Brentford travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening
Chelsea are set to host west London rivals Brentford at Stamford Bridge this evening (December 15), aiming to close the gap on leaders Liverpool. The Blues have been a revelation this season under the guidance of Enzo Maresca, losing just two matches and amassing 31 points.
They started the weekend just four behind the Reds, who still have a game in hand due to last week’s postponed Merseyside derby at Everton. Tottenham were the latest victims of Chelsea’s impressive form, with Cole Palmer and his team-mates securing a 4-3 victory.
More goals are anticipated as ninth-placed Brentford visit their neighbours. However, unfortunately UK fans without a matchday ticket will be unable to watch the clash between the top-flight’s two highest-scoring sides live.
Why isn’t Chelsea vs Brentford on TV?
Brentford’s last outing was an impressive 4-2 home win against Newcastle last weekend, yet Chelsea more recently completed a 7,000-mile round trip to face Kazakhstani side Astana on Thursday. This has resulted in the upcoming match being rescheduled for Sunday.
While Brighton vs Crystal Palace and Manchester City vs Manchester United occupy the 2pm and 4:30pm slots on Sky Sports respectively, Chelsea’s encounter with Brentford has been allocated one of the unusual 7pm slots. That’s to allow them the minimum 72 hours recovery time from their previous outing.
TNT Sports has opted to broadcast Tottenham’s game against struggling Southampton instead of Chelsea’s match, leaving fans in the UK unable to watch the action live. However, this situation is set to change next season when all games not scheduled for 3pm on Saturday will be aired live in the UK under the Premier League’s new TV deal.
Enzo Maresca’s side sit a surprising second in the league
How to watch Chelsea vs Brentford
While UK fans won’t be able to watch the match live, those outside the UK can tune in via their local Premier League TV rights holders, such as Sky Germany. For US fans, NBCUniversal holds the rights to all 380 Premier League games this season, allowing them to watch the game through their services.
Unfortunately, UK fans will have to wait until Sky Sports releases highlights of the match, typically about 20 minutes after the final whistle. These can be viewed online on YouTube.
Alternatively, Match of the Day 2, which airs at 10:30pm on Sunday, will feature further highlights on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Sky Sports will also show extended highlights, a 30-minute recap of the game, later on Sunday evening.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1987863/chelsea-vs-brentford-where-watch-tv-uk