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Why is there no 2pm Premier League match? Unusual schedule explained

It's a quiet day in the Premier League

Manchester United v Liverpool - Premier League
There is only one Premier League match today (Image: Getty)

Why is there only one Premier League match today?

  • What's happened? The Premier League season is in full swing, and narratives are starting to develop across the division. Fans have been enjoying the matches, but they'll have to deal with a reduced schedule for today's action. That's because there is only one match scheduled to take place this afternoon. Premier League Sundays often have a minimum of two matches, while some weeks there can be even more.
  • Why's that? The original broadcast picks, which were made in August, had Aston Villa's clash with Fulham pencilled in for the usual 2pm slot. The match at Villa Park was supposed to be broadcast on Sky Sports, but there was a change to the programming as the Villa vs Fulham game moved to Saturday.
  • What's the reason? The reason there is only one match on Sunday is because of a weird quirk in the broadcasting and scheduling rules. That's because clubs cannot play on Sunday if they have been pencilled in to play in the Champions League on the following Tuesday.
  • Who are Aston Villa playing? Villa, with a 100 per cent record in the competition so far this season, will look to continue that when they face Barcelona away from home. It's the biggest test of the season so far for Unai Emery's men.
  • Any other rules? As well as not playing on the Sunday if you're involved in a match on the Tuesday, clubs who play on Thursday's shaln't be scheduled to play in the Premier League on Saturdays.

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