The festive period has always been a busy one for English football, and this year is no different. The upcoming week will see the Premier League play on Boxing Day, then again over the weekend, and then once again on New Year’s Day – three rounds of fixtures condensed into one action-packed week. This is, of course, a long-standing tradition – Christmas and the New Year just do not feel the same without football. Of course, jam-packed weeks like this one bring the opportunity to ‘earn’ some extra Christmas cheer, if you will. This guide about bet365 mobile betting makes it easy for fans and punters to quickly grasp the basics and start playing on their preferred markets.
Football fans, especially in the United Kingdom, are so used to getting their weekly dose of football that any sort of break brings about clouds of despair. International breaks are akin to funerals in the football community on social media; it’s almost as if there are no matches happening anywhere. On the opposite end, Christmas and New Year is like a binge – football wherever you look, whenever you look, crammed into every possible time slot and schedule with no regard for teams’ and players’ well-being. Come to think of it, that is the perfect analogy for the festive period – overindulgence and excess. Carry on then. This upcoming festive schedule sees Liverpool return from the positively balmy climes of Qatar, fresh from being crowned the Champions of the World, to play Leicester City, for whom Jamie Vardy is playing as if he has found a time machine and gone back four years. It is genuinely astonishing to see Vardy’s form since the scandal about his wife and Colleen Rooney broke – although how his goalscoring exploits can save her wife’s reputation is a discussion for another day. Manchester United will continue their bid to be the Premier League’s Robin Hood by donating points to Newcastle and Burnley, before snatching them from Arsenal and Wolves. Yes, Wolves are apparently a ‘big’ team now. What have times come to.
The defending champions will face Nuno’s side on Boxing Day, with memories of the absolute ragging they were given by Adama Traore earlier this season fresh in their memory. Seriously, he could easily be a substitute for Rudolph and all those other reindeer, and would probably get all the Christmas gifts delivered in half the time. Another fascinating encounter will be at Goodison Park, where Carlo Ancelotti’s famously upturned eyebrow will meet the guttural growl possessed by Sean Dyche. That probably also explains as much as is needed about the two teams’ contrasting styles of play. Arsenal will look to get the Arteta era off to a start against Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth; Howe was not in the running to be the Arsenal manager despite his lofty achievements with Bournemouth of having them finish in mid-table every season, and thus will be looking to give the Arsenal faithful a taste of what they are (probably not) missing.
