Enduring three months of no Premier League football at a time when, well, there should have been Premier League football?

Completed it, mate.

Following Mikel Arteta’s positive coronavirus test on March 12, the Premier League were quick to grind action to an unprecedented halt. And that’s how its remained since.

But as I sit here today on May 28 – now my favourite day in the football calendar – I can, with my widest grin on my face, say we’re just 20 days away from the English top-flight’s return.

And while the Premier League can’t advertise a thrilling title race to conclude the campaign like the Bundesliga – which quickly evaporated, by the way – the race for European places and fight for survival are set to be contested until the very end.

So, with 92 games still to be played, here are a pick of the clashes to watch out for when Premier League football returns.

While this one doesn’t really have any implications on, well, anything – City are destined for a comfortable second-place finish, while Arsenal, down in ninth, are an outsider for a Champions League spot – it’s set to be, alongside Aston Villa vs Sheffield United, the first fixture back.

An Arsenal victory would not only thrust the Gunners back into European contention, a win for Liverpool in the Merseyside derby against Everton in their first game back would also see Jurgen Klopp’s Reds claim the title. Just like that.

Nevertheless, this ‘master vs apprentice’ clash proves to be an intriguing tactical battle as Arteta takes on mentor Pep Guardiola for the very first time in management.

The three-month hiatus has thrown Jose Mourinho’s once crumbling Tottenham right back into the mix.

Harry Kane, Steven Bergwijn, Son Heung-min and Moussa Sissoko are all back from long-term injuries, as Mourinho’s men looked destined for a late season resurgence amid the Portuguese boss’ best efforts to build a cohesive unit during the break.

The Lilywhites’ first game back will likely be against Mourinho’s former club and competitive rivals Manchester United. The Red Devils have been remarkably effective in the ‘big’ games this season as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s well-structured 5-2-1-2 has often thwarted opponents and turned United into a efficient counter-attacking machine.

I’m sure the Red Devil faithful will be desperate to see Paul Pogba saunter around in this one as well.

Who would’ve foreshadowed this clash having a say in the race for the Europa League places, let alone the Champions League?!

Chris Wilder’s Blades have unequivocally been the story of the season, taking the mantle from Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves, who similarly took the top-flight by storm during their return last season.

Both these sides currently sit on 43 points, just two points adrift of United in fifth (the potential final Champions League spot), and the pair will be hopeful they’re still in contention for an unthinkable qualification by the time they meet at Bramall Lane on matchday 34.

If that’s the case, expect this one to be a cracker between two fantastically coached sides.

The first north London derby at the Lilywhites’ swanky new stadium. This is one you won’t want to miss.

This is a derby which has brought unrivalled entertainment in recent years; from comebacks, controversy, goals (and a lot of ’em) and endless Twitter feuds; Tottenham vs Arsenal rarely disappoints.

Hopefully, the behind closed doors environment doesn’t inhibit too much of the drama, as both managers oversee their maiden north London derbies.

Although Nigel Pearson’s new manager bounce fizzled out somewhat before the break, Watford nonetheless transformed into the ‘people’s outfit’ with a 3-0 victory over Liverpool to grind the Reds’ unbeaten Premier League campaign to shuddering halt.

After looking destined for the drop for much of the first-half of the season, the back-to-basics approach by the former Leicester boss has had a profound effect on this Watford squad. The Hornets currently sit 17th in the table, level on points with Bournemouth and future opponents West Ham.

David Moyes’ appointment hasn’t exactly been a season-changer for the Hammers following the dismissal of Manuel Pellegrini in December. The east Londoners had won just one of their previous nine in the league before global pandemics came about.

Nevertheless, when these two collide at in the third from last matchday, it will likely have huge ramifications in the race for survival. But surely these two are too talented to go down? Surely?

Despite the best efforts of a deadly virus, Liverpool will lift the Premier League title at some point this summer.

And presuming the Reds don’t endure the most impossible of collapses, that time will arrive on the penultimate matchday – likely at the end of July – when they host Chelsea in their final home game of the campaign.

