The Premier League has finalised the fixtures for the popular Boxing Day and the start of 2027. A trip to Birmingham could prove worthwhile for Jürgen Klopp on 30 December.
Even before the first international break of the new season, the Premier League has decided on some very special matchdays in England. Following close consultation with its broadcast partners, the exact fixtures for the popular Boxing Day, as well as the days leading up to the New Year and beyond, have now been finalised. Specifically, this covers matchdays 17 to 20.
“This fixture announcement gives fans more than three months’ notice to plan their travel arrangements for a particularly busy time of year, and follows consultation with the Football Supporters’ Association and representatives of the clubs’ fan advisory boards,” the Premier League is quoted as saying in a statement.
On Boxing Day, when football is traditionally played in England, no fewer than five fixtures will take place from 1.30 pm – including Daniel Farke’s Leeds United away at Aston Villa. The matches between newly promoted Hull City and Liverpool (6.30 pm) and Newcastle, led by their German coach Matthias Jaissle, against Manchester City (9 pm) have been given exclusive slots. The following day, Chelsea (3.00 pm), Manchester United (5.30 pm) and Arsenal (8.00 pm) are also in action.
Mandatory 60-hour break
There are then only two days’ rest before the 18th matchday gets underway. The key requirement during this hectic phase of the season is that every club is granted a break of at least 60 hours between matches.
On 29 December, Manchester City face their next big match in the evening (9.15 pm), which, with the fixture away at Everton FC, promises to be another tricky away trip. Germany manager Jürgen Klopp might also want to mark 30 December in his calendar in bold: from 9.15 pm, we could see the first Premier League clash between Aston Villa’s new signing Leon Goretzka and Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz. Along with the match between Ipswich and Chelsea taking place at the same time, these will be the last two Premier League matches of the year
Farke and his team will then kick off the new year on 1 January at Elland Road, when Everton come to Leeds. There are some highlight fixtures on 3 January, when Chelsea host Newcastle and Man City take on Spurs.
On matchday 20, from a German perspective, particular attention will be focused, amongst other things, on the managerial clash between Fabian Hürzeler (Brighton) and Marco Rose (Bournemouth). On 6 January, Erling Haaland faces what is always a special occasion: his return to his birthplace, Leeds. The following day, only one match is scheduled: Jaissle’s Magpies travel to the Theatre of Dreams to face Manchester United.
The fixtures for November are due to be announced in the week beginning 21 September, whilst those for December will be announced in the week beginning 19 October.
