00:00It's not even mid-August yet and we already have an unsolvable fixture scheduling issue that the
00:05Premier League has caused. Okay, let me explain. Bear with me. Fulham versus Chelsea on the opening
00:11weekend of the season is currently scheduled for Monday night. Both teams are also in the
00:15Carabao Cup second round that week, meaning both fixtures will have to move to Thursday night
00:20to allow adequate rest. However, Fulham and Chelsea both playing at home on a Thursday night
00:25is not ideal for police at all. In fact, it's not allowed. On top of this, Luton and Wimbledon,
00:31their respective League Cup opponents on that Thursday night, are meant to be playing on
00:34Saturday in the league. So, you might ask, can't they just play on the Sunday? No, because they're
00:39also playing in the league the following Tuesday. Basically, Fulham versus Chelsea being on a Monday
00:43night has left the EFL in an impossible situation. There is no way of navigating this change without
00:49leaving two of their teams with little to no rest between fixtures. The teams, of course, is one
00:53thing, but the fans is another. Wimbledon and Luton fans could be about to see three fixtures in the
00:59space of one week, all change time and day. Those who have booked travel, accommodation and tickets
01:05will be left in the lurch. The best solution, move Fulham versus Chelsea back to its original time slot
01:10or to the Sunday. It's a local derby, meaning limited travel issues. It solves all the fixture
01:15problems for the following week and a half. But will Sky budge on their blockbuster opening Monday
01:20night football? I doubt it.
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