2020-21 Premier League provisional start date may mean Man United, Man City & Chelsea only have 2 weeks off
2020-21 Premier League provisional start date
The Premier League confirmed last week the plans to restart the 2019-20 season on June 17.
That decision was settled after all 20 Premier League clubs agreed on the new timetable to finish the season.
OFFICIAL: THE PREMIER LEAGUE WILL RESUME ON JUNE 17 🚨 pic.twitter.com/tWDoqC54De
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 28, 2020
Once the football restarts, the action is set to be non-stop.
Aside from the Premier League, the Championship season is also likely to play to a finish, League One are scheduled to have their playoffs, while plans have also been made to complete this season’s FA Cup.
Moreover, it’s been confirmed in the Sunday Times, that the provisional start date for the 2020-21 Premier League season is August 22, or perhaps a week later on August 29.
August 22 or August 29: What’s next?
On locking down the exact provisional start date for next season, more clarity should be forthcoming next week. The Sunday Times report:
The next Premier League meeting, on Thursday, is expected to include talks about 2020-21, while other suggestions being put to owners and executives include abandoning the winter break and opening the transfer window for a 12-week period from August until the end of October.
However, these talks could prove far trickier than some may assume.
That’s because the Premier League need to finalise their timetable to align with UEFA’s competitions and the international football schedule. The Sunday Times continue:
Agreeing a plan for 2020-21 might prove just as contentious. A deadline of starting that campaign by September 12 has already been put to clubs.
The logic of proposals to start even sooner comes from the sheer amount of football that needs to be packed into 2020-21, which includes World Cup qualifying games, Nations League matches, a European Championship in June-July 2021 and Uefa club competitions that will be starting later than normal.
However, starting on August 22 or even August 29 – while it might please broadcasters – comes with significant headaches, the principal one being that the 2019-20 Champions League is not due to complete until August, with the final slated for those same dates.
To be clear, the final of this season’s Champions League is currently pencilled in for August 29.
August 25 is the date set aside for the Europa League final.
Man United, Man City, Chelsea & Wolves only have 2 weeks off for their summer holidays
The vast amount of football which needs to be played to sync up all of the various competitions may prove tough going for some Premier League footballers.
According to the Sunday Times, Premier League footballers may only receive two weeks off this summer to recharge before the 2020-21 season begins.
And, for teams like Man United, Chelsea, Man City and Wolves, who are still in UEFA’s European competitions, the fixture schedule could be even more intense. The Sunday Times note:
Among the most squeezed players could be those at Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, who are still in the FA Cup and European competitions, while Wolves are also still in the Europa League.
In the Champions League, Chelsea are still in the hat. Just.
Chelsea need to travel to Germany for the second leg of their last-16 tie against Bayern Munich.
Bayern are in total control of the tie after a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Man City, meanwhile, are in far better shape in the Champions League following a 2-1 away win at Real Madrid.
In the Europa League, both Man United and Wolves are on course to reach the quarter-finals.
Man United are 5-0 up in their tie with LASK Linz, while Wolves drew 1-1 away at Olympiacos in their last-16 tie.
As for the FA Cup, the remaining fixtures are as follows:
– Leicester City vs Chelsea
– Newcastle United vs Manchester City
– Sheffield United vs Arsenal
– Norwich City vs Manchester United
Note: Liverpool may have 7 weeks off
There are no winners in the current Covid-19 pandemic, however, in the context of scheduling, Liverpool may breathe a sigh of relief.
Unlike the Manchester clubs, Chelsea and Wolves, Liverpool aren’t in the Champions League or the FA Cup.
Accordingly, if the Reds finish their season on July 25, and if the 2020-21 season begins on September 12, Jurgen Klopp’s men will have 7-weeks off this summer.
Of course, Liverpool only need two more wins to be confirmed at the Premier League champions.
While we’ve also confirmed this weekend, that the Premier League are changing their rules regarding ‘weakened squads’, which could allow Liverpool to rest even more of their first team squad once they wrap up the title.
Official: FA Cup quarter-finals rescheduled for weekend of June 27-28.
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