Jack Grealish and Phil Foden were again named as substitutes by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola for the visit of Leicester City.

The England pair were pictured on a night out after City's 7-0 rout against Leeds United earlier in December and dropped out of Guardiola's starting line-up for the 4-0 win over Newcastle United last Sunday.

City staff were reported to be disappointed by the condition of the pair when they reported for a recovery session after the Leeds game and Guardiola reminded City players of their responsibilities once more on Friday.

Guardiola again decided Grealish and Foden should be among the substitutes for the Boxing Day clash with Leicester.

Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez were the three selected to start in the frontline for the reigning Premier League champions, tasked with breaching Leicester's shaky defence.

The visiting Foxes also named Jamie Vardy on the bench for the game at the Etihad Stadium, where the forward scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win in this fixture last season.

Vardy scored a first-half brace before the EFL Cup penalty shoot-out defeat against Liverpool in midweek, with the striker not fit enough to take a spot-kick after suffering from a hamstring injury.

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers opted for caution with his selection, given his side again face Jurgen Klopp's side in the league on Tuesday, with Vardy dropping to the bench as former Manchester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho started up top.

The visitors were without Timothy Castagne and Jonny Evans as Rodgers remained hampered by injuries in defence, while Harvey Barnes also missed out with Ademola Lookman taking over his usual slot on the left wing.

Leeds United's home clash with Aston Villa on Tuesday has been postponed due to ongoing COVID-19 problems coinciding with injury issues within Marcelo Bielsa's squad.

Leeds fielded a depleted side in a 4-1 loss against Arsenal last Saturday before the Premier League announced Bielsa's side would not face Liverpool on Boxing Day due to having an insufficient number of first-team players to fulfil the game.

Villa were set to be Leeds' next opponents at Elland Road, but the league have accepted the Yorkshire club does not have the "required number of players available for the match (13 outfield players and one goalkeeper)".

Leeds confirmed there had been no new positive tests within the playing squad. However, the majority of those who tested positive before the Liverpool game remain in isolation.

"The league is aware that the decisions this week to postpone matches will disappoint supporters, and understands their frustrations at a special time of year when fans look forward to attending and watching football games," the Premier League's statement said.

"The league aims to provide as much clarity as possible, but unfortunately postponements sometimes have to be made at short notice, as safety is our priority. 

"Where possible, the league will endeavour to keep supporters updated if matches become at risk on a matchday."

Villa's meeting with Chelsea on Sunday remains set to go ahead, though they will be without manager Steven Gerrard after the former Liverpool midfielder tested positive for COVID-19.

The board reiterated its stance for their Premier League schedule to continue as intended following an emergency meeting between clubs on Monday, despite coronavirus ravaging fixtures throughout the top four tiers of English football.

"The board assesses applications to postpone matches on a case-by-case basis, based on existing rules and adapted COVID-19 postponement guidance, implemented in light of the new Omicron variant," the statement continued.

"While recognising a number of clubs are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, it is the clubs’ and the league’s collective intention to continue the current fixture schedule where safely possible.

"The health and wellbeing of all concerned remains our priority and the league will continue to monitor and reflect public health guidance, always proceeding with caution."

In total, 14 games across England's top flight have been postponed in December.

Stephen Curry hailed the Golden State Warriors' win against the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day as "huge" given the number of players missing.

Against a comparatively healthy Suns squad, the Warriors were without Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Damion Lee and Moses Moody (health and safety protocols), along with several assistant coaches, and Andre Iguodala (knee), Klay Thompson (Achilles/ACL) and James Wiseman (meniscus) still out with injury.

Curry was available but has previously struggled on Christmas, averaging just 13.1 points in his eight career games on the festive day. That ranked as his worst average points haul on any date he has played on more than twice.

However, the Warriors' star guard excelled against the Suns on Saturday, achieving a game-high 33 points in the 116-107 win.

Otto Porter Jr also impressed in a rare start for Golden State, with a late flurry helping to see his team home as 13 of his 19 points came in the fourth quarter, making several clutch shots.

Speaking after the game, Curry said: "It's nice to win on Christmas, nice to win on the road against the best record in the league, short-handed. All the other context of the situation, a huge win.

"Everybody stepped up. It was a great atmosphere. Just toughed it out at the end, and obviously, Otto took over down the stretch, so that was huge all the way around."

Steve Kerr's Warriors now move half a game ahead of the Suns, with a league-best 27-6 record.

Kerr was delighted with the showing from his depleted side, making special mention of how Curry rose to the occasion despite being one of their only star men available.

