Who is suspended for Premier League Boxing Day?
By Euan Burns
The Premier League is ready to pick up where it left off before the World Cup with the Boxing Day fixtures just around the corner.
They are some of the most highly anticipated games of the season as they are a superb addition to the festivities for so many people. This season, fans have seven matches to enjoy across the day.
Given there has not been any games since mid-November in the Premier League, most fans will be unaware of who is suspended and how that could affect their team on Boxing Day.
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What fixtures are being played on Boxing Day in 2022?
There are a couple of very interesting matches to be played on Boxing Day in the Premier League. For those who fancy an upset, the game at 12:30 GMT between Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur could be an attractive proposition.
Brentford will provide a great atmosphere and Spurs may struggle to get back into the swing of things. Another intriguing game for similar reasons will be Aston Villa vs Liverpool, kicking off at 17:30 GMT. Villa looked a lot better under Unai Emery before the break and Liverpool will need to be very wary, especially having lost to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup in their return to competitive action.
The day ends with Arsenal fans getting a chance to see if their superb early season form can continue as they welcome West Ham United to the Emirates. The league leaders have some tough games coming up and three points are essential if they are to maintain the five-point gap back to City.
- Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur (12:30 GMT)
- Crystal Palace vs Fulham (15:00 GMT)
- Everton vs Wolves (15:00 GMT)
- Leicester City vs Newcastle (15:00 GMT)
- Southampton vs Brighton (15:00 GMT)
- Aston Villa vs Liverpool (17:30 GMT)
- Arsenal vs West Ham United (20:00 GMT)
Which teams are going to be without suspended players?
Incredibly, there is no one missing through suspension for the Boxing Day fixtures in 2022. There was some confusion around whether Diego Costa is still suspended for Wolves or not following his headbutt against Brentford in October, but Wolves played three league games and two Carabao Cup games between then and Boxing Day.
Instead, we have to look towards injuries to see how teams will be hindered on Boxing Day, and Spurs will be operating without Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison. Wolves will be buoyed by the mass of injuries that Everton are dealing with as they will likely be without Tom Davies, Yerry Mina, James Garner, Andros Townsend, Ben Godfrey and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Alexander Isak is still out for Newcastle along with Fabian Schar, but Leicester City will be welcoming James Maddison back to the fold. The Foxes will be missing Caglar Soyuncu, James Justin, Johnny Evans and Riccardo Pereira, though.
Phillipe Coutinho is a doubt to face his former side Liverpool, whilst the Reds could be without Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Trent Alexander-Arnold in a tough-looking match.
For Arsenal's return to action, Gabriel Jesus watches on with a longer term injury layoff. He's likely to be joined on the sidelines by both Oleksandr Zinchenko and Emile Smith-Rowe who are doubts. Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba's availability is also unclear. For West Ham, Kurt Zouma and Michael Antonio will miss out, while Gianluca Scamacca and Nayef Aguerd are touch and go.