The Premier League has announced its fixture schedule for the festive period, with just one game scheduled for the traditional Boxing Day slot due to complications with a congested calendar.
Manchester United will host Newcastle United at 8pm on Friday 26 December, with a further nine fixtures to be played across Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December.
There were eight Premier League games played on Boxing Day last season, with all a full round of 10 top-flight fixtures played on Boxing Day the last time it fell on a Friday in 2014.
There will then be six matches on Tuesday 30 December, and a further four on Thursday 1 January.
The Premier League must fulfil 33 weekends of fixtures as part of its arrangements with broadcasting partners and following an agreement with the FA over the exclusivity of certain FA Cup weekends.
The Premier League scheduled this season’s midweek rounds for the start of December, January and March, another in mid-February and the fifth from Tuesday December 30.
With FA Cup replays scrapped, the FA Cup has been granted exclusive weekends for the fourth, fifth and quarter-finals rounds, while the expanded Champions League league phase now concludes across two midweeks in late January.
A statement from the Premier League said: “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.”
There will be a full programme of EFL and non-league fixtures on Boxing Day, however, with a further round of games in the lower divisions expected on Monday 29 December.
Premier League festive schedule
Friday 26 December
Manchester United v New
Saturday 27 December
x
Sunday 28 December
x
Tuesday 30 December
x
Wednesday 31 December
x
