Great news that everyone’s been waiting for finally! The Premier League’s set to restart on 17 June with Aston Villa v Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal, subject to government approval.
After the first two matches, a full round of fixtures would then be played on the weekend of 19-21 June.
With 92 matches still to play, the first to take place will be those the four teams involved have in hand.
Understandably all matches will be played behind closed doors and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport or Amazon Prime.
That notwithstanding, BBC Sport will also be airing four live matches for the first time since the Premier League’s inception in 1992.
Sky Sports will be airing 64 matches live and making 25 available free to air.
Meanwhile safety guidelines are yet to be issued by the government and decisions will remain subject to the continuing fight against coronavirus.
Kick-off times will be as follows (all times BST):
- Friday: 20:00
- Saturday: 12:30, 15:00, 17:30 and 20:00
- Sunday: 12:00, 14:00, 16:30 and 19:00
- Monday: 20:00
- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 18:00 and 20:00
It is understood that finishing the season would require six weekends and three midweek rounds.
“The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters,” Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said.
“It is important to ensure as many people as possible can watch the matches at home.”
Masters added that the resumption date would not be confirmed “until we have met all the safety requirements needed”.
Home and away matches are most likely for the vast majority of games – with a few high-profile games at neutral venues at the request of the police although a number of clubs have expressed their opposition to the concept of using neutral grounds, including Brighton, West Ham and Crystal Palace.
On Wednesday, clubs unanimously voted to resume contact training, having started non-contact training last week.
To date, 12 people have tested positive for coronavirus after 2,752 tests across the league.
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.
The Reds, chasing a first league title in 30 years, could clinch it with victory in their first game back should second-placed Manchester City lose to Arsenal.