As the exciting festive schedule begins this weekend, football writer Alex Keble highlights key talking points, questions and matches.
The majority of world football takes a break for the festive season, but England moves in the other direction.
There is a veritable feast of football for fans to enjoy between 21 December and 6 January, with matches played and televised on 10 separate days through the holidays.
Because Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday this year the matches (almost) follow a simple weekend and midweek schedule, albeit with one Saturday - 28 December - conspicuously empty of fixtures.
Not that you’ll notice at a time when the days themselves lose their meaning, adding to the sense of chaos.
It’s this confusion that makes it such a vital moment of the campaign.
By 6 January, when an FA Cup interlude begins and clubs can breathe again, the halfway point will have been and gone and the league table will have changed dramatically. Many of us will barely have noticed it happen - not unless we take in the four rounds of Premier League action as a whole.
With that mind, here’s what to look out for in the fortnight ahead.
Can Chelsea emerge as league leaders?
Two consecutive draws for Liverpool and five Premier League victories on the bounce for Chelsea have begun to swing the balance of power at the top of the Premier League table.
The Christmas fixture list suggests Enzo Maresca’s side can keep their momentum. They can go top for a few hours at least this Sunday, since they play before the Reds, and they have every chance of being the leaders come January.
Chelsea might have three away matches in this sequence but the highest-ranked team they face is Fulham, in eighth, at Stamford Bridge, while trips to Everton, Ipswich Town, and Crystal Palace are very much winnable.
By contrast Liverpool, tiring slightly over the last fortnight, travel to Tottenham Hotspur this weekend and host Manchester United on 5 January.
Chelsea and Liverpool's festive fixtures
It marks an extraordinary shift considering where the two clubs were a month ago, and if Chelsea can move level or pull ahead over the next fortnight it would surely make it impossible for Maresca to continue to claim his side are not in the title race.
If Chelsea take top spot at the beginning of 2025 we might just have a new favourite.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
15 | +18 | 36 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
16 | +18 | 34 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
16 | +14 | 30 |
| 4 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
16 | +2 | 28 |
| 5 |
Man City
MCI
|
16 | +5 | 27 |
Will Man City play their way back into form?
It starts tough, with a game at Villa Park that might have huge implications for both clubs, but if Pep Guardiola can inspire his team to victory against Aston Villa then the comeback is on.
Perhaps the title race is beyond them now, but you never know: if Manchester City can win all four of their matches over Christmas the champions will become a team to be feared again.
They play Everton, Leicester City and West Ham United in the three that follow, which with all due respect to their opponents is about as straightforward as it gets at Premier League level.
Man City's festive fixtures
Villa, after losing 2-1 at Nottingham Forest last weekend, are still a little shaky and certainly capable of gifting Man City the chance to kickstart their revival.
What’s more, Rico Lewis and Manuel Akanji are both set to return on Saturday, leaving Rodri as the only notable absence for Guardiola.
The stage is set, then, for a revival. But the toughest test comes first.
Will mini-league decide Champions League places?
Just six points separate fourth from 13th place at the moment, and of all the clubs competing in that block Villa, Newcastle United and Spurs are the ones expected to eventually rise up to challenge with Man City for the fourth (or fifth) UEFA Champions League spot.
All three teams have tough matches – mostly against each other.
Newcastle host Villa on Boxing Day and travel to Spurs on 4 January, which, added together with Villa v Man City on 21 December, means there are plenty of six-pointers coming up.
You can add to that Man Utd hosting Newcastle on 30 December to complete a tough period for Eddie Howe’s side. They have the hardest set of matches of the three, although Villa also host Brighton, while Spurs welcome Liverpool.
Villa, Newcastle and Spurs' fixtures
| Matchweek | Aston Villa | Newcastle | Spurs |
| MW17 | Man City (H) | Ipswich (A) | Liverpool (H) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MW18 | Newcastle (A) | Aston Villa (H) | Nottingham Forest (A) |
| MW19 | Brighton (H) | Man Utd (A) | Wolves (H) |
| MW20 | Leicester (H) | Spurs (A) | Newcastle (H) |
Villa, Newcastle and Spurs are each going to struggle to build a head of steam over Christmas - which points to the unlikely challengers continuing to climb.
Are Fulham the most likely mid-table club to rise from the pack?
Fulham might only have won one of their last four Premier League matches but that sequence includes draws against Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Marco Silva’s side, just four points off fourth, are in a strong position to rise out of that middle clump and become serious European challengers this winter.
Three of Fulham’s four matches over Christmas are at Craven Cottage, where they host Southampton, AFC Bournemouth and Ipswich.
Fulham's next four matches
Anything less than seven points here would be a disappointment, while Fulham will back themselves to take something from Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day; the Cottagers have proved very stubborn against the Premier League’s elite clubs in 2024/25.
If Fulham can win their other three they will almost certainly be in the top six by the January break.
