Sheffield Utd team arrives at Aston Villa for Premier League returns

Sheffield United arrive to Birmingham for Premier League return against Aston Villa following a three-month COVID-19 hiatus.

SHOWS: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, UK (JUNE 17, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1.

FIRST SHEFFIELD UNITED TEAM BUS ARRIVING AT VILLA PARK AHEAD OF PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH AGAINST ASTON VILLA 2.

CLUB STAFF OUTSIDE VILLA PARK 3.

VARIOUS OF SHEFFIELD UNITED STAFF MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE STADIUM 4.

THE DOUG ELLIS STAND AND NORTH STAND OF VILLA PARK 5.

VARIOUS OF SECOND SHEFFIELD UNITED TEAM BUS ARRIVING 6.

SECOND BUS ENTERING CAR PARK / ELECTRONIC SIGN READING (English): "PLEASE BE AWARE FACE COVERINGS MUST BE WORN IN THE STADIUM" 7.

THIRD SHEFFIELD UNITED TEAM BUS ARRIVING 8.

THIRD BUS ENTERING CAR PARK / SECURITY STAFF CLOSING GATES 9.

SECURITY GUARD 10.

VARIOUS OF SHEFFIELD UNITED BUS REVERSING 11.

VARIOUS OF SHEFFIELD UNITED PLAYERS AND STAFF DISEMBARKING BUSES AND WALKING TO STADIUM 12.

VARIOUS OF SECURITY GUARDS CHECKING CARS 13.

FORMER ASTON VILLA PLAYER AND CLUB AMBASSADOR, IAN TAYLOR, SPEAKING TO SECURITY GUARD AND DRIVING CAR INTO CAR PARK 14.

ENTRANCE GATES OUTSIDE NORTH STAND 15.

STAFF MEMBER 16.

VARIOUS OF HEAVY RAINFALL AFTER PLAYERS' ARRIVAL 17.

ELECTRONIC SIGN WITH CORONAVIRUS ADVICE 18.

CARS PASSING STADIUM IN HEAVY RAIN 19.

HEAVY RAIN OUTSIDE THE HOTEL END STAND STORY: Sheffield United arrived in Birmingham on Wednesday (June 17) afternoon ahead of their Premier League showdown with relegation-battling Aston Villa.

The fixture is the first since the domestic league was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Yorkshire-based side arrived in three separate team coaches as part of the league's measures to contain any potential spread of the coronavirus.

The home players arrived largely by car throughout the day.

Ninety-two Premier League games will be crammed into the next five weeks, with Arsenal's trip to Manchester City taking place after the final whistle at Villa Park.

It will be a poignant evening, with both games played inside empty stadiums and marked before kickoff by a minute's silence for the more than 40,000 people to die of the virus in the UK.

Villa entered the shutdown in freefall with four consecutive defeats, leaving them second from bottom.

This may feel like a fresh start though and a win over Sheffield United would see Dean Smith's side leapfrog three clubs into 16th spot.

The bad news for Villa, however, is that Sheffield United will be hugely motivated, knowing three points would lift them to the heady heights of fifth.