The Premier League has generously filled up our Christmas with a pile of Boxing Day fixtures!
Game Week 19 gets underway when the Spurs welcome Brighton to Tottenham Stadium.
Elsewhere, Man U look to get one back on Newcastle, Leicester attempt to close the gap on league leaders Liverpool and Man City take aim at the Wolves.
I’ve Previewed all ten fixtures and gifted the punters my best betting plays below.
The Boxing Day action gets underway at Tottenham Stadium as both the Spurs and the Seagulls look to get back to winning ways.
The Spurs will be fired up for this contest after embarrassingly going down 3-0 to the minnows earlier in the year.
Brighton have struggle on the road this season managing only two wins from nine cracks.
Expect the Spurs to come out firing as they look to close the gap to the breakaway top four.
What’s left of the Gunners’ faithful will be hoping their side is about to enter a new era under new manage/ former player Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard has indicated that every player will be given a clean slate to prove their worth before the January transfer period opens.
The Cherries have been one of the few sides Arsenal have already overcome this season, with Eddie Howe’s squad has traditionally struggled in this fixture, picking up four points from the sides last nine meetings.
Arteta could’ve wished for a better fixture to kickoff his managerial career and I’m expecting him to have an immediate impact for his former side.
Watford have shown real grit since Nigel Pearson’s appointment, claiming their second win of the season at the expense of Manchester United and David de Gea’s goal keeping reputation.
Despite an upturn in form, the Hornets will be meeting a side playing with confidence and a clear identity.
The Blades are hunting for their forth win on the trot and have all the tools to deal with the intensity Pearson’s side are likely to throw their way.
Chelsea ruined Mourinho’s homecoming over the weekend, dominating the contest against the Spurs from start to finish.
Frank Lampard showed tactical nous, switching a back five to successfully hold out a Spurs side who had been on a hot scoring streak in the matches prior.
Southampton have been on a scoring streak of their own, with Danny Ings finding the back of the net seven time in his last seven starts.
The Saints have won three of their last five matches with all three victories coming against sides sitting inside the relegation zone.
Lampard will use this game as an opportunity to rotate his squad as the fixtures start to pile up.
Despite rotations the Blues squad possesses quality depth across every position and shouldn’t have an issue seeing off the spirited Saints.
Both of these sides are desperate for a Christmas miracle, as they fight for league survival.
Astons Villa have been on a disastrous run, losing four games on the run and conceding 11 goals along the way.
Norwich hasn’t fair much better, picking up one point across the same run of fixtures, while Krul seeing the ball breach his net on seven occasions.
The Villans’ best performance of the season was a 5-1 lashing on the road over the Canaries back in GW8, the return home fixture gives Dean Smith’s side the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways.
A London Derby would often be pick of the round, but in this case it’s the gift which no-one asked for.
Crystal Palace have been disappointing cross the past three fixtures, failing to earn a win against less fancied opposition.
With manager axings seemingly the flavour of the month, it comes as a huge surprise that Manuel Pellegrini is still pulling the stings in West Ham.
The Hammers have shown glimpses of life winning two from their last four outings and come into this fixture off an 11 day break after their GW18 match against the Reds was rescheduled.
Flying in with fresh legs and fighting for their Gaffas jog gives the Hammers the edge in this one for me.
Everton are set to begin life under Carlo Ancelotti when they welcome Burnley to Goodison Park.
Ancelotti is no stranger to the PL, leading Chelsea to the title in the 2009/10 season, while breaking the record for most goals in the season with 103!
The Italian mastermind has inherited and underperforming yet extremely talented squad and it wouldn’t surprise me if he turns the Toffees fortunes around immediately.
Burnley haven’t been setting the world on fire themselves, barely scraping by Newcastle and a depleted Bournemouth outfit to climb their way back into the top ten.
Much like Arteta, I believe life under Ancelotti will start off with a bang!
Manchester United sunk to a whole new low over the weekend, going down 2nil to the bottom of the table Hornets.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær job has never been under more pressure and with Mauricio Pochettino patiently waiting in the wings, a loss at home to Newcastle would most likely see the Norwegian heading home for New Years.
Newcastle have enjoyed a decent run of form, winning three from their last four games and will draw confidence from their victory of United earlier in the season.
The Red Devils will be buoyed by the return of World Class midfielder Paul Pogba, who’s creativity has been sorely missed.
Man United have been a different force at home losing just one match this season, combined with the return of Pogba I can see the Ole holding onto his job for another week.
Match of the Month arrives on Friday morning (Australian Time) when the Reds look add another three points of security between themselves and the rest of the comp.
The Foxes were dismantled by Kevin de Bruyne in GW18 ending their nine game unbeaten streak and leaving them ten points behind runaway league leaders Liverpool.
The Reds squad returns from Qatar after claiming the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup.
Klopp has been heavily rotating his squad in anticipation for the fixture pile up, even so there will be no doubt that his side will be severely depleted from the trip to the middle-east.
Leicester was extremely unlucky to drop three points to the Reds earlier in the season, with a 95th minute pen sealing their fate.
The combination of the Reds wary bodies and the home ground advantage give the Foxes an edge for mine.
After falling flat in the Manchester Dery, City have gone on to dismantle both Arsenal and Leicester in the ensuing Game Weeks.
The key to the Sky Blues success has been the performances of their star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who has tallied up ten assists for the season, three more than the second best Son.
City lost 2nil to the Wolves earlier in the season and will no doubt be carrying a chip on their shoulder.
The Wolves lost their last game at home, with Molineux Stadium looking less and less like the fortress it once was.
I’m expecting this game to be far less free flowing than City’s last two fixtures, with the Wolves more than happy to sit back and play on the counter.
Wolverhampton have only had three games go over the 3.5 total goals market this season and I can see the Citizens getting up here in a close one.