After the longest of Premier League seasons? Potentially the shortest.
Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for the league title when winning in a season which lasted almost 12 months, and it means they could start their defence in a matter of weeks.
Meanwhile, Leeds United will be preparing for a first season back in the top-tier since 2003-04, but how long does Marcelo Bielsa have to plan for this long-awaited return?
Here’s everything we know about the 2020-21 campaign so far…
When will the Premier League start?
With the 2019-20 season finishing more than two months later than planned, the start of the 2020-21 campaign has been pushed back.
Originally scheduled for 8 August, the Premier League is expected to decide between the weekend of 29-30 August or 12-13 September.
Those two dates come either side of a weekend of international fixtures, meaning managers could lose players in the build-up to, or immediately after, their first Premier League match back.
The international break runs from 3-8 September, with UEFA Nations League matches scheduled to take place across Europe.
When will the Premier League finish?
There is no confirmed date for the final day of the season, traditionally a Sunday, but with the postponed Euro 2020 scheduled to start on 11 June, 2021, national team managers will be hoping for several weeks with their players before the tournament begins.
A finish in the first half of May is almost certain, meaning clubs must prepare for a curtailed campaign given it will be starting late.
This factor could see the five-substitution rule remain in place for next season, with the Premier League yet to finalise their decision after FIFA granted an extension of the rule until the end of 2020-21.
“Some competitions which resumed in 2020 may have a shorter-than-usual recovery/preparation period before the start of their next season,” FIFA said.
“For many competitions, the 2020-21 season will involve matches being played in a condensed period due to a delayed start and the inability to end later than usual because of major international tournaments.”
Which clubs will be in the Premier League?
There are two places to be finalised, with one of Aston Villa, Watford or Bournemouth set to stay up and avoid relegation, while one of Brentford, Fulham, Cardiff City or Nottingham Forest will be promoted from the Championship via the play-offs.
- Arsenal
- Brighton
- Burnley
- Chelsea
- Crystal Palace
- Everton
- Leeds United
- Leicester City
- Liverpool
- Manchester City
- Manchester United
- Newcastle United
- Sheffield United
- Southampton
- Tottenham
- West Brom
- West Ham
- Wolverhampton Wanderers
- TBD: Aston Villa or Bournemouth or Watford
- TBD: Brentford or Fulham or Cardiff City or Swansea City
Premier League on TV
Following the three-month break due to coronavirus, every remaining Premier League match was made available to watch through Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime or BBC with all games taking place behind closed doors.
However, despite grounds not expecting full capacities any time soon, this special agreement is not expected to be extended into next season, with broadcasters reverting to the three-year package agreed back in 2019.
That means Sky Sports is set to show 128 live Premier League games, BT Sport to broadcast 52 matches, while Amazon will stream 20. BBC will not show live matches as it stands, but Match of the Day will continue to show highlights until at least the 2021-22 season.
Follow i sport on Facebook for the latest Premier League news, interviews and features
More on the Premier League
- Transfer window: 8 players who could be on the move this summer
- What the overturned Champions League ban means for Man City’s rivals
- Kevin Garside: Man City’s attention should now turn to Europe… with hope of becoming Liverpool 2019
- Leicester’s Morgan reveals PL plans on taking a knee for rest of the campaign and beyond
- From world-beater at Liverpool to a failure at Barça, Newcastle may be Coutinho’s only hope
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/30Uzi1t
Post a Comment