Premier League Christmas fixtures: Frantic festive schedule begins

As we wind down for Christmas, Premier League clubs are raring up for a jam-packed couple of weeks of festive fixtures, with some clubs having as many as three matches between Boxing Day and 3rd January.

We’ve picked out five of our favourite fixtures to watch out for, while the full list of Christmas matches can be found below.

Leicester v Manchester United (26th December)

An acid test for both sides chasing the top spots in the league this year, and one that looks to favour the home team, with the Foxes’ fast-paced forwards likely to cause Manchester United’s defence all sorts of problems.

Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer set his team up in a manner to negate the strengths of Leicester’s high-flying frontmen? Neither side will want to dominate the ball, leaving each other open for counter-attacks, so this one has all the ingredients to be an intriguing match-up.

Arsenal v Chelsea (26th December)

Arsenal are enduring their worst ever start to a Premier League campaign under Mikel Arteta, lacking a cutting edge upfront with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang misfiring, and certain sections of Gunners fans calling for the manager’s head, with the north London club sitting deep in the bottom half of the table.

Chelsea will smell blood when they visit the Emirates on Boxing Day. Arsenal have had a number of red cards in their last few matches and, along with their leaky defence, have shown their vulnerabilities to players with pace and trickery, which Chelsea have in abundance.

Set to be an interesting one.

Wolves v Spurs (27th December)

 Arsenal, tick. Chelsea, tick. Spurs?

Nuno Espirito Santo will be set to take nine points from nine this season from the three biggest clubs in London, unless Spurs can find a way to break the home side’s excellent run of form against the league’s so called elite.

It’s Portugal v Portugal in the dugout, and Joe Mourinho will like nothing more than to teach his compatriot a lesson or two in management.

Everton v Manchester City (28th December)

Two legends of the game are set to do battle once more in the dugout, with Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti locking horns.

Everton are winless in their last six matches against Manchester City in the Premier League, losing five of their last five consecutively, but this isn’t the same relentless Guardiola side that we have seen over the last four years.

The Toffees have picked up form with Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin firing, and with recent wins over Chelsea and Leicester, this is no easy test for City.

Chelsea v Manchester City (3rd January)

 A fitting end to the packed Christmas period. Chelsea and Manchester City, two of the most likely candidates to challenge for Liverpool’s title, do battle at the Bridge.

Both clubs will be weary from the tough games faced, and it’ll come down to a war of attrition – but who wants it most?

The full Christmas Premier League schedule

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