As well as being a title-party for the red half of Merseyside, this one could also hold some significance in the race for the Champions League spots. Frank Lampard’s young guns currently occupy fourth spot, five points clear of United in fifth, but are set to face a fierce late charge from their challengers.

Prepare yourself for another Jordan Henderson trophy lift, people.

Let’

After being suspended back in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the question of when the Premier League would return has been debated by football fans for several months.

Now, after a painfully long absence, top flight football in England is set to return in June with each and every one of the remaining 92 games set to be broadcasted live.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Premier League’s imminent resumption.

The restart will kick off on Wednesday 17 June with Aston Villa hosting Sheffield United and Manchester City at home to Arsenal. These two games were rearranged earlier in the season due to the EFL Cup final.

These pair of matches will be followed up with a full round of fixtures the following weekend beginning of Friday 19 June.

All 92 remaining fixtures will be shown live by the Premier League’s existing broadcast partners: Sky Sport, BT Sport, BBC Sport and Amazon Prime.

Games will also adhered to a revised schedule with fixtures being played on all days of the week.

Friday games will kick of at 20:00, while weekend games will feature four different time slots to avoid clashes – with football being broadcast from 12:30 to 20:00 on Saturday and 12:00 to 19:00 on Sunday.

Midweek kick off times have similarly been altered with games being shown at 18:00 or 20:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

There are 92 games left all together. Most sides have nine matches left to play but the aforementioned quartet of teams that had matches rearranged earlier in the season have ten remaining fixtures.

According to reports, the Premier League hope to have to have the campaign sewn up by August 1 with the FA Cup final taking place one week after.

Prior to football enforced break the next full round of fixtures in the Premier League look set to throw up some exciting contests.

Watford were planning to host Leicester, while fellow strugglers Bournemouth were at home to Crystal Palace. Brighton on the other hand were taking on Arsenal while Norwich were up against Southampton.

The Merseyside derby was also on the docket as well as Manchester City vs Burnley, Newcastle United vs Sheffield United, Aston Villa vs Chelsea, West Ham vs Wolves and the headline act, Tottenham vs Manchester United.

Assuming their are no changes to scheduling this will be the first full round of fixtures that will kick off on June 19, a few days after the curtain raising matches of Manchester City vs Arsenal and Aston Villa vs Sheffield United.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters unveiled the plans in a statement published on the the division’s official website.

“Today we have provisionally agreed to resume the Premier League on Wednesday 17 June,” he said.

“But this date cannot be confirmed until we have met all the safety requirements needed, as the health and welfare of all participants and supporters is our priority.

“Sadly, matches will have to take place without fans in stadiums, so we are pleased to have come up with a positive solution for supporters to be able to watch all the remaining 92 matches.

“The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters. It is important to ensure as many people as possible can watch the matches at home.

“We will continue to work step-by-step and in consultation with all our stakeholders as we move towards resuming the 2019/20 season.”

Let’

The Premier League is set to return on Wednesday 17 June, with Aston Villa hosting Sheffield United and Manchester City at home to Arsenal, according to a report.

The 2019/2020 campaign was brought to a screeching halt back in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, while ‘Project Restart’ has been ramped up in recent days with clubs approving a return to full contact training on Wednesday.

Throughout the crisis, Premier League sides has kept in dialogue and at their most recent meeting on Thursday a consensus over the exact return date of top flight English football appears to have been reached.

As reported by the Telegraph, action will resume on 17 June with City vs Arsenal the headline act.

Villa will also take on Chris Wilder’s side in a game that could have significant implications at the bottom of the table.

The season should then be completed by 1 August with the FA Cup final scheduled to take place one week later. These dates line up with UEFA’s plans to have the Champions League sewn up by the start of September.

As well as agreeing a resumption date, clubs also discussed the contentious issue of where games will be staged.

Meanwhile, the police have told the Premier League that they are happy for the majority of matches to be played at their original venues – though some ‘high-profile’ fixtures could be moved to neutral grounds (via Daily Mail).

