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Wednesday marks the highly anticipated return of the Premier League as Project Restart has an attractive doubleheader in store for fans and bettors.

In the first game back following a 99-day layoff that felt more like 300, Aston Villa will attempt to kick-start their quest for survival when they play host to a Sheffield United side hoping to cap off a remarkable season to date with a top-six finish.

Following that match, all eyes will shift to the Etihad as Manchester City – hoping to secure a top-four finish sooner that later – welcome a reeling Arsenal side sitting in ninth place and desperate for a fresh start.

Let’s break down both of these fixtures with odds courtesy of theScore Bet.

Sheffield United (+125) at Aston Villa (+200), Draw (+220)

When the full-time whistle sounded on Leicester City’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa at the King Power Stadium on March 9, no one would have expected that to be the final match in the Premier League for more than three months.

But this break could serve as a much-needed reset for Villa, losers of five straight at the time the season was suspended. The timing was miserable for Sheffield United, though. Chris Wilder’s side were in quite a groove, ticking along excellently with their eyes fixated on a top-six finish. The Blades had won five of six, with one draw, at the time of the stoppage.

Wilder’s side had developed a reputation as road warriors this season. In 13 matches away from home, they had lost just twice – to Manchester City and Liverpool. Seven of those matches had ended level, with four resulting in victories.

Points are crucial for Villa at this stage of the season with relegation looming, and while they’re going to need to have an honest go at three points, a draw would suit them well. Dean Smith will be content with a positive result here to kick-start their final push to safety, while the Blades – a well-organized, difficult side to beat under Wilder – love a nice stalemate away from home. All signs point to a share of the spoils at Villa Park.

Pick: Draw (+220)

Arsenal (+650) at Manchester City (-300), Draw (+425)

Manchester City will be a curious case over these final 10 matches, as their title aspirations are all but dashed, and a top-four finish is close to a certainty. They’re essentially locked into a second or third-place finish, so motivation could prove a bit of an issue down the stretch.

That won’t be the case on Wednesday, as Pep Guardiola will be eager to put these last few months behind him and get the stretch run started on a winning note. Arsenal are desperate for three points here, and that will prove the case for the remainder of the campaign with the Gunners sitting eight points and five spots back of fourth place.

A major factor I’ll be looking for down the stretch – something we’ve come to learn from the Bundesliga and La Liga – are which clubs have an abundance of depth. With so many matches in such a short period, and teams allowed five substitutes per match instead of three, depth will be a massive advantage over these final 10 fixtures.

It just so happens to be an area where City are especially spoiled. Guardiola has the luxury of starting a front three of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, and Kevin De Bruyne, and then replenishing in the second half with the fresh legs of Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, and Bernardo Silva. That doesn’t even include David Silva, Phil Foden, and Riyad Mahrez. Constantly replenishing their attack with fresh legs poses a nightmare scenario for opposing sides.

Guardiola has indicated his players are not yet fully in match shape ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Arsenal, but the same is true for every club. With an abundance of options to turn to, City will have too much for the Gunners in this match, making it difficult to recommend anything other than the hosts at -300.

Instead, I would look to the total for a play here, which is sitting at 3.5, with the over and under both juiced at -115. Given the lengthy layoff and the fact both fitness and match sharpness will be lacking, I have a strong lean to the under here as my top play for this match.

Lean: Under 3.5 (-115)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

WASHINGTON — The lone African American member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet said Monday he would “work with” the president on the issue of athletes taking a knee during the national anthem, though Trump has shown no signs of softening, tweeting over the weekend that he would not watch soccer or football if players don’t stand for the national anthem.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said he believes that players are kneeling to protest police brutality, not because they disrespect the flag. He added that players need to make that clear.

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That was awful.

The only luck during the first weekend back in Spain’s top flight was of the bad variety, as four late goals and a red card relegated us to a winless Matchday 28. After the first few, I just became numb to it.

Let’s hope for some better luck on Matchday 29.

Granada (+320) at Real Betis (-115), Draw (+255)

Granada impressed in the first match back, coming from behind to beat Getafe – a result that has breathed life into their hopes of a top-four finish. Diego Martinez’s side leave the friendly confines of Nuevo Los Carmenes for this match, and while they’ve struggled on their travels, the circumstances surrounding this trip to Seville are much different given the absence of fans.

Real Betis rely heavily on the atmosphere at Estadio Benito Villamarin, but won’t have that crutch on Monday. Rubi’s side was dreadful going forward against Sevilla in the derby, but we can expect a more spirited performance here on home soil, where they have scored 27 times in 14 matches. They’ve struggled defensively though, failing to keep a single clean sheet this season at home.

Granada showed no signs of rust in their first match back, getting after a stingy Getafe side. They’ve struggled away from home but the result will give them plenty of confidence as they get set to face a Betis side that will undoubtedly produce a positive response following their derby loss. With the visitors pushing for the top four and the hosts hoping to avoid being dragged into the relegation scrap, a draw would be a positive result for both of them.

Pick: Draw (+255)

Espanyol (+335) at Getafe (+100), Draw (+210)

These sides experienced different fates in their first matches back. Espanyol ran out 2-0 winners at RCDE Stadium – the beneficiaries of an early Alaves red card – while Getafe uncharacteristically squandered a lead, losing to Granada.

