Why Man City vs Liverpool is on Sky Sports as the 12.30pm kick-off

Manchester City will take on Liverpool in the 12:30pm kick-off slot on Saturday - but why is the game being broadcast on Sky Sports at an early time?

Football fans from across England - and indeed the world - will sit in front of a TV to take in the action at the Etihad Stadium between the top two sides in the Premier League.

It never used to be the case, but nowadays it is a shock if there isn't an early kick-off on a Saturday afternoon for fans to tune into. If the match involves Liverpool, manager Jurgen Klopp is never particularly impressed.

But 12:30pm kick-offs are usually broadcast by TNT Sports, with Sky Sports normally taking the 5:30pm and Sunday kick-off slots.

However, there is a change in plan this weekend, with Sky taking the early 12:30pm slot. TNT Sports are taking over the 5:30pm slot, and will broadcast Brentford vs Arsenal.

But why the change?

Sky were assigned the Manchester City vs Liverpool fixture when the November TV fixtures were announced by the Premier League, with the original kick-off time set for 5:30pm.

But a local safety advisory group raised concerns over the fixture, given that fan behaviour and occasional violence has been an issue in fixtures between the two sides in the recent past.

As a result, the Premier League decided to bring the kick-off time forward, and move Brentford vs Arsenal - which had been in the TNT Sports 12:30pm slot - to later in the day.

That may do little to appease Klopp, who jokingly placed a Sky Sports reporter in a headlock this week as he looks ahead to his latest early kick-off.

Guardiola, though, isn't exactly enamoured by the time slot either, calling 12:30pm games 'a little bit more complicated' than he would ideally like.

It is a level playing field for both teams after the international break, though - and they'll both be desperate to secure a win to either jump to the top or extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table come Saturday afternoon.