Premier League mid-season break: When is it and who benefits most?
The only breaks previously were for the COVID-19 pandemic and the mid-season World Cup in 2022.
While it is labelled as a 'mid-season break' (or winter break), it doesn't work in quite the same way as other leagues around Europe.
Usually, other divisions would give the entire league a prolonged break from the end of December to the middle of January.
The Premier League winter break will be split over two weekends; with 10 teams playing from Friday, January 12th to Sunday, January 14th and the remaining 10 clubs featuring the following weekend (January 20th to 22nd).
Many sides are expected to use their break for warm weather training camps to keep fitness levels high.
Full winter break fixtures
Weekend one
Burnley v Luton - Friday, January 12th (19:45)
Chelsea v Fulham - Saturday, January 13th (12:30)
Newcastle v Manchester City - Saturday, January 13th (17:30)
Everton v Aston Villa - Sunday, January 14th (14:00)
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - Sunday, January 14th (16:30)
Weekend two
Arsenal v Crystal Palace - Saturday, January 20th (12:30)
Brentford v Nottingham Forest - Saturday, January 20th (17:30)
Sheffield United v West Ham - Sunday, January 21st (14:00)
Bournemouth v Liverpool - Sunday, January 21st (16:30)
Brighton v Wolves - Monday, January 22nd (19:45)
Cup fixture's impact
Some sides won't feel the full benefit of the break, with several clubs facing FA Cup third round replays.
All replays are scheduled for the January 16th.
Brentford, Wolves, Everton, Crystal Palace, Luton, Nottingham Forest and West Ham all have their breaks cut short as a result.
What was originally meant to be as long as a 17-day break is now slightly shorter for those replaying their cup ties.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Fulham are in EFL Cup semi-final action on January 9th and 10th before playing the second legs on the 23rd and 24th respectively.
These fixtures fall on either side of the break, so they will get either 10 or 11 days off.