Why are Sunday's Premier League kick-off times so weird this weekend?

Those of you who value routine to an extreme degree are set for a bit of a shock to the system when it comes to this weekend's Premier League games.

The usual routine is for most of Sunday's games to kick off at 2pm, with a featured game then following at 4:30pm.

However, this Sunday's five games are an exception to the rule, with only the usual 4:30pm slot for Chelsea vs Arsenal left standing while all the others kick off at strange times - while there is also no Saturday lunchtime game to be found.

Why Sunday's Premier League games kick off at noon and 2:05pm

Crystal Palace vs Manchester United will start proceedings at noon on Sunday, with Aston Villa vs Wolves, Nottingham Forest vs Brighton, and West Ham vs Liverpool all set to kick off at 2:05pm.

So why have all the games been set for such unusual kick-off times?

The answer, in short, is a combination of the Premier League trying to help out with a crowded match schedule - particularly for those sides playing in Europe - and broadcasters trying to maximise eyeballs.

The Premier League try to make sure that clubs have at least 60 hours in between games in all competitions.

That meant that although Crystal Palace vs Manchester United was TNT Sports' pick for a Saturday lunchtime kick-off, the game could not be played in that slot thanks to Palace's involvement in the Conference League on Thursday night.

As such, TNT have forgone their usual Saturday lunchtime game and agreed to show the game at midday on Sunday instead.

The three 2:05pm kick-offs are a direct knock-on effect of that Palace vs Manchester United game being moved to the Sunday.

Sky Sports have the rights to the Sunday afternoon games, but will have been wary of the possibility that the noon kick-off might over-run to the point that it is still going on past 2pm.

To try and mitigate against that, the three games that would otherwise have been 2pm kick-offs have all been pushed back by five minutes.