The Premier League is set to make its return after suspending its season due to the coronavirus pandemic as shareholders voted to restart the season, which was suspended on March 13. Its official return date is June 13, which would make it 100 days since the season was stopped, but games aren’t actually scheduled until a few days later.
There will be two games upon the Premier League’s return on June 17 in order to bring all 20 teams to 29 matches played. Manchester City will take on Arsenal and Sheffield United will host Aston Villa. And just like with most live sports that are returning, there will be no fans.
17.06.2020
Premier League Shareholders today agreed to a new provisional restart date for the 2019/20 season of Wednesday 17 June, provided that all safety requirements are in place
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 28, 2020
Since then, the Premier league has conducted three rounds of testing with 2,752 people resulting in 12 positive coronavirus tests. Once the season resumes, testing will be increased from 50 to 60 people per club. If anyone tests positive for Covid-19, they will be asked to self-isolate for seven days.
How much of the season is left to play?
Everyone had played either 28 or 29 of the 38 matches on their schedule, meaning the season had about a quarter of the way to go. There are no playoffs to determine the league champion, though, so a lot was riding on those remaining matches.
Who was leading?
Liverpool were running away with things and were, in fact, on the verge of clinching their first-ever Premier League title. The Reds had only lost one of their first 29 league matches, had amassed 82 points and were poised to set all sorts of records. Second-place Manchester City were 25 points behind with 10 matches left to play.
Hold up, did you say Liverpool has never won the Premier League?
While it’s true that Liverpool are the reigning Champions League winners and they’ve the world’s most valuable soccer competition a total of three times, they’ve not won the English top flight since the Premier League started in 1992. They’d also won the English First Division — the precursor to the EPL — 18 times.
What’s going on with the relegation battle?
Every year, there are three Premier League teams who drop down (relegated) to the second division and are replaced by three teams from that league. Last-place Norwich City is four points behind everyone else and six points from escaping the relegation zone. Immediately above them, it’s pretty crowded with four points separating five teams. Brighton leads that group with 29 points and a relatively respectable -8 goal-difference. After them, West Ham, Watford and Bournemouth are all tied on 27 points. Aston Villa is in 19th with 25 points.
What else is at stake?
Although things could and maybe even are likely to change in terms of how Champions League teams are decided, the top five teams in England currently qualify. Liverpool are already assured their spot while Manchester City (57 points) and Leicester City (53 points) seem reasonably secure. Chelsea (48 points) and Manchester United (45 points) currently occupy the final two spots, but six teams are within six points of the No. 5 spot. Leading the way are Wolverhampton and Sheffield United (both on 43 points).
What if they can’t complete the season?
The standings will be determined by unweighted points per game.
What about the FA Cup?
That competition is in the quarterfinals and currently scheduled to restart on June 27 with the final scheduled for Aug. 1. The remaining matchups are Leicester City v Chelsea; Newcastle United v Manchester City; Sheffield United v Arsenal; and Norwich City v Manchester United.
What do Premier League fans think about the season returning?
We asked Premier League writers what the return of their team means for their respective seasons. First up, is Noel Chomyn from The Liverpool Offside. Prior to the season’s abrupt suspension, Liverpool were at the top of the standings having won four out of their last five matches and were having a historic season.
“It’s only taken 30 years. And now a few extra self-isolating months. But the Premier League coming back means Liverpool are finally, officially, going to be champions. Which is nice. Even if it’s going to be strange to see Jordan Henderson tap dancing with the trophy in an empty stadium.
“There’s also a good chance this team, in this strangest of strange seasons, will now go on to secure their place amongst the all-time great sides in English football by setting records for most points, most wins, and probably a whack of other stuff I’ve forgotten since we last got to watch them play back in March.
“All of which, that stuff, it’s stuff Liverpool fans even a few years back probably wouldn’t have believed was possible if you’d told them it was going to happen, given where the club’s been. Beyond all that, though, it’s just nice. The idea of getting to watch a bunch of grown men kick a ball about for a bit every week.
“Assuming of course the people making the decisions aren’t being foolish and reckless and that this doesn’t all go horribly wrong somehow.”
Brent Maxim of The Busby Babe, SB Nation’s Manchester United site, offered their thoughts on Manchester United’s season, and what the 100-day break means for them:
“Manchester United were one of the teams that were finally building momentum after an up-and-down season when the Premier League was suspended. With the enforced break allowing Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba to finally get fit again, United will have their best available team ready to push for a place in the top four.”
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