Chelsea’s Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers is scheduled for Christmas Eve, the first time the division has played a game on that day since 1995.
The Premier League announced broadcast selections for games around Christmas and New Year on Thursday.
The league has decided to move Wolves’ game against Chelsea to Sunday and televise it at 1pm GMT. This makes it the first Christmas Eve game since Manchester United’s trip to Leeds United in 1995.
Arsenal travel to Liverpool on December 23, while Manchester United take on West Ham United in the early kick-off at the London Stadium.
Manchester United’s home game against Aston Villa has been postponed until 20:00 GMT on Boxing Day, while Nottingham Forest travel to Newcastle United for the early game.
Three days later, on December 27th, Chelsea will be in action when they host Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
On New Year’s Eve, Arsenal travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham in a London derby. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur hosts Bournemouth. Liverpool play Newcastle United on New Year’s Day at 20:00 GMT.
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“Shocking scheduling”
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) described the Christmas Eve planning decision as “completely unacceptable”.
“It is completely unacceptable that Wolves v Chelsea is scheduled for Christmas Eve,” CST said in a statement.
“Not only could this lead to staffing issues at Molineux, but holiday transport timetables will cause further inconvenience to fans.”
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) described the Premier League’s scheduling as “shocking”, adding that it had supported the confidence of fans of both clubs during the contrasting games on Christmas Eve.
It said: “The Premier League has given an early gift that nobody really wanted in the form of a Christmas Eve game. The FSA and our supporters groups have repeatedly told the league that this is a bad idea and they have completely ignored the game visitors.”
The Wolves fan club had previously said the scheduling showed a “complete lack of consideration and respect for the fans”.
Premier League Christmas and New Year fixtures (kick-off 3pm unless otherwise stated)
Saturday December 23rd
- West Ham v Manchester United (TNT Sports, 12.30pm GMT)
- Fulham vs Burnley
- Luton Town vs Newcastle United
- Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth
- Tottenham vs Everton
- Liverpool v Arsenal (Sky Sports, 5:30pm GMT)
Sunday December 24th
- Wolves v Chelsea (Sky Sports, 1pm GMT)
Tuesday, December 26th
- Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest (Prime Video, 12:30pm GMT)
- Bournemouth vs Fulham (Prime Video)
- Sheffield United vs Luton Town (Prime Video)
- Burnley v Liverpool (Prime Video, 5:30pm GMT)
- Manchester United v Aston Villa (Prime Video, 8:00pm GMT)
Wednesday December 27th
Thursday, December 28th
- Brighton v Tottenham (Prime Video, 7:30pm GMT)
- Arsenal v West Ham (Prime Video, 8:15pm GMT)
Saturday December 30th
- Luton Town v Chelsea (TNT Sports, 12.30pm GMT)
- Aston Villa vs Burnley
- Crystal Palace vs Brentford
- Manchester City vs Sheffield United
- Wolves vs Everton
- Nottingham Forest v Manchester United (Sky Sports, 5.30pm GMT)
Sunday December 31st
- Fulham v Arsenal (Sky Sports, 2pm GMT)
- Tottenham v Bournemouth (2:00 p.m. GMT)
Monday, January 1, 2024
- Liverpool v Newcastle (Sky Sports, 8:00pm GMT)
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(Photo: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)