This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
La Liga's highly anticipated restart is set to take place on Thursday, with the Seville derby being the first match of the season. The game will be played behind closed doors, a stark reminder of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Spanish football.
Sevilla and Real Betis are set to face off at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, a venue that has seen the home team lose only two league games this season in front of their fans. However, with the stands empty, the atmosphere will be vastly different.
La Liga's hope is to pitch the restart as a celebration, with the league's slogan being 'To Return is to Win'. However, the differences in Seville could also be a sobering demonstration of Spain's 'new normal'.
As the season resumes, all players will arrive wearing masks and gloves and have their temperatures checked before entering the stadium. Only around 270 people will be allowed inside, while outside, 600 police and security personnel will remain in operation until hours after the final whistle.
"We can't wait to return to competing," said Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui. "In circumstances that three months ago were unimaginable but today it is the reality and we have to adapt. The derby is going to be played and we all know what it means. We have to respond."
"We can't wait to return to competing," said Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui on Wednesday. La Liga's restart will see 110 games held in 39 days, with clubs playing every three days for five and a half weeks. The football will be the same, albeit with five substitutes allowed instead of three and two drinks breaks permitted to take into account the possibility of extreme heat this summer. Sevilla cannot afford a slow restart, given they sit at the front of a tight queue of clubs aiming to overtake them and finish in the top four. One point behind are both Real Sociedad and Getafe, while Atletico Madrid are two points back in sixth. "We are not going to make any excuses about the unusual circumstances, the lack of fans or the small amount that we have trained," said Rubi, the coach of Real Betis. "This is the situation. We have to face it." "We are not going to make any excuses about the unusual circumstances, the lack of fans or the small amount that we have trained," said Rubi. "This is the situation. We have to face it."
