Delighted fans in the UK greeted yesterday’s news that the Premier League is due to restart on 17th June.
After three rounds of COVID 19 testing unearthed just 12 positive tests, confidence grew to restart the Premier League, leading to the announcement on Thursday afternoon that we will see the beautiful game again within three weeks, with 92 games to come.
So football in the most-watched league in the world is on its way back, with matches planned to be played every day of the week, and we’ll be all over it right here at SBOBET
Liverpool need just two wins to secure a first Premier League title in 30 years, while Chelsea, Manchester United and Wolves look set to fight it out for a Champions League place and there is a six-team battle to avoid relegation.
When Leicester City hammered Aston Villa back on March 9th it was the last Premier League game before lockdown.
It’s been a while, but football’s coming home, and here are five mouth-watering clashes to look forward to.
Manchester City vs Arsenal: Wednesday 17th June
The sides with ten games left to play will re-open the season, Aston Villa play Sheffield United and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City face Arsenal. When these fixtures are completed every team will have nine games left to play and we have a mini-season with a race to the finish line.
What a showcase fixture to get things moving again. City are 25 points behind Liverpool and will be focusing on the Champions League, but they will be keen to restart with a dynamic display against the Gunners and at least make the Reds work a bit for their title.
Everton vs Liverpool
Manchester City will already have played Arsenal before Liverpool enters the fray, and there is no guarantee they will win that game. There is a real possibility that Jurgen Klopp’s champions elect could win the title against their neighbours, though it won’t be on Merseyside. The UK police have moved five fixtures to neutral venues to avoid crowds gathering at the ground, and so this game in will be played elsewhere.
Either way, it would be sweet for the Reds to pick up the crown by beating the Toffees, who currently sit in 12th place with an outside chance of Europa League football.
The league leaders will have their captain, Jordan Henderson available again. The enforced lay-off has enabled him to recover from a hamstring strain he suffered in February, and that is a major boost. Just before the break, Liverpool suffered one of the shock Premier League 2020 results of the season, losing 3-0 to relegation-threatened Watford…without their skipper.
West Ham vs Watford
This is a relegation six-pointer of some magnitude with both the Hammers and the Hornets sitting outside the bottom three on goal difference alone. Unsurprisingly neither club was enthusiastic about the prospect of returning; West Ham chief executive Karren Brady called for the season to be voided, while Watford coach Nigel Pearson said a return to football could endanger life.
Captain Troy Deeney was also vociferous in his opposition to a restart, missing Hornets’ return to training, but now the decision to restart has been made he says he has been convinced by the government’s scientific advisor that it is safe for him to play. That could be good news for Hornets fans who need their captain to push his team over the line.
The latest Premier League 2020 betting odds suggest both teams could sneak through to safety, but neither can rest easy,
Chelsea vs Wolves
This is a chase for the final Champions League spot, currently held by Frank Lampard’s Blues. They have been in the top four all season but, after a dip in form, only five points separate Chelsea from Wolves, with Manchester United sandwiched in between in fifth place.
Wolves have been sensational under Nuno Espirito Santo in both the Premier League and Europa League and I wouldn’t rule out a top-four place, particularly if Nuno’s Portuguese contingent can outplay Frank’s young stars.
This will be a great game for the neutral.
Manchester United vs Sheffield United
This match is also being moved to a neutral venue though I’m not exactly sure why. The Red Devils need to make up three points on Chelsea, but this could be a banana-skin against Chris Wilder’s side which has outperformed everyone’s expectations, apart from maybe his own!
The Blades are in seventh place and just two points behind Manchester United, so a Europa League place could be the prize, though with Spurs and Arsenal in pursuit that might be a bridge too far.
Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba could be fit to return for Manchester United in the run-in and they should have too much quality for the Yorkshiremen.
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