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When Leicester City put four unanswered goals past Aston Villa in the Premier League at the King Power Stadium on March 10, 2020, few could have predicted the events that followed for the next couple of months.
The coronavirus pandemic brought the 2019-20 Premier League season to an abrupt halt, putting its future up in the air. However, after an agonisingly long wait, the Premier League is finally scheduled to restart soon, and the excitement among football fans is slowly growing.
Provided that all safety requirements are met, Wednesday, June 17, 2020 is set to be the day Premier League action returns. After a gap of 99 days, Manchester City will take on Arsenal, and Aston Villa will host Sheffield United. After these fixtures, which had been postponed due to the Carabao Cup final, a full round of Premier League fixtures has been scheduled, starting on June 19.
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While this is indeed welcome news, a break of this duration in the midst of the Premier League is not something players can cope with easily. Form books are thrown out of the window, while the lack of match-fitness, absence of fans, new kick-off timings, and the possibility of extra substitutions, among other concerns caused by COVID-19, will take some getting used to.
And while the Premier League champions-in-waiting, Liverpool, have all but been crowned, it’s easy to forget that before coronavirus hit, the race for the Premier League top 4 was as riveting as it has ever been. A conclusion is now imminent.
Come the (eventual) end of the Premier League season, finishing in one of those coveted places could hinge on a few key remaining fixtures. Let’s take a look at five crucial ties that could very well decide which Premier League teams will feature in the Champions League next season.
5 Premier League fixtures crucial to the top 4 race:
1. Tottenham Hostpur vs Manchester United
One of the most high-profile Premier League fixtures scheduled for the first week of action post-restart sees eighth-placed Tottenham Hotspur welcome fifth-placed Manchester United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Both sides were experiencing contrasting fortunes when the break was announced. United, buoyed by the January arrivals of Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo, seemed to be finding form. Spurs were still coming to terms with Jose Mourinho’s footballing philosophies.
Both sides will welcome back key players - Spurs’ talismanic striker Harry Kane is fit once again, while United can once again call on Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba. With four points separating the two on the Premier League table, a (relatively) clean slate to start from, and a fully-fit squad to choose from, this might just come down to which side is quicker to adapt to being out on the pitch once again.
2. Liverpool vs Chelsea
Before Watford registered a well-deserved 3-0 win over Liverpool in the Premier League at the end of February, it had seemed almost impossible to defeat the league leaders.
Even still, the Reds enjoy a sizeable lead over Manchester City atop the Premier League table, and barring a collapse of stunning proportions, seem set to seal their first league title in 30 years. It is for this exact reason that their prospective fixture against Chelsea is one to look out for. It is likely that the Reds will have confirmed the title by the time the two face off at Anfield.
Had the Premier League progressed as normal, Liverpool would have been overwhelming favourites in this tie. However, looking at it in a post-COVID light, and considering that the Reds might ease the throttle after cementing first place, and the result is not as certain as it might have once seemed.
Besides this fixture against Liverpool, Frank Lampard’s men also have home ties against Manchester City and Wolves to contend with. They will no doubt be looking for every opportunity to pick up points going into the final stretch.
3. Sheffield United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves enjoyed a dream return to the Premier League last season, securing Europa League football and wowing fans with their entertaining performances under Nuno Espirito Santo.
While they have continued in the same vein this season, the tag of ‘newcomers punching well above their weight’ has been taken over by Sheffield United. The Blades deploy a system involving overlapping centre-backs that no one in the league seems to have figured out just yet.
They find themselves in the heady heights of seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Wolves. The winner of this tie would take a crucial leap over the loser with regards to the European places, and would have a legitimate stake in the top 4 battle.
4. Leicester City vs Manchester United
The form of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, and Caglar Soyuncu, in particular, had initially propelled the Foxes to possible title contenders before they hit a slump in the second half of the season.
Even so, Brendan Rodgers’ side was enjoying their best season since the famous title win of 2015-16. They had just moved five points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea when the coronavirus crisis hit. However, one of just four defeats until mid-January came at Old Trafford in September, something that Leicester will no doubt be looking to make up for.
For their part, United had seemed to be hitting their stride when football stopped, and notched up a 2-0 win as part of a memorable league double over local rivals Manchester City in their last match. With both sides seemingly fully fit and raring to go, this match-up of third vs fifth (as it stands currently) is definitely one to watch out for.
5. Chelsea vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Chelsea put five past Wolves when the two sides met at Molineux back in September, with Tammy Abraham scoring a hat-trick and Fikayo Tomori marking the tie with a memorable long-range screamer.
Fast forward to June, and Chelsea currently occupy the fourth spot on the table with Wolves hot on their heels in sixth. A win for either side would be a crucial step towards securing Champions League football next season.
With recent form not really a consideration and no major injuries to speak of for both sides, this is another one of those fixtures that could come down to who can deal with football behind closed doors better.
Note: Dates for all ties to be confirmed.
