La Liga Confirm Matchday 31 Schedule & Broadcasting Plans for Season's Return
By Tom Gott
La Liga have confirmed the schedule for the gameweek 31, with a whole host of new broadcasting features set to try and make matches feel more realistic for both players and fans.
Spanish top-flight football will get back underway on Thursday when Sevilla face Real Betis, with fixtures set to be played almost every day to try and get the league finished as soon as possible.
Kick-off times (CEST) for Matchday 31 of #LaLigaSantander 2019/20. ⏰⚽️#BackToWin pic.twitter.com/8RJlp7V6o6
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) June 7, 2020
As football gets closer to a return, La Liga have been able to confirm more and more fixtures. Now all the way up to matchday 31, the action will kick off on 22 June when Leganés face Granada, before Villarreal meet Sevilla.
Atlético Madrid will be in action on the Tuesday when they travel to face Levante, and Barcelona will be later that evening when Athletic Club travel to Camp Nou.
Fans of Real Madrid can see their side in action on the Wednesday when Los Blancos come face to face with Mallorca.
☀️⚽️ Good morning, madridistas!
— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) June 8, 2020
?? The countdown to matchday continues!#HalaMadrid | #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/PWUFBoA6Ig
In anticipation of football's return, La Liga have been working on ways to try and make up for the lack of fans in stadiums. A statement on the league's official website confirmed that there will be plenty of changes which will focus on emulating a crowd and adding new camera angles.
Stands will be full of screens which show fans sat in the stands supporting their teams, and messages of support will be shown to players during stoppages.
There will also be crowd noise from EA Sports' FIFA video game played over the speakers in a project called "Sounds of the Stands", which will be adapted to what is going on in the game and will be optional for viewers on TV.
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— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) June 8, 2020
It's not football. #ItsLaLiga. pic.twitter.com/FTkOtkc0H2
There will also be new camera angles to try and give fans an all-round view of the stadium, with cameras now free to be placed anywhere in the stadium without worrying about blocking fan views.
“We have made these broadcasting changes so fans can enjoy La Liga,” said president Javier Tebas. “We work with global partners to offer a great viewer experience. We are in an exceptional situation, but for us it has been important to be able to adapt and offer a compelling, cutting-edge broadcast to our fans.”