Report: Arsenal vs. Liverpool considered for Christmas Eve

Arsenal and Liverpool could be set for a unique festive fracas as Sky Sports organises its busy television schedule in the dates around Christmas Day.

The only Premier League encounter previously staged on Christmas Eve was a meeting between rivals on either side of the Pennines - Leeds United and Manchester United - in 1995. The Telegraph's Ben Rumsby believes Arsenal's hosting of Liverpool may become the second, moving a day later than currently slated to screen on Sky Sports' Super Sunday programme.

Since Leeds beat Manchester United 3-1 in a modern War of the Roses, Christmas Eve has only fallen on a Sunday in 2000 and 2006. In those years Sky Sports solely held the rights to Premier League coverage, so it was able to move its programming to Saturday instead. Now, with Sky Sports only possessing the rights to one Saturday match and two on Sunday, it's "all but impossible" for the network to encroach on BT Sport's single Saturday slot.

If Sky Sports relinquished its right to host two games on Christmas Eve, it would be effectively surrendering £22 million - the rate the broadcasting company paid in its latest deal for Premier League television rights.

Given that Sunday matches are usually staged at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time, the latter kick-off would begin at 1 a.m. on Christmas Day in Beijing, China.