2020-21 Premier League fixtures announced

The Premier League 2020-21 season is all set to kick off during the weekend of September 12. And before then, the fixtures of the campaign have been finalised.

The reigning Premier League champions Liverpool will take on Championship winners Leeds United in the opening game of the upcoming season.

On the other hand, Championship play-off winners Fulham will play against Arsenal at home. West Bromwich Albion, the third side to be promoted, will face Leicester City.

Although the fixtures have been announced, there would be a slight change in the schedule, especially for the games between Manchester City and Aston Villa, as well as Burnley and Manchester United.

Those two games were initially planned to be played during the opening weekend of the league. It has now been decided that the matches will not be played in order to give City and United at least 30 days of leisure since their last appearances in European competitions.

Last week, the Sky Blues faced defeat in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, while the Red Devils lost in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League.

Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers' both faced a slightly earlier exit from the European competitions. As a result, according to BBC, their opening matches are scheduled for September 14. The Blues will travel to Brighton, while Wolves will visit Sheffield United.

Among the other matches scheduled for the opening weekend are between Crystal Palace and Southampton as well as Tottenham Hotspur and Everton. West Ham United and Newcastle United will also take on each other during the opening weekend.

As of now, the exact kick-off times are yet to be confirmed. The confirmation has to wait until the television selections are made. Due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, all matches will be played behind closed doors until the situation comes under control.

Back in March, due to the unprecedented growth of virus-related deaths, sporting leagues around the world and Europe were halted. As a result, a lot of valuable time has been lost. Consequently, teams didn't get as much rest between the two seasons as they usually get every year.

When the Premier League 2019-20 season resumed, Liverpool was crowned champions for the first time in 30 years. As of now, they are yet to lose a home game in the league since their 1-3 defeat to Crystal Palace in April 2017.

The Reds will face Chelsea in their second game of the 2020 campaign at Stamford Bridge. Then, they will host Arsenal in their third game.