Can Forest consolidate their place in top four?
Nottingham Forest are already in the top four and, remarkably, they could emerge from the festive period in an even stronger position.
Of all the clubs hoping to overachieve with a European spot next May, Forest look best placed. They can certainly hope for a good Christmas.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side play Brentford, Spurs, Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, which looks to be among the easiest set of matches in the whole division.
Forest's festive fixtures
Brentford have the best home record in the Premier League with 22 points from eight outings, but after this weekend Forest could rack up points.
Spurs have struggled throughout this season when faced with deep-lying defences like Forest’s, while Everton and Wolves are in a relegation battle.
Forest, who have won just as many points away from the City Ground as they have at home, have nothing to fear in those final two matches, meaning there is an opportunity here for Nuno's side to collect eight or nine points - and ensure fourth stays in their hands.
Can Amorim and Man Utd build on their derby win?
Man Utd are desperately hoping victory at Man City is the catalyst for an upturn in form, and the Christmas fixtures provide an opportunity for them to do just that.
Facing Bournemouth, Wolves and Newcastle is a relatively kind run of games.
Man Utd's next four fixtures
United will be allowed to dominate possession in the first two, which can help them gain a foothold and some self-assurance, while Newcastle have won just one of their last six Premier League away matches.
If those fixtures go well, Man Utd could be in the top half and full of confidence for the trip to Anfield on 5 January.
We have already seen Amorim’s side defy the odds against a big rival. If they could do it again in early January then even Champions League qualification would be on the table.
It is a huge match at the end of a hugely significant period for the club.
Can Southampton put a run together with a new manager?
Without doubt the most winnable set of matches in the Premier League are Southampton’s, which is excellent news for whoever takes charge over the Christmas period.
Following the departure of Russell Martin earlier this week, interim manager Simon Rusk could be in place to oversee games against Fulham (A), West Ham (H), Crystal Palace (A) and Brentford (H).
Southampton's next four fixtures
Two of those clubs are in the bottom half of the table, while Brentford are joint-bottom of the league on away form. Truly, Rusk could not have asked for a better shot.
Despite the odds being stacked against Southampton, a nine-point gap to 17th can be easily reduced with a small string of wins.
Beat West Ham, Palace and Brentford and Saints would surely move to within three points of 17th, putting them right back in the hunt for safety.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
15 | -7 | 15 |
| 17 |
Leicester
LEI
|
16 | -13 | 14 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
16 | -12 | 12 |
| 19 |
Wolves
WOL
|
16 | -16 | 9 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
16 | -25 | 5 |
Will Leicester’s tough run hamper Van Nistelrooy?
The 4-0 defeat at Newcastle last weekend brought Ruud van Nistelrooy and Leicester City crashing back down to earth – and it isn’t going to get any easier over the next couple of weeks.
There is enormous pressure on their home match against fellow strugglers Wolves on Saturday, because after that they face Liverpool, Man City and Villa - a horrible run that could easily end with zero points from nine available.
Worse still, Leicester have a quick turnaround between their 20:00 GMT Boxing Day encounter with Liverpool and a 14:30 GMT match at home to Man City on 29 December, less than two-and-a-half days later.
Leicester's festive fixtures
Fortunately for them, Ipswich - their nearest competitors - have it almost as tough, facing Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea and Fulham.
Ipswich's next five matches
Van Nistelrooy’s side should remain outside the bottom three by early January no matter what happens over the next fortnight.
Will new Wolves head coach endure a difficult start?
Wolves are reportedly close to appointing Vitor Pereira as their new head coach, ahead of a crucial match at Leicester on Sunday.
It’s must-win, because after that relegation six-pointer Wolves play Man Utd, Spurs and Forest over Christmas.
Wolves' festive fixtures
It would take an almighty new-manager bounce for Wolves to get points out of those matches.
But then again Wolves, on only nine points from 16 matches and five below the dotted line, are going to have to start pulling off unlikely results sooner or later.
A tired Man Utd still learning Amorim’s formation and a Spurs side semi-regularly beaten by defensive opponents are, perhaps, easier opponents than they look on paper.
Wolves need them to be. They are already running out of time - and need their new head coach to hit the ground running.
Who will end Christmas period under most pressure?
Many of the clubs who have struggled this season – Wolves, Leicester, Southampton and Man Utd – have just appointed new managers and are looking more optimistically to the future, while Man City have some simpler games on the horizon.
So, where’s the crisis going to be? There’s always at least one club in the Premier League under significant pressure but it’s hard to predict who it will be come January.
Spurs have a thorny run, Ipswich play both Arsenal and Chelsea over Christmas, and Everton face three of the current top four. They could all be in a spot of bother soon.
However, the most likely to suffer this winter are West Ham, who play Brighton, Southampton, Liverpool and Man City. It’s easy to imagine three defeats from four and supporters becoming restless again.
