Why Newcastle game ensures United make top-flight history
Manchester United supporters will have been aware of our rather unusual run of fixture slots of late.
The Reds face Newcastle United in the only Premier League match on Boxing Day, kicking off at 20:00 GMT.
After consultation with renowned statisticians Opta, we can reveal it completes a run of games never made by a club in the entire history of the top flight.
For this will be the fifth successive occasion where Ruben Amorim's side are playing in the only game in the division on that specific day.
Newcastle preview: KO time, TV info, team news
ArticleAll you need to know about our Boxing Day evening clash at Old Trafford.
UNITED'S RUN OF GAMES
Thu 4 Dec: West Ham United (H)
Mon 8 Dec: Wolves (A)
Mon 15 Dec: Bournemouth (H)
Sun 21 Dec: Aston Villa (A)
Fri 26 Dec: Newcastle United (H)
United will become the first side to ever string together five successive games that are standalone in the top flight on each of the days.
Opta, remarkably, were able to tell us that two clubs have previously managed to embark on a run of four such fixtures.
Arsenal did it April/May 2005, while Leicester City matched that run in April/May 2021.
Opta have also pointed out that this is the first Boxing Day in Premier League history to see as little as one game being played.
The Reds have the most wins on the date in the competition (22), while Newcastle have the joint-most defeats (16).
After finishing the matchweek with our recent games against Everton, West Ham, Wolves and Bournemouth, we kick things off this time around, as was the case when travelling to Tottenham Hotspur on 8 November.