The big Premier League kick-off is just four days away now and we can hardly wait. The Bundesliga and La Liga have both made great starts, and with the English and Italian leagues nearing a return we have a feast of football to look forward to over the next two months.
There are huge issues to resolve from the top to the bottom of the Premier League, one of which will be sorted out very quickly, but the remainder are likely to go down to the wire.
Liverpool to celebrate winning the league on 24th June
There have been times over the past three months when Liverpool fans thought they would never be able to acclaim their first league title in three decades. But their nightmare scenario has all but gone, and while they will have to celebrate victory in their own homes, the Liverpool faithful will be out on the streets for a mass party when the time comes.
Head coach Jurgen Klopp has said they will have a tour of the city when it is safe it do so, as it is safe to assume the players won’t blow this opportunity. They lead Manchester City by 25 points and just need two wins. If the Sky Blues slip up against Arsenal on Wednesday, then Liverpool could win the title against Everton on the 21st.
But I think they will have to wait just three more days when Crystal Palace visit Anfield.
Chelsea to hold on to fourth place
With Manchester City and Leicester City comfortably in second and third place there is one final Champions League slot guaranteed, subject to City’s legal battle with UEFA. Chelsea are in that position, three points ahead of Manchester United, and the Blues were boosted last week by the news that Leipzig striker Timo Werner was nearing a move to Stamford Bridge
The big Premier League 2020 news, before the break in football, was the arrival of Bruno Fernades at Old Trafford. Neutrals were pondering whether this was a big money gamble by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while Red Devils fans were hoping they had found a new Eric Cantona! Well he’s yet not reached the legendary status of the enigmatic Frenchman, but he’s made an excellent start. Fernades has scored two goals in five games since his transfer from Sporting in the January transfer window.
This will be a battle royal but I think Chelsea will hang on.
Europa League football for Spurs
Sheffield United have been superb this season and currently sit in seventh place, and it would be foolish to rule the Blades out of a Europa League place. But there are some big guns looming and I think it will be one of the north London giants who will join Manchester United and Wolves in the top seven.
Spurs have a kinder run-in than Arsenal so I’m plumping for Jose Mourinho’s Whites.
Championship football for the Hammers
Norwich City have played some attractive football but are too easy to break down and have six points to make up, which should be too high a mountain to climb. So it’s farewell to the Canaries, and I think fellow new boys Aston Villa will be joining them in the Championship. Head coach Dean Smith spent heavily last summer in the hope of securing survival. But the Villains have discovered, much as Fulham did last season, that money alone does not guarantee success in the bottom half of the Premier League.
Villa’s frailties were all to easy to see in the final game before the break in football, as they were dismantled easily by a Leicester City side which beat them 4-0 at a canter.
So who will join those two in the drop? The latest Premier League 2020 betting odds here at SBOBET are backing Bournemouth, currently in 18th – at odds of 1.80. But I think the Cherries have enough attacking options to climb out of the bottom three and will pick up at least three wins. But West Ham, at 3.00 to do down, and Brighton, at 3.50, have devilish run-ins and I’m plumping for the Seagulls stay up as they have a two point start over the Hammers.
Aguero and Auba to share the Golden Boot
When we resume next week, Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy will be leading the race for the Golden Boot. The artful Fox has 19 goals to his name and he is being tracked by Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang on 17, and then Mo Salah and Sergio Aguero on 16. The City striker is scoring at a rate of 88 minutes per goal whereas the other three take well over 100 minutes; in fact, Vardy is the closest at 117 minutes per goal.
The Leicester man is at 2.46 to win the Boot, with Aubameyang at 5.00 and Aguero and Salah at 6.00, but if the City man gets enough game time I think he’ll join Auba at the top, on around 24 goals, with Vardy just one behind.
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