Early-season football contest between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace receives unusual starting time assignment
Crystal Palace's participation in the UEFA Conference League play-off round has led to a change in the schedule for their upcoming match against Aston Villa. The fixture, initially set for Friday, August 29, has been rescheduled to Sunday, August 31 at 7pm.
The decision was made to ensure Crystal Palace can manage their European schedule without excessive fatigue. Playing with less than a 48-hour turnaround after their European fixture would be too demanding, making the Sunday evening rescheduling necessary.
Originally, the match was set for Saturday, but moving it to Sunday evening allows Palace sufficient rest and preparation time following their European commitment. Although the Sunday 7 pm slot is considered unusual and inconvenient by some supporters, the decision was primarily driven by scheduling needs related to Palace’s European matches.
The first leg of the play-off round will take place at home for Crystal Palace on Thursday, August 21. Meanwhile, Aston Villa will host Newcastle United in the early kick-off on Saturday, August 30.
In the Premier League, Crystal Palace will play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, August 30 at 2pm, while Aston Villa will be looking to gain revenge on Crystal Palace, having lost twice and drawn once in their three encounters last season. The most painful loss for Aston Villa was in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley, where they were beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace.
Eberechi Eze opened the scoring for Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final, and Ismaila Sarr netted twice after the interval. Nottingham Forest, who have been elevated to the Europa League due to Crystal Palace's relegation to the Conference League, will travel to Selhurst Park the following week, while Aston Villa will travel to Brentford.
Tottenham have re-opened talks to sign Crystal Palace's star player, Eberechi Eze, and also face competition from north London rivals Arsenal. Palace fell foul of the UEFA multi-club ownership rules due to former co-owner John Textor's involvement with French side Olympique Lyon, resulting in their relegation to the Conference League.
Despite the rescheduling, the match between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace will still be shown live on Sky Sports, as originally planned. The second leg of the play-off will take place away from home a week later on August 28.
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