10 things to look forward to as the Premier League returns after three months
Now, where were we? After three months away, the Premier League makes its much-anticipated comeback this week and it will be a thrilling sprint finish until the end of the season.
Of course, things won’t be the same. There won’t be thousands of fans cheering every goal and matches may have a weird training ground vibe. The noise and atmosphere will be artificial.
But this will all be forgotten very quickly as the intensity of matches ramps up with issues still to be resolved at both ends of the table.
Sportsmail takes a look at 10 things we’re looking forward to in the Premier League’s first week back.
Liverpool are within touching distance of their first league championship in three decades
Will Liverpool seal the championship in their neighbours’ back yard?
We all know it’s a matter of time before Liverpool seal their first league title in 30 years. The question is when and where they get over the finish line.
The way Liverpool fans would script it is to wrap things up by beating Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday night.
In order for that to happen, Manchester City, a distant 25 points behind Liverpool, would have to lose to Arsenal in their first game back on Wednesday night.
Failing that, Jurgen Klopp’s side then have a further opportunity at home to Crystal Palace next Wednesday or even in their visit to the Etihad Stadium on July 2.
They’ve only lost once in the league all season, winning 27 of their 29 fixtures, and we haven’t ever seen such a season of dominance in the Premier League.
Liverpool beat Everton 5-2 in December and could well seal the title by beating them again
How the top six looked when the league was suspended amid the Covid-19 pandemic in March
Dare Sheffield United believe they can qualify for the Champions League?
With Liverpool within touching distance of the title, it’s the race to finish in the top four that will supply most of the interest and intrigue from here on in.
There are three Champions League places to play for and probably eight teams who’d still fancy their chances of making them.
That’s excluding City, whose pending judgement from the Court of Arbitration for Sport on a two-year European ban is due in mid-July and could change the picture completely.
If their ban is upheld, fifth place will be good enough for the Champions League and that will embolden Sheffield United, who get the season back underway against Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Chris Wilder’s team have blown us all away this season having only just come up from the Championship and it truly would be a fairytale if they qualify for Europe.
The Blades will move up to fifth if they beat Villa in their game in hand and have their destiny in their own hands with games against Man United, Tottenham, Wolves, Chelsea and Leicester in their run-in.
Sheffield United could yet cap a remarkable season by qualifying for the Champions League
Can Jose Mourinho dent his old club’s top-four aspirations?
The fixture that really stands out from the first weekend and one that will have a major impact on that European battle comes on Friday night.
Tottenham play Man United in a fixture that will inevitably become all about Jose Mourinho.
Spurs have been far from convincing a lot of the time since Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino in November and yet they are only four points off fifth spot.
A win over a United side who have seen their excellent run of results prior to the pause interrupted will boost their Champions League hopes.
The break has been a blessing for both teams in terms of getting star players back to full fitness. Tottenham talisman Harry Kane has recovered from a hamstring injury, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can call once again on Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford.
And we’re all fascinated to see what role Pogba will play in the remainder of United’s season and whether Solskjaer shoehorn him back into what was a settled midfield?
Jose Mourinho would love to get one over his old club when Spurs meet Man United on Friday
It will be interesting to see if the fit again Paul Pogba plays a part in Friday night’s match
Will Arsenal’s season ignite or fizzle out?
It’s been a season of disappointment at Arsenal with managerial change, too many draws and an urgent need to rebuild from top to bottom.
It will be fascinating to see how their season plays out from here. Will those wins remain elusive, consigning them to mid-table mediocrity and no European football?
Or will they finally find a bit of spark, recapturing the winning form from before the break to salvage something from their campaign?
A trip to City first up is brutal but three winnable games follow against Brighton, Southampton and Norwich, not to mention the fact the Gunners still have to play fellow Europe hopefuls Wolves, Leicester and Tottenham.
Captain and main marksman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been prolific again this season but he needs some back-up when it comes to goals. A bit more defensive solidity would help too.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores for Arsenal against Everton prior to the break
Can Leicester and Wolves continue their magnificent seasons?
While Sheffield United have rightly gained the plaudits, Leicester and Wolves are enjoying magnificent seasons without anything like the acclaim.
Brendan Rodgers looks almost certain to lead his Leicester side into the Champions League and they could well finish second.
