The Premier League Returns

The English Premier League is set to return this month after a break of over 3 months.

92 scheduled fixtures are currently outstanding with 16 sides having 9 games to play and Manchester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Sheffield United having 10.

The season is set to restart on Wednesday 17th June with Manchester City hosting Arsenal and Sheffield United taking the trip to Aston Villa.

Liverpool fans will be especially pleased with confirmation of the season getting back underway as their side aims to seal their first Premier League title since the 1989-90 season. The Reds currently have a 25-point lead over 2nd placed Manchester City and although the title has not yet been decided, it’s extremely likely Liverpool will remain top when the season concludes.

Despite the Premier League winner being all but announced, there is still a lot to play for.

Norwich City, Aston Villa and Bournemouth currently occupy the three relegation spots but Watford, West Ham and Brighton are dangerously close to replacing them.

Several teams are also pushing for places in next seasons Champions League and Europa League with both Tottenham and Arsenal currently adrift of those precious spots being 8th and 9th in the table.

It’s unclear how teams will react to the 3 month break. Many players will undoubtedly by less fit than they were pre-break and the absence of the crowd will have an effect of performances.

If you’re thinking of having a bet on the Premier League when it restarts, as many will be, a football prediction site may provide you with some useful information regarding player fitness and other factors which could influence the games. Ultimately though, it’s hard to predict how teams will perform initially upon return and it may be a safer bet to wait until after the first round of fixtures have been played to place your bets.

However teams and players perform when they return, it’s good to see English football back in some way, albeit behind closed doors.

Premier League Fixtures

The following games are scheduled for the opening week of the Premier League.

17 June:
Man City v Arsenal
Aston Villa v Sheffield United

19-21 June:
Everton v Liverpool
Tottenham v Man United
Man City v Burnley
Aston Villa v Chelsea
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace
Brighton v Arsenal
Newcastle v Sheffield Unite
Norwich v Southampton
Watford v Leicester
West Ham v Wolves

As well as many of the fixtures being shown on SkySports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime, the BBC are televising 4 of the remaining 92 Premier League fixtures for the first time since the Premier League was established in 1992.