MX23RW : Wednesday, May 6 16:54:18| >> :60:1707:1707:

Analysing Liverpool's Premier League run-in

Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the fixtures which title-chasing Liverpool will still have to play when the 2019-20 Premier League season resumes.

Liverpool's march towards a first league title since 1990 looked unstoppable for much of the campaign, until unprecedented circumstances brought the 2019-20 season to a halt.

The coronavirus pandemic has sown doubt as to whether Jurgen Klopp's side will get their crowning glory, although talks between Premier League clubs on Friday suggested that most still intend to complete the campaign, however long that may take.

Liverpool's title charge - along with every other sporting matter - pales into insignificance compared to the wider impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, but it is agonising nonetheless for the team to be stopped just short of their long-awaited return to the top of English football.

A 25-point lead over Manchester City means that the Reds need only six more points to clinch the title once play resumes, and here Sports Mole has taken an in-depth look at their remaining fixtures.


Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp growls with excitement on March 7, 2020© Reuters

The guise and format in which the season will return, if at all, remains unknown, which means that the original order of matches lined up for Liverpool may no longer be relevant.

Their next scheduled game prior to the suspension of play was due to be against Merseyside rivals Everton, though, a contest they would be confident of winning having not been beaten by their neighbours in any competition since 2010 - a run of 21 matches.

The short trip to Goodison Park is one of two particularly notable away games still to come for Liverpool, with a visit to the home of the current champions Manchester City also on the agenda.

Incidentally, should that match be the first Liverpool play when action resumes then they could win the title at the Etihad Stadium, with victory giving them the six-point swing that they need over their nearest challengers.

Liverpool's Joe Gomez and Manchester City's Raheem Sterling clash on November 10, 2019© Reuters

The Reds won the reverse fixture at Anfield 3-1, but memorably fell to a costly defeat at the Etihad last season and have not won there in the league since 2015.

Liverpool's next toughest match on paper comes at home to Champions League-chasing Chelsea - a team that inflicted a rare defeat on them this season in the FA Cup as recently as March.

An unblemished Anfield record in the league this term will make Liverpool firm favourites against Frank Lampard's inconsistent Blues, though, while it is also worth noting that Chelsea have not won a top-flight game at Anfield since 2014.

A trip to the Emirates Stadium also still awaits Klopp's men and, while the league leaders are unbeaten in their last 10 matches against Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has improved the Gunners enough to make their current position of ninth somewhat misleading.

Roberto Firmino takes on Granit Xhaka and Sokratis during the Premier League game between Liverpool and Arsenal on August 24, 2019© Reuters

Burnley are the only other top-half team left for Liverpool to face, meaning that five of their remaining nine matches come against teams in the bottom half - including a home tie against relegation-threatened Aston Villa.

Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United are all still to come for the Merseysiders, giving an average overall position for their remaining opponents of 10th-11th place.

There is little advantage to be had in terms of home and away games either, with the average position of the teams still to visit Anfield being 11th and the average of those Liverpool must still visit themselves being 10th.

Such has been Liverpool's dominance this season that they will go into every fixture believing that they will win, though, regardless of any loss of momentum which could be caused by the shutdown.


Liverpool's remaining Premier League fixtures

Everton (a)
Crystal Palace (h)
Man City (a)
Aston Villa (h)
Brighton (a)
Burnley (h)
Arsenal (a)
Chelsea (h)
Newcastle (a)

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Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring for Liverpool on November 30, 2019
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