Jamie Vardy is the league’s top scorer with 19 and is just one goal away from a century in the top flight. Perhaps he’ll get it when the Foxes head to Watford on Saturday.
And Wolves have done incredibly well to sit sixth, very much in the conversation for Champions League football, considering they started their season well before everyone else in July’s Europa League qualifiers.
Given Wolves are still in that competition, set to be completed in August, their marathon season may end up spanning a whole year.
Nuno Espirito Santo has his side playing some captivating football at times and the three-month break may well have done them some good.
Leicester are on course to qualify for the Champions League with quite a lot to spare
Wolves’ season may extend to over 12 months but they could well make it a memorable one
Can Norwich pull off the greatest of escapes?
The relegation fight looks set to be fascinating with nine rounds of the season remaining.
But to glance at the bottom of the table is to immediately assume Norwich, who are six points from safety, have absolutely no chance of getting out of danger.
However, Daniel Farke’s side still have six-pointers against fellow strugglers Brighton, Watford and West Ham to come after they resume with a home game against Southampton on Friday.
While not beyond the realms of possibility, Norwich would have to discover a consistency that hasn’t happened all season to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
It’s been a struggle for Norwich, who are bottom of the pile and six points away from safety
Who will keep their heads above water in epic relegation struggle?
Above Norwich, who might occupy the relegation spots is truly anyone’s guess.
Just four points split Brighton in 15th with Aston Villa in 19th with West Ham, Watford and Bournemouth in between and fighting for their lives.
If Villa were to beat Sheffield United on Wednesday, they’d climb out of the bottom three and the only thing guaranteed is that these teams will be swapping positions frequently.
With the pandemic severely impacting the finances of clubs all over the world, the prospect of dropping out of the lucrative Premier League is just too much to think about.
And with all the remaining games crammed into just over five weeks between now and July 26, the unknown factors like form, fitness and injuries are simply magnified.
In the absence of a title race, the relegation scrap will be absolutely captivating.
The picture at the bottom of the Premier League table as a frantic relegation battle brews
Aston Villa will need their talisman and captain Jack Grealish to deliver to escape relegation
West Ham are another club desperate to avoid the pain of relegation on prestige and finances
Which sharp-shooter will claim the Golden Boot?
An exciting sub-plot for the rest of the season is which hotshot striker will claim the Golden Boot.
Last season, it was a three-way tie with Mohamed Salah, Aubameyang and Sadio Mane all scoring 22 league goals.
All three are still in contention this time but it’s Leicester’s Vardy, who has recaptured some of his sharpest form under Brendan Rodgers, who leads the way with 19 goals.
Aubameyang (17), Salah (16) and Sergio Aguero (16) are in hot pursuit, while Danny Ings has 15, Mane 14 and the back-from-injury Marcus Rashford 14.
Leicester’s Jamie Vardy leads the way in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot award
Will Bournemouth and Palace put on a show for the BBC millions?
The most watched game of the Premier League era was the Manchester derby of April 2012, which drew 4.04million viewers on Sky Sports.
That is likely to be blown out of the water on Saturday night when the BBC screen Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace.
All 92 remaining games will be televised live and the BBC have four of them. Not the best picks but it will be nice to see the Premier League on terrestrial TV for the first time.
Indeed, it’s been 32 years since the last top-flight match was shown live on Match of the Day and things have certainly changed since then.
Sky will be showing 25 matches free-to-air on their Pick TV channel and the handful of games on Amazon will cost nothing either, meaning every fan can feel a part of the league’s return.
Saturday’s Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace game could draw the biggest TV audience
How will Premier League games look and feel in a pandemic?
It goes without saying that things will look very different when the Premier League returns.
Efforts will be made to jazz up the rows of empty seats in stadiums but the buzz of the crowd will certainly be missed.
There will still be some atmosphere though with recorded crowd noise taken from the FIFA 20 video game piped into the stadiums.
It’s been used in Germany’s Bundesliga, which returned a month ago, and does enhance the experience though TV companies will be offering the option to watch without it.
Look out for differences in player behaviour as well. Not so many team celebrations after goals, elbow bumps replacing high-fives and no pre-match handshakes.
Substitutes will be spaced out in the stands, too, while we can expect to see those not on the pitch wearing face masks.
