The SPFL has announced the full provisional list of Scottish Premiership fixtures, with Celtic bringing their title defense to Hamilton.
The season is set to start from an early date of Saturday August 1 – pending government approval – with Rangers televising four opening day fixtures north to Aberdeen.
SPFL announces Premiership fixtures.
Full details: https://t.co/meLi2UtHXP pic.twitter.com/ue6zDENcWB
— SPFL (@spfl) July 6, 2020
Celtic host Hamilton in Sunday’s only game, while Ross County take on Motherwell on Monday evening.
Fixtures will be played behind closed doors until further notice, but the first Old Firm derby of the season won’t take place until October 17 – easily allowing more time for crowds to return to sporting events in Scotland.
October 17 is the date lower league football is set to return, with the Championship, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs all signing a shorter 27-game season to avoid the risk of spreading games without gate revenue. can be reduced.
???????⚽️ Scottish Premiership ???????⚽️
?️ Here’s the full @spfl Scottish Premiership fixture list for the end of 2020.
✍️Keep them in your diary!
Lots of reaction from clubs on @SkySportsNews today. https://t.co/0RydLTZKIi pic.twitter.com/MMFXO0PZdJ
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) July 6, 2020
The SPFL was completely curtailed in April, as clubs almost unanimously voted for an early end amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the decision was not without its controversy, as Hearts and Partick Thistle have led legal action against the SPFL – seeking substantial compensation for their respective premature punishments.
SPFL clubs decisively rejected the opportunity to restructure divisions to prevent relegation while allowing promotion. A change from four leagues to three with three divisions of 14 was proposed to replace the current 12-10-10-10 structure, but there was little support for such a change in club boardrooms. was
Hearts still have some hope of dramatically ending their relegation, but now with their unannounced fixtures, they may have to bite the bullet and accept their Championship status.
Advocate Paul Reid explained the next steps in Harts and Partick Thistle’s case against deportation after a court ruled it should be heard by an arbitration panel. https://t.co/hS5ZKSc4AA pic.twitter.com/OUMF7S34pA
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) July 4, 2020
Newly promoted Dundee United, who replace Hearts in the division, open their season against rivals St Johnstone, while Hibernian host Kilmarnock on the opening day.
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