English Premier League: New Year's Round - Leaders' Clash and "Arsenal" vs. "Aston Villa" Match

The English Premier League (EPL) traditionally does not take a break during the New Year holidays, although this time December 31 will not be a match day.

According to Idman.Biz, the 19th round of the EPL will cover December 30 and January 1. The vast majority of the games will fall on the first game day.

The battle for leadership is still extremely tense on the eve of the tour: "Arsenal" is in first place with 42 points, "Manchester City" is only two points behind (40), and "Aston Villa" is one step away (39). "Liverpool" (32), as well as "Chelsea" and "Manchester United" (29 points each) are a little lower. In this regard, any loss of points during the holidays can rapidly change the situation in the tournament table.

"Arsenal" – "Aston Villa" (December 30)

One of the central matches of the tour will be held in London, at the "Emirates" stadium, and will start at 20:15 British time. "Arsenal" will enter the match as the leader of the tournament table, while "Aston Villa" remains very close to the leader, continuing to put pressure in the championship race.

In the last round, Mikel Arteta's team defeated "Brighton" 2:1, scoring the winning goal in the last minutes of the game. "Aston Villa" won 2:1 against "Chelsea" away. Ollie Watkins, who scored a double, was the main figure in that match.

One of the striking aspects before the personal meeting is the staff situation. According to the media, "Arsenal" continues to have losses, while "Aston Villa" has disqualifications that affect the squad selection. In addition, it is important that the Birmingham team has already defeated the Londoners this season. Thus, in the 15th round, "Aston Villa" defeated the "Gunners" with a score of 2:1. This was "Arsenal"'s second defeat in the current EPL season, and there is no doubt that Arteta's players will try to take revenge in the upcoming match.

Other matches of the 19th round of the EPL

December 30

"Burnley" – "Newcastle"

"Chelsea" – "Bournemouth"

"Nottingham Forest" – "Everton"

"West Ham" – "Brighton"

"Manchester United" – "Wolverhampton"

January 1

"Crystal Palace" – "Fulham"

"Liverpool" – "Leeds"

"Brentford" – "Tottenham"

"Sunderland" – "Manchester City"