As you may be aware, we’re now at that stage of the football calendar that is known as “the business end of the season” where teams challenging for titles and trophies know it’s make or break time.
The Premier League is coming to its climax with Manchester City and Liverpool still neck and neck as City look to win back to back league titles for the first time. Whilst eighteen time English champions Liverpool look to win their first league title in twenty-nine years.
Who will crack first though? Will it go to the final game of the season? These are just two of the questions that get asked about teams at this stage as nerves start to kick in. Not too many league titles do go to the final game of the season, but every now and again it happens with dramatic circumstances and I reckon this year could well be one of those.
What is even more interesting is that both these clubs are still in the Champions League, after both teams won their respective second-legs this week to go into quarter-final draw tomorrow lunchtime.
Just as important these days, is the battle for the “top four” as Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea continue to battle it out for the remaining two spots behind both City and Liverpool. Fans do know there is no trophy to lift for finishing in the top four, but the media and TV companies know it is still a huge deal ahead of the following season, so although live games will be shown in the title race, there will be just as much interest shown in this battle too.
The you have the FA Cup this weekend, England euro-qualifiers next weekend, as well as The Championship, League One and League Two run ins to come. All of which are very competitive, but if you put all of the above and FA Cup aside the one to watch is The Championship run-in. As this is always cracking viewing as it all comes to a head with games at the weekend as well as midweek from now until the final day of the season. There is still no rest then either, as the play-offs will begin straight away as more games come thick and fast and those games are some of the best you can watch as a neutral.
As you might have guessed, I love my football, I absolutely do, I have my own team that I support and watch at home as well as away when I can. I go to watch local football in my area as well, but when it gets to these last three months of the season I’m always left wondering what matches are on today and more importantly which channel it’s on?
There is of course so many channels these days and although I do subscribe to most of them, it’s always good to know what options you have of an evening or weekend. The TV companies know they’ll have plenty of viewers looking to watch their channels as the season comes to a head, but surely the only winners are football fans like you and I who get to watch live football matches nearly every day of the week for the next few months.