Chelsea travelled to Kazakhstan to face Astana in the UEFA Conference League this Thursday, with temperatures expected to plummet as low as -11 degrees Celsius (12.2F), and a five-hour time difference adding to their obstacles.
As if that wasn’t different enough for the Blues, it has also had a knock-on effect for their next Premier League match back at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca’s team ended last week in second place in the standings — just four points behind leaders Liverpool — thanks to a 4-3 victory over Tottenham.
Here, The Sporting News confirms the unique schedule for Maresca’s high-flying side this week, and explains how it all came about.
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What time is Chelsea kickoff vs. Brentford?
The game will kick off Sunday, December 15 at 7:00 p.m local time (GMT) in London.
While evening kickoffs are commonplace for midweek games and even a sporadic occurrence on Saturdays these days, it’s uncharted territory for a Sunday game.
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Why is Chelsea vs. Brentford kicking off at 7 p.m. GMT?
Chelsea’s involvement in a European game on the Thursday, as is often the case for Europa League and Conference League participants, means their Premier League fixture that weekend needs to be on the Sunday or Monday rather than the Saturday so as to afford appropriate travel and downtime between the matches.
Due to the roundtrip and logistics required for Chelsea’s journey to Astana, they have been scheduled for a later kickoff on the Sunday to allow additional time between the two games.
Is Southampton vs. Tottenham at 7 p.m. for the same reason?
Not exactly. In the case of Saints vs. Spurs, the match has been selected by TNT Sports for broadcast.
Normally that means a 12:30 p.m. Saturday kickoff, but with Ange Postecoglou’s side facing Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday, that wasn’t viable.
And with every other weekend timeslot occupied by Sky Sports matches or the Saturday 3 p.m. legacy blackout, Sunday at 7 p.m. was chosen for that match as well as Chelsea vs. Brentford.
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Is Chelsea vs. Brentford on TV?
Having been previously earmarked for a 3 p.m. GMT Saturday kickoff, Chelsea falls within that blackout window and thus will not be shown on live TV in the UK.
However, it will be available in some major territories around the globe.
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo | Fubo, NBC Sports site/app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo |
| Canada | — | Fubo |
| UK | — | — |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | Disney+Hotstar, JioTV |
