After six weeks off for the 2022 World Cup, the Premier League returns on Boxing Day!
All 20 clubs signed off for domestic duty in the middle of November but all will be in action in the three days that follow Christmas.
Join the discussion and share your views on the various matches.
12:30pm Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur
3:00pm Crystal Palace v Fulham
3:00pm Everton v Wolves
3:00pm Leicester City v Newcastle United
3:00pm Southampton v Brighton & Hove Albion
5:30pm Aston Villa v Liverpool
5:30pm Chelsea v Bournemouth
8:00pm Manchester United v Nottingham Forest
8:00pm Leeds United v Manchester City
All times are BST.
Brentford are winless in their last 13 meetings with Tottenham in all competitions (D4 L9) since a 2-0 home win in the second tier in March 1948. Spurs have kept a clean sheet in their last five meetings with Brentford in all competitions (W3 D2), with Lloyd Owusu in a 1998 League Cup match the last Bees player to net against them.
Tottenham have won just one of their last 15 away London derbies in the Premier League (D6 L8). Spurs are winless in their last nine (D3 L6) since a 1-0 win at Fulham in March 2021.
Brentford have lost just two of their last 13 league Boxing Day games (W7 D4), though they did lose 2-0 at Brighton in the Premier League last season. On the other hand, Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 15 league Boxing Day games (W12 D3) since a 2-0 loss at Portsmouth in 2003. In English league history (top four divisions). Only Aston Villa have ever had a longer run without defeat on 26th December (20 between 1890 and 1913)
Brentford are looking to win consecutive Premier League games for the first time since May following their 2-1 win over Manchester City before the World Cup break. The Bees have lost just once in seven home league games this term (W3 D3), going down 3-0 against Arsenal in September.
No player has scored more Premier League goals on Boxing Day than Tottenham’s Harry Kane (9, level with Robbie Fowler), with the English striker scoring on all six of his appearances on this day.
Both teams have tended to underperform on Boxing Day in the past. Leicester have won just one of their eight games, while Newcastle have lost their last six league games.
Newcastle have won on three of their last five visits to the King Power Stadium, but have lost the other two by 5-0 and 4-0 scorelines.
Having conceded 22 goals in their opening seven Premier League games this season, Leicester have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six Premier League matches.
Miguel Almiron has been involved in eight goals in his last eight Premier League matches for the visitors, with the Paraguayan winger netting seven and assisting Joe Willock’s winner against Chelsea last time out.
Newcastle will have the fifth-best record in the Premier League in 2022.
Aston Villa have lost eight of their last nine Premier League meetings with Liverpool, the exception being a 7-2 win in October 2020. No Premier League fixture has been won by the away side as often as Aston Villa vs Liverpool (21), with the Reds’ 15 wins at Villa Park their most at a single away ground in the competition.
Aston Villa have won four of their last six league games on Boxing Day (L2), as many as they had in their previous 23. However, they did lose 3-1 at home to Chelsea on this day last season.
Liverpool have won their last five Premier League Boxing Day games by an aggregate score of 15-0, including all four games under Jurgen Klopp. Indeed, only Mauricio Pochettino (5/5) has a better 100% Premier League win rate on Boxing Day than the German (4/4).
Aston Villa have won both of their Premier League games under Unai Emery so far. No manager has ever won their first three league games in charge of the Villans in the club’s history.
Danny Ings has scored four goals in his last four Premier League games, as many as he had in his previous 26. Ings has also been involved in ten goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances against teams he has previously played for in the competition (7 goals, 3 assists).
Change in landscape vs 2021 
Can Arsenal maintain the lead & lift the PL title? 
I sure hope so. 
Who will secure the top 4 spots? Can Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea make it through?
Personally I feel confident Erik ten Hag leading Man United to the 3rd spot if not better.
State of play in the Premier League:
Top: Arsenal
4⃣ UCL Spots: Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle, Spurs
Bottom 3: Nottingham Forest, Saints, Wolves
Longest active unbeaten run: Newcastle (10)
Longest active winless run: Chelsea, Wolves (5)
Premier League top performers this season:
Goals - Erling Haaland (18)
Assists - Kevin De Bruyne (9)
Key passes - Kevin De Bruyne (47)
Tackles - Joao Palhinha (65)
Saves - David Raya (64)
Dribbles - Marcus Tavernier (30)
Brentford XI: Raya; Zanka, Pinnock, Mee; Rasmussen, Jensen, Nørgaard, Janelt, Henry; Mbeumo, Toney.
Spurs XI: Forster; Tanganga, Lenglet, Dier; Doherty, Bissouma, Højbjerg, Perišić; Kulusevski, Son, Kane.
6 - Spurs have conceded the opening goal in each of their last six Premier League matches; their longest run of conceding first in the competition since April 2014 under Tim Sherwood (also six). Cumbersome.
Vitaly Janelt has now scored a Premier League goal against:
◉ Liverpool
◉ Chelsea x2
◉ Spurs
Half-way through completing the Big Six challenge. 
Harry Kane on December 26:
2014: vs. Leicester
2015: vs. Norwich
2017: vs. Southampton
2018: vs. Bournemouth
2019: vs. Brighton
2021: vs. Crystal Palace
2022: vs. Brentford
He loves Boxing Day 
Most headed goals scored during the 2021/22 Premier League season:
◉ 4 - Harry Kane
◎ 4 - Danny Welbeck
◎ 4 - Diogo Jota
Most headed goals scored during the 2022/23 Premier League season:
◉ 6 - Harry Kane
There’s a new headmaster. 
