Sunderland to start the new football season on Sky Sports

21/06/2017

Sky Sports will kick off the new Sky Bet EFL season at the Stadium of Light on Friday 4 August, with a tantalising clash between Sunderland and Derby County.

The broadcaster will show three fixtures from the Championship on the opening weekend of the English football season, with Aston Villa versus Hull City and Bolton Wanderers against Leeds United rounding off the live matches.

And on Wednesday, the newly named Carabao Cup begins on Sky Sports with Colchester entertaining Aston Villa, while on Thursday, Bury take on Sunderland.

Currently managerless, the Black Cats will be looking for a swift return to the Premier League following relegation last season. Derby, perennial promotion contenders, will have their sights set on reaching the top flight for the first time since 2008. A win here for either side will demonstrate their promotion credentials.

Saturday sees Aston Villa's Steve Bruce take on his former employers, as the Claret and Blue take on Hull at an expectant Villa Park. And on Sunday it's Lancashire v Yorkshire as recently promoted Bolton Wanderers face Leeds United.

Gary Hughes, Head of Football at Sky Sports said: The first three live matches of the new season epitomise the Championship - big names, big clubs and impossible to predict. All six teams will feel they belong back in the Premier League and we can't wait to see how they begin their respective campaigns. The first game can shape a season so they'll be desperate to impress in front of the cameras."

Sky Sports will show 127 exclusively live matches from the 2017-18 Sky Bet EFL season - including the play-offs - as well as 15 matches from the Carabao Cup. It's all part of another stellar season of football on Sky Sports which features 126 matches from the new Premier League season, all in Ultra HD on Sky Q.

Football fans will also be able to enjoy the final group matches and play-offs from the FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers, 30 matches from the SPFL Premiership including every Old Firm derby, the Scottish Cup, Spain's La Liga, MLS, Eredivisie, the Chinese Super League and more.

Confirmed Sky Sports EFL fixtures:

August

Sunderland v Derby County Fri 4 Aug 7.45pm

Aston Villa v Hull City Sat 5 Aug 5.30pm

Bolton Wanderers v Leeds United Sun 6 Aug 4.30pm

Sky Sports Carabao Cup fixtures:

August

Colchester United v Aston Villa Wed 9 Aug 7.45pm

Bury v Sunderland Thu 10 Aug 7.45pm

For further information, please contact:

Sky Sports PR

020 7032 1445

About Sky

Sky is Europes leading entertainment company, serving 22 million customers across five countries - UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. The company has annual revenues of �12 billion and is Europe's leading investor in television content with annual programming spend of over �5 billion.

From exclusive partnerships with HBO and Showtime, to Sky's own original programming, Sky offers the best and broadest range of content along with the best viewing experience to suit each and every customer. Whether that's through the multi-award winning next generation box, Sky Q, or Sky's contract-free online streaming service, NOW TV, customers have access to the latest movies, drama, sports and kids entertainment wherever and whenever they like. This is all supported by Sky's best in class customer service.

Sky's success is not just based on what the company does but how it does it. Named as one of the Top 10 Green Companies in the World by Newsweek, one of the world's most recognised rankings of business's environmental performance, Sky ensures its responsible business strategy is embedded right across the group.

Sky has over 30,000 employees and is listed as one of The Times Top 50 employers for women. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).

LINK:	https://corporate.sky.com/media-centre/news-page/2017/sunderland-to-st...
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