Hello world!
Welcome! It’s going to be another packed afternoon as the festive fixturefest continues, so let’s get stuck straight into the fixtures, shall we?
Premier League
Crystal Palace v Southampton
Palace have only won one league game at home this season, and that was in October. Southampton, who don’t have any away wins to their name at all, would dearly love to keep that run going. Here’s Palace’s Oliver Glasner on this time of year:
It’s unusual but I never complain. As soon as I signed here I knew what would come. I told my family it will be Christmas [working]. Very often it’s, when you work in Germany, off for one week, 10 days but I also didn’t go home then, we always go somewhere in the south for warm weather and this time it’s different. But this is a good experience and I choose this life so nobody to blame. Here, many years ago, the Premier League decided to play over Christmas because the fans love it and everything we do we do for our fans.
Hmmm, I’d say that last point is debatable. Best not get me started on that one.
Everton v Nottingham Forest
Everton are eighth in the last-four-games form table, with no defeats and only one goal conceded, but Forest are top of it, the only side with a last-four-games 100% record. Here’s Sean Dyche on Everton’s upturn:
I have massive respect for players. When they’re delivering as they are doing, the willingness, the desire to work as a team, is a powerful thing. I think we’re showing that. But it’s one game at a time. I’ve always believed in that mentality, but it’s nice when you’ve got an underbelly of desire from a group of players who want to make a difference. I think we’re slowly but surely building. Now it’s about taking the next games on and trying to turn draws into wins but, if you can’t, then still not getting beaten and staying true to that mentality.
“Underbelly of desire” is a lovely phrase. I think I’m going to keep that one. It might even make a good adults-only Harry Potter sequel.
Fulham v Bournemouth
Fulham are joint top of the both-teams-score-in-our-games table – in fully 77.8% of their league matches this season both sides have got on the scoresheet (Leicester, Brentford and Brighton have matched them), but at home it’s 88.9% (with only Brentford keeping up in this one). The only time any side failed to score at Craven Cottage this season neither did, and that was their last home game, against Southampton a week ago. Here’s Marco Silva (who was pleasingly effusive about Alex Iwobi: “He’s been great. Last season he was top and this season he’s doing much better”) on the Bournemouth challenge:
What a battle it’s going to be. Iraola’s doing a great job, it’s always a tight game against them, competitive games, it’s going to be another one. They’re a really physical side, their front line is top level, they have pace, capacity for both full-backs, they are intense off the ball, aggressive and it’ll be a great challenge for us and we want to make it the same for them too.
Leicester v Man City (2.30pm)
I’ll keep you updated with significant developments in this one, but it’s also got it’s own liveblog with Scott Murray at the helm:
Tottenham Hotspur v Wolverhampton
Never mind the Vitor Pereira bounce, Wolves have been better than Spurs for ages: across their last eight games, for example, a period that includes a run so bad it got the last manager the sack, they have won 12 points to Tottenham’s seven; even over the last 12 they’re 14-13 up. Is this the first game this season they’ve gone into as favourites? Here’s Ange Postecoglou keeping his chin up:
I get where people kind of look at my situation and think ‘Jeez, he needs to do something or else he is in trouble,’ but I don’t think that way. It’s not how I am wired. I’m not concerned about that aspect of this role. What excites me about this role and what I love about doing what I do is the possibilities you can create something special and that’s what I am going to try and do. Our league position is not great but it’s super tight and we’re not that far off. There’s still everything to play for, for us this year to make it a season where we can have success.”
West Ham v Liverpool (5.15pm)
Rob Smyth will be here in due course to take you through this one, so let’s not steal his thunder, eh?
Championship
Blackburn v Hull
Bristol City v Portsmouth
Coventry v Millwall
Derby v Leeds (5.45pm)
Middlesbrough v Burnley (8pm)
Norwich v QPR (12.30pm)
Oxford Utd v Plymouth
Preston North End v Sheff Wed (12.30pm)
Sheff Utd v West Brom (12.30pm)
Stoke v Sunderland
Swansea v Luton
Watford v Cardiff
League One
Birmingham v Blackpool
Bolton v Lincoln City
Charlton v Wycombe (12.30pm)
Exeter v Crawley Town
Huddersfield v Burton Albion
Leyton Orient v Cambridge Utd
Peterborough v Barnsley
Reading v Mansfield
Rotherham v Stockport County (12.30pm)
Shrewsbury v Northampton
Stevenage v Bristol Rovers
Wrexham v Wigan
League Two
Bradford v Chesterfield
Bromley v Swindon (12.30pm)
Carlisle v Accrington Stanley (12.30pm)
Cheltenham v Notts County
Colchester v Doncaster
Fleetwood Town v Harrogate Town
Grimsby v Port Vale
Milton Keynes Dons v Crewe
Salford City v Morecambe
Tranmere v Barrow
Walsall v Newport County
Scottish Premiership
Celtic v St Johnstone
Dundee Utd v Aberdeen (5.15pm)
Hibernian v Kilmarnock
Motherwell v Rangers
Ross County v Hearts
St Mirren v Dundee.