Premier League managers are unlikely to be overly pleased with the Christmas fixture list after the full bill of televised games was released on Thursday.
The coronavirus outbreak that had already forced a delayed start to the 2020-21 season is currently surging in a second wave, making for a few strained weeks over the Christmas period for players and coaches alike.
Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon and the BBC all have UK broadcasting rights to the Premier League this season and will split the televised games between them.
This will continue over the Christmas period, but organisers have had the added headache of ensuring the majority of games will be played at individual kick-off times.
The busy December schedule sees Tottenham face Arsenal on 6 December and Manchester United host Manchester City a week later on 12 December.
Come Boxing Day, Arsenal welcome Chelsea to the Emirates, with clubs playing three games in the week after Christmas Day.
The exact schedule for the New Year fixtures is yet to be released, while the December batch revealed on Thursday features to entire Gameweeks which will be shown exclusively on Amazon.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp – who has been vocal about English football’s festive fixture congestion in previous years when there wasn’t a global pandemic – fired a first shot across the bows last weekend when discussing December and squad management.
“It’s really difficult for the players, that’s what is difficult – the rest is just a decision on a desk in an office,” Klopp said.
“If we keep playing Wednesday and Saturday at 12.30pm, I’m not sure if you’ll finish the season with 11 players. All the top six are the same, but I know you (the broadcasters) don’t care, and that’s the problem.”
Klopp, along with fellow top-flight managers Pep Guardiola and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, are among those calling for the reintroduction to five substitutes in games for the rest of the season.
Five subs were available in the summer during Project Restart amid fears players would suffer more injuries in the final stages of the elongated season due to a lack of fitness and start turnaround of games.
Premier League televised festive fixtures
Gameweek 11
- Aston Villa vs Newcastle Utd – 4 Dec, 8pm on Sky Sports
- Burnley vs Everton – 5 Dec, 12.30pm on BT Sport
- Man City vs Fulham – 5 Dec, 3pm on BT Sport
- West Ham Utd vs Man Utd – 5 Dec, 5.30pm on Sky Sports
- Chelsea vs Leeds Utd – 5 Dec, 8pm on Sky Sports
- West Brom vs Crystal Palace – 6 Dec, 12pm on Sky Sports
- Sheffield Utd vs Leicester City – 6 Dec, 2.15pm on Sky Sports
- Spurs vs Arsenal – 6 Dec, 4.30pm on Sky Sports
- Liverpool vs Wolves – 6 Dec, 7.15pm on Amazon
- Brighton vs Southampton – 7 Dec, 8pm on Sky Sports
Gameweek 12
- Leeds Utd vs West Ham Utd – 11 Dec, 8pm on Sky Sports
- Wolves vs Aston Villa – 12 Dec, 12.30pm on BT Sport
- Newcastle Utd vs West Brom – 12 Dec, 3pm on Sky Sports
- Man Utd vs Man City – 12 Dec, 5.30pm on Sky Sports
- Everton vs Chelsea – 12 Dec, 8pm on BT Sport
- Southampton vs Sheffield Utd – 13 Dec, 12pm on Sky Sports
- Crystal Palace vs Spurs- 13 Dec, 2.15pm on Sky Sports
- Fulham vs Liverpool – 13 Dec, 4.30pm on Sky Sports
- Arsenal vs Burnley – 13 Dec, 7.15pm on Sky Sports
- Leicester City vs Brighton – 13 Dec, 7.15pm on Amazon
Gameweek 13 (All on Amazon)
- Wolves vs Chelsea – 15 Dec, 6pm
- Man City vs West Brom – 15 Dec, 8pm
- Arsenal vs Southampton – 16 Dec, 6pm
- Leicester City vs Everton – 16 Dec, 6pm
- Leeds Utd vs Newcastle Utd – 16 Dec, 6pm
- West Ham Utd vs Crystal Palace – 16 Dec, 8pm
- Fulham vs Brighton – 16 Dec, 8pm
- Liverpool vs Spurs – 16 Dec, 8pm
- Aston Villa vs Burnley – 17 Dec, 6pm
- Sheffield Utd vs Man Utd – 17 Dec, 8pm
Gameweek 14
- Crystal Palace vs Liverpool – 19 Dec, 12.30pm on BT Sport
- Southampton vs Man City – 19 Dec, 3pm on Amazon
- Everton vs Arsenal – 19 Dec, 5.30pm on Sky Sports
- Newcastle Utd vs Fulham – 19 Dec, 8pm on Sky Sports
- Brighton vs Sheffield Utd – 20 Dec, 12pm on Sky Sports
- Spurs vs Leicester City – 20 Dec, 2.15pm on Sky Sports
- Man Utd vs Leeds Utd – 20 Dec, 4.30pm on Sky Sports
- West Brom vs Aston Villa – 20 Dec, 7.15pm on BT Sport
- Burnley vs Wolves – 21 Dec, 5.30pm on Sky Sports
- Chelsea vs West Ham Utd – 21 Dec, 8pm on Sky Sports
Gameweek 15
- Leicester City vs Man Utd – 26 Dec, 12.30pm on BT Sport
- Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace – 26 Dec, 3pm on BBC
- Fulham v Southampton – 26 Dec, 3pm on Sky Sports
- Arsenal vs Chelsea – 26 Dec, 5.30pm on Sky Sports
- Man City vs Newcastle Utd – 26 Dec, 8pm on BT Sport
- Sheffield Utd vs Everton – 26 Dec, 8pm on BT Sport
- Leeds Utd vs Burnley – 27 Dec, 12pm on Sky Sports
- West Ham Utd vs Brighton – 27 Dec, 2.15pm on Sky Sports
- Liverpool vs West Brom – 27 Dec, 4.30pm on Sky Sports
- Wolves vs Spurs – 27 Dec, 7.15pm on Sky Sports
Gameweek 16 (All on Amazon)
- Crystal Palace vs Leicester City – 28 Dec, 3pm
- Chelsea vs Aston Villa – 28 Dec, 5.30pm
- Everton vs Man City – 28 Dec, 8pm
- Southampton vs West Ham Utd – 29 Dec, 6pm
- Brighton vs Arsenal – 29 Dec, 6pm
- West Brom vs Leeds Utd – 29 Dec, 6pm
- Burnley vs Sheffield Utd – 29 Dec, 6pm
- Man Utd vs Wolves – 29 Dec, 8pm
- Spurs vs Fulham – 30 Dec, 6pm
- Newcastle Utd vs Liverpool – 30 Dec, 8pm
Will fans be back in stadiums for Christmas?
The government’s announcement that England will move into a tiered system once the national lockdown ends of 2 December also means some football clubs will be allowed to permit fans back into stadiums.
Clubs with grounds in Tier 1 restrictions will be able to admit up to 4,000 spectators at home games from the start of December. This is reduced to 2,000 for Tier 2, while Tier 3 areas cannot permit supporters at sporting events.
Yet a number of Premier League clubs are yet to announce their plans for admitting supporters once they know their local tier. It is expected that most allocations in the top flight will be covered by season ticket holders or club members, with a low likelihood of any Premier League match tickets going on general sale.
Follow i sport on Facebook for more Premier League news, interviews and features
More on the Premier League
- Sam Johnstone tells Sam Cunningham why he is finally ready to become a Premier League star
- The making of Timo Werner: How his father’s motivation and ‘scary’ power meant Chelsea star was always destined for the top
- Eric Dier reveals why he stormed into the stands to confront an abusive Spurs fan
- Daniel Storey: How to lose supporters and alienate Messi, by FC Barcelona
- An apology to Man Utd’s Jesse Lingard
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2Jfwx5s
Post a Comment