A complete slate of Boxing Day Premier League matches will keep you engaged, even though this Christmas will be different from previous years. In the week before and following Christmas, a total of 20 games will be shown, with the majority of Premier League games airing on Sky Sports. The most prestigious match of the holiday season will be Manchester United vs. Liverpool, with both teams looking to prove they are still at the top of their game.
The two biggest stories heading into the holidays are Leicester City's title challenge and Jose Mourinho's future at Manchester United. Both clubs have five games left to play and the winner will claim the league crown. The Foxes have a chance at Chelsea this weekend while United plays Norwich City at Old Trafford on December 27.
Also worth mentioning is that Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal will meet for the third time this season in the last round of games on January 2. London rivals Spurs and Gunners have been going at it hard this year with both teams trying to secure a place in next season's Champions League group stage. This game will determine who finishes first in the table.
Overall, there will be plenty to watch as the final weeks of the Premier League season unfold.
Christmas in the Premier League is typically hectic, and this year, as we approach 2021, will be no exception. There are many major games coming up over the next week, including Everton vs. Manchester City, Newcastle vs. Liverpool, and Tottenham vs. Leeds, all of which will be broadcast live on talkSPORT.
The festive season starts early in the Premier League. Teams usually take a few days off for Christmas, with the first game after the holiday weekend being the Sunderland-West Brom game on December 27. The midweek matches start around Dec. 23-24, with Chelsea hosting Bournemouth and Manchester United traveling to face Valencia. The last game before the New Year is traditionally played on New Year's Day.
Football has been going since 1872 and the Premier League was founded in 1992. This year, the Premier League is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Christmas day this year is on December 25th and there are 31 games in all, starting with Sunderland vs. West Brom at 3:00 p.m. On December 26th, there are 30 games starting at 12:30 p.m. After three midweek matches, there are three weekends left in the season. The season ends on May 19th with the final game of the season scheduled for Saturday, June 5th at 4:55 p.m.
Christmas day in the NFL is on December 25th too.
On Boxing Day, English football resumes its customary cycle of matches, and Premier League teams then play twice in a few days each side of New Year's Eve. By the time several of Europe's other top-five leagues resume play, Premier League teams will have played five games, including one in the FA Cup's third round.
Winter vacations are typically scheduled over the weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year's. Premier League (England) and Scottish Premiership (Scotland): from mid-August to early May (winter break in Scotland). France's Ligue 1 season runs from early August until late May. (previously, mid-July to early June with a month-long winter break)
Between December 22 and January 7, there will be no Serie A games in Italy. Not only do Europe's major leagues take a winter vacation. The Scottish Premier League will have a four-week vacation from New Year's Eve to late January this year, for the first time in a decade.
Christmas NRL games are played in all weather conditions, including heavy snow, and are only interrupted by lightning strikes. As UK sports fans are well aware, traveling to sporting events during the holiday season can frequently turn into a public transportation nightmare. The same is often true of flights, with many people choosing not to fly at all rather than risk missing part of the game.
The traditional opening ceremony of an NRL match includes a presentation to Santa Claus on pitch-side. This takes place just before the start of the second half and features some special guests.
Who performs the ceremonial opening kick-off at an NRL football match? While the official starter is one of four players selected by the coaches, he/she usually has help from one or more other persons present on the field. These assistants take it in turns to be the "go-to" person when it's time for a kickoff, and they work with the official starter to coordinate the procedure. They may also have a role in deciding who will take what position on the field (for example, the assistant might say "OK, I'll take the hooker", meaning that they will be responsible for defending against kicks.)
Sometimes two individuals will play together as a pair to perform the opening kickoff. One person stays behind the goal line while the other runs out onto the field.
Christmas Day games are normally scheduled by the NFL only if it falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday (though Friday Christmas games were played in 2009 and 2020). If not, the league's regular schedule of games will be played on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
In addition to the standard set of rules applying to all games, several special rules also come into play on Christmas Day. The most important is that no player may be brought down by contact with a grounded vehicle nor can they advance past their own 45-yard line.
Finally, because there is no such thing as an official timeout in college football, each team is allowed one final timeout per half. These are called "opting out" of the game and can be used by either team at any time. Once a team opts out of the game, the opposing team has 20 minutes to score a touchdown or lose. If they fail to do so within that time, then the game will be declared a tie.
College football didn't start until December 26, 1895. A total of 24 games were played on Christmas Day between 1894 and 1918.
The NFL has traditionally played on Christmas Day if it occurs on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. However, the league also played games on Fridays in 2009 and 2020. They'll then plan one or two games for Christmas Day or night. The only other major American sports league that plays games on Christmas Day are the MLB and NBA.
Christmas Day football began in 1887 when the New York Football Giants played their first game as a professional team. The game was not considered official by any means at the time but rather just another game for the Gainsers to win. Today, Christmas Day games are part of the regular season and are not considered championship games. In fact, no team will be declared champion until after all the games have been played.
Even though Christmas Day games are not championship games, they do determine which teams make the playoffs. If a game is scheduled for Christmas Day and it's either a Patriots-Jets matchup or an NFC game vs. an AFC game, then the game will most likely be played on Christmas Eve or Christmas Night. Teams prefer to avoid playing on Christmas Day because it hurts business (especially for small towns) and many people choose not to watch football on Christmas Day out of respect for those who may be working or have other plans.
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