Some seven weeks since the 2019-20 season finished, a new Premier League campaign gets under way on Saturday – with 380 matches over the next eight months.
Newly promoted Fulham’s home game with FA Cup winners Arsenal (12:30 BST) marks the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
On the same day, Liverpool begin their title defence at home to Leeds United – back in England’s top flight for the first time since 2004 – at 17:30.
The season starts as it ended in July – behind closed doors – while all 28 Premier League fixtures in September will be televised live.
The campaign will finish on 23 May 2021, fewer than three weeks before the start of Euro 2020, which has been put back a year until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
On the eve of the 2020-21 campaign, BBC Sport takes a look at the big new Premier League signings to look out for. Will Liverpool mount a successful title defence? And will the three promoted clubs stay up?
Opening games – Man City and Man Utd’s delayed start
There are four games spread out across the opening day of the season, each kicking off at a different time.
After the London derby at Craven Cottage, Crystal Palace host Southampton at 15:00 before the focus switches to Anfield.
Then it is back to the capital at 20:00 for West Ham’s home match with Newcastle.
On Sunday, newly promoted West Brom are at home to Leicester (14:00), while Everton and their new signings visit Tottenham at 16:30.
There are two fixtures on Monday. Sheffield United host Wolves at 18:00 – less than five weeks after Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were knocked out of the Europa League quarter-finals – and big-spending Chelsea, who were in Champions League action as recently as 8 August, are at Brighton (20:15).
The Burnley-Manchester United and Manchester City-Aston Villa games have been postponed.
Both Manchester clubs have been allowed delayed starts. City were in competitive action as recently as 15 August, when they lost 3-1 to Lyon in the Champions League quarter-finals.
United were beaten 2-1 by Sevilla in the semi-finals of the Europa League on 16 August.
Pep Guardiola’s City, who finished runners-up last season, will start their Premier League campaign at Wolves on 21 September (20:15), while United start two days earlier at home to Crystal Palace (17:30).
Will the short turnaround impact sides?
Even before the end of last season, the Premier League announced the new campaign would start on 12 September.
The short turnaround coupled with the pandemic means teams used to preparing for the season with tours around the world in front of their global fanbase have stayed closer to home.
Liverpool visited the United States, Scotland and Switzerland before their title-winning campaign. This time they have played two matches in Austria and entertained League One Blackpool at a near-empty Anfield.
Arsenal played League One MK Dons before beating Liverpool on penalties in the Charity Shield at Wembley on 29 August.
Sheffield United’s preparations for their second successive season in the top flight were disrupted by the weather.
On 25 August, they were leading 1-0 at Dundee United when the match was abandoned at half-time because of a waterlogged pitch and high winds.
