Our Picks: Lower league English football action in the holiday season
Ipswich v Leicester - Ali Pollock
The standout fixture in the Championship on Boxing Day is undoubtedly second-placed Ipswich hosting league leaders Leicester City.
The two sides are statistically the best teams ever at this stage of a Championship season, with the Tractor Boys on 52 points from 22 games at the time of writing and the Foxes three ahead of them on 55.
Both clubs look destined for the Premier League, with 10 points separating Ipswich in second and Leeds in third.
That means an incredible Boxing Day fixture is in store between the two best teams in the second tier.
Leicester have the best defence (16 goals conceded) and second-best attack (44 scored) in the division, with goals flying in from all over the pitch.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Stephy Mavididi both have seven while Jamie Vardy has netted six and Kelechi Iheanaho has bagged five.
The Foxes’ rock-solid defence – featuring Premier League level stars like Ricardo Pereira, Jannik Vestegaard and James Justin – will be up against the league’s best attack.
Ipswich’s forward line has been on fire all season, with Nathan Broadhead and Conor Chaplin netting eight each while George Hirst has found the net six times.
Full-back Leif Davis also has nine assists and possesses frighteningly good delivery.
In total, Kieran McKenna’s side have scored 47 goals all season.
Fortunately for Leicester, the home side do have some defensive difficulties, which means Tuesday’s match promises to be an exciting affair with – hopefully – plenty of goals.
Salford v Tranmere - Ste Carson
In a match that promises to be more entertaining than Liverpool and Manchester United's drab stalemate last week, another pair of North West clubs are set to lock horns.
Quite a lot of the major European leagues are taking a short break over the festive period, so that provides a great opportunity to shine the light on those closer to home.
Salford and Tranmere find themselves near the bottom of League Two's table, perched atop the relegation spots by just a handful of points.
The Merseysiders are in a fine run of form lately, winning two and picking up a couple of draws in their last five matches.
'The Ammies', though currently above Tranmere, are going through a rough patch - with just two points picked up from their last five games.
Defeat for Salford will see their opposition leapfrog them in the table, and victory would put some fresh air between the two - in the form of five points.
The Greater Manchester outfit will be hoping star striker Matt Smith is able to find his shooting boots; he has 14 goals to his name, but has scored just twice in his last eight matches.
Tranmere aren't blessed with the same firepower up top, but their danger man will likely be Connor Jennings - who has bagged six times so far this season (two in his last three matches).
It's sure to be a belter of a match and well worth keeping tabs on. If you're in the area, maybe even consider paying the Peninsula Stadium a visit!
Atletico v Sevilla - Joel Barnett
Atletico host Sevilla on Saturday as they look to solidify their place in the top four, ahead of a tricky-looking fixture at Girona in the new year.
It has been a tough month for Atletico, who have played five matches - including four in the last nine days - losing two and capitulating against Getafe on Tuesday, throwing away a 3-1 lead with 10 men to draw 3-3 in the final few minutes.
As they look to bounce back to winning ways, all eyes will be on Antonio Griezmann - who is just one goal shy of being Atletico’s all-time top scorer after his brace against Getafe.
But whether he can overtake club legend Luis Aragones in top spot will be up to a Sevilla side fresh off the back of winning their first league match in 10.
Life has started well for Sevilla under new boss Quique Sánchez Flores with a 3-0 win at Granada last time out, but they still sit precariously above the relegation zone and lost 6-1 the last time they travelled to the Civitas Metropolitano.
Atletico have the best home record in the division after winning eight of their nine matches, but will Los Rojiblancos - who have had a disastrous campaign to date - upset the odds ahead of the Christmas break and bring their fans some much-needed festive cheer?
