Football fans have been delighted to see the return of European action, with the Bundesliga becoming the first major competition in Europe restarting. Many of the leading leagues in Europe were suspended in June due to the coronavirus pandemic, and now it would seem that the Premier League is edging closer to the date that it would like to restart.
The date that many football fans that follow the Premier League will have jotted in their diary will be the 19th June, with the expected announcement that this is the date when the competition will resume likely to be announced shortly. The road to this point has been tough, to say the least, with all Premier League sides throwing up suggestions as to how they would like the season to resume, if at all.
Date Remains Flexible
The Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ has been in operation for a number of weeks now, with players having returned to their respective training grounds for individual training in early May. There is set to be an announcement this week that clubs will be able to resume contact training, which would be the biggest indicator that the Premier League is just weeks away from a return to competitive action.
The initial date set by the Premier League for a possible restart was set at the 12th June, but clubs immediately knocked that suggestion back after there were fears that players will not be at the required fitness levels, and could be prone to injuries. Clubs suggested that the 26th June would present a more realistic date, but it would now seem that the 19th June would present a middle ground, with Gary Neville admitting that there wouldn’t be any fears of the fitness of players.
What’s Still To Play For In The Premier League?
There are still nine games to play for the majority of clubs in the Premier League, with Liverpool just two victories away from their first league title in 30 years. Their next two games when the season resumes will likely be against Everton and Crystal Palace should the same fixture list be in operation. The battle for a place in the Champions League will also be one of the biggest factors to be decided, with fifth spot likely to be enough due to the UEFA ban that is currently hanging over Manchester City.
In the mix for that final spot include Chelsea, Manchester United, Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will still feel that they have a chance, while Spurs already appear to be looking ahead to next season according to the latest reported players that they have been interested in according to Spursforlife.com.
The relegation battle also seems destined to go down to the final day of the season, with Aston Villa Bournemouth, Watford, West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion all looking for the points that they need. Villa and Bournemouth are the two sides in the relegation places at present with Norwich City, but the Cherries and Villa are within striking distance of those just outside the drop zone.
OTS News on Social Media