The festive period has traditionally been one of the busiest parts of the domestic campaign in England, and the skirmish for points and positions in the Premier League over the holidays is guaranteed to be intense.
Competition in the division has never been stiffer, though the flurry of fixtures around Christmas could help the chaotic Premier League standings to take shape as we enter the New Year.
A Boxing Day fixture slate has been a long-standing tradition in English football, but this year, the only Premier League match on the menu is Manchester United’s home match with Newcastle United.
The expansion of UEFA competitions has triggered a tweak this time around, but we don’t have to wait long for our festive footballing fun, with seven matches pencilled in for the 27th.
Below, we’ve zeroed in on a quartet of standout showdowns from the post-Christmas contests, starting with that battle between the two Uniteds at Old Trafford.
Manchester United vs Newcastle United – 26th December
Tonybet odds
- Manchester United: 2.06
- Draw: 3.75
- Newcastle: 3.15
The only Boxing Day clash of the 2025/26 season sees Eddie Howe’s Newcastle head south to Manchester to take on Man United at Old Trafford.
The Magpies have been the dominant force in this fixture in recent years and seem to have embarked on a lengthy revenge mission since losing the Carabao Cup final to Manchester United in 2023.
Since that 2-0 reverse at Wembley, Newcastle have won five of the teams’ six encounters, and they thumped the Red Devils 4-1 in emphatic style when the sides last crossed paths at St. James’ Park in April.
Howe’s Newcastle will kick off their Boxing Day test as slight underdogs (3.15 with Tonybet), though the Magpies look decently equipped to make life awkward for their hosts. They’ve won only once on the road this season, but they will see this as a chance to improve that record.
In Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton, Newcastle have an aggressive, hard-running midfield trio that could overpower their one-paced counterparts.
Further forward, Newcastle’s threat is obvious, with Harvey Barnes (who scored twice against Manchester United in April) and Anthony Gordon wielding the kind of acceleration that can expose the home defence.
Ruben Amorim’s United are an improving attacking force, though they will have to plan for this game without the services of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo. This pair, who have been dovetailing beautifully down the right flank, are both at AFCON, and their absence should be hard to absorb.
A rejigging of systems by Amorim could be required to fill the gaps, with Bruno Fernandes possibly moving further forward and wantaway starlet Kobbie Mainoo drafted into midfield.
United will also be sweating on the availability of experienced defensive duo Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt. Amorim’s side looked alarmingly vulnerable in their 4-4 draw with Bournemouth when last at Old Trafford, with youngsters Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven ineffective, and the inclusion of wiser heads could make a difference.
In terms of overall outcomes, the game looks difficult to call. However, the goal markets offer plenty of appeal. Manchester United have been both scoring and leaking plenty of goals this term, and their Premier League fixtures have been averaging 3.50 goals per 90 minutes.
Two of the last three meetings between the Uniteds have produced five goals, and another Christmas cracker could be in the offing here. Combining over 2.5 goals with both teams to score appeals as a result, at a price of 1.77 in Tonybet’s football markets.
Prediction: Over 2.5 goals & both teams to score (1.77)
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City – 27th December
Tonybet odds
- Nottingham Forest: 4.80
- Draw: 4.10
- Manchester City: 1.62
On Saturday 27th December, the Premier League serves up a lunchtime fixture between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City at the City Ground.
Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens are priming themselves for another title tilt this term and they’ve certainly been posting the results you’d expect from any potential Premier League champion.
With Erling Haaland leading a one-horse race for the Golden Boot, Phil Foden finally finding form again, and wingers Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki increasingly influential, City have talent to burn in forward areas. However, Doku misses out here through injury.
This isn’t the City winning machine of yesteryear though, and up until recently, their away form was patchy at best. Things have settled in that regard of late, though City were turned over when they last travelled to take on Forest at the City Ground in March.
Forest posted a possession figure of just 31% on that occasion, and they will expect to see less of the ball again when City return to the East Midlands.
Sean Dyche’s side are built for counter-attacking purposes, however, with wingers such as Callum Hudson-Odoi, Omari Hutchinson and Dan Ndoye all capable of exploding forward from deep on turnovers.
Hudson-Odoi sparkled in Forest’s last home fixture against Tottenham, netting two of his team’s goals in an emphatic 3-0 win, and his raiding runs down City’s right, where Matheus Nunes has been standing in at fullback, should cause them problems.
