Premier League clubs have agreed to restart the season in just three weeks’ time in what is a huge breakthrough for their Project Restart plans.
The Premier League have desperately been trying to finalize plans to get the season back underway again following its suspension at the beginning of March amid the coronavirus crisis.
June 20 has been lined up as the first round of fixtures following the Premier League’s resumption although Manchester City vs Arsenal and Aston Villa vs Sheffield United are set to go ahead on Wednesday June 17.
These two matches are the ‘games in hand’ for these four clubs, which will take all 20 Premier League teams up to 29 fixtures for the season.
Another game may be played on Friday June 19, which is set to be Tottenham vs Manchester United, with the first full round of fixtures will start on Saturday June 20, with matches staggered across the weekend.
The restart date leaves Premier League managers with just three weeks to get their squads ready for the eagerly-awaited kick-off.
After the English top-flight was suspended in early March, it leaves clubs with plenty of work to do to get their squads as match-fit as possible following over three months away from the game.
Clubs only returned to small group training again last week, in line with the Premier League’s return-to-training protocols and UK Government guidelines on social distancing.
Liverpool currently sit 25 points clear at the top of the table while Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Norwich City are in the relegation places.
POTENTIAL OPENING SET OF PREMIER LEAGUE GAMES
JUNE 17
- Manchester City vs Arsenal
- Aston Villa vs Sheffield United
JUNE 19/20/21/22
- Aston Villa vs Chelsea
- Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace
- Brighton vs Arsenal
- Everton vs Liverpool
- Manchester City vs Burnley
- Newcastle United vs Sheffield United
- Norwich City vs Southampton
- Tottenham vs Manchester United
- Watford vs Leicester City
- West Ham United vs Wolves
