Football is set to resume this week - but the Premier League is still facing the threat of mass postponements.
And the fear is it could have a huge knock-on effect because the fixture list is already at breaking point because of the winter World Cup. Prem bosses have yet to officially confirm their plans but they are set to follow suit with the EFL who are restarting their fixtures from Tuesday.
The Premier League will be hoping to get as many games on as possible next weekend but face a major challenge, particularly in London because of policing with officers on standby ahead of the Queen’s state funeral next Monday.
Chelsea are due to host Liverpool in Sky’s big showpiece game next Sunday while Brentford also entertain Arsenal on the same day.
The TV companies, clubs and Premier League are desperate to get the games on and will look at different options, potentially moving kick-offs and switching days have been discussed.
There are four other games in the capital next Saturday with Tottenham v Leicester, Millwall v Blackpool, QPR v Stoke and Leyton Orient v Walsall.
UEFA have moved Rangers’ Champions League tie with Napoli back 24 hours from Tuesday to Wednesday night with a ban on Italian fans travelling to the fixture because extra police are needed in Edinburgh.
Rangers fans will not be able to travel to the return fixture while UEFA are yet to confirm Arsenal’s Europa League tie with PSV Eindhoven on Thursday again because of the demands on police.
Tottenham’s trip to Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday will go ahead despite the club’s website briefly putting up a message that it had been postponed but that was dismissed as a technical hitch.
Prem clubs will be desperate to get games on having already lost a whole round of fixtures and other games are expected to go ahead with official confirmation set to follow.
The EFL have also confirmed their games - including a full round of midweek games - will go ahead as planned this week.
But they will liaise with any clubs who struggle to get police and stewarding in place either in midweek or next weekend. The FA Trophy and National League games will also restart from Monday.
While there is some flexibility in the schedule after the World Cup, there is little room to rearrange fixtures before Qatar which will only increase the pressure to get games on.
