Why the upcoming Premier League matchday looks so odd

On Sunday, Premier League fans can look forward to the top-of-the-table clash between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC. However, there is no other match taking place on Sunday. Why?

With a home win at Anfield Road, Liverpool could close the gap to champions Arsenal to just three points; Arsenal will, in any case, keep pace in their head-to-head battle with Manchester City, who are currently level on points. The Citizens are in action the day before (4.00 pm) when they host Brighton & Hove Albion. It is one of no fewer than eight (!) matches on Saturday.

As Newcastle United and Everton FC are also not due to face each other until Monday (9 pm), the Reds’ match against the Gunners remains the only one to be played on Sunday. The earlier slot at 3 pm German time will, for once, not be used, resulting in an extremely unusual matchday line-up with eight Saturday matches and one each on Sunday and Monday. But how did this come about in the first place?

According to data provider Opta, this is the first time since 21 December 2025 that only one Premier League match will take place on a Sunday – a day that is normally split between the 3 pm and 5.30 pm time slots. The matches between Manchester United and Aston Villa, and Leeds United and Crystal Palace, had originally been scheduled for Sunday – though the latter was brought forward to the previous day due to Palace’s packed fixture list.

Villa v Fulham brought forward

The reason this scenario is repeating itself this time, as is so often the case, lies in the complexities of scheduling between the broadcasters and international football. The TV broadcasters for Matchday 9 were announced as early as mid-August, with only two matches scheduled for this coming Sunday: Aston Villa v Fulham at 3.00 pm and Liverpool v Arsenal at 5.30 pm. In addition, seven Saturday matches and one match on Monday evening were scheduled.

The fact that Villa are now set to play on Saturday evening (9.00 pm) after all is down to the Champions League. When UEFA published its Champions League fixture list at the end of August – and thus only after the Premier League had done so – it handed Unai Emery’s side an away match against FC Barcelona this coming Tuesday (9.00 pm).

To comply with the Premier League’s regulations, which aim to prevent teams from playing two matches within 60 hours, the fixture against Fulham consequently had to be brought forward. Both teams had been in action on Wednesday in the League Cup (Villa 0–3 at Bournemouth; Fulham 0–1 against Crystal Palace), so Saturday evening was the only possible alternative date.

On the now-empty Sunday, all eyes will therefore be on the top-of-the-table clash in Liverpool. On the following matchday, however, there will actually be more matches on Sunday (five) than on Saturday (four).