The Difficulty of the Premier League Big Six's Festive Fixtures - Ranked
It's nearly upon us!
It's that time of year when you've got your tree up in the living room, can practically smell the turkey - or nut roast for all you good veggies and vegans out there - and have the TV set to record every scrap of live football set to be broadcast throughout the United Kingdom over the festive period.
Most of the below teams remain in the Premier League title race - aside from one glaring exception, who we'll get to a little later - and the results over Christmas will show which sides can seriously compete and those who are just pretenders.
Here are the Christmas fixtures for each of the big six sides in the Premier League, ranked by difficulty.
6. Manchester United
Sheffield United (A) - 17/12
Leeds (H) - 20/12
Leicester (A) - 26/12
Wolves (H) - 29/12
Aston Villa (H) - 2/1
United have a few obvious banana skins in the form of Leicester and Wolves, but really ought to get their festive period off to a good start at Sheffield United.
The Blades have just one point from their opening 11 games, though it's hard to know what kind of performance United will put in at Bramall Lane.
The long-awaited fixture with Leeds is at Old Trafford, while things are rounded off with another home game against Aston Villa.
On paper, United should have a successful run, but it's so hard to know whether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will nail the games or flounder.
5. Liverpool
Tottenham (H) - 16/12
Crystal Palace (A) - 19/12
West Brom (H) - 27/12
Newcastle (A) - 30/12
Southampton (A) - 2/1
Only Liverpool's game with Tottenham stops this run of fixtures being the most straightforward for any 'Big Six' side.
A tougher run is on the horizon towards the end of January and into February for Jurgen Klopp's men, who have already proven they can ruthlessly pick up points regardless of difficult fixture lists.
The game against Spurs will be fascinating, with the two teams currently sat at the top of the Premier League level on points, but the following matches should be relatively painless if the Reds hit their stride.
4. Manchester City
West Brom (H) - 15/12
Southampton (A) - 19/12
Newcastle (H) - 26/12
Everton (A) - 28/12
Chelsea (A) - 2/1
You can disregard any potential upsets in Manchester City's fixtures against West Brom and Newcastle - those games just scream 5-0 home wins.
Southampton are a far more tricky side, though they themselves have a tough run over Christmas, but Everton and Chelsea will cause Pep Guardiola's City a few issues.
The Citizens have a bit of catching up to do, but should be closer to the top of the table once these five games have been played.
3. Arsenal
Southampton (H) - 16/12
Everton (A) - 19/12
Chelsea (H) - 26/12
Brighton (A) - 29/12
West Brom (A) - 2/1
So the Gunners have to concentrate on getting back into the top half of the Premier League before thinking about any sort of European qualification. But considering their current form, these fixtures look tough.
Southampton have shown their attacking acumen against better defensive sides than Arsenal, while Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin will give their centre-backs a tough time at Goodison Park.
Chelsea at home looks like a loss waiting to happen already, so points will need to be picked up against Brighton and West Brom away from home. It's their woeful run of form which makes these games look worse than they would under more normal circumstances.
It's a massive slate of fixtures for manager Mikel Arteta, who is already under pressure with his side 15th.
2. Chelsea
Wolves (A) - 15/12
West Ham (H) - 21/12
Arsenal (A) - 26/12
Aston Villa (H) - 28/12
Manchester City (H) - 2/1
The game that stands out immediately here for Chelsea is the Stamford Bridge clash with Manchester City. What a fine way to bring in 2021.
The trip to Wolves could be tricky, though fixtures against West Ham and Arsenal should result in wins for Frank Lampard's side, as should the match with Aston Villa.
Chelsea ended City's hopes of winning the Premier League last season, so the visitors will be out for some modicum of revenge.
1. Tottenham
Liverpool (A) - 16/12
Leicester (H) - 20/12
Wolves (A) - 27/12
Fulham (H) - 30/12
Leeds (H) - 2/1
Tottenham are in the middle of a tough run currently and things don't let up up until 30 December, when they welcome Fulham to north London.
Before then, they take on Premier League champions Liverpool, host Champions League hopefuls Leicester, and visit the always dangerous Wolves.
Recent performances against Manchester City and Arsenal have given Jose Mourinho's side all the confidence in the world, though the sheer volume of fixtures may see a few points dropped along the way.
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