Football: The Battle for Top Four RESUMES in the Premier League
- Premier League returns on June 17
- The quest for Top Four returns
- Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United all battle for the spot
- Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic
Premier League returns on June 17 with the battle for Top Four resuming.
Football in England is set to return on Wednesday night with Manchester City hosting Arsenal while Aston Villa will entertain Sheffield United at Villa Park.
While Champions-elect Liverpool have all but sealed the title, the battle for Top Four is far from over.
Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Wolves and Tottenham are battling for the spot that will see them in the prestigious Champions League 2020/21 campaign.
Chelsea sit in the fourth position with 48 points, three points above United with 45 points.
Wolves and Sheffield are tied with 43 points each, occupying the sixth and seventh position respectively.
Tottenham lie in eighth position with their arch-rivals Arsenal in the ninth position.
Chelsea – 4th place, 48 Points
Frank Lampard’s side has had a roller-coaster season, winning some big games and dropping crucial points in others.
The Chelsea legend’s spell as the Blues manager has seen impressive wins over experienced managers such as Jose Mourinho, but has also been stunned by losses to Manchester United, Southhampton and Bournemouth.
The return of N’Golo Kante has boosted the side’s hopes of securing a Champions League spot.
It had looked as though the France midfielder would miss the remainder of the season because of coronavirus fears, but the Premier League’s strict testing schedule has helped convince Kante that it’s safe to return.
Chelsea resume the quest with a trip to Villa Park before hosting Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City the following week.
There are two London derbies featuring trips to West Ham and Crystal Palace, trips to Sheffield United and Liverpool, before wrapping the season with a visit from Wolves.
Manchester United – 5th Place, 45 points
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has also enjoyed an impressive spell this season. However, the Norwegian has also suffered some shock results a home loss to Burnley back in January.
Before the break of the season back in March, United were on a ten match unbeaten streak in all competitions which include a convincing 2-0 away win over Chelsea.
Although the break denied United’s surge for top four, it has allowed the side to welcome back Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba into the squad.
The signing of Bruno Fernandes in January has given the side a swagger of creativity and ingenuity in attack with Old Trafford faithfuls waiting with bated breaths on a likely partnership of the Portuguese and Pogba.
United return to competitive action with a visit to Tottenham on Friday which is definitely going to be a spectacle when Jose Mourinho goes against the club that sacked him in 2018.
After the trip to London, Solskjaer’s biggest tests look likely to come in the following game at home to Sheffield United and away at Leicester on the final day of the season.
However, a run of games against Brighton, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Southampton, Palace and West Ham in between will have United eyeing maximum points.
Wolves – 6th Place, 43 points
Wolves have enjoyed a fairly impressive season, balancing their Premier League commitments and Europa League campaign.
Nuno Espirito Santo will be looking to get back to action with his side having benefitted from the break and will be heading into their first game back with a visit to 16th placed West Ham.
The Portuguese then has to navigate through matches against Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Sheffield United and Everton.
The final games will include a visit by Crystal Palace before a daunting visit to Stamford Bridge.
Sheffield United – 7th place, 43 points
Sheffield United’s fairy tale return to the Premier League could yet have a very special ending if they’re able to maintain their impressive performances.
Chris Wilder’s side will climb above Wolves and Manchester United and into fifth place if they win their game in hand against Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
Sheffield have a trip to Old Trafford before hosting Spursl Wolves and Chelsea who are other teams chasing the Champions League dpot.
Tottenham – 8th place, 41 points
Tottenham resume their push for Champions League football with a huge fixture on Friday, hosting Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho will be looking to get one over his old employers but a victory over United will further propel his side’s push for top four.
Spurs welcome back club captain Harry Kane who has been out of action since suffering a serious hamstring injury on New Year’s Day.
After Friday’s game against the Red Devils, Spurs’ most tricky fixtures come away at Sheffield United and at home to north London rivals Arsenal.
Matches against West Ham, Everton, Bournemouth and Newcastle provide good opportunities to pick up points, although finishing the season against Leicester and Palace will prove tricky for the North-London side.
Arsenal – 9th place, 41 points
Arsenal resume their chase for Top Four with a challenging task against Manchester City on Wednesday.
Being a game in hand, a positive result of a win will potentially catapult the Gunners up to sixth place.
Mikel Arteta will be pushing his side to getting positive results with tough away trips to Wolves and bitter rivals Tottenham, while home games with Leicester and Liverpool will not be easy either.
Arsenal have away visits to Brighton, Southampton and Aston Villa where they will be looking to collect maximum points.
