The Premier League will finally return to the pitch on Boxing Day with a round of matches that could be the most exciting of the year. Tottenham will host Bournemouth and West Ham will face Arsenal. If you can’t make it to the game, you can stream live games with Amazon Prime Video. You can also check out NBC’s festive fixtures.
Arsenal vs West Ham
Arsenal will host West Ham United in the Premier League on Boxing Day. The match will kick off at 8pm on Monday, December 26. This is a big game for both teams, with implications for the title race.
With the top of the table still open, both sides will be keen to get a flying start. Mikel Arteta has said that the Boxing Day game will be a special occasion for the Gunners.
West Ham United have dropped four points in their last five league matches, with their most recent win being against Blackburn. They sit just above the drop zone, but will be hoping that the quality of their squad shows in the Boxing Day match.
With the World Cup in full swing, David Moyes will be relying on the players who came through the tournament. Five of the Hammers’ squad returned to training last week. However, Nayef Aguerd will miss out on the match due to a hip injury.
There will also be some late fitness tests for Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Aaron Cresswell is not expected to play, while Michail Antonio will miss out as he is nursing a calf problem.
The two sides have faced off in the past. Although the Hammers have failed to win away from home in the Premier League this season, Arsenal have won five of their six meetings.
The mid-season World Cup has had an impact on the campaign. Both sides will have players back from the tournament. However, the World Cup hangover has left the players a little more fatigued than normal.
Despite the mid-season World Cup, the two clubs are looking forward to the Boxing Day clash. It will be a good opportunity to catch up on some of the action from the last few months.
Bournemouth vs Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur took on Bournemouth in the Premier League on Boxing Day. The home side had to wait until stoppage time to find an equaliser, but it was not enough as Tottenham held on for a 3-2 victory.
Spurs started the game on the front foot, a move that paved the way for Son Heung-Min’s second goal of the season. Kyle Walker-Peters passed to Son, who then cut back to Lucas Moura. His shot was saved by Asmir Begovic, but the rebound fell kindly to Son, who tapped in.
A low-key start saw Tottenham largely avoid the pressure of the game, and they had a number of decent chances to score. Charlie Daniels’ header was saved by Hugo Lloris, while David Brooks and Ryan Sessegnon both missed chances.
The match began to open up after the half-hour mark, with Spurs playing the ball around the field. However, the visitors’ attack was largely limited to set-pieces.
In the first half, Kyle Walker-Peters was able to create three good opportunities, as well as two assists. Christian Eriksen was also influential, though his shot from the top of the box was deflected wickedly by Jefferson Lerma.
Bournemouth pushed to find an equaliser in the second half, and they had a few more chances. They were also unlucky to have their goal disallowed, as Jefferson Lerma was penalized for offside.
Harry Moore put Bournemouth in the lead with a goal in the 22nd minute, but Tottenham were able to get level in the 38th minute with Son’s goal. And the visitors were able to make it two goals in two games when they scored a third goal in the 35th minute.
Crystal Palace vs Fulham
The second London derby of Boxing Day sees Crystal Palace and Fulham face off in the Premier League. Both sides have a good record in this fixture, and there should be a cracking game.
There is a strong chance that the two teams will play for the first time since Fulham were relegated. Fulham have not won a home game against Palace since July 2016. But the Eagles have had some good form at Selhurst Park this season. In fact, they’ve won four of their last seven at the helm, with three of those wins coming by way of one-goal margins.
Palace haven’t lost a home game since September, and have won five of their last eight. However, they are still on the wrong side of the table. This means that they will want to move into the top half of the table.
Luckily for Palace, they have players to take advantage of Fulham’s poor defence. A 30-yard free-kick from Andreas Pereira had the desired effect. It was one of many excellent moments from a team that has been on a great run of form at home.
Aleksandar Mitrovic is in fine form. He’s scored 105 goals in the top four English tiers since February. He also provided a key assist to Bobby Decordova-Reid’s goal.
Fulham have had a great season overall. They’re only behind Arsenal in the Prem table. But they’ve also had a disastrous run of games away from home. Their last win away from home came in the EFL Cup in November, against Newcastle United.
In other news, James Tomkins made his first league start since Boxing Day last year. He’ll also be available for the upcoming game against Bournemouth on New Year’s Eve.
NBC Sports’ festive fixtures
As Premier League fans look forward to the start of the 2018-19 season, NBC Sports will also be celebrating the season with a massive slate of fixtures. The NBC Sports family of networks will air 40 festive fixtures in the span of 14 days. These matches will have a huge impact on the title race, relegation battles, and the standings.
NBC Sports will kick off the holiday period with a quadruple-header on Sunday. It begins with a match between Liverpool and Leeds. The two teams have not faced each other in the Premier League since October, when they played to a scoreless draw.
This year, Boxing Day will be a special day in the history of the Premier League. The day after Christmas has long been a staple of the UK’s sporting calendar. Many sports fans travel to their family’s homes to celebrate the holiday.
NBC Sports will present the quadruple-header on a number of different platforms, including NBC, USA Network, and Universo. In addition to the match, the broadcast network will also present select matches through its Peacock streaming service.
Aside from the traditional Boxing Day games, there will be a number of other exciting events taking place throughout the holiday. Fans will also get to see Premier League Live, which features USMNT players. And in addition to its traditional programming, NBC Sports will also present a special Boxing Day edition of the “Men in Blazers Show” with guest John Oliver.
NBC Sports’ schedule of festive matches will also include plenty of action from around the country. Matches will take place in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Southampton, Brighton, and elsewhere.
During the holiday season, the NBC Sports studio team will be on-location in England, providing live coverage from the pitch-side desks. Special guests are expected to make appearances as well.
Amazon Prime Video’s live streaming
If you are a fan of Premier League football, you are in luck. Amazon Prime has recently announced that it will show the game on its streaming service. The company has signed up top names in the game, including Alan Shearer, Harry Redknapp, Peter Crouch and Michael Owen.
In fact, Amazon Prime’s streaming service has been given the go-ahead to broadcast twenty live games per season for the next three campaigns. The company has even signed up the best presenters in the business, including Ally McCoist, Jon Champion, Jim Rosenthal and Gabby Logan.
For the holiday season, the top clubs will be in action. On Boxing Day, Tottenham Hotspur will take on Brentford while Liverpool will travel to face Aston Villa. However, the most exciting match on the day will be the Arsenal vs West Ham clash.
Although the Amazon Prime Video app hasn’t rolled out its Christmas schedule yet, the company has already announced a free trial and a free 30-day subscription to its subscription service. Those who are interested in watching the game can access the service through a variety of devices, including mobile phones, tablets, Xbox One, PS4 and Fire TV.
The company has also made the decision to produce a documentary about the Leeds United football club. It will feature in the Amazon Prime Video app, as well as in a television show, which will follow the Yorkshire outfit through its 2018-19 campaign.
While there are a number of games to watch on Boxing Day, one match that has been specifically selected to stream on the Prime Video app is the Everton vs Newcastle game. This game will also be available to watch on Sky Sports.
