Boxing Day: Busy Premier League and Football League schedule

Table toppers Manchester United are looking to extend their four-point lead when they host Newcastle on a packed Boxing Day round of fixtures.

Champions Manchester City will try to keep in touch with a win at Sunderland.

At the other end of the division, rock bottom Reading will hope for a much-needed win at home to Swansea while QPR face surprise package West Brom.

There is also a full programme of Football League and Scottish football matches to take in.

After a weekend for the Manchester clubs that began with a 92nd-minute winner against Reading for City and ended with United's draw against Swansea, Boxing Day could see yet more twists in the title race with the teams separated by only four points.

Both clubs failed to win their respective fixtures last season, and managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini will demand there is no repeat.

On the back of the breathtaking 8-0 win against Aston Villa, Rafael Benitez takes his third-placed Chelsea side to Norwich safe in the knowledge that he possesses an excellent Boxing Day record as a Premier League manager of five wins from six games.
No team has drawn more festive Premier League fixtures than Benitez's former side Liverpool, and current boss Brendan Rodgers will be looking to buck that trend at Stoke.

Fulham will also be looking to redress a rotten run of form which has included just one win in 10 games when Southampton come to Craven Cottage.

With Arsenal's match versus West Ham postponed because of possible industrial action on the London Underground, Champions League qualification rivals Everton and Tottenham will look to build a lead in the table against Wigan and Villa respectively.

Fans throughout the country will dress as Santa Claus, no matter which colour their team play in.

At the top of the Championship , leaders Cardiff are at home to third-placed Crystal Palace, while Hull will hope to extend their four-match winning run when they host fellow promotion hopefuls Leicester at the KC Stadium.