Are Liverpool Playing at 2:05 p.m. on Sunday?.
