Liverpool vs Aston Villa 8pm kick-off time explained as Premier League change made

Liverpool news as the Reds are back in domestic action with the visit of Aston Villa but kick-off is at a different time to normal

Liverpool return to Anfield once more as they look to continue an impressive start to the season. Having already beaten Brighton and Bayer Leverkusen at home this week, Arne Slot welcomes Unai Emery and Aston Villa.

The Reds know that anything but victory could see them enter the final international break of 2024 off top spot. Both Manchester City and Arsenal have challenging tests themselves over the weekend but it is only Pep Guardiola’s side able to move to the summit.

City visit Brighton on Saturday evening prior to Liverpool’s match with Villa, while Arsenal travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in the standout fixture of matchday 11. Arsenal could find themselves 10 points behind Liverpool come close of play.

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It is Liverpool who are leading the way, though, with eight wins from their opening 10 matches, losing just once. City and Arsenal, widely expected to once more be the two fighting for the Premier League title, have shown weaknesses in recent games to leave the path clear for Slot’s red machine to take advantage.

The challenge is now to extend the positive set of results against Villa, who are alongside Arsenal and Chelsea on 18 points. The Midlands side were beaten 1-0 on Wednesday in Europe, though, going down to Club Brugge.

They were heavily defeated 3-0 in this fixture last season before Emery’s true push towards the top four kick-started. Liverpool will now be wary of the threat posed by Villa, even if they are not in full flow.

However, the match will be played at a slightly strange start time. Here, the Liverpool Echo has all the details as to why.

What time is Liverpool vs Aston Villa kick off?

Liverpool vs Aston Villa is scheduled to start at 8pm on Saturday, November 9 at Anfield. It is the last of the Saturday matches after Brighton vs City, Wolves vs Southampton, West Ham vs Everton, Brentford vs Bournemouth, and Crystal Palace vs Fulham.

Why has Liverpool vs Aston Villa changed kick off time?

Although matches at 8pm are relatively standard now, with midweek games using a variety of start times, it is not as common on a Saturday. The reason for this change, with the game originally slated for 3pm before being altered to 12:30pm after TV picks were confirmed, may well get a grin from Jurgen Klopp.

As both sides were in action in Europe on Wednesday night – Villa played the earlier Champions League game in Belgium, starting at 5:45pm – the fixture was moved to a later kick off. This gives both sides extra time to recover.

Liverpool have previously been frustrated with the number of early Saturday kick offs they have been forced to play, especially ones coming after the international break or midweek duties. TNT Sport moved the game to a later kick off in order to balance broadcast and wider interests.