Stadiums across the country will be buzzing on Thursday afternoon as excited fans head out to watch their favorite teams on one of the best football days of the year, Boxing Day. Let’s take a closer look at some of the highlights!
There are eight matches scheduled for the top flight, with the final two being played on Friday. There is also a comprehensive set of lower division fixtures with some enticing fixtures coming from further down the football pyramid. Scotland will also join the competition with a full run of SPL matches.
The first kick-off in England is Manchester City v Everton, a match which one would generally assume would be easy to earn three points for the home side. However, this season has been dreadful for the reigning champions and Everton have performed quite well of late, being very solid defensively and managing draws against Arsenal and Chelsea. There are five matches scheduled for 4pm, starting with high-flying Bournemouth against struggling Crystal Palace, with the home side on a roll following their away win over Man Utd at the weekend. Chelsea are the in-form team in the league and are real title contenders. They face local rivals Fulham hoping to pick up three points. One of the most interesting matches in this time slot is Newcastle vs Aston Villa. Only two points separate these teams in the table and both will be aiming for another top four finish this season having both managed to break into the elite of English football over the past two seasons. This is a tough match to put together but should be a great watch. High-flying Nottingham Forest take on a struggling Tottenham side in a game where goals can be expected, and Southampton take on West Ham in a clash between two struggling teams.
The late afternoon kick-off is another opportunity for Ruben Amorim to leave his mark on his United team when they travel to Wolves, who have also just changed coach. This is the new manager’s first home game, so it won’t be an easy match for Manchester United, who have only won twice in their last five league matches. The final game of the day pits Liverpool against leaders Leicester and anything other than a comfortable home win here would be a surprise. Leicester suffered a poor home defeat to Wolves at the weekend while Liverpool managed to score six at Tottenham, so everything points to an easy evening’s work for the league leaders.
Friday’s matches are Brighton against Brentford and Arsenal at home to Ipswich, both matches where home wins are expected.
Manchester City vs. Everton
This is a very confusing time for everyone associated with Manchester City. The reigning champions have seemed almost unbeatable for years, but they suddenly find themselves extremely vulnerable. Their most recent defeat came at the weekend against Aston Villa, following a defeat against local rivals Man Utd. These latest results mean they are on a run of one win in their last twelve matches and head into this match outside the top six. They have been very poor defensively and their confidence has evaporated as they have issues on both ends of the floor. Next up is an Everton side who have been tough to break down of late and are desperate to get back to winning ways against a team they haven’t lost to in their last 15 meetings.
Everton wouldn’t normally head to the Etihad Stadium with much confidence, but given their opponents’ recent form as well as their own recent results, this season is somewhat different. They have managed to keep Arsenal and Chelsea from scoring in their last two matches and three clean sheets in a row would be a great achievement. In total, they have five clean sheets in their last six league matches, but they are still struggling to score, having managed just 14 league goals so far this season. The fact that Everton have ambitious new owners will mean that manager Sean Dyche will be under pressure to turn some of these draws into victories soon.
Manchester City have won nine of the last ten meetings between these two, with Everton having just one 1-1 draw to show for their efforts in recent years.
Newcastle vs Aston Villa
It’s been a good few weeks for Newcastle who have started to climb the ladder following successive 4-0 wins as well as qualifying for the EFL Cup semi-finals. They will feel capable of finishing at least in the European places, so this clash with another rival for a European place will be an interesting and important encounter. They have a good home record against Villa, having not lost this match at St. James Park since 2005 and their last two league matches against Villa in the North East ended in 4-0 home wins and 5-1. Bruno Guimarães is a man in form for Newcastle with three goals scored in his last three matches.
Aston Villa have had an up and down season as they attempt to balance the demands of playing in Europe with another successful season in the league, something Newcastle themselves struggled with last season. They have lost their last four away league matches and have been poor defensively, making this their worst away run since the 2015/16 season. Their fans will certainly approach this match with some celebratory joy, but after their victory against Manchester City this weekend and find themselves in the top six again.
Newcastle have won four of their last ten meetings, with the Midlands side having won three, making this a difficult match to call.
Wolves vs Manchester United
The late afternoon kick-off from the Midlands sees Wolves take on Manchester United, a battle between two of the league’s underperforming teams. New boss Vitor Pereira enjoyed a great start to life as a manager as his side secured a convincing 3-0 away win over Leicester with the type of performance that fans and former manager Gary O’Neil will wonder why he was missing these last few months. The win ended a four-game losing streak and they will be hoping a first home game under the new man’s charge will be just as successful. They have just four points from their eight home league matches this season and have really struggled to stop other teams from scoring, so the chances of back-to-back clean sheets seem somewhat remote. Matheus Cunha will once again be the man to watch for the home side, with the striker their best player this season.
Where to start with Manchester United? Supporters will have been left exasperated by their latest home defeat on Sunday against Bournemouth. You never know what to expect from this team of underachieving players. They have four wins and four losses in the last eight games and Ruben Amorim will surely have to stop cutting and changing his roster and start choosing his best eleven players soon. They don’t really have an excuse for too many injuries this season, but so many out-of-form players are a real worry for the Red Devils. It is the first time the giants will spend Christmas in the bottom half of the table since the 1989/90 season. Rasmus Højlund, along with Amad, have been two of the only bright sparks in recent weeks and since the former scored and assisted in this game last season, he will surely be back in the starting lineup, ahead of the missed Joshua Zirkzee.
Historically, this match has certainly favored Man Utd, who have eight wins in the last ten meetings, with Wolves having won just once, but given their unpredictability it’s hard to back them against anyone .
PS: The odds may have changed since this article was written and published.
Last updated: 12/23/24
