Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea make second push for 5 substitutions;

According to The Guardian, the Premier League's top clubs are pushing for the 5 substitutes rule to stay in place for the entirety of the next season.

The matter was voted on at the last meeting on 6 August when it was proposed by the league’s board and defeated by 11 votes to 9.

The 9 clubs that wanted 5 substitutes rather than the traditional three included the PL's 'top six' - namely Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal.

Thursday’s shareholder meeting will see the 20 top flight clubs vote on the matter again - for the rule to be passed, at least 14 clubs will have to agree with the motion.

The report adds that some of the big clubs have attempted to lobby the smaller ones over recent days into changing their votes in order to get the required swing.

However, there is anger among the smaller clubs, who believe that they would be at a competitive disadvantage were 5 substitutes and 9 players on the bench allowed for all the 38 games.