Boxing Day Sport: What's on, times, locations and odds

Boxing Day is always a huge 24 hours of sport in the UK, with football and horse racing staples of the calendar.

There are five Premier League games and plenty of action in the EFL, while the King George VI Chase is the undoubted headline act on a packed day of racing, with Grade 1 action also taking place in Ireland. 

Meanwhile, cricket fans can settle into Test fare from South Africa, who face the top five-day team in the world, India.

Manchester United v Aston Villa Date

This Premier League clash will take place at Old Trafford on Boxing Day and will be Manchester United’s final home game of 2023. 

The clash is due to be one of five English top-flight matches on December 26th.

Manchester United v Aston Villa Time

The Manchester United v Aston Villa encounter kicks off at 8pm and is the last of the five Premier League games on Boxing Day. 

Newcastle v Nottingham Forest kicks off at 12:30, while there are two 3pm games - Bournemouth v Fulham and Sheffield United v Luton - before Burnley play host to Liverpool at 5:30pm.

Manchester United v Aston Villa Venue

Old Trafford is the venue for this Boxing Day showdown, with Manchester United looking to extend their unbeaten home record against Villa to four games in all competitions. 

Last season’s encounter saw United claim the three points courtesy of a first-half goal from Bruno Fernandes.

Manchester United v Aston Villa: How to Watch

This big Premier League clash will be aired on Amazon Prime, along with the other four top-flight matches on Boxing Day.

King George VI Chase Date

The King George VI Chase is the biggest race of the day on what is a very busy afternoon of racing action on Tuesday, December 26th. 

The Grade 1 contest is the highlight of Kempton’s six-race meeting.

King George VI Chase Time

The three-mile contest is due off at 2:30 and there are 18 fences for the King George VI Chase contenders to jump. 

The connections of the winning horse will collect £142,375, with trainers from the UK and Ireland doing battle.

King George VI Chase Venue

Kempton Racecourse, based in Surrey, has been the venue for the King George VI Chase since its inaugural edition in 1937. 

The track will host a six-race card, with the opener due off at 12:45 and the final race set for 3:40.

King George VI Chase: How to Watch

As well as on bet365's Sports Live Streaming, this year’s King George VI Chase will be shown live on both ITV and Racing TV. 

Paul Nicholls has won four of the last five renewals of the race and has claimed victory 13 times in all.

King George VI Chase Favourite / Odds

Bravemansgame won the race 12 months ago and the Nicholls-charge is the 2/1 favourite to take first place again in 2023. 

The Irish challenge is led by Gerri Colombe at 11/4, with Gordon Elliott’s seven-year-old seeking a third consecutive victory. 

Willie Mullins’ Allaho (4/1) goes into the Grade 1 contest having won his last five races, which includes the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham.

South Africa v India - First Test Date

The first match of the two-Test series between South Africa and India starts on December 26th, with the final day set for December 30th. 

Boxing Day Tests are always a spectacle to look forward to for cricket fans and this promises to be an intriguing clash of different styles.

South Africa v India - First Test Time

The first day of the first Test is due to start, weather permitting, at 8:30am UK time. 

Depending on the conditions, the toss could prove crucial and both teams will look to get off to a fast start.

South Africa v India - First Test Venue

Centurion Park in Gauteng Province is the venue for the first Test between South Africa and India. 

The ground has proved to be a fortress for the Proteas in recent times - with the hosts having won eight of their last nine Tests at Centurion. 

It’s worth noting though that the only defeat came against India in the Boxing Day Test of 2021.

South Africa v India - First Test: How to watch

UK cricket fans will be able to watch the Boxing Day Test on Sky Sports Cricket, with the coverage expected to start at 8am.

Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.