The most anticipated Boxing Day in Premier League history

Boxing Day is always a special day in English football, and all the more so this year as we welcome the Premier League’s return after a first-ever mid-season break.

With anticipation mounting, here’s what you need to know to get back up to speed before catching all the games live on Showmax Pro, courtesy of SuperSport.

Leaders – Arsenal

After years of falling way behind the title-winning standards that they set 20 years ago, Arsenal’s promising start made all fans cynically temper expectations by saying “let’s see if they’re still on top at the season break.”

Well, the break has come and not only are the Gunners still on top, they have a five-point buffer to work with.

Arsenal have had a few players that reached the latter rounds of the FIFA World Cup, so it will be interesting to see if those players carry on their good form or have a blip without a break.

Either way, they must restart the campaign as they finished to maintain any title hopes. Manchester City are lurking with a pedigree and squad depth that are the envy of the whole league.

The defending champions – Manchester City

City were often at their irrepressible best this season, but they were unexpectedly dropping points before the break, which is a habit that Pep Guardiola will be keen to eradicate.

Erling Haaland must be the most impressive signing of the season so far and was one of the biggest names that rested during the FIFA World Cup. If he benefitted from that off-time, City might not just win the title. They could do it by a margin bigger than you think.

It’s potentially a history-making season for the club as they look to become only the second team after neighbours Manchester United to win three successive Premier League titles in a row.

The gatecrashers – Newcastle

Everyone knew that it would only be a matter of time before Saudi investment would bring good times to Newcastle United. Just nobody could guess that such success could happen so soon.

Geordie fans would have been rubbing their eyes in disbelief all December seeing their team in third with Eddie Howe turning heads with the improvement that he’s brought after only a year in charge.

There are two main questions that need answering when they resume their campaign.

How long can they stay in the UEFA Champions League places before they are considered serious contenders to finish there?

Will the owners see the league position as an opportunity to splurge in the transfer window?

Either way, if they don’t finish in the top four this season, odds are that it’s only a matter of time before they do.

Teams in transition – Manchester United and Chelsea

They’re the two most successful clubs in the Premier League era yet neither are currently sitting in the top four.

A mid-season break was surely welcomed by both Erik ten Hag and Graham Potter as it gave the new managers more opportunities to entrench their tactical visions at the club.

At the Red Devils, there were many signs that ten Hag could be onto something good at Old Trafford and it’s just a bit of consistency that’s lacking.

For Chelsea, it’s all seemed a bit unpredictable in the post-Abramovich era and they’ll be confident of improving results after a period of settling down.

Sixth but not least – Liverpool

Liverpool knew that selling Sadio Mane would be a huge loss, but quite how disruptive his absence has been to them has been surprising.

Attack is an area where Jurgen Klopp has beefed up the squad considerably. If anything, a problem seems to be deciding what their best attacking combinations are these days.

Coupled with that has been a lack of solidity at the back. The Reds just aren’t as solid as we’ve been used to with the form of Virgil van Dijk in particular coming under much scrutiny.

After such a grueling season last time where they played every game possible, Liverpool did look generally fatigued at the start of this campaign. Expect them to up the ante now that some players have had a little recharge period.

Why Showmax Pro?

Showmax Pro is a streaming service available for Showmax subscribers in Africa that bundles the Showmax entertainment offering with music channels, news and live sports streaming from SuperSport.

Subscribers can live stream the latest seasons of the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, UEFA Europa and UEFA Conference leagues, as well as FIFA World Cup qualifiers and more.

The platform also offers a wide range of other live sports events including athletics, professional boxing, and the world’s biggest marathons. Visit showmax.com to learn more or to subscribe to Showmax Pro.

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