Football doesn't stop, even during the Holiday season. Some leagues stop right before Christmas, including LaLiga, Bundesliga or Ligue 1 in Spain, Germany and France. But in other countries footballers don't get to rest, sometimes even playing more than usual these cold days.
There are only five days left of 2024. UEFA competitions won't return until a busy January that will also see many domestic competitions, like Cups or Supercups. But if you're missing sitting on the coach watching football, there are still some options these days. And not just in England...
Premier League
English football has a long tradition of playing during the Holidays. Yesterday, December 26, eight games took place during Boxing Day. Today, Friday December 27, four teams will complete the remaining of matchday 18:
Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Brentford:19:30 GMT
Arsenal vs. Ipswich Town: 20:15 GMT
Saturday December 28 will be a resting day, and then the 19th matchday will take place from December 29 to January 1. Some of the most interesting games include:
Leicester City vs. Manchester City: Sunday at 14:30 GMT
Everton vs. Nottingham Forest: Sunday at 15:00 GMT
West Ham vs. Liverpool: Sunday at 17:15 GMT
Aston Villa vs. Brighton: Monday at 19:45 GMT
Manchester United vs. Newcastle: Monday at 20:00 GMT
Brentford vs. Arsenal: Wednesday (Jan 1st) at 17:30 GMT
Serie A
Italy's top flight decided a few years ago that they'd move the winter break to the middle of January. There will be no games between January 6-21, but the matchday 18 will take place just before New Years, from Saturday December 28 to Monday 30.
Some of the most high profile fixtures include:
Cagliari vs. Inter: Saturday at 18:00 CET
Lazio vs. Atalanta: Saturday at 20:45 CET
Juventus vs. Fiorentina: Sunday at 18:00 CET
Milan vs. Roma: Sunday at 20:45 CET
Primeira Liga
Portugal's first division also holds games from today, Friday December 27, to Monday December 30. Among them, a crutial match for the leadership: Benfica (current leaders with 38 points) against Sportin Lisboa, Ruben Amorim's former club, which has lost a bit its way since loosing the manager and has 37 points.
Sporting Lisboa vs. Benfica: Sunday December 29 at 21:30 CET
Will you be watching some football before welcoming 2025?