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The Premier League have announced that Manchester United will host Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, with the remaining fixtures to be played across the weekend. This is due to calendar pressures, triggered by the expansion of UEFA competitions and the new-look FA Cup schedule. The English top-flight is contractually obliged to show 33 weekends of action to broadcasters, so December 26 has been treated like any other Friday. United's clash against Newcastle will be shown on Sky Sports. The remaining games will take place on Saturday, December 27, and Sunday, December 28, allowing the Premier League to meet criteria. On Saturday, TNT Sports will show the lunchtime clash between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City at the City Ground. Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford vs AFC Bournemouth, Burnley vs Everton, Liverpool vs Wolves, and West Ham vs Fulham will be played at 3pm, with Chelsea vs Aston Villa to kick off at 5:30pm on Sky Sports. On Sunday, Sky Sports will show Sunderland vs Leeds United (2pm kick-off) and Crystal Palace vs Tottenham (4:30pm). The Premier League have also announced fixture amendments for the first week of January. On New Year's Day, Sky Sports will show four matches: Crystal Palace vs Fulham (5:30pm), Liverpool vs Leeds (5:30pm), Brentford vs Tottenham (8pm), and Sunderland vs Man City (8pm). On Saturday, January 3, Aston Villa and Forest will go head-to-head in the lunchtime kick-off on Sky Sports, with Brighton vs Burnley, and Wolves vs West Ham being played at 3pm. Sky Sports will also broadcast the late kick-off: Bournemouth vs Arsenal. On Sunday, January 4, TNT Sports will show Leeds vs United (12:30pm kick-off), while Sky Sports will televise Everton vs Brentford (3pm kick-off), Fulham vs Liverpool (3pm kick-off), Newcastle vs Crystal Palace (3pm kick-off), Tottenham vs Sunderland (3pm kick-off), Man City vs Chelsea (5:30pm kick-off). On Tuesday, January 6, West Ham vs Forest (8pm kick-off) will be broadcast by Sky Sports. On Wednesday, January 7, Sky Sports will also show: Bournemouth vs Spurs (7:30pm kick-off), Brentford vs Sunderland (7:30pm kick-off), Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa (7:30pm kick-off), Everton vs Wolves (7:30pm kick-off), Fulham vs Chelsea (7:30pm kick-off), Man City vs Brighton (7:30pm kick-off), Burnley vs United (8:15pm kick-off), and Newcastle vs Leeds (8:15pm kick-off). Then, on Thursday, January 8, Sky Sports will show Arsenal vs Liverpool (8pm kick-off). In an official statement, the English top-flight acknowledged how the fixture changes have impacted an 'important tradition'. It reads: "The Premier League would like to acknowledge the circumstances that have led to a reduced number of matches on Boxing Day this season – impacting an important tradition in English football. "There are now several challenges to Premier League fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions – which led to a revision of our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup. "This ultimately left the Premier League as a 33-weekend competition – fewer than previous seasons, despite being a 380-match competition since 1995. "With fewer weekends to work with, the League is bound by how the calendar falls. The League can give an assurance that next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day – as the date falls on a Saturday. "As with previous years, and in keeping with our commitment to clubs, special arrangements have been made to allow more time between games played across the festive period. "This will allow greater time for players to recover with the rest periods between rounds 18, 19 and 20 being increased to ensure that no club plays within 60 hours of another match." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
