The traditional scene of children going to the stadiums on Boxing Day with the newly released shirts brought by Santa Claus will be replaced by television broadcasts aimed at the thousands of fans who will not be able to attend the stadiums for the first time on December 26.
All those children who would have shown off in camisoles on the way to their favorite temples will have to curl up on the sofa or on the English carpets, because a good part of the English stadiums will remain closed, while others will only be able to receive 2,000 people.
Level 4
Soccer fields without public due to the pandemic
All the courses in London and the south of England will not host public, as these regions are with level 4, the highest contagion rate, while Leicester, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Sheffield United, Wolverhampton and Leeds United either, being at level 3.
Only Liverpool will see fans in their stands at The Kop as they are still at level 2, with no plans at the moment to move up the grade.
Match between Chelsea and West Ham United without an audience
In football, six games will be played on Saturday, including the main course, Arsenal-Chelsea, and four on Sunday.
The duel between Mikel Arteta and Frank Lampard is the most attractive due to the gloomy situation in which Arsenal find themselves, just five points above the relegation zone, without winning since November 1 and with the recent elimination in the League Cup still in the head.
The ‘Gunners’ face a London derby that may be another nail in Arteta’s already wounded service record or the resurrection point he has been looking for for several weeks.
Two wins in a row
The worst start of the championship in decades for the ‘Gunners’ contrasts with a Chelsea
If he can win back Pierre-Emeric Aubameyang, who was injured in the calf in the last two games, it will be a necessary boost for one of the worst teams heading into the competition. The Gunners’ worst start to the championship in decades contrasts with a Chelsea that redeemed itself from two straight losses by faintly beating West Ham United at home.
The ‘Blues’ have lost their way in the fight for the lead and are six of a Liverpool that will be visited on Sunday by Sam Allardyce’s West Bromwich Albion. ‘Big Sam’ has started his adventure to save the ‘Baggies’ in style, losing the first game 3-0 and the ‘Reds’ will want to extend the good scoring moment after scoring seven at Crystal Palace.
In their pursuit, Manchester City, eighth to eight points from the lead, will play at the Etihad Stadium against Newcastle United, another team that comes without rest after playing the League Cup during the week and being eliminated by a Second division as the Brentford.
Bale is doubt
Pep Guardiola’s men removed the bad taste in their mouths of barely seeing the door with the defeat of Arsenal and with the recovery of Gabriel Jesús and Sergio Agüero they will be able to sharpen knives against the ‘Urracas’.
Tottenham Hotspur will have it much more complicated, which will be measured at the Molineux Stadium against Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team that has been more news this week due to the statements of its coach, Nuno Espirito Santo, harshly criticizing a Premier referee, who for their loss to Burnley.
The question for José Mourinho is whether he can count on Gareth Bale, who scored a goal in the League Cup, but who had to retire at halftime due to a physical problem.
To finish off the greats, two of those covered to the title such as Leicester City and Manchester United will kick off the ‘Boxing Day’ on Saturday with a meeting that can leave the ‘Foxes’ one point from the lead and the United to two.
Interesting duels between the modest of the table
Among the more modest of the table there are also interesting duels, such as Sheffield United playing at home against Everton that can welcome the return of James Rodríguez or the always entertaining Leeds United of Marcelo Bielsa that hosts Burnley at home.
Weekend matches in the Premier League:
– Sábado 26 de diciembre: Leicester City-Manchester United (12:30 GMT), Aston Villa-Crystal Palace (15:00 GMT), Fulham-Southampton (15:00), Arsenal-Chelsea (17:30 GMT), Manchester City-Newcastle United (20:00GMT) y Sheffield United-Everton (20:00 GMT).
– Domingo 27 de diciembre: Leeds United-Burnley (12:00 GMT), West Ham United-Brighton & Hove Albion (14:15 GMT), Liverpool-West Bromwich Albion (16:30 GMT) y Wolverhampton Wanderers-Tottenham Hotspur (19:15 GMT).
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