Boxing Day 2023 brings five Premier League gifts to wet the whistle, with a Christmas cracker of Aston Villa’s trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United the pick of the day’s events.
Both teams to score can be backed at Old Trafford as part of our four-fold, with the early kick-off between Newcastle and Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest starting proceedings at 12:30.
Tuesday’s fixtures also feature a thrilling battle at the bottom when Sheffield United host fellow promoted and struggling side Luton, whilst an in-form Bournemouth will look to keep their strong recent form going with a victory against Marco Silva’s Fulham.
Recommended four-fold: Newcastle v Nottingham Forest under 2.5 goals, Bournemouth to beat Fulham, Sheffield United to beat Luton Town, Liverpool to win at Burnley by three, Manchester United v Aston Villa BTTS
- Newcastle v Nottingham Forest under 2.5 goals
- Bournemouth to beat Fulham
- Sheffield United to beat Luton Town
- Manchester United v Aston Villa BTTS
Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest
Injury woes have been the underlying theme of Newcastle’s season, with a squad being stretched to their limits a viable reason for their poor run of form which has seen the Magpies eliminated from both the Champions League and the League Cup in recent weeks.
Eddie Howe still has nine players in the medical room and is also without Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali for the season, yet their home form has still been more than admirable this campaign, with the two defeats suffered in their last 10 at St James’ Park both occurring in Europe.
This will be the first away day for new Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo after replacing Steve Cooper last week, with the side picking up just one win on the road this season; a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge over Chelsea in September.
Forest will still be missing last season’s top scorer Taiwo Awoniyi to a groin injury, and the Nigerian remains their leading marksman this campaign despite not playing since mid-November.
Newcastle’s injury crisis and Forest’s struggles in front of goal should lead to a tight, low-scoring affair, with the lunchtime game unlikely to break any Christmas goal-records.
Bournemouth vs Fulham
The Cherries have had a resurgence under Andoni Iraola in recent weeks and have picked up four points from their last two games at the Vitality Stadium with an impressive 2-0 victory over Newcastle followed up by an arguably more noteworthy 2-2 draw with surprise title challengers Aston Villa.
Club top scorer Dominic Solanke has been in scintillating form during this run, with four goals in his last five league games, including both against the Magpies in the middle of last month.
Fulham’s last away game saw the Cottagers progress to the semi-finals of the League Cup for the first time in their 144-year history with a penalty shootout victory over Sean Dyche’s in-form Everton at Goodison Park.
However, trips on the road in the league have not provided the same levels of joy, with their abject away form summed up by just one victory away from Craven Cottage (coincidentally, also at Everton on the opening day of the season).
Bournemouth’s last home match had to be abandoned due to the unfortunate incident involving Luton captain Tom Lockyer, so the Cherries will want to bring some festive cheer to the ground and, with Fulham’s away record so poor, three points should be more than achievable.
Sheffield United vs Luton Town
Steady improvement in performances can be clearly seen in Sheffield United under the management of Chris Wilder, who returned for his second spell in charge after replacing Paul Heckingbottom at the beginning of the month.
Sheffield United held Aston Villa to a draw at Villa Park in their last outing, and were only denied the three points by a 97th-minute equaliser from Nicolo Zaniolo. Wilder’s first home game in charge also saw their second league win of the season as they defeated Brentford.
Luton Town have seen impressive performances at Kenilworth Road rarely show the profits they deserved, whilst the Hatters have picked up just four points away from home since promotion to the Premier League.
This is a real relegation six-pointer between two promoted sides and with the feel-good factor beginning to increase around the red half of the Steel City, expect United to continue their recent resurgence with a win
Manchester United vs Aston Villa
United’s home misery has only heightened in recent weeks, with a 3-0 humiliation to Bournemouth followed by a lacklustre performance against Bayern Munich which resulted in a 1-0 defeat and an early exit from the Champions League.
Erik Ten Hag’s men have won just five times at Old Trafford in the league this season, leaving them ninth in the home form table and further increasing the pressure on the Dutchman.
Villa meanwhile have been a joy to behold, turning into surprise title challengers and they could even have been top at Christmas had they not been held to a 1-1 draw by Sheffield United on Friday night.
Unai Emery’s side have seen victories at Brentford and Tottenham within the last 30 days, but have struggled to win convincingly on the road and have also conceded in each of their last seven away trips in all competitions.
Form would suggest the Villains should get the three points, but United have won each of their last three meetings against Villa in all competitions and so a close encounter is to be expected, with both sides capable of grabbing a goal.
