A Christmas treat lies in store for fans of the English Premier League, with festive fixtures providing one of the highlights of the season this Boxing Day and Friday.
Liverpool are top of the EPL table and their four-point lead means they will stay there whatever the result of their Boxing Day Anfield clash with Leicester, under the Merseyside lights in the late kick off.
The Reds have lost just once all season while the Foxes are reeling from back-to-back heavy defeats that have left new boss Ruud van Nistelrooy studying the relegation zone more than he would have liked.
It’s a day-long festive feast that begins with the lunchtime fixture between Manchester City and Everton.
Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions are carrying on more like Christmas turkeys thanks to a horror run that has seen them plummet back into the midtable pack in recent weeks.
The Toffees, meanwhile, are buoyed by new ownership as they head to the Etihad Stadium, with Sean Dyche’s side typically tough to break down and capable of picking up handy points against the league’s top sides.
Chelsea were the most recently held hotshots at Goodison Park a week ago, leaving the Blues at arm’s length of Liverpool at the summit going into their west London derby with Fulham.
The Cottagers make the short trip to Stamford Bridge off the back of three consecutive draws, with an unlikely top six charge very much in mind for the new year.
Manchester United can only dream of such dizzy heights, with last weekend’s latest Old Trafford capitulation representing a third loss in four for new coach Ruben Amorim.
He takes the Red Devils to take on Portuguese counterpart Vitor Pereira and his Wolves at Molineux, who rose from the relegation canvas to thrash Leicester last time out.
Back in the European qualification shake-up there’s a showdown between Newcastle and Aston Villa.
The Villans hold the edge thanks to three wins in their last four, although the Toon Army are also on the march with back-to-back victories boosting them for their visit to the West Midlands.
A pair of Friday fixtures in the Premier League include Arsenal’s bid to keep the heat on in the title race, with a home game against Ipswich their next test.
The Gunners returned to winning ways in fine style last weekend but it was quite the opposite for the Tractor Boys, who remain marooned in the drop zone with just two wins all season.
There’s also plenty riding on the Amex Stadium clash between Brighton and Brentford, with both having slipped off the top half pace of late.
Thomas Frank’s Bees have lost three of their last four while the Seagulls haven’t tasted victory in five attempts, as their excellent start to the campaign evaporates.
Elsewhere on Boxing Day it could be a thunderous clash at the City Ground, with Nottingham Forest and Tottenham going toe-to-toe.
Forest are flying in fourth place but Spurs, despite being the league’s leading goal scorers, are languishing in the bottom half with the pressure mounting on coach Ange Postecoglou.
Ivan Juric will take charge of rock bottom Southampton for the first time when they welcome West Ham to St Mary’s Stadium.
The Saints have picked up just six points so far and will attempt to turn it around against a Hammers side unbeaten in their last three to edge away from danger.
Bournemouth are another club stunning the bookies, having stormed up to fifth in the Premier League table.
Few of those having a festive flutter would back against them keeping up the charge when they host struggling Crystal Palace at the Vitality Stadium.
All latest EPL Predictions
Manchester City v Everton
| Result prediction | Manchester City to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Manchester City / Manchester City to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
AFC Bournemouth v Crystal Palace
| Result prediction | AFC Bournemouth to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | AFC Bournemouth / AFC Bournemouth to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Kluivert(AFC Bournemouth) I. Sarr(Crystal Palace) |
Chelsea v Fulham
| Result prediction | Chelsea to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Chelsea / Chelsea to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | C. Palmer(Chelsea) |
Newcastle United v Aston Villa
| Result prediction | Newcastle United to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Newcastle United / Newcastle United to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Murphy(Newcastle United) A. Isak(Newcastle United) J. Durán(Aston Villa) |
Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur
| Result prediction | Tottenham Hotspur to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Tottenham Hotspur / Tottenham Hotspur to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | C. Wood(Nottingham Forest) J. Maddison(Tottenham Hotspur) D. Kulusevski(Tottenham Hotspur) |
Southampton v West Ham United
| Result prediction | West Ham United to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | West Ham United / West Ham United to win |
| Team to Score prediction | West Ham United |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United
| Result prediction | draw |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Wolverhampton Wanderers / draw |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Liverpool v Leicester City
| Result prediction | Liverpool to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Liverpool / Liverpool to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Mohamed Salah(Liverpool) |
Brighton & Hove Albion v Brentford
| Result prediction | Brentford to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Brentford / Brentford to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | K. Schade(Brentford) |
Arsenal v Ipswich Town
| Result prediction | Arsenal to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Arsenal / Arsenal to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Leicester City v Manchester City
| Result prediction | draw |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / draw |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Crystal Palace v Southampton
| Result prediction | Crystal Palace to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Crystal Palace / Crystal Palace to win |
| Team to Score prediction | Crystal Palace |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | I. Sarr(Crystal Palace) |
Everton v Nottingham Forest
| Result prediction | Nottingham Forest to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Nottingham Forest to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | C. Wood(Nottingham Forest) |
Fulham v AFC Bournemouth
| Result prediction | AFC Bournemouth to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | AFC Bournemouth / AFC Bournemouth to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Kluivert(AFC Bournemouth) |
Tottenham Hotspur v Wolverhampton Wanderers
| Result prediction | Tottenham Hotspur to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Tottenham Hotspur / Tottenham Hotspur to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Maddison(Tottenham Hotspur) D. Kulusevski(Tottenham Hotspur) |
West Ham United v Liverpool
| Result prediction | Liverpool to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Liverpool / Liverpool to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Mohamed Salah(Liverpool) |
Aston Villa v Brighton & Hove Albion
| Result prediction | Aston Villa to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Aston Villa / Aston Villa to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Durán(Aston Villa) |
Ipswich Town v Chelsea
| Result prediction | Chelsea to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Chelsea / Chelsea to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | C. Palmer(Chelsea) |
Manchester United v Newcastle United
| Result prediction | Newcastle United to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Newcastle United / Newcastle United to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Murphy(Newcastle United) A. Isak(Newcastle United) |