The first Match of the Day panel since Gary Lineker left the BBC has been revealed.
Ex-England striker Lineker, 64, spent 26 years in the Match of the Day hotseat before leaving the BBC in May.
The presenter announced last November that he would stop hosting the iconic football highlights show at the end of the Premier League season.
Lineker was due to continue working with the BBC on their coverage of the FA Cup and next summer’s World Cup but agreed to leave completely after apologising for sharing an antisemitic post on social media.
The BBC have hired Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates as three new hosts of Match of the Day following Lineker’s exit.
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According to the Daily Telegraph, Chapman will be given responsibility to host the first Match of the Day programme without Lineker.
They say that ‘barring any last-minute hitches’, Chapman will be joined by new star pundit Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer on the flagship show.
The first Match of the Day of the season will be shown on Saturday night and include highlights of champions Liverpool’s opening game against Bournemouth and Burnley’s first game back in the top-flight.
Chapman, Logan and Cates will share presenting duties across Match of the Day, which is shown on Saturday night, and Sunday night’s Match of the Day 2.
The BBC has signed Manchester United and England legend Rooney as a pundit on a two-year deal worth around £800,000.
Despite Lineker’s exit, Chapman does not expect a huge amount of change from Match of the Day going forwards.
‘I know people keep saying, “Oh, this will change, or that will change”. I genuinely don’t think anything will change,’ he said recently.
‘It will still be showing all the highlights and having a little bit of a chat. So, if you’re wanting a lot of change I suppose you’re going to be a bit disappointed by it.
‘I think we still do the same thing, and talk about football, and have a laugh and that’ll be that.’
Lineker held back tears as he signed off from his final edition of Match of the Day on the final day of last season’s Premier League.
‘It’s been an absolute privilege to have hosted Match of the Day for a quarter of a century,’ he said. ‘It’s been utterly joyous.
Speaking directly into the camera to viewers at home, he added: ‘And my final thank you goes to all of you.
‘Thank you for watching, thank you for all your love and support over the years. It’s been so special, and I’m sorry that your team was always on last.’
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