Liverpool forced to play early kick-off because of Premier League rule loophole

Liverpool have been forced to play another early kick-off because of a Premier League rule loophole.

Last season, it was confirmed that the number of slots for Premier League matches taking place on Saturday would increase from three to four, with available slots at 12:30pm, 3pm, 5:30pm and 8pm.

This was due to an agreement made by Premier League chiefs that meant clubs playing midweek at 8pm should not be handed the 12:30pm kick-off.

However, the TV schedule is often made ahead of time and broadcasters are generally reluctant to change their game, meaning the kick-off time sometimes needs to be moved.

This happened as recently as Saturday, when Newcastle's clash against Manchester United, which finished 1-0, had to be moved from 3pm to 8pm in order to be shown on TV.

However, Liverpool have not been given such luck and must travel to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace at 12:30 on Saturday.

That is because the deal extends specifically to those who have competed in a European competition on the Wednesday.

Therefore, Liverpool's 2-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday night means the Reds will still have to play on Saturday lunchtime.

Jurgen Klopp has already expressed his anger at the decision when he labeled Amazon Prime presenter Marcus Buckland 'completely ignorant' after he joked it was the Liverpool manager's favourite kick-off time.

It is not the first time things have got heated when the issue of 12:30 kick-off times has come up.

Klopp previously took aim at a reporter during a press conference when asked if his side's poor form was due to the early start on a Saturday.

"Are you serious with this question?", said the Liverpool boss.

"What do you mean what is the difference when you play 30 hours ago in Bolivia? What do you think is the reason, I don't understand.

"Is it something about the time or the lack of recovery in between. It's not a problem if you have a normal week, we've always said that. The only problem is the lack of recovery time."

Topics: Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, Crystal Palace, Football, Premier League

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno