LosT贼 Posted June 10, 2020 Posted June 10, 2020 Premier League football is on its way back. No ball has been kicked in the top flight since mid-March after the season was suspended indefinitely because of coronavirus but players are back in training and it emerged on Thursday that the season is set to resume on 17 June. With social distancing rules in place, no fans in the stadiums and the possibility of being able to make five substitutions, it will be a very different football to the one we enjoyed before the suspension, but it will at least allow the 2019-20 campaign to be completed. Liverpool are, of course, on the verge of winning a first top-flight title in 30 years, but how quickly could they achieve that and what else is there to look out for? BBC Sport takes a look at some of the issues still to be resolved. The title was tantalisingly within reach for Liverpool before the coronavirus pandemic brought a halt to the domestic football programme. The good news for the Reds, however, is they probably will not need to wait long to finally get over the line once football returns. Just two more wins will do the job for Liverpool, although they could seal the title in their first game back if Manchester City lose at home to Arsenal on 17 June. Once the title is wrapped up, next to sort out is Champions League qualification. As things stand, Manchester City cannot compete in Europe's premier club competition for the next two seasons after being banned for breaking Financial Fair Play rules. Pep Guardiola's side have appealed, however, and could still compete if the ban is overturned. If the ban is upheld, whoever finishes fifth will take their place in next season's Champions League. Manchester United currently occupy that position (on 45 points), but Wolves and Sheffield United are both just two points behind and will undoubtedly have their eye on securing an unlikely place alongside Europe's elite. Tottenham, in eighth and four points off fifth, and Arsenal, five points off with a game in hand, will also fancy their chances of pinching the position. One side-effect of the enforced lack of matches over the past two months is that teams in poor form have a chance to reset. Aston Villa, in particular, were on a desperately poor run, with four successive defeats seeing them drop to second from bottom and two points from safety - although they have a game in hand over their rivals. Villa are one of six sides realistically fighting against the drop, with anyone from 15th down looking over their shoulder. Norwich are bottom and six points from safety but were the only side in the bottom three to have won any of their four previous games before football's suspension. A run of seven defeats in 10 games had seen Bournemouth drop into the bottom three but they had been struggling with injuries to several first-team players. A number of those will now be fit again, meaning the Cherries will probably have a strong squad to choose from for the run-in. Watford had looked doomed in December but the arrival of Nigel Pearson sparked a revival with four wins from five games giving them a fighting chance. They recorded a hugely impressive 3-0 win against champions-elect Liverpool just before the Premier League was halted, so how such a long break in action will affect their momentum remains to be seen. 1
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