BREAKS, BALLS AND BOSSES — WHAT’S NEW THIS SEASON

WINTER BREAK

MANAGERS love a moan about injury lists, player fatigue and scheduling. But such complaints could become a thing of the past when the Premier League introduce a mid-season break for the first time. Matchweek 26 is going to be split in two, with five matches on the weekend of February 8-9 and the other five the following weekend. It will ensure each club have two weeks to recharge their batteries.

AMAZON JOIN THE PARTY

SKY Sports and BT Sport have dominated the live broadcast market in the UK for years but they have a new rival. Online streaming service Amazon Prime have snapped up the rights to screen 20 games live — a complete midweek round in December and the Boxing Day games. It means 200 of the 380 fixtures will now be screened live in the UK but at a price, with an Amazon Prime subscription costing £7.99 a month.

THE MATCH BALL

NIKE are supplying the ball for the 20th season and their latest edition features a pink and black design inspired by the ‘dynamism of the league’. Apparently, the pink panels make it easier for players and fans to spot the ball. It also has a ‘more consistent flight’. The ball, we can confirm, is round.

THE 114 NATIONS LEAGUE

CUBA will tonight become the 114th country represented in the Premier League since its inception in 1992 if winger Onel Hernadez plays for Norwich in the opening fixture at Liverpool. In 1992, just 13 foreign players lined up on the opening weekend of the season.