BREAKING: FINALLY ANNOUNCED THE FIRST PREMIER MATCHES

Premier League to restart on 17 June with Man City v Arsenal and Villa v Sheff Utd



By Dan Roan


BBC sports

Thursday 28th May 2020





The Premier League season is set to restart on 17 June with Aston Villa v Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal, the BBC has learned.

The matches are the two games in hand.

A full fixture list would then be played on the weekend of 19-21 June.

Clubs are still discussing the idea at a meeting on Thursday, but it is understood all have agreed in principle at this stage.

There are 92 fixtures still to play.

The Premier League was suspended on 13 March because of the pandemic and it will be 100 days after Leicester City's 4-0 win over Aston Villa on 9 March that competition will resume, with games now behind closed doors.

On Wednesday, clubs unanimously voted to resume contact training, having started non-contact training last week.

So far 12 people have tested positive for coronavirus after 2,752 tests across the league.

Premier League players and staff will continue to be tested twice a week, with the capacity increased from 50 to 60 tests per club for the fourth round of testing.

Any players or staff to test positive must self-isolate for a period of seven days.

Plans for the third phase of Project Restart include a step towards normal training and build-up to competitive games.

Liverpool currently sit 25 points clear at the top of the table while Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Norwich City are in the relegation places.

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Premier League matches WILL be shown live on free to air TV "

New Premier League kick-off times and TV details announced

The 2019/20 Premier League season will resume on June 17


All of the outstanding English Premier League matches from the 2019/20 season will be shown live on television when the campaign resumes next month.

League bosses have confirmed the top flight of English football will return on Wednesday, June 17, with Manchester City taking on Arsenal while Aston Villa will take on Sheffield United.

Following those two fixtures, all 20 sides in the division will have nine matches left to play, with the remaining matches to be played from June 19 onwards.




All games will be played behind closed doors, meaning fans will be unable to attend matches.

And it has been revealed that all 92 fixtures still to be played in the current campaign with be broadcast live on TV.

Games will be shown live on Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport and Amazon Prime.

Sky Sports will broadcast 64 of the 92 live games, with 25 of them being shown free to air on Freeview.

BBC Sport will air four live games.


Sky CEO and EVP, UK and Europe, Stephen van Rooyen said: "The return of live sport is a big moment for the country, and we want the nation to join us. Sky has partnered with the Premier League clubs for nearly 30 years, and the strength of our partnership has never been more important.

"Our commitment to showing 25 matches 'free to air' for the first time in the history of Sky Sports recognises the unique times we are in, and our desire to play our part."

The latest announcements still require government approval, although Thursday has seen the biggest steps yet that football will resume on these shores next month.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: "Today we have provisionally agreed to resume the Premier League on Wednesday 17 June.

"But this date cannot be confirmed until we have met all the safety requirements needed, as the health and welfare of all participants and supporters is our priority.

"Sadly, matches will have to take place without fans in stadiums, so we are pleased to have come up with a positive solution for supporters to be able to watch all the remaining 92 matches.

"The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters. It is important to ensure as many people as possible can watch the matches at home.

"We will continue to work step-by-step and in consultation with all our stakeholders as we move towards resuming the 2019/20 season."

The planned kick-off times in the UK for live matches will also differ from the traditional times.

In a bid for fans to watch as much of the action as possible, chiefs have revealed kick-off times will be staggered, with four matches due to take place on both weekend days, with a game taking place on a Friday and also on a Monday.

As for the midweek slots, two matches will take place on each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with one getting underway at 6pm and the other at 8pm on each night.

Scheduled kick-off times

Weekend matches will be scheduled as follows (all times BST):

Friday - 8pm

Saturday - 1230pm, 3pm, 5.30pm, 8pm

Sunday - 12pm, 2pm, 4.30pm, 7pm

Monday - 8pm

Midweek matches will be scheduled as follows (all times BST):

Tuesday - 6pm, 8pm

Wednesday - 6pm, 8pm

Thursday - 6pm, 8pm

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FA Cup final set for 1 August

The FA Cup final will take place on Saturday 1 August, although this is "dependent on all safety measures being met" according to Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham.

The quarter-finals have been rescheduled for the weekend of 27-28 June with the semi-finals set for 11-12 July.

Venues and times have yet to be confirmed.

The schedule for the quarter-finals, which was originally drawn on 9 March, is:

Leicester City v Chelsea
Newcastle United v Manchester City
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Norwich City v Manchester United
On Thursday it was announced that the Premier League is set to return on 17 June with two fixtures being played.

Liverpool's training return a 'massive lift' for Klopp

Jurgen Klopp admitted on Sunday that it has been a "massive lift" to see his Liverpool squad back training together as they prepare for the return of the Premier League.

The English top flight is set to restart on June 17 and teams have been able to resume group training after weeks of isolation due to the coronavirus lockdown.

It has been an especially frustrating time for Liverpool boss Klopp, whose side were two wins away from clinching the Premier League title when the season was halted because of the pandemic in March.

"We never had nine weeks without football training in our lives since we played football, pretty much. That's all different but interesting as well," Klopp told Liverpool's website.

"We enjoy the situation, that's really all good. And it makes all the difference for us, to be honest, to come together and have this hour or two here together.

"You get this contact, feedback as well on the pitch directly, not via a computer or a screen. It's a massive, massive lift."