The Premier League has postponed this weekend's fixtures following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday at the age of 96.
Premier League shareholders met on Friday and announced that all matches between Saturday and Monday would be postponed as a mark of respect.
And with the Queen's funeral likely to take place on September 19 in London, another weekend featuring postponements could follow.
That is likely to cause congestion in the calendar later on in the season, but which clubs could benefit from the enforced break now?
As a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed.September 9, 2022
Liverpool's chance to reset
Liverpool had been due to face Wolves at Anfield this Saturday and are scheduled to meet Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next weekend, with that game also unlikely to take place. Mourners are expected to go to London in enormous numbers over the next week, putting huge pressure on policing, and making matches in the capital difficult to carry out from a logistics perspective.
The postponement of those two fixtures could be a blessing for the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp's side have taken just nine out of a possible 18 points in the Premier League so far this season and were thrashed 4-1 away to Napoli in the Champions League in midweek.
Managers and players often say that they want another game as soon as possible after a big defeat, but a chance to reset on the training ground – and a few more days to prepare for next week's Champions League game at home to Ajax – should be helpful for the Reds.
The break could also aid Liverpool's current injury woes, with Ibrahima Konate and Jordan Henderson expected to be available again by the time Liverpool face Brighton on October 1.
Settling-in period for Potter at Chelsea
Chelsea's appointment of Graham Potter on Thursday was completely overshadowed by news of Queen Elizabeth's passing later in the day.
Potter was due to take charge of his first match as Chelsea manager this weekend, away to Fulham in a west London derby, before another tough match at home to Liverpool next weekend.
The first of those has been postponed and the second is set to follow as it will likely clash with the Queen's funeral.
That will give Potter time to settle and implement his ideas as Stamford Bridge, with his first Premier League game now expected to be the trip to Crystal Palace on October 1.
With European games due to go ahead, his first match as Blues boss should be the Champions League clash at home to Red Bull Salzburg next Wednesday.
Time for Brighton to find new manager
While Potter will benefit from some extra days to settle before competitive action at Chelsea, Brighton now have time to step up their search for his replacement.
The Seagulls' interim head coach Andrew Crofts had been due to take charge of the team's away game at Bournemouth on Saturday, following Potter's move to West London.
And with next Saturday's game at home to fierce rivals Crystal Palace also set to be postponed, Brighton now have time to focus on appointing a successor to Potter.
Celtic's Ange Postecoglu, Nottingham Forest's Steve Cooper and Leicester's Brendan Rodgers are among the names linked with the vacant role at the Amex.
Tottenham avoid in-form Manchester City
Tottenham are one of two unbeaten clubs in the Premier League this season, but that record was set to come under some serious scrutiny away to Mancester City this weekend.
City are the only other unbeaten team in the Premier League in 2022/23 and the champions are in fantastic form, with summer signing Erling Haaland inspired.
The Norwegian has 10 Premier League goals already and Tottenham, having worked harder they would have liked to beat 10-man Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday, will be happy to avoid him for now.
After that match, Spurs manager Antonio Conte admitted he was "worried" by the prospect of facing City and complained that Pep Guardiola's side had an extra day to prepare for the fixture, having beaten Sevilla 4-0 in Spain on Tuesday.
Tottenham travel to Sporting CP in the Champions League next week, with their Premier League game at home to Leicester next weekend also set to be postponed, meaning it will likely be Arsenal next at the Emirates on October 1.
Respite for struggling sides
Much like Liverpool above, the enforced break offers an opportunity to some of the Premier League's struggling sides to reset and refocus following a difficult start to the campaign.
Everton are without a win in their six games and will probably be pleased to avoid a trip to top-of-the-table Arsenal this weekend. With their game against West Ham on September 18 also likely to be off, the Toffees should be back in action at Southampton on October 1. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin should both be back in action by then.
Leicester and Aston Villa have had miserable starts to the season and were due to face each other in a must-not-lose fixture on Saturday. The Foxes should also avoid a tough game against Spurs in north London next weekend.
West Ham have lost four of their opening six Premier League matches. David Moyes' side had been due to face Newcastle at home this weekend and Everton away next Sunday, but will now have some time to get things right on the training ground before facing Wolves at the London Stadium on October 1. In the meantime, their Europa Conference League fixtures should still go ahead as normal.
Nottingham Forest's match against Leeds on Monday has been postponed, with their game against Fulham next weekend set to be off as well. That means much-needed time on the training ground with their multiple new signings for manager Steve Cooper ahead of the visit of Aston Villa on October 3.
