Why There Is Only One Premier League Game on New Year's Day | OneFootball

The Premier League match calendar looks a little different this holiday season, especially on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Come Christmas time and the build-up to the new year, the Premier League delivers an action-packed schedule of matches while the four other top leagues across Europe take a brief hiatus. Last season, there were 20 games from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day, including eight matches on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31 alone.

Fast forward to this season and there were zero matches on Christmas Eve, a full Saturday with not a single game and only three matches on Dec. 30. Plus, there were zero matches on New Year's Eve and only one on New Year's Day.

Why There Is Only One Premier League Game on New Year's Day

The only Premier League fixture on New Year's Day is Brentford vs. Arsenal. The two sides are the only two clubs that did not play at the weekend or on Dec. 30.

The scheduling mostly comes down to the league's rule that no team can play two matches within 60 hours of one another between Dec. 21 and Jan. 5. Since both Arsenal and Brentford played on Friday, Dec. 27, they could not play on Sunday, Dec. 29, per the guidelines.

The 18 other Premier League clubs did, however, play matches on Sunday, Dec. 29 and Monday, Dec. 30, meaning they could not play again on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day due to the rules. Therefore Arsenal and Brentford are the only two teams left that would be able to give fans a holiday match.

What Time Does Brentford vs. Arsenal Kick Off?

Brentford vs. Arsenal kicks off on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 at 12:30 p.m. ET. The game is set to unfold at Gtech Community Stadium.

Mikel Arteta's men will look to start 2025 off right with a victory over the Bees. The Gunners come into the fixture unbeaten in their last 11 matches across all competitions and currently sit third in the Premier League standings with 36 points. A win on New Year's Day will take them above Nottingham Forest and into second place.

Brentford, meanwhile, sit in 12th place and have not secured three points since their 4–2 victory over Newcastle United on Dec. 7. Since the win, they have lost to Chelsea, Newcastle (in the Carabao Cup) and Nottingham Forest. The Bees are coming off a 0–0 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion.