The Premier League is all set to return for its traditional Boxing Day fixtures as English football fans hope to quickly banish the painful memories of Qatar. Around Europe, after Argentina scooped their third crown, domestic football is gearing up for a return, but when exactly do the big leagues return on the continent and what is the current state of play?
Ligue 1 - December 28
Kylian Mbappe, back at PSG just days after his World Cup final heartbreak, is set to resume club duties just a few days after Christmas, as the unbeaten Ligue 1 leaders host Strasbourg. They’re currently five points clear of surprise package Lens, but are likely to be without World Cup winner Lionel Messi, as he continues celebrations in Argentina.
PSG are likely to win their ninth title in 11 years barring disaster but their season will be judged by their Champions League performances. Meanwhile Marseille and Rennes will hope to continue their positive starts and secure top four finishes. Looking at the bottom of the table, Angers look like they are in trouble on just eight points, with Strasbourg, Ajaccio and Auxere also desperate to improve following the break.
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Returning fixtures:
Ajaccio v Angers (Dec 28, 2pm)
Troyes v Nantes (Dec 28, 2pm)
Auxerre v Monaco (Dec 28, 4pm)
Clermont Foot v Lille (Dec 28, 6pm)
PSG v Strasbourg (Dec 28, 8pm)
Brest v Lyon (Dec 28, 8pm)
Lorient v Montpellier (Dec 29, 4pm)
Reims v Rennes (Dec 29, 6pm)
Marseille v Toulouse (Dec 29, 8pm)
Nice v Lens (Dec 29, 8pm)
La Liga - December 29
Xavi’s Barcelona have conceded just five goals in 14 La Liga games so far this term, a stat that sees them sitting on top of the tree, by two points, at Christmas. Real Madrid are hot on their heels with both sides having lost just once so far, and this title race could go right to the wire.
Barca have a tough return to action, a local derby against Espanyol on New Year’s Eve, while Madrid travel to Real Valladolid the day before. Given Atletico Madrid’s poor start that sees them down in 5th, it already looks like a two-horse race for the title, with Real Sociedad in third and Athletic Bilbao in fourth 11 and 13 points behind the leaders respectively.
Down at the bottom, Elche could well set the record for the worst ever season in the Spanish top flight. They are yet to register a win, have just four points on the board and could be relegated back to the second tier after three top-flight seasons. Cadiz are struggling on 11 points, but the real talking point at the bottom will be whether Sevilla, also in the bottom three, can stay up.
It’s been a nightmare season so far for the team that finished fourth last season and today they released Isco. Jorge Sampaoli, who returned to the club in October, needs to make sure safety is secured before the club can look upwards.
Returning fixtures:
Girona v Rayo Vallecano (Dec 29, 4pm)
Real Betis v Athletic Bilbao (Dec 29, 6.15pm)
Atletico Madrid v Elche (Dec 29, 8.30pm)
Getafe v Mallorca (Dec 30, 4pm)
Celta Vigo v Sevilla (Dec 30, 6.15pm)
Cadiz v Almeria (Dec 30, 6.15pm)
Valladolid v Real Madrid (Dec 30, 8.30pm)
Barcelona v Espanyol (Dec 31, 1pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (Dec 31, 3.15pm)
Villarreal v Valencia (Dec 31, 3.15pm)
Serie A - January 4
Despite Italy not qualifying for the World Cup, the country’s top division has been on a break since November 13. With the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Adrian Rabiot and Olivier Giroud all appearing in the final, it was a successful tournament for Serie A, even if Italy weren’t there.
Unlike the Premier League, Ligue 1 and La Liga, the domestic action doesn’t resume until the New Year. Napoli will be hoping to continue their unbeaten start under Luciano Spalletti, a run that has seen them go eight points clear at the top of the league. Current champions AC Milan will hope to hunt them down from second place, while the big guns, Juventus, Lazio, Inter, Atalanta and Roma are all in contention to finish in the top four.
Juve came into the break on a run of six wins without conceding a goal which propelled them up to third, and they will hope to carry where they left off under Max Allegri. The bottom of the table is a shambles. The bottom three, Verona, Sampdoria and Cremonese, have won just two games from 45 between them, while Sampdoria have scored just six times! That trio need a miracle to avoid relegation, but stranger things have happened.
Italy does give us the gift of a complete fixture list staggered throughout one day, which finishes off with the mouthwatering Inter v Napoli clash.
Returning fixtures:
Salernitana v Milan (Jan 4, 11.30am)
Sassuolo v Sampdoria (Jan 4, 11.30am)
Torino v Verona (Jan 4, 1.30pm)
Spezia v Atalanta (Jan 4, 1.30pm)
Roma v Bologna (Jan 4, 3.30pm)
Lecce v Lazio (Jan 4, 3.30pm)
Fiorentina v Monza (Jan 4, 5.30pm)
Cremonese v Juventus (Jan 4, 5.30pm)
Udinese v Empoli (Jan 4, 7.45pm)
Inter v Napoli (Jan 4, 7.45pm)
Bundesliga - January 20
Germany were out of the World Cup by December 1. By the time the Bundesliga returns, there will have been no domestic top flight football in Germany for over two months. It’s a huge break, but understandable when you consider the bitter German winters could postpone several matches if they were scheduled during this time.
Instead, the Bundesliga stars, including Jude Bellingham, can enjoy Christmas to the max before the action returns. When it does, Bayern Munich will target their 11th title in a row. They’ve lost just once and hold a four point lead over surprise package SC Freiburg. RB Leipzig got themselves up to third before the break after four consecutive wins while Eintracht Frankfurt moved into fourth ahead of Union Berlin, who stumbled after their incredible start to the campaign.
In their first season back in the Bundesliga, Schalke have found life tough and sit at the bottom of the league on nine points. Vfl Bochum recorded back-to-back wins before the World Cup to give themselves a chance at survival while Vfb Stuttgart, Hertha Berlin, Augsburg and Koln are all in serious danger of going down. It’s a fair wait til the German top flight returns, but here are the opening fixtures.
Returning fixtures:
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (Jan 20, 7.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Schalke (Jan 21, 2.30pm)
Vfl Bochum v Hertha (Jan 21, 2.30pm)
Union Berlin v Hoffenheim (Jan 21, 2.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (Jan 21, 2.30pm)
Vfb Stuttgart v Mainz (Jan 21, 2.30pm)
Koln v Werder Bremen (Jan 21, 5.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund v Augsburg (Jan 22, 2.30pm)
Monchengladbach v Leverkusen (Jan 22, 4.30pm)
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