Thursday 15 December 2016 13:22, UK
How important is the Christmas period to your Premier League team? We asked our Sky Sports pundits...
The festive fixture list is one of the busiest times on the football calendar, with plenty of big-match action live on Sky Sports, including the Merseyside derby and Arsenal's trip to Man City.
Clubs face the prospect of four games between December 17 and January 4, offering the opportunity to climb or fall in the table in double-quick time.
So how important is it, and can it really make or break your season? Jamie Carragher, Paul Merson, Jamie Redknapp and Matt Le Tissier have their say...
Its importance cannot be overplayed - there are so many games in such a short space of time.
It gives you a real chance if you are not having a great time and stuck in mid-table - if you can get 10 points out of 12, it shoots you right up the league very quickly.
Of course, it comes down to endurance - that is the same for everyone - but its grueling nature does slightly favour the bigger teams who have the larger squads.
Starting with Liverpool and Chelsea, the luxury that Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte have in not playing Champions League is huge.
You cannot discount how important that is because it gives them fresh legs for such a crucial period.
But the league is full of vastly experienced managers - for instance, Man Utd maybe have to chase games now.
Jose Mourinho needs to find a way to play his best team and win games.
For some of the others, they perhaps have to be a little more clever in how they rotate and then look at January to bring in one or two new faces.
Sky Sports has some huge games over the Christmas period and I wouldn't be surprised if they had a big say on the title race come the end of the season.
Everton won't want Liverpool to win the Premier League, that is for sure. That game on Monday Night Football will be a humdinger.
Arsenal play Man City too and we always say, 'Do Arsenal win the big matches?' Not too often in the past but they can change that this year.
They are great games and I don't care if there's 20 to go, these right here are the big football matches.
The Merseyside derby is always a fantastic occasion; a game played with more passion than most others in the Premier League.
That will be a spicy one and Man City v Arsenal will be a fascinating match to see two title contenders go head to head. Sometimes they can be too cagey and cautious, but City, being at home, will fancy their chances.
Every team in the league will see this time of the year as an opportunity. You play so many fixtures in a short space of time that the table can change very quickly.
You might go into Christmas struggling and you have three games in a week with two at home and you can pick up nine points just like that, jumping up 10 places over the course of seven or eight days.
That's why that period is so crucial.
Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch all the Premier League action and get six months half price
