Although during the holiday season almost all of Europe's leagues are not playing matches, and players are resting, matches in England are taking place even during Christmas. This year, on the second day of Christmas, all 20 Premier League teams will run out onto the field, and a review of the matches worth watching is provided to you by the EufoFootball.lt portal.
14:45 "Stoke City" - "Manchester United"
Looking at history, "Manchester United" players demonstrate the best game in the entire Premier League during Christmas. They have won 18 out of the last 19 matches played on the second day of Christmas. Continuing this tradition is necessary if Louis van Gaal wants to keep his job position. Rumors are circulating in the press that if they lose the next match, the Dutchman would be forced to leave his post. The "Red Devils" have lost four consecutive matches in the English top flight, and in case of another defeat, they could drop to seventh place in the Premier League.
"Stoke City" has been very inconsistent in their recent games. In one round they can look pitiful against one of the bottom teams in the league, "Sunderland", and in the next round, they have no chance against the then league leaders, "Manchester City". The hosts' unstable game makes all predictions about what type of game can be expected in the first matches of today difficult. Nevertheless, it is naive to expect a high-scoring match in this game - there is a lot of talk about Manchester United's offensive problems, and their opponents have scored even fewer goals and occupy the last place in the Premier League in terms of goals scored.
The main pre-match question:
Do the "United" players really want to keep Louis van Gaal in the coaching position?
17:00 "Liverpool" - "Leicester City"
In recent years, five of the six teams that were in first place in the Premier League after Christmas won the league. If the "Leicester City" team wins today's match, they will be the team that will take the first place after Christmas this year. Although this by no means guarantees the title, it is an achievement that visitors will strive for as they head to Anfield Stadium.
Even though the teams arrive at this match with different moods and forms - "Liverpool" has lost three consecutive matches while their opponents have not lost in ten consecutive matches, the favorites in the betting offices are the home team. Jurgen Klopp's players have already beaten the team leading the league at that time, "Manchester City", and it may be even easier for the Germans' players to repeat this achievement this time. If "The Reds" played away to "City" before, in this match, they will play in front of their own fans.
The main pre-match question:
Can anyone stop the duo of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez?
0. During this season's Premier League matches, this duo has not failed to score. The most productive players of the English championship have not been stopped in the Premier League this year. Although Vardy has ended his streak of scored goals, he can boast of another impressive achievement - the striker has not left the pitch without directly contributing to at least one goal in all matches this year.
19:30 "Newcastle United" - "Everton"
For these two teams, Christmas in the Premier League is rarely merry. They are among the worst performers on the second day of Christmas. "Everton" wins 28.6% of matches on this day, while "Newcastle" has an even worse record - only 21.1% of victories.
The results of both teams this season are not too impressive - "Everton" is unlikely to be satisfied with tenth place in the Premier League, while "Newcastle United" players, who have finally found good form, seek to quickly climb out of the unpleasant and dangerous sixteenth place. Only six points separate these teams in the standings, so a tight and intense battle can be expected.
The main pre-match question:
Can Everton turn their playing advantage into a win?
In the last three matches, "Everton" had an advantage in both ball possession and shots on goal, but they only managed to win two points in these matches. "Newcastle United" occupies the penultimate place in both of these indicators, so it is likely that "Everton" will have an advantage over their opponents in these categories in this match. Whether they will turn this into three points this time, we will find out tonight.
21:45 "Southampton" - "Arsenal"
If they win this round and "Liverpool" does not lose to the "Leicester City" team, "Arsenal" will take the first place in the Premier League. After their victory last Monday against their main rivals "Manchester City", "Arsenal" must not repeat past mistakes and maintain full concentration when playing against "Southampton".
Perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, "Southampton" is the team showing the worst form in the Premier League. Having won just one point in the last five rounds, they have dropped five positions and fell to twelfth place in the Premier League. The hosts could be helped by the relaxed and inconsistent "Arsenal" team we have seen many times, but if the "Gunners" show what they are capable of - the visitors should celebrate a victory.
The main pre-match question:
Will Arsène Wenger give rest to key players?
As the "Arsenal" team is plagued by injuries this season, they are forced to make even fewer changes to the starting lineup than usual. Before Alex Sanchez's injury, Wenger mentioned the need for rest for him, and two weeks ago he mentioned his desire to give Mesut Ozil some rest during the holiday game marathon. This week, the London team still has matches against "Bournemouth" (on Tuesday) and "Newcastle United" (next Saturday), so it will be interesting to see if Arsène Wenger decides to rotate his leaders during these matches. One thing is clear, if the main team steps onto the field and a player gets injured, the Frenchman will once again have to endure waves of criticism for overworking his players.
Other Saturday Premier League matches:
17:00 "Aston Villa" - "West Ham"
17:00 "Bournemouth" - "Crystal Palace"
17:00 "Chelsea" - "Watford"
17:00 "Manchester City" - "Sunderland"
17:00 "Swansea" - "West Brom"
17:00 "Tottenham" - "Norwich"
Tautvydas Sakalauskas
