Premier League predictions: Gameweek 18

While Europeans will be forced to discuss political affairs and answer uncomfortable questions about their love lives on Boxing Day, fans of English football will once again be treated to a Premier League feast.

There are eight Premier League fixtures coming your way this Boxing Day and another two blessing our screens on Friday night.

The schedule is jam-packed up until the new year with gameweeks tricky to discern given that we're entering that weird point in the calendar when days amalgamate into one big jolly up.

Here's how 90min projects Premier League Gameweek 18 to unfold.

Thursday 26 December

The champions just can't catch a break, can they? The poor old Cityzens will be training on Christmas Day ahead of a lunchtime Boxing Day kick-off.

Manchester City have won just one of their previous 12 games in all competitions and have slumped to seventh in the table. Given how one-paced and predictable their attack has looked in recent weeks, Thursday's bout at home to Everton, who've shut out Arsenal and Chelsea in back-to-back games, looks a tricky one on paper.

It's certainly unlikely to be the belter you'd want to enjoy to kick-off the day's action.

Chelsea lost ground on Liverpool at the top of the table after drawing at Goodison Park on Sunday, so they'll be keen to return to winning ways at the first attempt when they face Fulham in the not-so-vicious west London Derby. The league-leading Liverpool were at their imperious best at Tottenham last time out and hold a four-point advantage at the summit with a game in hand. They're rounding off Boxing Day at home to struggling Leicester.

Newcastle vs Aston Villa appears the standout fixture of the day at 3pm with both teams heading into the contest with the wind in their sails. These two clubs have embarked on similar trajectories in recent years, and this bout could prove significant in determining which side will make a top-four push during the second half of the season. Newcastle will leapfrog their opponents in the table with another win at St James' Park.

Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest enter Boxing Day as two of the division's form teams, and they're both at home after enjoying the festivities. While Bournemouth face a Crystal Palace side stymied by Arsenal last week, Forest take on a beleaguered Tottenham team who are desperate to get into the new year.

Southampton offered astute pragmatism in their stalemate at Fulham on Sunday, and it'll be interesting to see what Ivan Juric serves up on his managerial bow. Defeat for West Ham at St Mary's would pile the pressure on the already under-fire Julen Lopetegui.

Vitor Pereira's tenure at Wolves got off to a brilliant start, and the new manager will regard this as an excellent time to face Manchester United. Ruben Amorim has a seismic job on his hands and there's unlikely to be immediate respite after the Red Devils were beaten by Bournemouth at the weekend. These two sides played out a classic at Molineux last season.

Friday 27 December

It's a less hectic evening of football on Friday, and the overlap is a bit of an annoyance. Just whack the Brighton game on at six, fellas.

Anyway, the Seagulls could do with a win here as they face a Brentford team who are yet to win a Premier League game away from home this term. The Bees have also lost their previous three in all competitions with Thomas Frank managing a long list of injuries.

Brighton have endured a wretched December, mind. Their last home win arrived on 9 November against the Premier League's whipping boys, Man City.

The gameweek concludes in north London as an Arsenal side mourning the loss of Bukayo Saka to a torn hamstring faces the newly promoted Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys have won just two league games this term, both away from home and one in north London.

Despite the loss of Saka, the Gunners remain in the title discussion and will be expected to round off their 2024 with three points on home soil.

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