Soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are scheduled to return to the field in June after their seasons were suspended due to the coronavirus. Messi’s Barcelona squad plays June 13, while Juventus plays June 22.
The German Bundesliga on May 16 was the first of Europe’s five major soccer leagues to return from suspension. Spain’s La Liga, led by Barcelona, will resume June 11. England’s Premier League will return next on June 17. Serie A, led by Juventus, will resume June 20. France’s Ligue 1 season has been canceled.
No fans will likely to be allowed to attend the games at the start of the resumed schedule.
“The return to training, competitions and what was previously done in a normal way, now will have to be started again, but progressively,” Messi told Spain’s El Pais. “It will be a strange situation for us and for anyone who has to change their usual working dynamics.”
Barcelona leads rival club Real Madrid by two points in the La Liga standings. No El Clasico matches remain this season between Madrid and Barcelona. Messi leads La Liga with 19 goals in 22 games.
Barcelona’s first match back will be against Mallorca at 4 p.m. EDT June 13 at Iberostar Stadium in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Messi’s squad has a total of 11 matches left to play with the final game scheduled for July 19 against Alaves.
Sevilla battles Betis in the first La Liga game of the resumed season. That matchup is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT June 11 at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in Seville, Spain.
Juventus schedule
Ronaldo’s Italian soccer squad Juventus has a game scheduled for July 4 against rival club Torino as part of Serie A’s season resumption.
The first-place squad, based in Turin, Italy, also has a July 20 match against second-place Lazio. Serie A was suspended March 9. The 20-team league will play 124 games between June 20 and Aug. 2. Juventus will attempt to win its ninth consecutive league title.
Ronaldo has 21 goals in 22 games this season, good for second in Serie A.
Torino will battle Parma in the first game of the resumed season. That game starts at 1:30 p.m. EDT June 20. Verona will play Cagliari after that match on the first day of the league restart.
Juventus’ first match back will be against Bologna at 3:45 p.m. EDT June 22. Ronaldo’s squad will then play 11 additional matches and end the season Aug. 2 against Roma. Juventus has a one-point lead over Lazio in the Serie A standings.
“We’re looking forward to returning,” Juventus star Aaron Ramsey told Juventus.com. “It will obviously be a new experience. We experienced it against Inter Milan, but playing behind closed doors week in and week out will be a bit strange but it is something we have to do to complete the season.”
