Another weekend of Premier League football, another weekend of surprise results, and looking at the list of Boxing Day fixtures, it really wouldn’t be a surprise if there were yet more surprises, if you see what I mean. As well as the potential break up of the “big four” this season, we have also seen the 500 goals mark reached in the Premier League in a far shorter period of time than ever before following Nadir Belhadj’s goal against Liverpool last Saturday, and on top of that, the side with the fewest number of defeats so far have sacked their manager. The relegation battle is even more competitive than last season, with more than half of the division realistically involved, and with the transfer window and the disruption of the African Cup of Nations still to come, the talking points will no doubt continue and intensify right through to the end of the season.

The Boxing Day fixtures start at St.Andrew’s with an intriguing looking match:

1) Birmingham v Chelsea: Had this been the opening match of the season, I would have had no hesitation in putting it down as a straightforward 1-0 or 2-0 away win, but in the light of recent form, a quite different set of possibilities have opened up. Birmingham’s unbeaten run now stretches to nine matches, while a lacklustre display from Chelsea on Sunday at West Ham not only prevented them from creating a six point gap at the top, but also brought down last week’s suggested accumulator at the final hurdle after convincing wins for the other four selections on Saturday. I therefore sincerely hope Chelsea lose this match, but as they haven’t managed that feat in this fixture since 1980, and Birmingham haven’t even scored on Chelsea’s last four visits, I’m not sure that will happen. Those last four renewals have ended 0-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-1, so follow that sequence and I think you can work out where my money is going.

2) Fulham v Tottenham: If I didn’t already have a match to go to, Craven Cottage is definitely where I would want to be on Saturday. Thirteen goals have been scored in these sides’ last three meetings at Craven Cottage in League and Cup, and with both teams showing impressive attacking flair recently, there is definitely the promise of more goals to come this time around. Fulham’s demolition of Man.United on Saturday was even more impressive when you take into account the competitive nature of their success in Basle in midweek where they had to beat their hosts to pip them to a place in the latter stages of the Europa League. I’m sure Roy Hodgson will not let his players get carried away with the United result either, and the deciding factor for me is that of the two sides, Spurs have looked slightly more inconsistent in recent performances, and may well become the seventh League victims at Craven Cottage this season.

3) West Ham v Portsmouth: Defeat is absolutely unthinkable in this one. Both sides recorded encouraging results last weekend to keep in touch with the sides just above the bottom three, but whoever loses this match faces a tough battle to accumulate enough points to survive from their remaining matches, particularly Pompey who will be losing some of their better players in January to the African Cup of Nations. At least they have an impressive record to buoy them going into this match, having won three and drawn one of their four Premier League visits to Upton Park, and I can see them having a right go at overtaking their hosts with three points here. Despite their point against Chelsea being welcome if unexpected, I’m simply not convinced that the Hammers have the right personnel to overcome their current difficulties, and a point may be the best that they can hope for in what should be an edge-of-the-seat encounter.

4) Burnley v Bolton: It’s always thoroughly annoying when a match is called off despite the pitch being perfectly playable, but I suppose if that match is Wigan v Bolton, as happened on Monday, it’s no great loss. Just give them a point each and then nobody actually has to sit through it. Anyway, Bolton will now head to Turf Moor in confident mood having scored three times in each of their last two matches. They remain the only side in the League not to have kept a clean sheet yet, but I think we could be about to see a little panic starting to take effect at Burnley. Following an admittedly impressive start to the season, the Clarets now find themselves just three points above the drop zone, and a Bolton victory would actually take them above their local rivals. Burnley have won just one of their last ten, and there is every chance that their home form will slip back from its current impressive level, starting on Saturday with a 2-1 or 3-1 win for Wanderers.

5) Man.City v Stoke: Introductions to English football don’t come much more bleak than a visit from Stoke. Roberto Mancini will have to be on his guard against drawing too many matches, as that is what appears to have done for Mark Hughes, so I suppose it is to Mancini’s benefit that his first match in charge is a fixture that hasn’t produced a draw since 1982. A Robinho hat-trick decided it last year, and while it is not something I applaud, the attitude of some of City’s more illustrious players may well improve for the new manager, encouraging Robinho in particular to apply himself a bit more to producing a repeat performance. Home win.

6) Sunderland v Everton: In Sunderland’s last twelve matches, they have beaten Arsenal and Liverpool, but failed to win any of the other ten, which must be quite galling for their manager and fans. Meanwhile, there are distinct signs of an upturn in Everton’s performances even though they still haven’t actually won in the League since 8th November. On Saturday, they visit one of their favourite Premier League grounds, where they have won to nil on their last four visits, and if Michael Turner loses his appeal against last Saturday’s red card, their prospects of making that five in a row can only be enhanced. Any further injuries would simply be too much for Everton’s squad to bear, but if they are able to field the same side that drew with Birmingham on Sunday, I can’t see them losing this encounter.

7) Wigan v Blackburn: On the face of it, this fixture promises very little. Wigan are yet to get into double figures for goals scored at home, while Blackburn have notched just six away in nine games, and have managed just one goal in their last six League matches. However, on the four occasions that this fixture has been played in the Premier League, one or both of the sides has always managed to score at least three goals. This may be the match to bring an end to that run, though, as I think Blackburn’s terrible away record so far will result in a low-scoring home win to drag the visitors right back into the relegation scrap.

8) Liverpool v Wolves: The only question here is does Mick McCarthy play his A-team or his “I’m frightened of going away to the big boys” team? For Wolves’ fans sake, I hope he realises that they have an excellent chance in current circumstances of taking another notable scalp and plays his best available side, as they will never get a better chance of winning at Anfield with their hosts in such utter turmoil. Even looking at their only other Premier League visit to Anfield provides Wolves with encouragement, as it took an injury time winner from Sami Hyypia to defeat them in 2004. So, go on Mick. Be brave and see where it takes you. 

Back to the Championship possibly, but never mind.

9) Arsenal v Aston Villa: Not the fixture Arsene Wenger would choose to face at the moment with key injuries to his squad. Villa used to be real whipping boys on their visits to Arsenal, with some very heavy defeats over the years, but that has all changed in the last three seasons, with two 1-1 draws followed by a scintillating performance in a 2-0 victory last time around. Four consecutive wins in League and Cup take Villa into this match in excellent heart, and, particularly if Cesc Fabregas remains on the sidelines, I see no reason to doubt that they can take at least a point away with them on Sunday.

10) Hull v Man.United: You may remember that this fixture provided Hull’s final chance to save themselves last season and, even though United put out a much-weakened side, they still managed to beat Hull 1-0 and leave the Tigers relying on the ineptitude of others to maintain their Premier League status. Hull will again face an under-strength United team on Sunday, but one which will have been left in no doubt by their manager that a repeat of last weekend’s performance at Fulham will not be tolerated. Hull haven’t managed to score in their last three matches, and even United’s makeshift defence should be able to cope in relative comfort, and get themselves back on track after two defeats from their last three fixtures.

I’m sure I’ll eventually get over Chelsea’s tame performance at West Ham when relied upon to bring home the bacon for last week’s bet, but I suppose the best way to forget about it is to have a successful accumulator the following week. With that in mind, you could try combining Cardiff, Newcastle, Southampton and Rotherham in a £10 four-timer that would return £49.97 at bet365 if all won their matches.

A short break next week for the FA Cup third round, but I’ll be back with a preview of the fixtures taking place on the weekend of the 9th January.

Good Luck!