Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow
has urged fans not to congregate at Villa Park ahead of the Premier
League’s restart on Wednesday.
The remaining games of the 2019/20 season will be broadcast on television to deter fans from going to stadiums, with all matches to be played behind closed doors.
The Premier League makes its eagerly
anticipated return on Wednesday after 100 days in lockdown, with
Manchester City’s clash against Arsenal taking centre stage at the start
of a frenetic dash to finish the season.
Coronavirus restrictions
mean the drama will be played out with no fans in the stands but
football-starved supporters will be able to feast on 92 televised games
crammed into less than six weeks.
Real Madrid and Barcelona will have tougher
tests to come but emphatic victories on their return to action at the
weekend suggest there may not be much margin for error in what is left
of LaLiga’s title race.
Both performances erased fears that had arisen during the three-month suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, which saw La Liga go without competitive matches for 93 days.
Madrid looked comfortable in their new home
at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium – part of their training complex –
while Lionel Messi looked fit, with no sign of the tightness in his
thigh that was bothering him earlier this month.
Barcelona coach Quique Setien has not yet decided whether their Uruguay striker Luis Suarez is ready to return to the starting line-up when they host Leganes in La Liga on Tuesday.
Setien
started Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and February recruit Martin
Braithwaite in the 4-0 win at Real Mallorca over the weekend while
Suarez, who was fit again after injury, came off the bench for a
30-minute cameo in the second half.
“I’ve not decided if Luis Suarez will start
tomorrow, I have to talk to him,” Setien told reporters in a virtual
news conference on Monday. “We have to be very cautious, it’s normal to
have muscular injuries after a long injury layoff.
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has
pledged to keep fighting until no child in Britain goes hungry after
helping raise around £20 million for charity during the coronavirus
lockdown.
The 22-year-old England star teamed up with FareShare,
an organisation that distributes food to nearly 11 000 frontline
charities and community groups.
“I have amazing news!” he tweeted. “We had a goal that by end of June we would be able to supply 3 million meals to vulnerable people across the UK.
“Today we have met the financial goal to provide these meals. Thank you all so much for the support.”
Rashford,
named the fifth most valuable player in Europe this week, said he was
celebrating the success but had no intention of stopping.
“Trust me when I say, I will keep fighting until no child in the UK has to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
“This is England in 2020 and families need help.”
Probable Lineups
Hoffenheim
Croatia World Cup striker Andrej Kramaric could return to the squad after shaking off a nagging ankle problem, while fellow attacker Sargis Adamyan is also battling an ankle injury.
Benjamin Hübner is suspended again after his dismissal last weekend. Ermin Bicakcic could slot into defence.
Jacob Bruun Larsen, signed from Borussia Dortmund, has problems with his adductors, as does Florian Grillitsch.
Probable Lineups
Sevilla
Oliver Torres and Fernando are both available after missing Sevilla’s last LaLiga involvement months ago through suspension.
The Brazilian should anchor the midfield, while Nemanja Gudelj sits the first game back out due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Lucas Ocampos has been carrying a minor adductor problem, but should be fit to start on the left-hand side of the attack.
Real Betis
Juanmi is the only player that Rubi is missing for the LaLiga restart, with Betis otherwise having a full complement.
Probable Lineups
The Premier League season is set to restart on 17 June with Aston Villa v Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal, the BBC has learned.
The matches are the two games in hand.
