West Ham United return to action after a 44-day break when they make the short trip to Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in the Premier League.
The Hammers take on the Gunners seeking to end a run of three defeats in all competitions, but will have to be at their best against an Arsenal team who top the table on the resumption.
Arsenal themselves have won 12 of their 14 Premier League fixtures, losing just once, at Manchester United in early September.
Supporters will also have a challenge getting to Emirates Stadium, with engineering works and the suspension of Boxing Day services making catching a train difficult.
How to get there…
For supporters living within the London Underground network, take the Tube.
For those living outside, the best bet is to drive to an Underground station, as Greater Anglia, c2c, Southeastern, Great Northern and Elizabeth line services will not be running on Boxing Day.
Emirates Stadium is usually well connected on the TfL network, but less so on Boxing Day, as National Rail services on the Great Northern line and London Overground services will be suspended. However, a replacement bus service will be in operation on the Overground routes from Stratford, Camden Road and Willesden Junction
Arsenal (Piccadilly Line) is the nearest Tube station, around three minutes’ walk from the ground. Finsbury Park (Victoria and Piccadilly lines) and Highbury & Islington (Victoria line) stations are around a ten-minute walk and should be slightly less crowded.
Supporters should note that Holloway Road station will be exit-only before and after matches with pre-match eastbound trains non-stopping. Drayton Park is also closed on match days.
Where to stay…
At home, most likely, seeing as Emirates Stadium is situated just five miles west of London Stadium!
Of course, if you’re travelling to London from outside the capital, there are literally thousands of hotels, guest houses, apartments and more to choose from if you need overnight accommodation.
Again, though, it's Boxing Day, so options may be limited and/or expensive.
What to do…
London, of course, has attractions for all the family and to suit all budgets and tastes.
While the capital’s top tourist spots are well-known, let’s concentrate instead on things to do in and around north London.
You could have a walk up to Alexandra Palace and take in the superb view southwards across the London skyline.
If you’d rather do something nearer the centre of the city before jumping on the train or Tube to Emirates Stadium, why not have a stroll around Regent’s Park and visit London Zoo, which is open from 10am-4pm on Boxing Day!
Directly north of Regent’s Park is Primrose Hill, which also offers fantastic views across central London to the south.
Between Regent’s Park and the Emirates is the trendy Borough of Camden, which is home to a wide variety of eateries, pubs, bars and independent shops.
Speaking of places to eat, drink and be merry, Upper Street, which runs directly north from Angel Underground station to Highbury & Islington station, is also full of bars, pubs and restaurants.
What’s happened there before…
West Ham United were the first visiting team to win at Emirates Stadium after Arsenal opened their new home in the summer of 2006.
The Irons were struggling in the Premier League when Bobby Zamora struck a long-range winner and Robert Green’s unbeatable performance in goal secured a shock 1-0 victory over the Gunners in April 2007.
Since then, however, it would be fair to say we’ve not enjoyed too many of our trips to N5.
We’ve lost on our last seven visits to the Emirates – six in the Premier League and one in the EFL Cup early in David Moyes’ first spell in charge – and have tasted defeat on 13 of our 16 games there overall, winning twice and drawing once.
Our most-recent win at Emirates Stadium was under Slaven Bilić in August 2015, when Cheikhou Kouyaté and Mauro Zárate found the net on Dimitri Payet’s Premier League debut for the Club.
