- Leaders Liverpool face two trips down to London during the Christmas period
- Fans of the Reds and other sides will be putting the miles in over the holidays
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The festive period spells a busy time for Premier League clubs. While many of us spend time with our families, scoffing down mince pies and roast dinners, footballers will be travelling up and down the country in search of points to give supporters some Christmas cheer.
Football’s traditional fixture pile-up will once again test a number of fans’ resolve as devoted followers of the game sacrifice time with their loved ones over the holidays to adhere to the exhausting and expensive task of following their team around England.
Matches over Christmas have the potential to make or break seasons, with the majority of teams playing three matches between December 21 and the new year.
With the matches coming thick and fast, clubs will be racking up the miles, whether that be by coach or plane as they travel around the country hunting victories.
League leaders Liverpool face an intense late-December schedule while their title rivals will enjoy the luxury of spending all of their time close to home.
According to Grosvenor Sport, the Reds will have to travel further than any other team during the Christmas period starting this weekend, offering a boost to Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City’s title hopes.
Liverpool will travel the most miles out of any Premier League club during the festive period
Arsenal only have two premier Legaue matches left in 2024 and both will be played in London
Chelsea will have to put the miles in if they want to catch leaders Liverpool over Christmas
Arne Slot’s side face two trips to the capital before the start of 2025 with just the sole league fixture at Anfield on Boxing Day against Leicester City.
On Sunday, the title-chasing Reds travel to north London to face Tottenham in search of their first league win since their victory over Manchester City on December 1.
Liverpool’s final match of 2024 is back in London, this time away at West Ham United, meaning they will travel a total of 722 miles across the Christmas calendar which is just over 30 miles more than Newcastle United who will clock the second-highest mileage in the league.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum you have Arsenal who will not even leave London during the festive period. The Gunners will play at the Emirates once while their away fixture is just a 22-mile round trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Somehow though, there is a team that will be travelling even less than the Gunners over the next two weeks.
That side is Fulham, who will only have to muster a two-mile round trip to neighbours Chelsea while playing two home fixtures. They will inevitably still use a coach to arrive, for some reason.
The Cottagers visit to Stamford Bridge is Chelsea’s only fixture in west London in what is a travel-heavy schedule for Enzo Maresca’s side as they hunt down Liverpool at the top.
The Blues travel to Merseyside to face Everton this weekend, a fixture that has not been kind to them in years gone by, and they finish off the year with a visit to promoted-side Ipswich Town.
Liverpool face two trips to the capital starting in north London against Tottenham on Sunday
Fulham’s only away game left in 2024 is just two miles down the road at Stamford Bridge
| Team | Away Fixtures | Miles Travelled |
|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 2 | 711.57 |
| Newcastle United | 2 | 679.88 |
| Bournemouth | 2 | 553.1 |
| Chelsea | 2 | 496.94 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2 | 379.7 |
| Brighton | 2 | 369.47 |
| Aston Villa | 1 | 341.88 |
| Wolves | 2 | 305.35 |
| Manchester City | 2 | 285.52 |
| Southampton | 2 | 260.58 |
| Tottenham | 1 | 205.62 |
| Leicester City | 1 | 188.34 |
| Crystal Palace | 1 | 177.87 |
| West Ham | 1 | 147.78 |
| Ipswich Town | 1 | 127.6 |
| Manchester United | 1 | 121.47 |
| Brentford | 1 | 88.9 |
| Everton | 1 | 63.38 |
| Arsenal | 1 | 21.75 |
| Fulham | 1 | 2.79 |
For struggling Manchester City, the Christmas period has been slightly kinder as they only travel the ninth-most miles in the division with 285.
Both come in trips to the Midlands as they face Aston Villa and Leicester City away from home, while they have been treated to a home lunchtime kick-off on Boxing Day against Everton.
The Toffees 63-mile round trip to the Etihad is the only distance they will travel during the holidays, while relegation rivals Wolves will notch up over 300 miles.
Being situated on the south coast will certainly benefit bottom-side Southampton more than Bournemouth this Christmas.
The Saints still have to travel 260 miles during the festive season, but that is still less than half of the Cherries who will notch up the third-highest total in the top flight.
In the midst of it all though, whether you are a player or a fan, there will still be time for crackers and Christmas pudding.