"Steph was amazing," he said. "Facing that defense with so much attention on him, missing three of our best shooters, for him to see that type of defense and find his way to 33 points - he was a plus-24 - so even when he was not making shots, he was still impacting the game just by pulling the defense over towards him.

"Steph was brilliant, so was Draymond [Green]. I thought [Kevon] Looney did a hell of a job, as well, so it was a great team win."

Crystal Palace's trip to Tottenham will go ahead as expected despite a reported COVID-19 outbreak in Patrick Vieira's squad.

Spurs are set to host Palace on Sunday as part of the Premier League's Boxing Day schedule, but widespread reports suggested the fixture would be called off due to coronavirus issues at the south London club.

Vieira confirmed on Friday in his pre-match news conference that Palace had received a couple of positive tests and there was growing concern over the evolution of the problem over the coming days.

However, Palace confirmed on the day of the fixture that the game would go ahead as normal in a statement that read: "We can confirm that our match away at Spurs is going ahead today as scheduled (15:00 GMT)."

Palace later announced manager Vieira was self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus, meaning assistant manager Osian Roberts will deputise in the Frenchman's absence on the touchline.

Antonio Conte's Tottenham have already been impacted by numerous postponements, with two league games and a Europa Conference League tie all called off due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the club.

The Premier League has also already confirmed that Leeds United's visit to Liverpool, Watford's match at Wolves and Burnley's home clash with Everton have all been postponed ahead of Boxing Day.

Antonio Rudiger could be on his way to Real Madrid at the end of the season.

With his Chelsea contract due to expire, Rudiger may have his choice of elite clubs.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel called for "a bit of patience" earlier this month, with the Premier League giants keen to retain the German defender.

TOP STORY – REAL STARS READY TO WELCOME RUDIGER

The Santiago Bernabeu increasingly looks the likely next destination for Rudiger, according to the Telegraph.

The newspaper says Madrid's players are expecting Rudiger to arrive in the close season and bolster Carlo Ancelotti's defence.

That would be a big blow to Chelsea, should the centre-back move on, given Rudiger has started more games this season (23) than any other Blues defender.

He has a decent tackle success rate of 66.67 per cent, has won 50 out of 68 aerial battles, and has weighed in with two goals from his position on the left side of a back three.

ROUND-UP

- Brazilian giants Corinthians have previously been said to fancy Edinson Cavani, whose Manchester United contract runs to the end of this campaign. If they cannot secure him, with Barcelona also said to be keen, UOL Esporte reports Corinthians could turn their focus to Cavani's Uruguayan compatriot Luis Suarez, now at Atletico Madrid.

- Bayern Munich could launch a shock move for Leeds United's Brazilian star Raphinha in January, reports TNT Sports. The Brazilian broadcaster says a €50million deal could be in the offing, with Raphinha reportedly targeted as a replacement for Kingsley Coman.

- In Serie A, fourth-placed Atalanta are said to be close to landing a long-term target. Sky Sport Italia reports they are poised to announce the signing of Sassuolo's Ivory Coast winger Jeremie Boga, who began his professional career at Chelsea.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach David Fizdale lamented that LeBron James' effort is being "wasted on losses" after slipping to a 122-115 defeat against the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day.

The loss was the Lakers' fifth straight defeat and saw them slump to a disappointing seventh place in the Western Conference with a 16-18 record.

However, James put in another terrific individual performance – scoring a season-high 39 points, the fourth game in a row in which he has broken the 30-point barrier – and Fizdale revealed his frustration at not being able to capitalise on his star's strong showings.

"I'm kicking myself in the head because he's giving me incredible effort," Fizdale said after the game. "[I'm] trying to figure out ways to get him over the hump with that effort, and I hate that it's wasted on losses. Just spectacular.

"But to watch it, to be a part of it, even though those games are turning into L's, I've never seen anything like this guy. And we better sure as hell be thanking our lucky stars for this guy."

While James' individual display could hardly be faulted, the same could not be said of fellow Lakers star Russell Westbrook, who managed just 13 points on Saturday.

James defended the point-guard's performance, however, focusing instead on the effort his team-mate put in during the game.

"He gave us extra possessions, he gave us a lot of looks around the basket, which I know that he can't stand [failing to convert] as well," James said.

"But as far as the effort piece, if a guy plays hard, if a guy leaves it all out on the floor, I've got no problem with that. It's a make-or-miss league."

