Football is back! After a near three month break, the 19/20 Premier League season is resuming where it left off. Well, sort of.
The remaining 9 or 10 rounds will be played behind closed doors over an approximately six week period, kicking off from June 17th.
If you’ve forgot how things were looking, we’ve got you. Here’s a quick a recap of how things stand, as well as how things will be different for the remainder of the season.
Liverpool Dominance
Last season they ran Manchester City close, but ultimately they finished runners up because they drew three out of four games in December 2017 – then couldn’t make up the one point difference as they fell behind Pep’s team. Man City’s effective ruthlessness turned Klopp’s team into its own beast. This season has been a story of Liverpool sitting comfortably atop the table with everyone else looking up in awe. With only one defeat to their name so far (a mad 3-0 defeat to Watford), the Reds could mathematically win the league after their first game back.
It’s Tight at the Bottom
With just seven points between 15th and 20th it’s very crowded near the foot of the table, as five teams try to avoid the drop. As it stands, Brighton sit in 15th on 29 points while Norwich are bottom on 21. With many of these teams still yet to play each other, it could be all change from week to week for the remainder of the season.
The Great Scrap For…Fifth?
Inconsistent seasons for Arsenal, Manchester United and Spurs means that a fifth place finish and Europa League football looks like the most realistic outcome for these clubs next year. United’s stronger second half of the season currently sees them occupying that fifth place and only three points behind Frank Lampard’s Chelsea currently, so it’s in their hands for the moment.
Fifth = Champion’s League?
Before the football season was halted in March, Man City had been sanctioned by UEFA and were facing a fine and two-year ban from European competition due to ‘serious breaches’ of Financial Fair Play regulations. City continue to fight these claims but IF they were to be banned from Champions League football next season (they currently sit in second) then the team which finishes fifth could potentially take that spot.
EVERY Game Will be LIVE on TV
The 3PM blackout that usually applies to football games in the UK (games kicking off at 3pm cannot be televised) will not be in place for the remainder of the Premier League season as the game will all be played behind closed doors in empty stadiums anyway.
As a result, every single remaining game of the season will be televised – 92 of them in total. As usual, many of them will be on Sky and BT Sport, but some will be on Prime and better still – BBS Sport will have four FREE to air games – for the first time ever.
The first matches kicking off are:
Wednesday 17th June
18:00 Aston Villa v Sheff Utd (Sky Sports)
20:15 Man City v Arsenal (Sky Sports)
So, sit back and get ready – football is back.
You can shop Premier League on JD right now.
