MANCHESTER UNITED could be pitted against neighbours and bitter rivals Manchester City on the OPENING week of the season.
But they would only be paired as a “ghost game” which would not take place before… December.
Next term’s Prem fixtures are scheduled to be announced on Friday August 21.
Prem fixture boffins are hard at work squeezing 380 matches into an eight-month window while also being aware of FA Cup, Carabao Cup, European and international dates.
Club bosses agreed last month that the new campaign will begin in the weekend of September 12.
But both Manchester giants will be ruled out of playing on any date that weekend if they extend their delayed European campaigns.
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Fifa rules mandate a 30-day rest period between the final club game of this season and the first one of next term.
Likewise, United will not play on the opening weekend if they beat Sevilla in Sunday’s Europa League semi-final.
If City beat Lyon in their Champions League quarter-final on Saturday, it means they will play their semi-final against Barcelona or Bayern on Wednesday August 19.
Even were Pep Guardiola’s men to miss out on a place in the Lisbon final, the 30-day rule means they could not begin the 2020-21 season until September 16.
ENSURES OTHER CLUBS PLAY
This would be pushed back to September 20 if they reach the ultimate European club match.
And if those outcomes do result from this weekend’s games, the “ghost” opening weekend pairing is likely to take place.
By making the Manchester clubs nominal first weekend opponents – in the knowledge that the games will not be taking place – Prem chiefs will be able to guarantee that the other 18 clubs CAN all play.
If City and United were not paired, and due to play other sides, it would mean those two teams sitting out the first weekend and only eight matches being played.
This would mean two clubs being a game behind at the outset of a campaign that could still be disrupted by a second wave of Covid-19.
TV MONEY DELAY
Normally, Prem bosses want teams to “catch up” missing matches as soon as possible.
But with the group stages of the Champions League taking place for six out of eight straight midweeks between October 20 and December 9, either side of the November international break, the overdue game would be unlikely to be rescheduled before the final month of the year.
The extra time the two clubs will get is the second boost ahead of the new campaign.
As SunSport reported, Premier League clubs are to share an extra £170m for this season – after clubs delayed paying off the Covid-19 TV rebate.
Domestic and overseas broadcasters forced Prem clubs to agree to a repayment of around £330m for the three-month shutdown.
This was despite the League resuming in June and being completed last month.
It was initially anticipated that £170m would have to be paid from this season’s planned income, a significant blow to clubs who face starting next term behind closed doors.
While the money is still due to be paid, the 20 clubs voted not to claw back any cash for this term.
Instead, repayments will now be paid over the next two seasons.
