This season the Premier League will pause all its matches for a period of 6 weeks, to make room for the development of the World Cup. This means that the championship will only return on December 26, and this will undoubtedly have its effect on the form of the teams. The Qatar World Cup will start on November 20, and the final will be played on December 18.
Arsenal currently lead the Premier League with 37 points, 5 more than Manchester City who hold second place. Mikel Arteta's men have won 12 of the 14 matches played so far, and every team that has recorded this statistic before has gone on to win the title. However, many of Arsenal's players are expected to play key roles with their national teams at the World Cup, and this could undoubtedly affect the team's progress at the end of the World Cup. However, the Londoners are not expected to lose their pace.
Meanwhile, Newcastle has surprised this season, as it currently holds third place in the standings, with only 7 points less than Arsenal. The organization of the team is quite solid, and the team has 3 players who will be active in Qatar. This gives coach Howe the opportunity to more calmly prepare the rest of the season, since the vast majority of the team will be rested. This means that the players will be more relaxed than their rivals.
Meanwhile, Manchester United is having a very good moment, but many of the "Red Devils" players are expected to be protagonists with their representatives in the World Cup. Manager Ten Hag is likely to fear a possible injury to the defence, the department that has proved most delicate for United.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has not won any of the last 5 challenges in the championship, and coach Potter will use the World Cup break to find the right "inspiration" for the team to return to positive results. The same can be said for Liverpool, which is going through a really delicate moment.