Fizdale agreed that the 33-year-old Westbrook could not be criticised for lack of effort, and suggested that taking some pressure off himself would lead to an improved scoring record.

"A big part of it is he just wants it so bad," Fizdale said. "I mean, you can just see it in him, everybody does. He wants it so bad. And I know that's just hard for him when it doesn't work out. And I know he cares like crazy.

"I just want him to take a lot of that pressure off himself, keep attacking, keep playing the way we know he can."

James Harden believes Brooklyn Nets team-mate Patty Mills is playing the best basketball of his career after the Australian’s 34-point haul in the victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Nets had seen their three previous matches called off due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the squad, with Harden, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and LaMarcus Aldridge among those affected.

But Harden, who admitted he was "just happy to be back on the court," and Mills were instrumental as they returned to action with a narrow 122-155 win on Christmas Day.

The pair combined for 42 of their side’s 66 first-half points, with Mills recording his best overall tally in the NBA this season and surpassing the 20-point mark for a 10th time.

The former San Antonio Spurs guard also registered a season-high seven assists, while landing a record number of three-pointers in an NBA game played on Christmas Day with eight.

Asked if he thought Mills was playing the best basketball of his career, Harden said: "I think so. 

"We know how many big shots Patty hit when he was in San Antonio, but he has a much bigger role in this team because of having all the injuries and dealing with guys dropping out of line-ups. 

"He's just playing consistent; his shot is always cash. He's doing a better job of just being a playmaker, putting the ball on the floor and getting it to the paint. He’s got his finishes, and he's making plays. He just looks more confident."

Mills added: "It was a massive team effort from every guy that stepped on the floor. 

We've been handling adversity throughout the whole season with different types of things, so I think this was no different. 

"With the past week that we've had, it was exciting to get some guys back and there was good energy there. 

"We're all about the big picture here and where we want to be at the end of the season, and I think that's what’s really keeping us moving forward in the right direction."

Aaron Rodgers said he was grateful for being able to learn from Brett Favre after surpassing the Green Bay Packers legend for passing touchdowns in the Christmas Day win against the Cleveland Browns.

Rodgers reached 445 career touchdown passes by the end of the 24-22 victory, beating Favre's haul of 442 for Green Bay.

After the milestone was passed with an 11-yard-throw to Allen Lazard in the first quarter, a video message from Favre was played at Lambeau Field to a cheering home crowd.

"Hey 12, congratulations, man, on passing my touchdown record. I have one request: Go get us another Super Bowl. Congrats," Favre said in a pre-recorded message played on the jumbotron.

After sealing the win that takes the Packers to 12-3, sitting comfortably atop the NFC, Rodgers paid tribute to Favre's influence on his career, telling FOX Sports: "I'm very fortunate to have played with the guys I've played with, to be coached by the men I was coached by over the years. So much respect and gratitude for this game.

"Appreciate Brett with the shout-out. I got to sit behind a legend for three years, and see what greatness looked like first-hand. That's an experience that changed my life forever."

The 38-year-old expanded on how he felt after breaking the record in a post-game media conference, saying to reporters "After 443 went up on the scoreboard and the video played... the emotions just kind of hit me, and gratitude for such a long career and to be part of history like that for this franchise is something that I'm really proud of."

Rodgers sits in fifth place in all-time touchdown passes in NFL history, and third in passing touchdowns thrown with one team, behind only Tom Brady (New England Patriots) and Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints).

It was not the only record of the night as Rodgers combined for two touchdowns with Davante Adams, taking their partnership total to 67 TDs to overtake Rodgers' own partnership with Jordy Nelson, and the Green Bay quarterback claimed that the Packers number 17 was the best he has ever played with.

"He's such a fantastic player. I've played with some great ones over the years. Obviously Brett Favre, incredible player, all-time great, Charles Woodson the same, the way he could dominate on the field from a defensive back position was incredible.

"Jordy Nelson, him and I always had such a great connection, but when you start stacking up the numbers for Davante, it's mind-blowing.

"I really feel like he's the best player I've played with."

Aaron Rodgers made franchise history as he led the Green Bay Packers to a Christmas Day victory against the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau Field.

Rodgers overtook Packers legend Brett Favre for the most passing touchdowns in Green Bay history after finding Allen Lazard from 11 yards in the first quarter.

The 38-year-old threw for 202 yards and three touchdowns in the 24-22 win as the Packers extended their lead at the top of the NFC, moving to a 12-3 record.

Rodgers reached 445 career touchdown passes by the end of the game, beating Favre's haul of 442 for Green Bay.

