12 days of Christmas... and a full Premier League schedule
Match The Quarter 2024 Mary's On Slot St Watches The Carabao December Wednesday Liverpool Final Date: 18, Cup Manager From During On: Arne Stadium, Stands At Southampton Picture Watching
A west London derby to kick-off St Stephen’s Day and a chance to see if Chelsea can cope with the pressure of suddenly being title contenders. It’s one thing catching Liverpool but it takes something very different to stay there.
Blues manager Enzo Maresca continues to insist his team aren’t ready to be champions, but there’s a growing feeling he’s kidding us. A derby against a highly capable Fulham side, who have goals throughout the team, is a decent test.
This isn’t the biggest derby in the Premier League but it’s one of the closest – there’s only one mile between Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage. Although try telling that to Fulham fans trying to get home after the match.
Part two of the St Stephen’s Day football odyssey, and this time it’s Manchester United taking up the baton. So, pour a tincture, rustle up a turkey sandwich and prepare to find out if Ruben Amorim can grab another away win - having already led United to victory over the noisy neighbours Manchester City. This one feels rather different to the Etihad, however.
It’s a classic case of all the pressure being on United as they head to a team sitting in the bottom three of the Premier League – but with a new manager in charge after Vitor Pereira replaced the sacked Gary O’Neill. It’s a game United cannot afford to lose if they want to get back in the European mix. This will be Pereira’s first home match in charge – which rather ups the atmosphere and the ante.
It’s time for Part 3 - and with dinner in the oven you haven’t even left the sofa (or, even better, the pub) since lunchtime.
That’s what Christmas football can do for you. This time it’s Liverpool taking centre stage, and it ought to be a stroll in the park against struggling Leicester – even if former United striker and manager Ruud van Nistelrooy will relish a trip to Anfield and a chance to turn around the inevitable boos.
For Liverpool’s army of Irish fans this could be a chance to end the day with a goal fest – and maybe even to stare at the league table and dream about a title win in May. Chelsea and Arsenal will be hoping Jamie Vardy can somehow cause an upset.
Having had to watch two of their closest title rivals the day before, Arsenal fans can now get in on the act – and it’s another game tipped to be full of goals. Ipswich, having come up from the Championship, are capable of causing problems with striker Liam Delap turning out to be something special. But the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli will be licking their lips. This could be a landslide if the Gunners get it right – and Arsenal have something to prove after recent suggestions that they don’t score enough goals from open play to win the title. Manager Mikel Arteta disagrees – and this match could be a good cure for any Christmas hangovers.
When tv companies were bidding to show this fixture, they probably presumed it would be champions Manchester City sitting top of the table and aiming to edge closer to a fifth title in a row; but it hasn’t turned out that way. Instead, all the focus will be on whether Pep Guardiola will be able to turn around his side’s fortunes by navigating the Christmas fixture list better than others. It’s a long way back for City, however, and it doesn’t help that Manchester United legend van Nistelrooy will be in the home dugout, adding to the drama. You’d still expect City to win comfortably, but their recent slides adds tension to the fixture that nobody could have predicted.
What a coincidence. Straight after Manchester City play there’s a chance to watch Liverpool in action. Perhaps the television schedulers presumed this would be a chance to watch the biggest title contenders back-to-back? No such luck! Even so, it’s a cracking match in east London, where West Ham always seem to step it up against the big boys. Last season this match ended 2-2, with Michail Antonio grabbing an equaliser for the home team with 15 minutes to go. That will be a poignant memory for Hammers fans, with the striker currently recovering from major leg surgery following a car accident. It’s a big match for West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui, too – he’s still under serious pressure with the transfer window looming. The perfect time to sack a coach.
Get ready for New Year’s Eve with a game under the lights at Old Trafford the night before - and it’s one that looks like being well matched. Think of United against United and the memory that jumps into focus is Kevin Keegan’s ‘I would love it’ rant at Sir Alex Ferguson as the two teams battled each other for the title back in 1996. This time there is zero chance of either team finishing as champions, but it should still be a good watch. Ruben Amorim needs home wins to build up the atmosphere on the red side of Manchester and Eddie Howe knows his job will be on the line if he can’t push Newcastle into European contention. So, their goals are pretty similar. Expect some expansive football in this game from both teams. Manchester United will expect to win but Newcastle have several players that Sir Jim Ratcliffe & Co would be very happy to sign – not least Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak.
Dust off the hangover, open the curtains and enjoy a game at the Premier League ground that has seen the most goals so far this season. Brentford’s first eight home games saw a remarkable 40 goals scored and the Bees didn’t lose any of them. So, Arsenal know this won’t be an easy task. In fact, they found that out long ago when they were famously beaten at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford’s first game in the Premier League in August 2021. There was a lot of focus on that fixture as it was the first game of the season, enjoying a Friday night slot 24 hours before everyone else took to the field. It’s the same this time – the only fixture on New Year’s Day. Could there be another upset or are Arsenal wiser now?
If you’re one of the privileged few who doesn’t have to go back to work until January 6th, then this is game number nine in the 12 Days of Christmas – with only three days until the decorations come down. So, strap yourself in for more drama.
Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou are proving to be a great team for the neutrals to watch. There are plenty of goals – and you never know which net they will end up in. One minute, Spurs are winning 5-0 at Southampton and 4-0 at Man City - the next losing 4-3 at home to Chelsea and 3-2 at Brighton. So, the one certainty when they take on Newcastle in north London is that there should be plenty of goalmouth of action. It’s a long way to travel from the North East for such an early start, so the Toon Army will be hoping for something special.
If you’ve just watched Tottenham play then the perfect combo is to follow it up with Arsenal – a North London derby across two fixtures. And that’s exactly what’s on offer. It’s an interesting fixture, too, because Brighton on their day are as good as anyone in the Premier League and this season, apart from a painful defeat against their deadly rivals Crystal Palace, they have looked especially strong at home. With Liverpool not playing until the following day and Chelsea facing a tricky trip to Crystal Palace, this is a match Arsenal need to win to keep up their title challenge. Memories of a 1-1 draw against the Segulls at the Emirates earlier this season is still haunting them – but last year’s 3-0 victory at the Amex should keep Areta’s men positive.
Let’s be honest, this is the Sunday warm-up game - but for those armchair supporters who need to tick every box in the 12 Days of Christmas calendar (and have had an early lunch) there’s entertainment to be had at Craven Cottage. Fulham against Ipswich may not be the biggest fixture but the Cottagers are playing attractive football, not least because of the form of former Arsenal attacking midfielder. They also have the best wing-back in the division in the shape of Antonee Robinson – and Adama Traore to add some drama. There could be goals in this one.
The icing on the cake and the perfect way to celebrate 12th Night, settle down for possibly the Premier League’s biggest fixture as Liverpool take on Manchester United at Anfield. There's not much more we need to say about this one other than it's an absolute classic. Liverpool, of course, ought to be massive favourites but there's something about this inter-city derby that closes the gap. Anything is possible and there will be huge interest across Ireland around who gets the points. Enjoy the rivalry.