And then there was football. A lot of football. Having slumbered in uncertainty over the last two months due to the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc across society, football has finally reawakened in all its adrenaline-pumping glory. Following the resumption in Germany last month, the elite competitions over the rest of Europe have, one after another, announced their plans to restart from where they left off. All this means that the next few weeks — originally designated to feature no club football and subsequently apprehended to be an extension of the sporting void — will now be animated by characteristically enthralling spectacles from the world’s finest footballers.

The title race

As always, the primary fascination with this campaign’s climax will be defined by who takes the silverware across the string of unfinished competitions. In some cases, the writing is on the wall, as with Bayern Munich’s command over the Bundesliga, and more starkly still, Liverpool’s mammoth 25-point lead over second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League.

Cristiano Ronaldo Sourced by the Telegraph

Elsewhere on the continent, matters at the top could not be more different. In Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid are in the midst of one of the closest championship face-offs in years, with the Blaugrana currently holding a slender two-point advantage over Los Blancos. Over in Italy, Juventus’s bid for a ninth straight Scudetto is under threat from an unlikely opposition in the form of a resurgent Lazio, with just a single point separating the Old Lady from their contenders from the capital.

Forecasts become increasingly slippery when entering the domain of the knockout competitions. The Europa League is there for the taking for whichever side can best manage its resources, while its more glamorous cousin in the Champions League is set to anoint a new king following Liverpool’s agonising elimination at Anfield in March. Going strictly on form, Bayern Munich should be one of the prime challengers, though much will depend on which team they draw, as well as on the exact format of the tournament, with rumours swirling about single-legged rounds (possibly in a single city) from the quarter-finals onwards. Even without the crescendo of support from their fans, Europe’s big boys will be gunning for glory in the Champions League, perhaps none more so than Manchester City, who could be without European football for the next two years should proceedings in court (pertaining to their breach of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play) not go in their favour.

The hunt for the Golden Boot

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has claimed the prize for the sharpest shooter in Europe for each of the last three campaigns, but if the Argentine maestro is to make it four in a row, he must play catch up to Polish hitman Robert Lewandowski, who is enjoying the most prolific spell of his illustrious career. Bayern Munich’s star striker has already bagged 30 league goals and is on top of the European Golden Shoe charts, where he will be hotly pursued by Lazio’s Ciro Immobile, currently on 27 strikes. Free-scoring Erling Haaland, who has had a breakthrough year at the tender age of 19, remains a dark horse, having seamlessly transitioned into his new surroundings at Borussia Dortmund, as does another man who knows a thing or two about finding the back of the net — Juventus’s talisman and football’s first billionaire, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The ones to watch out for

The Premier League will roar back into life on June 17 with the headline act involving Manchester City and Arsenal — a gripping clash between Pep Guardiola and his one-time protege, the current Gunners’ manager, Mikel Arteta. Two days later, another high-voltage encounter will emanate from London as Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur take on a Manchester United squad that will look to revitalise itself around the mercurial qualities of the returning Paul Pogba and January signing Bruno Fernandes.

Having endured an injury-ravaged debut season at Real Madrid so far, Belgian superstar Eden Hazard will be intent on silencing his doubters at the Santiago Bernabeu, and there will be no shortage of opportunities to do so as Zinedine Zidane’s side go head-to-head with the likes of Valencia, Real Sociedad, and Athletic Bilbao before the curtain falls. In what will surely be of equal significance to La Liga’s fortunes, Barcelona must contend with the might of Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, but will be bolstered by the fitness of target man Luis Suarez.

July 20 could well be the red-letter day in Serie A as table-toppers Juventus and Lazio go face-to-face, but with almost a third of the season left to play, every round will have an instant appeal, especially when fresh faces like that of Roma’s Nicolo Zaniolo — tipped to be the heir to the legendary Francesco Totti — enter the limelight.

Even though some games will naturally be more anticipated than others, the simple fact that regular football is once again up for consumption means that no encounter will be dispensable (at least for a while) for the viewing pleasure of those who know what it is like to live through a multitude of stories born out of one round piece of leather. Let the football mania begin!

Robert Lewandowski Sourced by the Telegraph

Getting up to speed

• Between June 11 (when action in Italy resumed with the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia) and the expected culmination of UEFA’s Champions League and Europa League in late August, you can witness top-notch football from Europe’s leading competitions practically every single day. With so many stellar goals, splendid saves, and crunching tackles lying in wait, here is what you need to know before partaking of the imminent football feast:
• A total of nine matchdays are left to be played in the Premier League, while the tally for La Liga is 11 and that for Serie A is 12. A number of teams across these three countries also have additional games in hand, which were postponed on account of Covid-19. Over in Germany, the Bundesliga resumed behind closed doors on May 16 and has eight rounds remaining at the time of writing.
• All the leading domestic cups around Europe are yet to conclude, including England’s FA Cup, and what is sure to be a cracking derby between local rivals Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad in the final of Spain’s Copa Del Rey.
• Four teams, including Atletico Madrid (who knocked out defending champions Liverpool) and French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain, have secured their progression to the last eight of the Champions League, where they could be joined by the likes of Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona once the second legs of the remaining round of 16 matches are wrapped up.
• None of the second legs of the Europa League’s round of 16 could be completed before football came to a halt, while two first legs of the same stage are still to be contested. Some of the familiar names that should resume battle come August are Manchester United, Inter Milan, Sevilla, and AS Roma.
• All matches are to be played in front of empty stadium stands as a precaution against the coronavirus, leading some broadcasters to consider the idea of inserting pre-recorded or artificial crowd noise to enliven the match atmosphere on television.
• In light of the congested fixture list, all games are expected to allow a maximum of five substitutions (instead of the previous three) per team.