Leeds United untypical Christmas but Farke questions advantage for 'fit' side
Leeds United players and staff will have an untypical but not wholly unwelcome Christmas Day thanks to a quirk of the 2025/26 Premier League fixture scheduling.
There is no traditional Boxing Day programme in the top flight this year with just one single fixture that kicks off at 8pm when Manchester United host Newcastle United. Instead, seven games take place on Saturday December 27 and a further two on Sunday, one of which sends Leeds up the road to face fellow newly-promoted side Sunderland.
What it means for fans is a Boxing Day without the traditional matchday experience but for Farke's players and his staff it means they will not have to spend a night in a hotel. Last season Leeds were at Stoke City on Boxing Day and the year before they travelled to Preston North End.
"I love Boxing Day, it's great, but this part of Boxing Day that we just can't just show up for the game, we have to prepare for it, this is something that in this business is sometimes a bit difficult for the families, because you're not working with robots, you're working with human beings."
Farke insists he does not allow 'moaning' about the necessary duties for players because of the privileges that come along with their status as Premier League stars. Yet while he acknowledges their families and the families of his staff will welcome the increase of family time thanks to the fixture scheduling, the manager is not convinced it is fully advantageous from a football point of view.
"If it's helpful for us, I'm not sure, because I think the more exhausting and the more tiring the schedule is, the more I prefer it," he said. "Because just from the data, we are one of the fittest sides in this league. And I think the tougher the workload is, the more of an advantage it is for us anyhow, because we are a very fit side and we can recover pretty quick. I'm not sure if it's really an advantage for us in general, but we take it anyway. So we're looking forward also to have at least a bit more time [but] we'll also train during this day, so we can't allow around Christmas to have two or three days off, but it's, of course, a bit more relaxed if you can also spend some time at home with the family."