Manchester United and Manchester City are both facing a difficult opening night in the 2020-21 Premier League.
The two clubs have both been handed permission to not play their first game of the new season on the opening weekend.
It follows their European exploits, which saw United reach the Europa League semi-final - losing to Sevilla on August 16 - and City exiting the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, following a 3-1 defeat to Lyon the previous evening.
Both have now been given a guaranteed 30-day break from the date of their final game to their opener next term.
And that means both will play their opening Premier League fixture in midweek, either on September 15 or 16.
However, their options for opposition on those dates are limited, giving Premier League chiefs something of a fixture headache before the season even begins.
There are very few spare midweek dates throughout the course of the season - only four - due to European and international commitments, plus cup competitions, as the squeeze of the coronavirus fallout is felt.
And that duly includes the first midweek slot.
There will be 13 Premier League sides thrown immediately into Carabao Cup second round action on September 15 and 16, with Tottenham set to take part in a Europa League qualifier on Thursday September 17.
Thus, both City and United are left with only four viable opponents for their opener in that midweek slot that aren't themselves: Chelsea, Leicester City, Liverpool, Arsenal.
That quartet are all qualified for European football’s group stages, and thus have a free midweek as they don’t enter the League Cup until the third round the following week, September 22.
They don’t play in Europe until October 20, when six successive midweeks will be European action, either in the Champions League or Europa League.
Chelsea and Wolves had both joined forces to ask the Premier League if they could delay their return to league action, following their participation in Europe in August.
Wolves had pitched the Premier League on the idea of the four teams being paired together in the opening fixture, and then playing it at a later date.
But they aren’t in Europe this term after missing out following Arsenal's FA Cup win and therefore have Carabao Cup action.
As such, it remains that if the Premier League want their sides off on as equal a footing as possible, then an opening midweek Manchester derby, or meetings between the pair and fellow European hopefuls, appear the most likely course of action.
That also ensures City and United’s promised 30-day break - although, it must be remembered that that isn’t a definitive ruling and as such is subject to change.
The Premier League are due to confirm the fixtures for the 2020-21 campaign at 9am on Thursday.
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