Boxing Day Football Celebration 2016 | boxing day, football, match, tickets

English football is unique among Europe’s top leagues with its full fixture list on Boxing Day. It’s a proud tradition and jealously-guarded. When talk turns to a winter break being introduced in the Premier League, it’s always mid-January which is mooted; December 26th, New Year’s Day and the FA Cup Third Round are sacrosanct.
Despite the lack of public transport, the Premier League matches will see ‘Sold Out’ signs hung around many grounds. WoWtickets is able to obtain seats for all the games so you don’t have to miss out – check out Boxing day events here.
Boxing Day 2016 gets off to a sizzling start with a London derby at Vicarage Road. Watford, currently just three places outside of the European places take on relegation-threatened Crystal Palace. The Eagles enjoy making this short trip having lost two of the last ten league meetings between the two sides at Watford. It’s a game which usually sees a lot of goals with 33 goals in those games.
You’re spoilt for choice for matches in London this year. The 3pm kick-offs see Arsenal take on West Bromwich Albion at the Emirates. It’s a game the Gunners expect to win – they’ve won 8 of the last ten of the Baggies trips to north London – usually quite comfortably. Every now and again Albion throw up a surprise result or two; could this be the year when they dent Arsenal’s title hopes?
Chelsea will hope so. Arsenal losing and a home win over Bournemouth could see them leading the way at the top of the Premier League. Not that the Blues will be taking anything for granted. When the Cherries visited Stamford Bridge last December, a late Glen Murray header gave them the points and set them up nicely to beat Manchester United the following week. Can history repeat itself…?
Defending champions Leicester City have a tricky match against Everton. They’ll remember last year’s meeting at the King Power with great fondness as they walked out onto the pitch knowing they had won the Premier League. They won’t win it this year but Everton are looking to challenge for the European places which makes this an intriguing match.
The match of the day may come at the wrong end of the table. Swansea City meet West Ham at the Liberty Stadium. Both sides are in danger of being sucked into the relegation battle. Bob Bradley will looking to outwit the talents of Dmitri Payet in the Hammers line-up although if the transfer gossip is to be believed, it might be one the last times he wears the claret and blue.
Further north, it’s a busy day in Lancashire with Burnley entertaining Middlesbrough in a match both of the promoted sides need to win if they are to succeed in their fight to stay in the Premier League this season. After gaining points at Arsenal and Manchester City, ‘Boro will fancy their chances but they need to heed Burnley’s wins over Liverpool and Everton.
At Old Trafford, Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United hope to bring festive cheer to their supporters with a feast of goals against Sunderland. It ought to be; Sunderland have only won once at United since 1968 with United scoring at least twice on ten occasions against the Black Cats. Still, it won’t be unusual for the Stretford End on the wrong end of a bad result…
Finishing off the day, Hull City entertain Manchester City in the late kick-off. It’s sure to be an eye-opener for Pep Guardiola playing at this time of year, especially when the North Sea breeze bites on the bank of the Humber. There are always goals when these two sides meet; there hasn’t been a goalless draw in this fixture since 1928. Can Hull derail City’s title challenge or will it be a belated present for Guardiola?