Football highlights return to BBC One on Saturday nights as Match of the Day showcases classic Premier League action for the first time.
In the continued absence of the professional game due to the coronavirus pandemic, the BBC will delve into its extensive archives once again this weekend (4-5 April) with the flagship Match of the Day adopting a new name – Match of Their Day – which will look back at some of the best matches from the Premier League era.
The classic matches will be selected by BBC pundits, with former Newcastle and Blackburn striker Alan Shearer the first to pick his favourite three matches, which will be broadcast on Saturday, 4 April at 11pm.
It follows the success of the Match of the Day: Top 10 Podcast programme, which has filled the traditional Saturday night slot on BBC One for the past two weeks.
Recorded prior to the UK lock down, the MOTD Podcasts were not intended for TV broadcast, but they have drawn impressive viewing figures so far, with an average audiences of over two million.
The third instalment, which will be shown on BBC One at 10.20pm on Saturday, sees MOTD stalwarts Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright choose their 10 best goalkeepers of the Premier League era.
Earlier in the day, Dan Walker will present Football Focus at 12pm, before Guy Mowbray introduces five classic World Cup matches in the World Cup Rewind at 2.30pm.
A full replay of a seven-goal last 16 thriller between France and Argentina at the 2018 World Cup will also be available to watch on the BBC Red Button, BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer at 3.30pm.
The programmes are part of a variety of football content across the BBC this weekend, which also includes classic action for viewers in Wales and Scotland.
BBC Wales will show classic matches over the coming weeks on TV, iPlayer and the BBC Sport Wales website, with ‘live’ text commentary on the website.
It starts on Saturday, 4 April at 1.15pm with a classic from 1991 as Wales faced Germany, with the game also being shown on BBC One Wales.
More classic matches from the BBC Wales archives will follow over the coming weeks.
In addition, the BBC Scotland channel will again be showing classic Scottish Cup matches, including extended highlights of the 1981 semi-final when Dundee United played Celtic, and the 2002 final between Celtic and Rangers.
Full details and broadcast times for football programming across the BBC over the weekend of 3-5 April can be found below (schedule subject to change).
All programmes will be available to watch live and on-demand via the BBC iPlayer.
For a full overview of all major UK-televised sporting events that have been postponed, cancelled or rescheduled, as well as those which are still due to be staged, visit SOTB’s dedicated coronavirus webpage – sotb.in/coronavirus.
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FRIDAY 3rd APRIL
SPORTSCENE: SCOTTISH CUP CLASSIC
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It’s the turn of some semi final classics as Dundee United and Celtic met in April 1981 with the prize a final against Rangers.
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SATURDAY 4th APRIL
FOOTBALL FOCUS
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Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi join Dan Walker this week, who will be fronting the show from his home. It should have been Liverpool against Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend, but there is a classic contest instead. Plus find out who Alex Scott has been grilling this week.
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MATCH OF THE DAY WALES CLASSICS
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In 1991 the World Champions Germany came to Cardiff to take on Wales in a European Championship qualifier. This classic match would go down as one of the great days in Welsh football.
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WORLD CUP REWIND
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Guy Mowbray introduces highlights of five classic World Cup matches, including Scotland v Holland from 1978 and USA v Portugal from 2002.
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WORLD CUP REWIND: FRANCE v ARGENTINA
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Classic action from the 2018 World Cup on BBC Red Button and online via the BBC Sport website, as France take on Argentina in the last 16.
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SHANKLY: NATURE’S FIRE
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Repeat of this 2017 documentary looking at the life and times of Bill Shankly, Liverpool FC’s legendary Scottish manager. Gaining promotion from the old English second division, Shankly forged two great sides at Liverpool, winning numerous trophies along the way. A product of his working-class roots in Ayrshire, his career in management spanned a period when football was very much the people’s game.
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REAL KASHMIR FC
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In this BBC Scotland documentary, first broadcast in February 2019, former Aberdeen and Rangers star Davie Robertson has left everything behind and moved to India to manage Real Kashmir FC. It’s football in the danger zone, can he make it work?
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MATCH OF THE DAY: TOP 10 PODCAST
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Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright run down their list of the best goalkeepers.
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MATCH OF THEIR DAY
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The Match of the Day pundits take control of the running order choosing three classic matches from the archives and revealing the stories behind each game to Gary Lineker.
Alan Shearer kicks things off with a list including Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Newcastle – one of the Premier League’s greatest-ever games.
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SUNDAY 5th APRIL
SPORTSCENE: SCOTTISH CUP CLASSIC
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Sportscene delves into the archives to bring you one of the greatest Scottish Cup finals of all time. This time it’s an Old Firm classic as Rangers and Celtic went head to head in 2002
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