Boxing Day football fixtures and postponements

FOOTBALL rarely stops even when we do with an impressive programme of Premier League and EFL fixtures.

18 out of 20 clubs are set to be in action on Boxing Day, with Man Utd visiting Newcastle on December 27.

Premier League fixtures

Boxing Day

• Liverpool P-P Leeds (12.30pm – BT Sport)
• Wolves P-P Watford (12.30pm)
• Burnley vs Everton
• Man City vs Leicester
• Norwich vs Arsenal
• Tottenham vs Crystal Palace
• West Ham vs Southampton
• Aston Villa vs Chelsea (5.30pm – Sky Sports)
• Brighton vs Brentford (8pm – Sky Sports)

Monday, December 27

• Newcastle vs Man Utd (8pm – Sky Sports)

*All matches 3pm kick-off unless stated

Championship fixtures

Boxing Day

• Barnsley P-P Stoke (Sky Sports)
• Cardiff P-P Coventry (Sky Sports Red Button)
• Fulham vs Birmingham
• Huddersfield vs Blackpool (Sky Sports Red Button)
• Hull vs Blackburn (Sky Sports Red Button)
• Luton vs Bristol City (Sky Sports Red Button)
• Middlesbrough vs Nottingham Forest
• Millwall vs Swansea
• Peterborough vs Reading (Sky Sports Red Button)
• Preston P-P Sheffield United

Monday, December 27

• Derby vs West Brom (Sky Sports)
• QPR vs Bournemouth (5.30pm – Sky Sports)

League One fixtures

Boxing Day

• Accrington vs Rotherham
• AFC Wimbledon vs Charlton
• Bolton P-P Morecambe
• Cheltenham vs Plymouth
• Crewe vs Wigan
• Fleetwood vs Shrewsbury
• Gillingham vs Ipswich
• Lincoln vs MK Dons
• Portsmouth P-P Oxford
• Sheffield Wednesday P-P Burton
• Wycombe P-P Cambridge

Monday, December 27

• Doncaster vs Sunderland (12.30pm – Sky Sports)

League Two fixtures

Boxing Day

• Carlisle vs Rochdale (1pm)
• Bradford P-P Harrogate
• Bristol Rovers P-P Sutton
• Colchester vs Leyton Orient
• Exeter P-P Swindon
• Mansfield vs Hartlepool
• Newport P-P Forest Green
• Northampton P-P Walsall
• Oldham vs Scunthorpe
• Port Vale vs Salford
• Stevenage P-P Crawley
• Tranmere vs Barrow

Six Championship games on 26 December and 15 more across the EFL have been called off because of Covid-19 cases.

Cardiff v Coventry, Millwall v Swansea, Fulham v Birmingham, Stoke v Barnsley, Peterborough v Reading and Preston v Sheffield United are postponed.

Seven games in League One and eight in League Two have also been called off.

The English Football League has confirmed that league, Carabao Cup and Papa John’s Trophy games can continue “where safe to do so”.

Only four of the scheduled 10 Championship matches on Boxing Day remain on.

Several EFL fixtures on 29 and 30 December have also been postponed.

League Two leaders Forest Green head the list of six games called off in the fourth tier on 26 December with their trip to Newport off. Their home game against Exeter on 29 December is also postponed.

Bristol Rovers v Sutton United, Northampton Town v Walsall, Bradford City v Harrogate, Stevenage v Crawley Town, Exeter City v Swindon Town, Leyton Orient v Colchester and Port Vale v Salford are all postponed on Boxing Day.

Bradford’s match against Walsall on 29 December is one of two in the division off on that day.

The League One match between Bolton and Morecambe became the first Boxing Day fixture in the division to be called off on Tuesday – with the Trotters since suspending training until 27 December as 14 players, and manager Ian Evatt, have tested positive for coronavirus – while Portsmouth against Oxford United is also off.

Sheffield Wednesday against Burton Albion, Wycombe versus Cambridge United, Gillingham against Ipswich, AFC Wimbledon against Charlton Athletic and Crewe versus Wigan are all postponed.

Cambridge’s home game against Doncaster on 30 December is also off.

Following the introduction at clubs of daily lateral flow tests for all first-team players and staff, more fixtures are likely to be postponed as national figures rise following the effect of the Omicron variant.

All sporting events in Wales to be held behind closed doors from Boxing Day

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