Why Brentford vs Liverpool is a 3pm kick-off on Saturday amid Premier League ruling

Liverpool have had a short turnaround as they prepare to face Brentford this afternoon.

This weekend’s Premier League fixture scheduling means Liverpool will have had less recovery time than Arsenal and Manchester United following all three clubs’ midweek Champions League excursions.

Arsenal and Man United both played on Tuesday night and have difficult away trips to Nottingham Forest and Leeds respectively on Sunday.

The Reds, however, will kick-off in west London today - Saturday, October 17, at 3pm, much to the concern of head coach Andoni Iraola.

"But this is the challenge of playing, no? It's competitions like the Champions League and it's not going to just happen this week, It is going to be a constant thing this season so we have to adapt.

"We have to be ready, the same way it was a quick turnaround after Manchester City, this is going to be a quick one, the next one, we have like four that are just two days in between games.

“That is not normal but has happened this time and we have to adapt to these circumstances."

Andoni Iraola is expecting a difficult test for his Liverpool side against Brentford today

AFP/Getty

To Iraola’s point, it is a short turnaround considering Liverpool were playing away from home in Europe just three days ago.

Although, it is crucial to remember that Premier League rules stipulate that teams CANNOT play in the early slot on a Saturday if they have played Champions League football just three days previously as teams will never be asked to play twice within 60 hours.

As Liverpool’s match in Austria kicked off at 5.45pm BST on Wednesday and their game against Brentford has NOT been selected for TV coverage in the UK, a 3pm kick-off does allow Iraola's side enough recovery time.

Furthermore, as part of a hectic fixture schedule, the Reds face Villarreal at Anfield in the Champions League on Tuesday night which means their visit to the Gtech Community Stadium could not be moved.