The traditional festive football feast has a significantly different look this year, with a heavily reduced schedule leaving Manchester United’s clash with Newcastle United as the sole representative of Boxing Day top-flight action.
Kick-off at Old Trafford is 8pm, with both teams desperate to end the calendar year on a high note following inconsistent runs of form.
For Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim, the match represents a tactical puzzle as he is forced to field a depleted starting eleven due to a cluster of key injuries and international absences.
The Red Devils are officially without captain Bruno Fernandes, who is sidelined with a hamstring problem, and rising star Kobbie Mainoo, who is recovering from a calf injury.
Adding to the selection headache, the trio of Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, and Amad Diallo have already departed for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Amorim has been vocal in the lead-up to this match about the “impossible” task of replacing a player of Fernandes’s influence, but he has called on his squad to show a different type of collective character.
Youngster Ayden Heaven is expected to retain his place in a three-man defense alongside Luke Shaw and Leny Yoro, while Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko lead the line.
Newcastle go into this game with their own set of challenges. Eddie Howe’s side has struggled on the road this season, managing just one win in their last eleven away trips.
However, the Magpies have a formidable recent record against United, winning five of their last six meetings across all competitions.
With the Man Utd midfield looking particularly vulnerable without Fernandes and Mainoo, Howe may look to exploit the middle of the park through Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali.
A win for the visitors would see them move level on points with their hosts, potentially igniting a push for the European places in the second half of the campaign.