Elliott Anderson, who has been strongly linked with a £100m move to City, will be keen to impress for a Forest outfit who have been lumbered with a big price in the markets (4.80 with Tonybet).
Away from the match result stakes, BTTS (both teams to score) looks like a worthwhile betting opportunity at 1.70. City kept a first away clean sheet in four attempts when last on the road at Crystal Palace (3-0), though they really shouldn’t have after the Eagles fluffed 1.90 in xG and 16 attempts at goal.
Like Palace, Forest have the counter-punching power to make themselves a nuisance here, so expect them to trade blows with City.
Prediction: Both teams to score (1.70)
Arsenal vs Brighton – 27th December
Tonybet odds
- Arsenal: 1.45
- Draw: 4.50
- Brighton: 6.20
Next, it’s off to the Emirates Stadium in the capital, where Arsenal entertain Brighton in what could be a tricky assignment for an injury-stricken Gunners defence.
Arsenal’s rearguard seemed unbreachable earlier in the campaign, though some stuttering form and a slew of injuries at the back have cracked their veneer. While they still hold the division’s best defensive record, they have conceded goals in three of their last four home games in all competitions.
Cristhian Mosquera and former Brighton defender Ben White have been added to Arsenal’s list of injured absentees, leaving them light-handed at the back. However, key Brazilian centre-half Gabriel Magalhães is closing in on a return and could feature here.
Arsenal have already bested Albion once this season when they beat them 2-0 in a low-key Carabao Cup fourth-round fixture in October, though Brighton might not leave North London completely empty-handed this time around.
Despite a largely poor set of results, Brighton have scored goals against Man City, Tottenham, Chelsea, Newcastle, Man United and Aston Villa this term, proving their ability to carry a threat against higher-profile opponents.
They did draw a blank when visiting Anfield to play Liverpool (0-2) in their last away fixture, though they actually outperformed the Reds for xG (1.9 to 1.8), and really should have made more of a string of gilt-edged opportunities.
Brighton can manufacture more openings against a patched-up Arsenal defence, just as they did last season, when they held the Gunners home and away in a pair of competitive 1-1 draws.
Arsenal usually find a way to win, however, especially on their own patch, and Mikel Arteta’s title hopefuls have dropped just two out of the 24 Premier League points on offer at the Emirates Stadium since the summer.
With that considered, linking a home win with BTTS feels like an excellent route to profit at a bumper price of 3.00 with Tonybet.
Prediction: Arsenal to win & both teams to score (3.00)
Chelsea vs Aston Villa – 27th December
Tonybet odds
- Chelsea: 1.84
- Draw: 3.70
- Aston Villa: 3.90
The Premier League closes for business on 27th December with a dinner-time kick-off between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, where the Blues might struggle to live up to their billing as favourites.
Chelsea are firmly in the hunt for a top-four finish, though their performances since Halloween have been wracked by inconsistency, with the Blues dropping points against Arsenal, Leeds and Bournemouth since the end of November.
In addition, not all seems entirely affable between head coach Enzo Maresca and the club’s upper management, leading some to speculate that a parting of the ways might be on the horizon. A poor result against red-hot Villa would only fuel those rumours further.
Villa boss Unai Emery has masterminded just four wins in 13 career encounters with Chelsea during his managerial career, though the shrewd Spanish tactician will be eyeing up a win at Stamford Bridge here.
It’s a venue that the Midlanders tend to enjoy visiting. They’ve lost on just one of their last five trips to the Bridge, and they are playing with enough of a swagger to do some more damage in the capital on 27th December.
The Villans, who clipped Arsenal’s wings at the start of the month, might even have staying power in the Premier League title race this season, and they will be targeting a fourth away win on the spin when they take on Chelsea.
Villa’s squad is relatively free of major injury, while proven performers such as Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins are approaching peak form.
Aston Villa have been listed as 3.90 underdogs with Tonybet to win against the Blues, which is a seriously big price for a team in such fine fettle. The visitors also provide bags of value at 1.82 in the double chance market, which is the avenue that we recommend taking.
Prediction: Aston Villa double chance (1.82)
Keep up to date with Tonybet
If you’re on the lookout for maximum value and extensive Premier League betting markets, Tonybet has all of the angles covered for your punting needs. We have dozens of bet types in the catalogue, along with a wide selection of specials and bet builder options for every single Premier League fixture on the festive slate and beyond.
