Arsenal will be the team to catch when the Premier League resumes on Boxing Day, having built a five-point lead during the first part of the campaign.
All of the top-three sides face at least one top-eight team over the festive period but arguably it will be Mikel Arteta's side, without star striker Gabriel Jesus, who have the trickiest schedule as they aim to maintain their advantage at the top.
| Club | MW17 | MW18 | MW19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | WHU (H) | BHA (A) | NEW (H) |
| Man City | LEE (A) | EVE (H) | CHE (A) |
| Newcastle | LEI (A) | LEE (H) | ARS (A) |
| Spurs | BRE (A) | AVL (H) | CRY (A) |
| Man Utd | NFO (H) | WOL (A) | BOU (H) |
| Liverpool | AVL (A) | LEI (H) | BRE (A) |
On Boxing Day evening, Arsenal face a derby test at home to West Ham United before travelling to Brighton & Hove Albion on New Year's Eve.
Brighton, currently in seventh place, have a good recent record against the Gunners, losing only two of their last five league matches against them.
Arsenal then go head-to-head with third-placed Newcastle United, who have only lost one match all season.
But the league leaders are not the only ones with tough festive schedules.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +61 | 89 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +45 | 84 |
| 3 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | +15 | 75 |
| 4 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +35 | 71 |
| 5 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +28 | 67 |
| 6 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | +19 | 62 |
Chasing pack
Second-placed Manchester City have tricky trips to Leeds United and Chelsea either side of a home encounter with Everton.
Newcastle, seven points behind Arsenal, take on Leicester City and Leeds before that trip to Emirates Stadium on 3 January.
Meanwhile, the chasing pack below the top three - Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Liverpool - will be looking to make up ground as they do not play anyone in the top nine.
Two of United's three festive matches are against teams in the bottom three, Nottingham Forest on 27 December and Wolverhampton Wanderers on New Year's Eve.
The story of 2022/23 so far 📈#PLReturns pic.twitter.com/BLAkDbLi5r
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 23, 2022
Also in this series
Part 1: Does being Christmas No 1 lead to the title?
Part 2: Man City hunting Man Utd's record for best festive form
Part 3: How much does your club enjoy Christmas?
Part 4: Promoted clubs target rare hat-trick in bid to stay up
Part 5: Festive duels can shape relegation battle
Part 6: Kane targets goal records for Boxing Day and festive period