Stats: Why Boxing Day is special for United

This Christmas will be slightly different to what we’re used to, at the end of a year unlike any other.

The traditional packed Boxing Day fixture schedule is here to stay though, with six Premier League games taking place on 26 December.

United’s mouthwatering match against Leicester City will be perfect way to start the day, as Ole’s Reds take on the side directly above us in the table at 12:30 GMT.

Visits to the King Power are always nervy – who can forget the angst-ridden 90 minutes in July, when United eventually came out on top in the winner-takes-all battle for Champions League football?

But even the most pessimistic fans can take heart from our Boxing Day record, which is officially the best of any club in the Premier League era.

Since the top flight was rebranded in 1992, United have played 26 league matches on the day after Christmas – the only years without games on that date were 1995 and 2009, when we faced Newcastle and Hull respectively on 27 December.

We’ve won an incredible 21 of those encounters, more than any other side.

Our first two Premier League fixtures played on Boxing Day, against Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn, were drawn, but since then the Reds have dropped points in just three games – defeats to Middlesbrough and Stoke in 2002 and 2015 and a 2-2 Old Trafford draw with Burnley three years ago.

We’ve won every other game which has taken place on that date, including memorable comeback victories over Newcastle and Hull, in 2012 and 2013.

Last season, an early Matty Longstaff goal gave the Magpies the lead at Old Trafford, before the Reds roared back to win courtesy of an Anthony Martial brace and efforts from Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.

Let’s hope for a repeat 12 months on – although preferably without the first-half concession!

UNITED’S PL BOXING DAY RECORD

1992 – Sheffield Wednesday 3 United 3
1993 – United 1 Blackburn 1
1994 – Chelsea 2 United 3
1996 – Nottingham Forest 0 United 4
1997 – United 2 Everton 0
1998 – United 3 Nottingham Forest 0
1999 – United 4 Bradford 0
2000 – Aston Villa 0 United 1
2001 – Everton 0 United 2
2002 – Middlesbrough 3 United 1
2003 – United 3 Everton 2
2004 – United 2 Bolton 0
2005 – United 3 West Brom 0