Football Fixtures Preview – (December 22-24). While many things are beautiful about Christmas, numerous fans wouldn’t find it beautiful that some of their favourite teams will be out of action due to the Christmas break.
There’ll be no match fixtures in three of the top 5 European leagues. However, the fixtures in the Italian Serie A and the English Premier League promise to make up for whatever deficit the break might have caused.
This weekend, we see a top-of-the-table clash in England, while the Scudetto defending champions pay their Roman counterparts a famous visit. Here, we give you all the Football Fixtures Preview to expect in Game Week 18 of the English Premier League and Italian Serie A, while the other 3 leagues go on a Christmas hiatus.
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EPL MATCHDAY 18 FOOTBALL FIXTURES PREVIEW
FRIDAY, 22ND DECEMBER, 2023
Aston Villa vs Sheffield United 20:00
SATURDAY, 23RD DECEMBER, 2023
West Ham vs Man United 12:30
Fulham vs Burnley 15:00
Luton vs Newcastle 15:00
Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth 15:00
Tottenham vs Everton 15:00
Liverpool vs Arsenal 17:30
SUNDAY, 24TH DECEMBER, 2023
Wolves vs Chelsea 13:00
EPL PREVIEWS
LIVERPOOL vs ARSENAL
If EPL is the biggest league in the world, then this has got to be the world’s biggest game of the weekend. It isn’t just a game between two teams who are part of the traditional Big 6, but it’s a game between the first and second position on the league table after 17 game weeks.
Easily, this game decides who sits top of the league on Christmas day and might as well be one of the title deciders. Anfield is a fierce place for rivals, regardless Arsenal was stealing a win right there before the intervention of Roberto Firminho last season. Coupled with the narrow escape, United’s unexpected draw at Anfield a week ago portends that Arsenal will do just better than a loss tomorrow.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal
WEST HAM vs MAN UNITED
Like the Liverpool vs Arsenal game, this game features two teams who sit one place and one point apiece on the league table. Man United sit 7th, while Westham sit 8th. The Red Devils are coming off a lucky draw vs Liverpool, while the Hammers are bouncing off a big win vs Wolves at the London Stadium.
Westham’s recent rediscovery of their home form may not be a good thing for United, who have the fewest draws in the league, making a draw the unlikeliest outcome. United’s inconsistency and Westham’s home advantage give Westham a lot of upsides going into this game.
Prediction: West Ham 1-0 Man United
SERIE A MATCHDAY 17 FOOTBALL FIXTURES PREVIEW
FRIDAY, 22ND DECEMBER
Empoli vs Lazio 18:30
Sassuolo vs Genoa 18:30
Monza vs Fiorentina 20:45
Salernitana vs Milan 20:45
SATURDAY, 23RD DECEMBER
Frosinone vs Juventus 12:30
Bologna vs Atalanta 15:00
Torino vs Udinese 15:00
Verona vs Cagliari 18:00
Inter vs Leece 18:00
Roma vs Napoli 20:45
SERIE A PREVIEWS
FROSINONE vs JUVENTUS
Frosinone, who sit at 13th place, hosts the Old Ladies, who currently sit 2nd. Both teams haven’t been so exceptional in front of goal, with Juventus scoring 24 and Frosinone scoring 21 all season long. The Juventus defense is the reason why they’re flying so high this season. Frosinone, on the other hand, is quite poor defensively, conceding 26 goals in 17 games so far.
Prediction: Frosinone 0-2 Juventus
ROMA vs NAPOLI
After a poor start to the season, Roma are looking quite impressive once again before hitting a defeat away to Bologna. At the moment, they sit 3 places below Napoli, who aren’t looking as ruthless as they were 12 months ago. With both teams not at their very best, we expect so much drama but few goals in this tie.
Prediction: Roma 1-1 Napoli
LALIGA
The Spanish Laliga goes on a 1-week Christmas and New Year break. As a result, there won’t be any Laliga games for the weekend, as the games for game week 18 were played earlier in the week.
The next Laliga fixture features Getafe taking on Rayo Vallecano on the evening of Tuesday, 2nd January 2024.
BUNDESLIGA
Customarily, the German Bundesliga goes on a 3-week Christmas and New Year break. As a result, there won’t be any Bundesliga games for this weekend, alongside the next two weekends, as the games for game week 16 were played earlier in the week.
The next Bundesliga fixture features Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, against Hoffenheim on Friday, 12th January.
LIGUE 1
Like the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 also goes on a 3-week Christmas break.
While game week 17 was played earlier this week, game week 18 resumes on Friday, 12th January 2024, with Marseille taking up Strasbourg at Orange Velodrome.
