FORMER Celtic and Arsenal striker Charlie Nicholas expects a nailbiting finale to the 2019/20 Premier League season as English football gets set to restart this evening.
He reckons that Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool remain champions-in-waiting and expects the Anfield club to seal their first league title in 30 years - but warned that with no form guide to go on and little-to-no home advantage from playing behind closed doors, the rest of the league will be more unpredictable than ever before.
"There’s nine games to go so it’s going to be a sprint," he said. "And there’s no form guide at all. Watching the German football there’s no real advantage in playing at home, so its going to be quite dramatic.
"There's going to be a lot of players who actually will not feel the same tension and that could be actually quite good for those that feel the pressure at home.
"Liverpool will obviously win the league, but the relegation situation is really interesting and there’s also the scrap behind Liverpool and Manchester City.
"Arsenal were doing well before the break and obviously they start with Manchester City, but their run-in is actually pretty favourable.
"So it’s going to be dramatic and I think there might be a few strange results. It’s hard to make predictions as we don’t know how things will go. It will change game by game. But it’s great that football is back and I’m desperate to see it get going again."
Nicholas, who works as a pundit for Sky Sports, believes that the return of top-flight football in England will lift the spirits of the nation - even set against the backdrop of empty stadiums.
"Look, there’s been tremendously sad and hard things for a lot of people, but football does, at different times, get a bad reputation and sometimes it brings it on itself," he said.
"But they also are great supporters of great causes and football is a great supporter of great causes and I do think it brings a lot of different people back into an understanding again where football is appreciated.
"I think just the whole rigmarole of football, I think when you see football back and the players are back to full flow - of course there’s no fans in the stadium, it’ll be really weird - but I think for us all it is just something that gives us that association with belief again, that we’re moving forward, there’s a positivity to it.
"I think really that positivity gives it a big jump, and then very soon people will be getting back to work and all that normality; hopefully bars and restaurants and socialising again all comes back and I think football is the start of that."
Former Scotland, Celtic and Arsenal striker Nicholas is supporting Prostate Cancer UK this Father’s Day. Whether you are a dad, you have a dad or you’re remembering your dad, Prostate Cancer UK are asking the public to share a message or tribute on the new Dedication to Dad wall, where they can also make a suggested donation, to help fund lifesaving research and to give men more Father’s Days. Supporters can visit the charity’s Father’s Day hub prostatecanceruk.org/father and donate and leave a message to celebrate or remember their dad.
Charlie lost his dad to the disease in 2009 and his touching message is already there - “Dad, you were a magnificent man and a loyal foot soldier who sacrificed so much to support me. Father’s Day was always Chic’s time, so we’ll raise a glass of single malt to you – Charlie.”
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