THE Premier League is set to return on Wednesday 17 June and will be completed by August.
Manchester City will host Arsenal while Aston Villa take on Sheffield United in the first games back after the break.
Arsenal will face Pep Guardiola’s side when the league resumesCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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Plans were in place for the season to resume on Friday 19 June, but both the Telegraph and BBC claim that has been scrapped in favour of an earlier return.
The two matches played on the Wednesday will put all of the clubs in the league level on 29 games played.
One match is then expected to be played on the Friday before a full round of fixtures across the weekend.
Premier League bosses want the season to be concluded by the weekend of August 1 and 2.
Talks were held between the 20 top-flight clubs today to decide the best way to complete the outstanding 92 fixtures amid the coronavirus crisis.
The initial proposed date for the Premier League to return was Friday June 12.
But this has been pushed back as players need more time to regain fitness after being stuck in lockdown.
Premier League clubs have now unanimously voted to resume contact training as they prepare for football to return.
Every player and staff member from each club will be tested for coronavirus before being granted permission to train.
Following tests carried out this week, four people from three clubs tested positive for Covid-19.
SKY’S THE LIMIT
The announcement comes after Sky Sports gave fans hope by announcing they could end their freezing period on June 19.
Customers were able to pause their subscription when the league was suspended due to the global pandemic.
But with football finally on the horizon, fans will be able to tune in to watch their team in action.
It has been reported Premier League bosses could adopt Champions League-style kick-off times.
If games were to kick off at 6pm and 8pm, this would mean fans could watch two games in one evening.
SunSport also revealed that Amazon are in talks with the top-flight to land more matches including the Saturday 3pm kick-offs.
As things stand, Liverpool need just two wins to secure their first title in 30 years while Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Norwich are in the relegation zone.
Arsenal fans are already fearing the worst after finding out they will face last year’s champions in the first game back.
One fan tweeted: “Manchester City away up first for Arsenal, is it? This lockdown ain’t too bad, you know.”
Another supporter sarcastically joked: “Hey, you know what would be fun and no pressure… Arsenal away to Man City in a must win game.”
Manchester City are the defending Premier League championsCredit: Reuters
Manchester City are in training ahead of their match against the GunnersCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Premier League stars have been training in small groups this weekCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
