Manchester United’s clash with Newcastle will be the only Premier League game on Boxing Day, confirming Daily Mail Sport’s exclusive that the festive schedule would break with tradition.
The Premier League has announced revised fixture dates for late December and early January, with most matches moved to December 27 and beyond to accommodate live TV coverage.
United will host Newcastle at Old Trafford on December 26 in an 8pm kick-off on Sky Sports. Every other top-flight side will play from the following day onwards, meaning the traditional Boxing Day programme, a fixture of English football since the nineteenth century, will all but disappear this year.
The rearranged calendar affects Matchweeks 18, 19 and 20, covering December 26 to January 8.
The Premier League said it had been forced to revise the festive period because of the expanded European schedule and changes to the FA Cup, which now takes place solely on weekends.
In a statement, the League said: ‘The Premier League would like to acknowledge the circumstances that have led to a reduced number of matches on Boxing Day this season, impacting an important tradition in English football.’
It added: ‘There are now several challenges to Premier League fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions, which led to a revision of our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup.’
With fewer weekends to allocate 380 fixtures, officials stressed that the move was unavoidable.
‘This ultimately left the Premier League as a 33-weekend competition, fewer than previous seasons,’ the statement continued.
To mitigate player fatigue, the League maintained that no club will play within 60 hours of another match across the festive run.
Fixtures have therefore been spaced out from December 26 to January 8, with broadcasters given additional evening slots.
