Why is Brentford vs Man Utd kicking off at 8pm on Saturday?

Manchester United are back in action on Saturday when they take on Brentford in West London. The Red Devils went into the break in the best possible way, beating rivals Liverpool in a dramatic FA Cup quarter-final to reach a Wembley semi-final.

Erik ten Hag's men have that cup clash to come, but they must first take care of business in the Premier League, and a very strong end to the season is required if they are going to mount a serious top four chase. Any sort of inconsistent form will leave them competing for a Europa League spot, which seems more likely at this point.

United's first game back after the break comes this weekend when they travel to the capital to take on Brentford, who find themselves on the periphery of the relegation battle, needing a couple of wins to pull away and ease any late-season stress.

That could make the Bees dangerous opponents for the Red Devils, who will have had more of their players involved in international duty over the last week or so, with many putting in plenty of travel. The fixture is a late kick-off, but it wasn't always intended to be.

Why is Brentford vs Man Utd an 8pm kick-off?

This fixture was initially scheduled to be a 3pm kick-off on Saturday, but the February fixture amendments confirmed it had been moved to 8pm. The reason is that Sky Sports picked the game up for television broadcast, and with the late evening slot taken, this game become an 8pm kick-off to allow it to be on TV.

Confirming the change in a statement, United said: "After the international break, when the fixtures include England v Brazil on Saturday 23 March, our month will end with an away trip to Brentford. The 30 March meeting will now be a Saturday-night affair in south-west London (20:00 BST) and will be covered by Sky Sports.”

The 8pm kick-offs were brought in for this season, largely to give teams who play on Wednesday nights more rest. The television companies benefitted from the decision, with a new slot opening up. The extra rest factor doesn't apply here, given there has been an international break, but the slot is still open for use, something Sky Sports have taken advantage of.