Jose Bordalas is a terrific manager and we can expect him to get quite a reaction out of his players following that defeat. Bordalas’ Getafe play a miserable brand of football – long balls and a high press – and are an incredibly frustrating side to play against as a result.

On home soil they’re at their best with this approach, and it will give fits to an Espanyol side that really struggles outside of Barcelona. The Periquitos have lost seven of their last nine away matches, and have also tasted defeat in each of their last four trips to Getafe. The hosts have been dominant this season on home soil against clubs in the bottom half of the table, and we can expect more of the same here.

Pick: Getafe (+100)

Celta Vigo (+160) at Real Valladolid (+205), Draw (+195)

The threat of relegation looms large for Celta, while Valladolid are still far from safety – though a win at Leganes on Saturday certainly helped matters.

This has all the makings of an ugly match with both sides looking to maintain a cushion between them and the bottom three. A draw would suit Valladolid excellently here, keeping Celta six points back, while every point is precious at this stage for the visitors.

Valladolid have lost just three times in 13 home matches this season – all against clubs in the top half of the table – and are a strong bet to avoid defeat again here at Estadio Municipal Jose Zorrilla. Of those 13 home games, seven have ended in a stalemate, while four of Celta’s last five away matches have ended level. A point would suit both sides well here, and feels like something of an inevitability.

Pick: Draw (+195)

Full card:

• Levante/Sevilla draw (+290)
• Real Betis/Granada draw (+255)
• Getafe (+100)
• Villarreal/Mallorca BTTS (-130)
• Valladolid/Celta draw (+195)
• Eibar/Athletic draw (+210)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Backfield depth: In describing why the Patriots invested a significant asset to bring aboard a backup, coach Bill Belichick once said, “Nobody needs insurance until you need insurance.”

At the time, he was speaking of No. 3 quarterback Jacoby Brissett being activated off injured reserve late in the 2016 season. Fast-forward to the present and Belichick’s words also fit with running back Damien Harris.

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Caldwell had joined the Patriots after four seasons with the Chargers, and totaled a career-high 61 receptions for 760 yards and four touchdowns. A dropped pass in an AFC Championship Game loss to the Colts was one blip over an otherwise solid season.

That drop haunted Caldwell into his post-playing career, because up to that point, Faulk remembered how uplifting the 2006 season had been for him.

“He got the best out of himself that year. I don’t think it shocked him, he knew he could do it, but that had been good for him because it really boosted his confidence,” he said.

4. Michel hurt by first-round perception: If Michel, the 31st pick in 2018, was selected two picks later — making him a second-rounder instead of a fringe first-rounder — would the perception of his first two seasons be viewed a bit differently? I say yes. Michel has been solid (but not spectacular) as the Patriots’ lead back through two seasons. But because he carries the first-round tag with him, it never seems good enough in the view of some.

5. Slater’s perspective: Special-teams captain

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So if Slater, 34, was in position to do the same to help rally communities in challenging times, what would he say? He shared his message during Tuesday’s Boston Uncornered’s virtual fundraising event that honored teammate Devin McCourty.

“When you start looking at people as individuals — not necessarily men/women, not necessarily black/white, not necessarily Democrat/Republican — who they are, what their story is, what their life journey has been like, just try to connect and meet with them where they are. I think we’ve kind of moved away from that, with where we are in our society now. I hope that we can kind of move back in that direction. I have a lot of hope and faith that is something we can move toward as we navigate this uncertain time.”

6. Setting the pace on signings: Through Thursday, a total of about 60 draft picks had been signed, 10 of whom were from the Patriots, the first team to finalize contracts for its entire draft class. This was a result of the team aggressively coordinating remote physical examinations between team doctors and local physicians in the players’ areas.

7. Vrabel’s compliment to Belichick: Titans coach and five-time Patriots Hall of Fame finalist Mike Vrabel joined “The Camera Guys” of NBC Boston for an entertaining, lighthearted interview last week, and shared a compliment of Belichick not often highlighted: His self-deprecating sense of humor. Vrabel reflected on how he used to poke fun at Belichick’s affinity for the 1980s Giants defenses, among other things, telling co-hosts Bill Messina and Glenn Gleason: “One thing I always appreciated [that] Bill did is you can’t ever take yourself too seriously, and you have to be able to laugh at yourself to be able to be part of a team. That’s the same type of culture we’re trying to have here. When they imitate and make fun of me, at least I know they’re listening to me.”

8. Scar still connected: Longtime Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is happy in retirement, but he also remains connected to the organization in a non-coaching capacity. For example, on Friday, Scarnecchia volunteered as part of the team’s second Soup R Bowl event at Gillette Stadium, which benefited 1,500 local military, veterans and their families.

9. Gilmore, PR staff are PFWA finalists: The Pro Football Writers of America has voted on

10a. Seely’s impact remembered: When Belichick was hired as Patriots coach in 2000, Brad Seely was one of a small handful of assistants he retained from Pete Carroll’s staff. Seely stuck around to lead special-teams units under Belichick through the 2008 season, playing a key role on the early-era Patriots championship teams that were known for their defense and special teams. Belichick once referred to him as one of the best special-teams coaches he has been around. Seely, who went on to coach special teams for the Browns (2009-10), 49ers (2011-14), Raiders (2015-17) and Texans (2018-19), announced his retirement this month and his contributions to the Patriots’ two-decade run of success naturally warrant mention.