Wide receiver Davante Adams made 10 catches for a total of 114 yards, scoring two TDs, the fourth time he has made 10 or more catches in a game this season.

Rodgers and Adams also became the Packers' most productive partnership in franchise history after combining for a TD for the 66th time, surpassing Rodgers and Jordy Nelson.

Baker Mayfield, meanwhile, struggled in his first game back since being activated from the Browns' COVID-19 list, being sacked five times and throwing four interceptions in Wisconsin.

Cleveland, now on a record of 7-8 for the season, gave themselves late hope with an Anthony Schwartz TD in the fourth quarter, but were unable to add further.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals lost a third game in a row after a 22-16 home loss against the Indianapolis Colts at State Farm Stadium.

Despite being sacked twice, Carson Wentz threw two TDs, one in the first quarter to T.Y. Hilton to give the Colts the lead, and then a 14-yard effort to Dezmon Patmon in the fourth to take the game away from the hosts.

Jonathan Taylor made over 100 rushing yards (108) for the Colts for the ninth time this season, and has now done so in six of his last seven outings.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray saw plenty of the ball, making 43 throws in the game, but could only complete 27 of them, finding the endzone only once as he combined with Antoine Wesley as Arizona nudged ahead at the start of the second half.

Wentz and the Colts were able to wrestle control though, and move on to 9-6, while the Cardinals now sit at 10-5, dropping to fifth in the NFC.

James Harden marked his return to action with a telling triple-double as the Brooklyn Nets snatched a dramatic 122-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

For the Lakers, LeBron James scored 39 points and became the NBA's highest scorer all-time in Christmas Day games, reaching 422 points on December 25 across his career to surpass Kobe Bryant's 395 haul.

However, Russell Westbrook shot only 4-of-20 from the field, meaning his own triple-double of 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists was tinged with disappointment.

It allowed Harden and Patty Mills to guide the Nets to a hard-earned win over a Lakers side who have lost five successive games to slide to 16-18 for the season.

Mills matched a career-best with 34 points, and his eight three-pointers established a new NBA record for Christmas Day.

Harden's haul of 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists came in his first game out of COVID-19 protocols and boosted the shorthanded Nets to 22-9, with Brooklyn rallying despite being without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and LaMarcus Aldridge, among others.

The Lakers trailed 102-82 entering the final quarter but got back to 115-115 with 45 seconds remaining, yet Nic Claxton restored Brooklyn's lead, and Harden's accuracy from the free-throw line saw them pull clear in the closing moments.

This was the first Christmas Day game with multiple triple-doubles, the NBA said.

Antetokounmpo rebounds with stellar show

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo joined Harden in making a stellar return to action, after also serving time in isolation due to the health and safety protocols.

After missing five games, Antetokounmpo scored 36 points and had 12 rebounds in a 117-113 win for the Bucks over the Boston Celtics.

That improved the Bucks, who sit third in the Eastern Conference, to 22-13 for the season. It was the fifth time this season that Antetokounmpo has topped 35 points in a game.

Christmas Curry proves a rare treat

Heading into the Golden State Warriors' game with the Phoenix Suns, Stephen Curry was averaging a meagre 13.1 points in his eight career games on Christmas. That ranked as his worst average points haul on any date he has played on more than twice.

This time Curry came good though, bagging a game-high 33 points in a 116-107 win for the Warriors.

There was cause for Christmas cheer for the New York Knicks' Kemba Walker too. The Knicks landed a 101-87 win over the Atlanta Hawks, led by Julius Randle's 25 points and 12 rebounds, with Walker weighing in with the team's first triple-double on Christmas Day. He finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, and on the right side of the scoreboard.

Christmas Day is a chance to ungracefully stuff our faces with turkey and all the trimmings, but top-flight footballers in England have to show some restraint. 

That's because Boxing Day football is a festive tradition, one where supporters can watch games with tighter-than-normal belt buckles. 

Of course, the coronavirus pandemic meant it was all a bit different last year, with the majority of supporters viewing the action from home – for a while, it looked like this year's action might be under threat as well.

Rightly or wrongly, Premier League clubs opted against shutting the competition down over Christmas despite a recent spate of postponements, meaning we get to look forward to gorging ourselves silly on Sunday – and then watch the football.

Consistently one of the more exciting dates on the Premier League calendar, Boxing Day is sure to entertain.

So, ahead of the 2021 games, take look at some of the best Boxing Day Opta facts from previous years.

