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EPL 2020/21 fixtures: Liverpool host Leeds on opening weekend, Man City, Man United given late start

By Mutala Yakubu
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Premier League champions Liverpool will face newly-promoted Leeds United on the opening weekend of the 2020/21 season but both Manchester City and Manchester United will sit out the first round of fixtures.

It's a mouth-watering start to life back in the top flight for Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds, with their trip to Anfield on Saturday September 12, while fellow Premier League new boys Fulham host Arsenal in an opening weekend London derby and West Brom take on Leicester City at the Hawthorns.

However, Manchester City v Aston Villa and Burnley v Manchester United have been postponed to allow City and United extra time to recover from their recent European campaigns, which finished last weekend, just four weeks before the 2020/21 Premier League season begins.

Instead, Manchester City's first game will be at Wolves on September 19, while Manchester United play Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on that same weekend.

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There are also delays for Chelsea, who travel to Brighton, and Wolves, who begin with a trip to Sheffield United, because of their European involvement, which ended around a week earlier than the Manchester clubs. Those fixtures will take place on Monday September 14.

Elsewhere on the opening weekend, Crystal Palace take on Southampton at Selhurst Park, Tottenham host Everton and West Ham face Newcastle at the London Stadium.

Liverpool face an intriguing start to their title defence. After that exciting opener with Leeds, their next fixtures are Chelsea away, Arsenal at home and Aston Villa away before a Merseyside derby with Everton at Goodison Park on October 17. Their first showdown with Manchester City comes on the weekend of November 7.

It's a tough start for FA Cup holders Arsenal, too, with some testing away days early in the season. After a trip to Fulham on the opening weekend, their next away games are against Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Leeds and then north London rivals Tottenham on December 5.

Having both sat out the opening weekend, Man City and Manchester United will clash in Manchester derbies scheduled for the weekend of December 12 and March 6. United's first meeting with fierce rivals Liverpool comes on January 16 at Anfield, with the return fixture at Old Trafford their fifth-from-last on May 1.

Chelsea will travel to Liverpool on the second weekend of the season and will play at Manchester United at the end of October following a second international break. Frank Lampard's side have also been given a headline-grabbing fixture on Boxing Day with a trip to Arsenal, and will begin 2021 with a clash against Manchester City on January 2.

The Premier League 2020/21 season will start on Saturday September 12 and finish on Sunday May 23, 2021 - 19 days before the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament kicks off.

The season will begin behind closed doors but some spectators could to return to venues on a socially-distanced basis later in the year.

Opening weekend fixtures involving Manchester City and Manchester United have been postponed to allow those clubs extra time to recover from their involvements in the knockout stages of the Champions League and Europa League, respectively.

Chelsea and Wolves have also been afforded a short delay, with their opening weekend fixtures scheduled for Monday September 14.

Source: Skysports