The 2019/20 Premier League season is finally set to resume after a three-month delay. However, those using NJ apps to place bets should prepare for things being a little different as matches will play out in empty stadiums and with celebrations that adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Less home advantage
One of the upshots of behind-closed-doors action is that teams playing at home are likely to have less of an advantage compared to earlier in the season.
The German Bundesliga returned last month, and there were only eleven home wins in the first 55 matches. That equates to a 20% win rate, much lower than the 43% win rate for home teams before.
In the PL, Norwich City and Aston Villa could struggle as they collected a far higher proportion of their points in home games during the first 29 games of the campaign.
Villa has a tough run-in with home clashes against Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea. They will now have to pick up points in those in an attempt to stave off relegation without their usual vocal support.
Bigger wins, fewer goals
One-sided matches have also been prevalent in the Bundesliga since its restart. Almost half of the games played thus far have ended with a team winning with a margin of two goals or more, and 14 matches have seen teams romping to a three-goal lead early in the game.
While there have been several big wins, the average amount of goals per game has fallen since before the restart. There were 784 goals at an average of 2.72 goals per game in the Premier League before it was suspended, so if it mirrors the German league, the figure is unlikely to increase during the rest of the season.
Different celebrations, simulated crowd noise
Goal celebrations will not be as lively following the restart as players have been told not to hug teammates, so they will have to be more creative with their solo efforts.
This rule has not always been followed in leagues that have resumed as the emotion of scoring can be too much for some. However, expect more subdued reactions to begin with.
Empty stadiums also mean players will have to contend with different atmospheres than they are used to at the top level. Spectators will be able to get more of an authentic experience after games developer EA recently confirmed that “atmospheric audio” from FIFA 20 will be used by broadcasters to simulate crowd noise depending on what is happening in a game.
More injuries and substitutions
Premier League teams will now be able to make five substitutions instead of three during a game. It will give managers more options and the ability to replace players who will be more fatigued after a three-month break from the competition. There may also be a spike in injuries.
There were 14 muscle-related complaints in the Bundesliga when it resumed as players struggled with the shift to competitive action. Former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp notes: “People want to see players fit and able to play, and there will probably be more injuries than usual because players won’t quite be at that match fitness or match tempo, so five subs makes a lot of sense.”
Liverpool to ease to first PL title
Liverpool has a commanding 25 point lead over Manchester City going into the final ten matches and is all but certain to clinch their first PL title.
Jurgen Klopp’s team has a few tricky matches left, including a trip to Pep Guardiola’s City in early July. Still, after amassing 82 points and suffering just one league defeat thus far, Liverpool could break several records by the season’s end.
Champions League places to be confirmed
Liverpool, Man City, and Leicester City are in pole position to secure Champions League qualification. However, the fourth and final spot is still up for grabs with Chelsea (48 points), Manchester United (45 points), Sheffield United (43 points), and Wolves (43 points) all in contention with ten games left.
Fierce battle to avoid relegation
Norwich City faces the most stringent test if they are to survive relegation as they will resume six points off 17th placed Watford. Three teams will be relegated.
Aston Villa (25 points) and Bournemouth (27 points) would also go down as things stand, but Watford, West Ham, and Brighton could all get pulled into a scrap if they fail to pick up points in the coming weeks.
The Premier League will return with the same teams in June, but fans should prepare for an experience that will be slightly different to previous games during the rest of the summer.
