Brighton vs Arsenal, Man City vs Everton, and all the Premier League games to watch on New Year's Eve

Topics: TV Schedules, Arsenal, Brighton and Hove Albion, Manchester City, Everton, Manchester United, Wolves, English Premier League

The Gunners and the Cityzens will be involved in two interesting fixtures on December 31 as they aim to enter 2023 with a win.

This Saturday is the final day of 2022! Despite New Year's Eve being upon us, the action in the Premier League carries on, with a total of six games taking place on this occasion.

In fact, those six games will see five of the league's top seven teams take to the field, with first-placed Arsenal and seventh-placed Brighton facing off in the standout fixture.

Man City will closely follow that game at the Amex Stadium but cannot lose focus on their own tie as Guardiola's men prepare for a trip to Merseyside earlier that same day.

Meanwhile, in-form Manchester United continue their march for a top-four spot and will look to temporarily leapfrog Tottenham, who currently occupy the final UEFA Champions League spot, as Spurs aren't due to play until Sunday.

Here's everything you need to know about the Premier League's round of fixtures scheduled for New Year's Eve.

Top games to watch on December 31 in the Premier League

Wolves vs Man United

Julen Lopetegui gears up for only his second game in the Premier League and unfortunately for the Spanish tactician, his team's upcoming tie is against in-form Manchester United. The Red Devils enter this clash on the back of their lovely 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, with Marcus Rashford and Casemiro stealing the show, leaving the English giants with only one defeat from their last 14 competitive games. The midweek victory means that Ten Hag's men are only a point behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand, meaning Bruno Fernandes and Co. are looking promising in the top-four race.

However, Manchester United's one slip-up came against a Spanish coach that had just kicked off his tenure with his new club and that is Aston Villa's Unai Emery. While that match was the former Arsenal boss' debut game, Lopetegui will be keen on emulating his feat nonetheless come Saturday's game. The former Sevilla manager got off to a great start at Wolves, leading them to a 2-1 triumph over Everton, with Rayan Aït-Nouri scoring the winner in the final minutes of stoppage time. Despite this, Neves and Co. remain in the relegation zone and will need positive results immediately in their bid to remain in the top flight.

Man City vs Everton

Manchester City remain five points behind current leaders Arsenal — more on them later — but will this be the round in which they slash that gap? Guardiola's men returned to action on Wednesday, visiting Leeds and beating Marsch's side 3-1. This was just the result they needed after losing 2-1 at home to Brentford just before the FIFA World Cup. However, while the Cityzens are taking on a team in terrible form, Guardiola will be wary of suffering a second consecutive slip-up at the Etihad Stadium.

Everton, meanwhile, find themselves hovering near the relegation zone for a second season running, with Lampard's men sitting in 16th, just a point above 18th-placed Wolves. As a result, pressure is mounting on the players and, in particular, the manager. The Toffees are winless in their last five matches across all competitions and have won only one league game since October 1. Can they pull off a miracle against the defending champions? Tune in to find out.

Brighton vs Arsenal

And lastly, we have the league leaders. Arsenal wrap up what has been an impressive calendar year with what should be a tricky away test. The Gunners remain top of the table by five points after pulling off a brilliant 3-1 comeback victory over West Ham on Boxing Day, with captain Martin Odegaard putting in a Man of the Match display. However, while Arteta's men will head into 2023 with the no.1 spot firmly in their grasp, the North London giants are embarking on a tough run of fixtures that will see them face Brighton, Newcastle, Tottenham, and Manchester — four of the top seven teams in the table — over the next three weeks.

As for the Seagulls, they beat Southampton 3-1 on Boxing Day but fell to a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in their last home game just before the break. However, Brighton boast an excellent record against Arsenal, winning five and losing only two in their last 10 encounters with the Gunners. In fact, these two clubs have already met this season, facing off in the Carabao Cup, with Roberto De Zerbi's men triumphing 3-1. However, a team selection headache might hamper the home side's odds.