Premier League Project Restart: Return dates and TV fixture schedule for EPL, FA Cup, Champions League

Premier League clubs are working towards a restart as the whole sport battles with the coronavirus pandemic.

Elite football in England has been on pause since mid-March, with both the Champions League and Europa League following suit soon after.

Liverpool are waiting to be crowned Premier League champions for the first time, next season's European competitors must be decided and the relegation picture is far from clear.

Uefa are allowing all domestic seasons to decide their own fate, but remain hopeful of concluding both continental competitions over the summer.

Here's how both the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League hope to finish the season...

Training return

Premier League clubs will vote on proposals for a return to contact training on Wednesday.

Players and managers are to be consulted on the proposals ahead of the 20 clubs meeting as Project Restart plans continue to gather pace amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Results of the latest round of Covid-19 testing, which is taking place on Monday and Tuesday, will also be published on Wednesday.

It is expected that twice-weekly testing will continue rather than be ramped up further, and the proposals will include what to do in the event of a positive test once contact training has restarted.

Government guidelines on contact training stress the need for "meticulous, time and date sensitive, written records of player groups and interactions" to be kept to enable effective tracing should an individual test positive.

It is anticipated that clubs will gradually build up the level of contact, from 'clusters' of two to three players initially, through larger groups of four to 12 before a return to full team training, in line with Government guidance.

Premier League return

Clubs are hoping to return to action in June, though an initially mooted June 12 return is now more likely to be June 19 or June 26.

With all games set to be played behind closed doors, football bosses want fans to have access to every game. As such, no two matches will be played simultaneously in what has been dubbed a 'World Cup-style' event.

The Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the return of the Premier League "would lift the spirits of the nation" and confirmed that a behind-closed-doors return is under "active consideration" by the government.

A YouGov poll released on May 12 revealed that almost three-quarters of people would not be buoyed by the return of elite football, with just 19% "pleased" at the prospect.

Standard Sport can confirm that over half of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, opposed neutral venues, meaning a switch back to the original home-and-away schedule now looks likely.

FA chairman Greg Clarke has emphasised that the governing body would not sanction the season being voided or relegation scrapped and would use its power of veto to block any such measures.

Clubs will gather for a second meeting on Thursday, where league chief executive Richard Masters has indicated "wider issues" will be looked at.

No definitive votes are expected on the subjects of neutral venues or curtailment models, but both issues are likely to be discussed further on Thursday.

It is understood there will also be further discussions around broadcasting of matches. The Government has sought commitments from the league to widen access to the games, with them being played behind closed doors and with restrictions on households mixing still in place.

There have been eight positive results from the two rounds of testing in the Premier League so far, from 1,744 tests.

TV coverage

Sky Sports and BT Sport are understood to hold broadcasting rights to 47 of the final 92 games under their existing deal.

According to reports, both broadcasters could use their YouTube channels to air games for free, while Amazon Prime has been touted as a potential third broadcaster.

The Times reports that plans to give matches to the BBC are "very much on the table" for a free-to-air option, though another avenue is being considered which would see the BBC broadcast extra packages of highlights rather than live games.

Match of the Day is expected to dominate the BBC's broadcast schedules with three full weekends of action and four midweek rounds during June and July, plus the remaining FA Cup games which will culminate with the FA Cup final.

In the most recent shareholders' meeting, clubs were told that they would have to payback more than £350million to broadcast partners, including BT Sport and Sky Sports, even if the season resumes.

TV companies believe the product is diminished without supporters and kick-off times will be different to those previously agreed. The figure is around half the £762m clubs would have to pay back if the season is not completed.​

FA Cup

There remains eight teams left in the FA Cup as the competition was paused before the quarter-finals.

According to reports, the final seven games of the FA Cup - the four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and one final - will all be played at Wembley.

No dates have been confirmed for the matches yet, but the FA Cup final has reportedly been tentatively earmarked for August 8, though a midweek August 5 showpiece has also been mooted.

Champions League

There are 17 fixtures left in this season's Champions League campaign, with Uefa reportedly considering playing matches every three days during August.

European football's governing body hopes to resume the Champions League and Europa League knockout stages on August 7.

Games would then be played twice a week, with the semi-finals held between August 18 and 22 before the final is hosted on August 29 in Istanbul.

The next Champions League season would then start in September after a short break.

Championship

The EFL has confirmed it intends to proceed with promotion and relegation irrespective of whether the season is completed or curtailed.

But a number of clubs are holding out against a restart and Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber insists clubs - Leeds and West Brom are currently first and second - should not be promoted from the Championship at his club's expense unless the Championship season is completed.

League One and Two

League One clubs met with EFL officials recently but failed to reach a consensus on how to conclude the current season. Acknowledging the "varied views" of the respective clubs, the EFL said a "further period of reflection" will be required prior to further meetings.

In contrast, League Two clubs are moving towards ending the 2019-20 season on a points-per-game basis, with three clubs promoted, play-offs still taking place, and no relegation to the National League.

As it stands, Crewe, Swindon and Plymouth would be the promoted clubs. The EFL board will consider the implications of the League Two clubs' position when it meets on Wednesday.