Premier League restart preview: Liverpool could create history against their rivals

Without doubt the gloss has been taken off Liverpool's season. There are bigger things at play in the world than football and now the Premier League are rushing to get the 2019/20 campaign concluded after a three-month hiatus. Liverpool will resume the campaign 25 points clear of second place Manchester City, though last season's champions can reduce the deficit when they play Arsenal on Wednesday in their game-in-hand.

While there was a question whether Liverpool would even get to win the title at the height of the pandemic, on the eve of the league's return it is back to being a matter of when. Defeat for City against Arsenal would mean Liverpool can win their first league title in 30 years in Sunday's Merseyside derby. It would be a sweet way for Jurgen Klopp's side to claim the title. Denied the chance on Sunday, there is a possiblity they could even win the league against City in their third game back. 

Pre-lockdown form

Despite sitting so far clear of the chasing pack, Liverpool were not actually in the best of form pre-lockdown. Despite winning five of their last six in the Premier League it's far to say they were not quite operating at their usual high standards. They were also handed their first league defeat of the campaign in that sequence, a shock 3-0 defeat to strugglers Watford.

Even a 4-0 win over Southampton flattered Liverpool, while they only managed to beat West Ham 3-2 and Bournemouth 2-1. Nevertheless, a hallmark of champions is finding a way to win when you aren't at your best and Klopp's side have certainly shown that this season.

Squad Updates

Liverpool's squad was generally in a good place pre-lockdown. None of their usual starters were sidelined but the three-month break would have allowed them to recharge their batteries following a gruelling campaign of high-intensity football.

The break would have really benefitted Naby Keita, for example, who has struggled for niggling injuries throughout his time at Anfield. So much was expected of the RB Leipzig midfielder following his arrival in 2018 but he has yet to deliever. Liverpool can enjoy their remaining matches and Keita could get a regular run in the team as a result.

Run-in Difficulty

With the Premier League title within touching distance, if not this weekend then the following fixture, Liverpool are all but over the line at the right moment. Analysing the home and away of Liverpool's remaining opponents, the average difficulty is 6.78. It is above the average (6.76) for the division and only a handful of teams have a more difficult batch of fixtures.

City, meanwhile, have the most favourable run-in but are too far back to take advantage of it. As well as this weekend's Merseyside derby to tick off, Liverpool still have to play City, Arsenal and Chelsea, with the latter two games in their final three matches of the season.

Current Position: 1st (25 points clear of second)