NO FOWL PLAY FROM ROBBIE

Fowl – whether turkey, duck, pheasant or possibly even partridge – is a fixture for most dinner tables up and down the United Kingdom on Christmas Day, so perhaps it's rather apt that Robbie Fowl-er (we couldn't resist...) has the best record in terms of Premier League goals on December 26. 

The Liverpool legend has netted nine times on Boxing Day, one more than Newcastle United great Alan Shearer, ex-Tottenham striker Robbie Keane and current Spurs star Harry Kane – who is the highest scorer among active Premier League players on this day. 

Thierry Henry (seven) and Jermain Defoe (six) have also produced plenty of festive cheers in the past.

PUT ON YOUR CHRISTMAS HAT…TRICKS

Some players just love producing crackers at Christmas. 

The aforementioned Fowler is among those to have scored a hat-trick on Boxing Day, doing so for Leeds United against Bolton Wanderers back in 2001. 

Henry (2000 for Arsenal), Kevin Phillips (2000 for Sunderland), Dimitar Berbatov (2011 for Manchester United), Gareth Bale (2012 for Spurs) and Kane (2017 for Spurs) have also taken home belated presents in the form of a match ball.

A DEVIL ON TOP OF THE TREE?!

It is custom to place an angel, or perhaps a star, at the top of the Christmas tree. However, in terms of the Premier League Boxing Day table, there is a team of devils – Red Devils no less – in Manchester United (yes, a tenuous joke, but by this stage is there any point in apologising?) who sit firmly on top. 

When looking at teams to have played at least 10 Boxing Day fixtures in the Premier League, United have 67 points – 17 more than anyone else. They also boast the highest win rate, a rather impressive 77.8 per cent.

Liverpool (62.5 per cent), Arsenal (60.9 per cent), Tottenham (58.3 per cent), Manchester City (55 per cent) and Chelsea (44.4 per cent) all unsurprisingly feature highly.  

West Brom, at 8.3 per cent, have won just once in 12 Boxing Day fixtures in the Premier League, while Leicester City (13.3 per cent) and Fulham (14.3 per cent) have also struggled on the date.

BARRY A FESTIVE FIXTURE

For almost two full decades, Gareth Barry just loved getting his 'Claus' into a festive fixture (Claus, as in 'Santa Claus', not claws... get it?) 

The former Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton and West Brom midfielder has played on Boxing Day in the Premier League on a whopping 18 occasions. 

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard is not far behind on 17, with Ryan Giggs, Steven Gerrard, Aaron Hughes, Sol Campbell, Michael Carrick and James Milner all on 14 – the latter of course still going strong with title-hopefuls Liverpool.

FIVE GOAL-D RINGS

The pun to headline this section is punishment enough, so we'll spare you a gag straight out of a Christmas cracker this time around. 

There have been seven occasions when a team has won by five goals on Boxing Day, which is the biggest margin of victory on the date in the Premier League era. 

Liverpool have done so twice (5-0 versus West Brom in 2004, then again when facing Swansea City in 2017), while Everton, West Ham, Manchester United and Spurs have also triumphed by the same scoreline. 

In 2000, Arsenal actually went one better than scoring five, though they also conceded during a 6-1 rout of Leicester.

NOT THE CARDS YOU WANT TO RECEIVE…

Sending Christmas cards, complete with the sort of witty wisecracks we have provided throughout this Christmas treat, is a long-running staple of the festive period. 

But receiving a card on Boxing Day is not always what you want for your team, right? 

Chelsea, Newcastle United, Stoke City and Wimbledon have all had three players dismissed in games staged on December 26, but Aston Villa are top of the pile with four.

Steven Gerrard will miss Aston Villa's next two Premier League fixtures after testing positive for COVID-19, the club have announced.

Villa boss Gerrard will not be able to sit in the dugout for the home game against Chelsea on Sunday or Tuesday's trip to Leeds United.

A club statement on Twitter read: "Aston Villa can confirm head coach Steven Gerrard will be unable to attend our next two Premier League matches with Chelsea and Leeds United as he will be isolating after testing positive for COVID-19."

The schedule in England's football pyramid has been ravaged by a spate of coronavirus infections affecting clubs throughout the tiers.

Villa's clash with the Blues is one of six surviving top-flight fixtures for the traditionally stacked Boxing Day schedule, though their previous encounter with Burnley was postponed due to high infection rates among the squad.

Their trip to Elland Road is already under threat with Leeds seeing their match with Liverpool called off due to an outbreak of COVID coinciding with a mounting injury crisis.