Premier League football is poised to return after a three-month shutdown, with top-flight games in England provisionally set to resume on Wednesday, June 17.
With 92 Premier League matches of the current season remaining, Sky Sports subscribers will be able to watch 39 exclusive live games with a further 25 available more widely via Sky’s free-to-air ‘Pick’ Channel and simulcast on Sky Sports, allowing the whole nation to be part of the return of live sport.
Aston Villa vs Sheffield United and Manchester City vs Arsenal are scheduled to be the first two games when the Premier League resumes next month, with a full round of matches taking place for the first time since the restart on June 19-21.
The fixtures set to take place on June 17 were originally postponed due to the EFL Cup Final and the rearranged Manchester City vs Arsenal game was due to be broadcast live on Sky Sports before the pandemic struck. Every club will have played 29 Premier League games after those midweek matches.
This season’s remaining games are set to be played on any seven days in a week, with fans set to enjoy up to four live matches on Saturdays and Sundays.
A total of 64 live games will be on Sky Sports from the provisional restart date of June 17, with 25 of those games being made available free to air including the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool.
To celebrate the return of the Premier League, Sky Sports will also launch a host of innovative new features and updates to give fans an even more immersive experience and share the moments live with family and friends on virtual platforms.
New staggered kick-off times will be used for the remaining 92 matches.
Games on a Friday will kick off at 8pm, while on Saturday the slots will be 12.30pm, 3pm, 5.30pm and 8pm. Sunday matches will kick off at either 12pm, 2pm, 4.30pm and 7pm, with Monday games starting at 8pm.
Midweek games on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays will kick off at either 6pm or 8pm.
The plan for football to resume behind closed doors awaits the green light from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and government.
Sky Sports News understands that stage three – the return to play aspect – of the DCMS’ guidance on the return of elite sport is still being finalised.
Football in England has been suspended since March 13 following an emergency meeting between the Premier League, Football Association, the English Football League and the Women’s Super League. The last Premier League match before the shutdown was Leicester vs Aston Villa on March 9.
Thursday’s conference call was the second meeting of Premier League clubs in the last two days after they unanimously agreed to resume contact training.
There have been 12 positive results across the first three rounds of coronavirus testing at Premier League clubs. Four positive tests were announced on Wednesday evening.
Sky Sports
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