Liverpool vs Aston Villa kick-off time explained after game moved to late spot

Liverpool is back at , aiming to maintain its strong start to the season. After securing victories over Brighton and Bayer Leverkusen this week, side is set to welcome Unai Emery's .

The Reds are aware that anything less than a win could see them lose their top spot before the final international break of 2024. Both and face tough matches this weekend, but only Pep Guardiola's team has the chance to climb to the top.

City will be playing against Brighton on Saturday evening, just before clash with Villa, while Arsenal will be heading to Stamford Bridge for a showdown with Chelsea on matchday 11. If things don't go their way, Arsenal could end up trailing Liverpool by 10 points by the end of the day.

Liverpool has been leading the pack so far, with eight wins from its first 10 games and only one loss. City and Arsenal, who were widely tipped to be the main contenders for the Premier League title, have shown some vulnerabilities recently, leaving the door open for Slot's Reds to take the lead.

Now, the challenge is to keep the winning streak going against Villa, who are currently level with Arsenal and Chelsea on 18 points. However, Villa suffered a 1-0 defeat to Club Brugge in Europe on Wednesday, reports .

They were also thrashed 3-0 in this fixture last season before Emery led them towards the top four. Despite Villa's recent struggles, Liverpool will be cautious of the threat they pose.

However, the match is set to kick off at an unusual time. Here's why, according to the .

What time does Liverpool vs Aston Villa start?

The game between Liverpool and Aston Villa is scheduled to begin at 3pm EST on Saturday, November 9 at Anfield. It's the last of the Saturday matches following Brighton vs City, Wolves vs Southampton, West Ham vs Everton, Brentford vs Bournemouth, and Crystal Palace vs Fulham.

Why has the Liverpool vs Aston Villa kick-off time changed?

While 8pm kick-offs are now fairly standard, especially for midweek games, they're less common on a Saturday. The reason for this change - the game was initially set for 10am EST before being moved to 7:30am EST after TV picks were confirmed - might just bring a smile to Jurgen Klopp's face.

Both teams played in Europe on Wednesday night - Villa had the earlier Champions League game in Belgium, starting at 5:45pm - so the fixture was moved to a later kick-off to give both sides more recovery time. Liverpool have previously expressed frustration with the number of early Saturday kick-offs they've had to play, particularly those following international breaks or midweek commitments.

TNT Sport shifted the game to a later kick-off to balance broadcasting and wider interests.