It is a feast of football over the coming days and the Boxing Day schedule allows fans to gorge on matches throughout the day. Here’s your matchday 19 preview.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
St James’ Park respite for Newcastle
Newcastle United host Nottingham Forest in the early kickoff on Tuesday afternoon. The Magpies, who have an awful away record, will be hoping to make home comforts count against a struggling Forest side.
The Magpies suffered a shock defeat to Luton Town on Saturday and are now seventh in the Premier League. It was their third successive loss away from home.
Nuno Espírito Santo also suffered defeat in his first match as Nottingham Forest boss against Bournemouth. The Cherries scored in stoppage time to claim all three points. The result leaves Forest just two points above the relegation zone.
Eddie Howe is under his first bit of pressure as Newcastle boss. Anything other than a win here would be a disaster.
Battle at the bottom
Sheffield United were minutes away from beating Aston Villa. Cameron Archer scored late on against his old team and it appeared as though the Blades would bring Villa’s unbeaten home record to an end. However, Nicolo Zaniolo levelled things up in stoppage time to frustrate Chris Wilder and his side.
Luton went one better by beating Newcastle United. The gap between the Hatters and the Blades is now three points.
Sheffield United need to make their home form count if they’re to avoid the drop and this is an opportunity they simply cannot waste. By comparison, Luton will likely just be happy to avoid defeat here to maintain their advantage in the Premier League table.
The Ten Hag era in danger
Defeat against West Ham United on Saturday afternoon saw Manchester United drop to ninth position in the Premier League. The Red Devils have won nine and lost eight of their 18 matches and have a negative goal difference. Erik Ten Hag is under pressure.
They welcome Aston Villa to Old Trafford on Boxing Day night needing a win. Not just that though, they probably need a performance to really get fans back on side. It won’t be easy, but the longer this goes on, the more likely it becomes that the Dutchman is shown the exit door.
Villa’s impressive run came to a halt in midweek when Sheffield United claimed a point at Villa Park. A win at Old Trafford will lift them above Arsenal into first position though. And they’ll want to put in a performance to silence those who are using the result against the Blades to prematurely declare their title challenge over.
The champions return
Manchester City are back playing Premier League football following their participation in the Club World Cup, a competition they won.
The reigning champions missed matchday 17 but the results went their way, with the top three teams all dropping points. A win against Everton at Goodison Park would see the gap at the top shrink to just three points.
City haven’t been at their best but they have the potential to switch it on, especially with Erling Haaland now back in the mix.
Everton had been on a good run of form prior to the loss to Spurs. Momentum really does matter, so Sean Dyche will want to avoid defeat in front of a home crowd. Especially when they could end this round of fixtures just a point outside of the drop zone if results go against them.
This is a big game for both teams.
The pressure is on Arsenal
Arsenal escaped Anfield with a point and lead the way in the title race. Many now expect them to beat West Ham to consolidate their position at the summit.
But West Ham are having a deceptively good season and following their win over Manchester United, they are sixth in the Premier League table. They are going to be full of confidence and have a number of players in good form.
Jarrod Bowen notched his 11th of the season against the Red Devils, one more and he matches his best return in the English top-flight. Mohammed Kudus has four goals in his last four starts for the Hammers while Lucas Paquetá has four assists in his last two Premier League outings.
The Hammers have the potential to cause Arsenal problems. They’re going to the Emirates with what is essentially a free hit. There’s no pressure on them. It is all on Mikel Arteta and his players.
(Cover image from IMAGO/Offside Sport)
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