Concerns have previously been raised over the possibility of fans congregating outside empty stadiums – breaking social distancing protocol in the process. The mayor of Liverpool caused controversy when he suggested that Reds supporters would be likely to do this if Jurgen Klopp’s side secured the club’s maiden Premier League title.

Despite these concerns, the police are content for the vast majority matches to be played at their original venues with only ‘high-profile’ games being considered for neutral venues. The Bundesliga – which returned earlier this month – have experienced no such issues with fans respecting social distancing regulations and staying away from stadiums.

Watch the Premier League on BT Sport and Sky Sports in the UK and Fubo.tv in the US.

Let’

The resumption of the 2019/20 Premier League season has moved a step closer, with play now expected to return over the weekend of 19th/20th June.

Play has been halted in the Premier League since March due to the coronavirus, and while other leagues in Europe have decided to cancel their seasons, authorities in England have continued to stress their desire to complete the 2019/20 campaign.

Players recently returned to small group training in what was the first step towards the resumption of the season. And in a vote on Wednesday, all 20 top flight clubs agreed to return to full contact training.

A number of dates have been suggested with regards to the restart of the season, ranging from 12 June to 26 June, but Simon Stone of BBC Sport has now reported that 19 June and 20 June are the two dates being ‘mentioned’.

16 teams have nine matches left to play, while the remaining four still have ten games to go. Should the season resume on these dates, this would allow seven weekends as well as six midweek slots for a round of fixtures to be played.

Three FA Cup rounds of fixtures would also need to be fitted into the schedule during this time, and the plan would be to complete these games before the planned restart of European football in the first week of August.

However, Stone further added that no final decision has yet been made and it is still at a ‘discussion’ stage. There is another meeting on Thursday between Premier League clubs and, in this, a firm date is expected to be set, while the fixture schedule will also be discussed.

Moreover, the Premier League are also said to be keen to see the 2020/21 campaign begin in the middle of September, placing even further pressure on players and clubs.

Let’

Transfer deadline day is, rightly or wrongly, one of the most hotly-anticipated events in the football calendar. And for many supporters, it represents 24 hours of chaos, panic and excitement.

But this special day is far from the forefront of our minds at the moment, as we continue to struggle on without the Premier League and the majority of European football.

The football calendar may have come to a halt, but officials behind the scenes are working to try to find a suitable solution to the confusion and uncertainty that surrounds the remainder of the 2019/20 season, and the following campaign too.

And one of the hot topics of conversation is the summer transfer window, and how the Premier League will fit it around their plans to finish and then begin the current and subsequent season. But a plan has been formulated – and 90min is on hand to lay out all the important details for you to check out below.

Yep, this is the question on everyone’s lips. If we’re going to finish our current season as quickly and safely as possible, and then start another campaign immediately after, where will we find the time to dip into the transfer market?

Well, the current opening date for the transfer window is June 10, but that is set to be moved by the Premier League. The Daily Mail reports that provided that the 2019/20 campaign is completed before the end of August, and with the premise that the 2020/21 season will kick off in September, the Premier League wants to open the window on Thursday September 3.

This idea has been put to club executives, who will then take a vote and decide on the best course of action.

Not only did the Premier League produce a potential opening date, but they also factored in a possible closure of the transfer window, too.

The plan is for the summer transfer window to last for around a month, slamming shut in typically dramatic fashion on Monday October 5.

Premier League teams suffered last season after they closed their domestic transfer market earlier than the rest of Europe, resulting in clubs losing – and subsequently failing to replace – some of their top assets.

And this nightmare could be a possibility this season, as FIFA are prepared to allow all individual football associations the freedom to pick their own dates for the transfer window – meaning it could be a free-for-all over a chaotic summer.

The likelihood is that the transfer window will be far less active than usual, given the lack of certainty surrounding the current state of affairs in and outside of the world of sport. But even if the amount of money changing hands will be far less considerable than the normal hundreds of millions, teams may not be satisfied with only having a month to do their business.

Players’ agents will be desperate for an extended window, and they may even push for a super-transfer window, which could run through until as late as January. We may yet see Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho plying his trade in the Premier League in the 2020/21 campaign.

Let’