Premier League TV fixtures: Man Utd and Chelsea get Christmas Eve wish

MANCHESTER UNITED and Chelsea have successfully prevented Sky Sports and BT Sport from moving their festive fixtures to Christmas Eve.

Premier League TV fixtures Manchester UnitedGETTY

Manchester United will play Leicester on December 23

Manchester United and Chelsea were two of the most vocal clubs pushing for the games not to be shown on the festive date.

Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year and there were concerns Sky Sports, who have rights to show games on Sundays, could move Premier League fixtures to December 24.

Chelsea released a statement on the issue after their supporters voiced their concerns over a 4pm Christmas Eve fixture.

“The Chelsea Supporters Trust wrote to the club this week expressing its objections to fixtures being scheduled to be played on Christmas Eve,” the statement read.

“An idea they are opposed to ‘due to the inherent travel difficulties and disruption to what is regarded as sacrosanct family time’. 

“The club is sympathetic to our supporters’ objections and it is a subject we have raised with the Premier League.”

But no club will play their games on the day before Christmas.

Both Sky and BT have released their festive fixtures for December.

There are some big contests at the start of the month, such as United’s trip to Arsenal on Saturday December 2 and the Manchester derby on Sunday December 10.

But Sky have confirmed Chelsea’s trip to Everton and United’s visit to Leicester will take place on Saturday December 23.

Arsenal v Liverpool will be played the day before, on a Friday night.

BT Sport will also show Burnley v Tottenham on that Saturday.

Two televised Boxing Day fixtures have been announced, with Tottenham v Southampton and Liverpool v Swansea the picks for Sky Sports.

United will play Crystal Palace at noon on New Years’ Eve and will be shown on BT Sport.

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