Manchester United in the spotlight again against Aston Villa as Premier League’s Boxing Day slate kicks off

Happy Boxing Day! The Premier League’s festive season truly gets underway as several of England’s top teams return to action. I’m Pardeep Cattry with a preview of today’s action.

Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Tuesday, Dec. 26
EPL: Newcastle vs. Nottingham, 7:30 a.m. USA Network
EPL: Burnley vs. Liverpool, 12:30 p.m. USA Network
EPL: Manchester United vs. Aston Villa, 3 p.m. USA Network 

The Forward Line

Premier League title race in focus

After Liverpool drew 1-1 with Arsenal over the weekend, the Reds return to action today with the title race well and truly underway. Jurgen Klopp’s team sit just one point behind Arsenal as things stand and today’s matchup against Burnley should suit their cause well as they look for their first league win in three games.

Liverpool have won 3 of their last five Premier League games, though that run has not been entirely without hurdles. That run includes a 4-3 win over Fulham and a come-from-behind win over Crystal Palace, clearly showcasing an ability to outscore the opposition even on their worst defensive days. It makes the 0-0 draw against Manchester United, when they failed to score despite taking 34 shots, feels like an outlier but shows that Klopp’s side can stand to be a little bit more clinical on both ends of the pitch.

Against Arsenal, they also played a fairly even matchup but just like the opposition, Liverpool were not particularly effective in front of goal. They registered 13 shots but put just three on target, but the chance to play the Premier League’s worst defense today could help break that pattern. They will have to do so without Luis Diaz and Konstantinos Tsimikas, though, after both picked up injuries over the weekend.

Arsenal will resume their case as a title contender on Thursday, when they face West Ham.

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  Midfield Link Play

Manchester United aiming to bounce back

Liverpool’s trip to Burnley serves as a precursor to the day’s big matchup — Manchester United’s clash with Aston Villa.

It’s hard to talk about the title race without talking about Aston Villa, the surprise contender that sits just one point below first place and boasts a five point lead on reigning champions Manchester City. Unai Emery’s team have not lost a league match since September and will arrive at Old Trafford as the picture of consistency, a stark contrast to their opponents, though they underperformed in Friday’s 1-1 draw against Sheffield United.

Villa’s struggles, though, are not much compared to United’s. They are stuck in a holding pattern of uninspiring performances, the latest of which was a 2-0 loss at West Ham on Saturday. They have one win in their last five games in all competitions and are eight points behind fourth place Tottenham Hotspur, and as Jonathan Johnson notes, there are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic about Erik ten Hag’s side.

• Johnson: “Ten Hag looks like he has lost the United dressing room with another performance devoid of anything truly positive and not even a goal to show for their efforts at London Stadium this weekend. In fact, the goal situation is so bad that five of United’s last six games across all competitions have been scoreless and that barren run has included dropping out of Europe altogether.”

To make matters worse on Boxing Day, their form at home has not served them well this season — they have seven losses at Old Trafford in all competitions, which makes the Theater of Dreams less intimidating to away teams than it used to be. The odds still favor United, but the opportunity arguably sets up for Villa to prove their credentials to compete for a Champions League berth, and perhaps the Premier League title itself.

  Top Stories

Let’s make a deal: Speaking of United, the long awaited agreement for Jim Radcliffe to acquire 25% of Manchester United moved one step closer to completion on Christmas Eve, as the final details were agreed to and announced.

European vacation: Which MLS stars are looking at a move abroad, possibly as early as January? Chuck Booth breaks the list down.

Meme-ing all the way: For Christmas, James Benge looked at all of the summer transfers, and graded them by meme. Look away, Manchester United fans.

UCL gifts galore: For the holiday season, take a look back at the hilarious gifts Micah Richards got the rest of the Champions League crew as they signed off at the end of the group stage. 

Chelsea’s lump of coal: There’s no sugar coating how bad things have gotten for the Blues, who are finishing up 2023 like they started it, struggling to win, and dropping points at a record pace.

  The Back Line

Best bets

• Premier League: Burnley vs. Liverpool, Tuesday, 12:30 p.m.
  THE PICK: Both teams will not score (+130) — This is Liverpool’s game to lose, and with the Reds in the thick of the title race and Burnley battling relegation, they probably won’t. Expect them to take care of Burnley with relative ease and keep a clean sheet while doing it.
• Premier League: Manchester United vs. Aston Villa, Tuesday, 3 p.m.

THE PICK: Aston Villa to win (+200) — The odds may not totally be in Villa’s favor, but recent form means it’s hard to bet against them, especially against an up-and-down United team. Old Trafford has also been less hospitable to United than it has been to away sides this year, so Villa have a perfect opportunity to take the three points later today.

What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

 Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

 Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-driven show quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world with panelists previewing the top matchups of the day. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+. 

3⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening): The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. Just because the NWSL season is over doesn’t mean that our coverage of the women’s game is going anywhere. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT. NWSL offseason and European domestic season all winter long.

 Kickin’ It (Tuesday, 7 p.m.): CBS Sports Golazo Network’s new unfiltered interview show returns Tuesday Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch. 

Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Jesse Marsch and Charlie Davies cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.

 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.