ON THE ROPES: It’s a battle for Manchester clubs on Boxing Day
Manchester’s Premier League clubs City and United will be looking to dala flat on Boxing Day when they face Everton and Wolves respectively.
City kick off the festivities at 2.30pm when they host Everton, with United travelling to Wolves at 7.30pm.
Both teams are coming off defeats, with City losing 2-1 to Aston Villa, while United were klapped 3-0 by Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Ruben reacts to our loss against Bournemouth.#MUFC || #MUNBOU
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 22, 2024
Their latest defeats left coach Pep Guardiola’s City in seventh on the league table and United down in 13th – five points behind City.
United coach Ruben Amorim took responsibility for his team’s struggles, saying: “It is my responsibility to coach them. Of course we want to improve. In this moment, everything is so hard... it’s really tough for everybody.”
Guardiola, meanwhile, says he is just focused on one game at a time and says: “I learn. They [the players] learn. We think about Everton and not much longer than that. You lose another game and you have to think about what to do in the next to win.”
Log-leaders Liverpool and Leicester play the laaste game on Boxing Day at 10pm, with two games played on Friday.
WEEK’S PREM FIXTURES
Boxing Day: Man City v Everton (2.30pm), Bournemouth v C. Palace, Chelsea v Fulham, Newcastle v Aston Villa, Forest v Spurs, Southampton v West Ham (all 5pm), Wolves v Man United (7.30pm), Liverpool v Leicester (10pm).
Friday: Brighton v Brentford (9.30pm), Arsenal v Ipswich (10.15pm).