Premier League Ponderings: Savoury matchups this holiday season

The festive season is a busy time for everybody, not least for the players and managers in England's top flight. Three match rounds will be played in the span of one week, which, for the league's elite players, could mean 270 minutes of fast-paced, high-intensity football in a relatively short period of time.

In the multitude of games due to be played, there are a number of highlight-worthy matchups that could have a huge impact on both sides of the table come this season's end.

Listed here are a few of the matches that you should watch out for this festive period (all standings current as of November 29, 2013:

December 23: Arsenal (1st) v. Chelsea (3rd), Emirates Stadium, London
While technically the final match of the pre-holiday weekend, the top of the table London derby is always an exciting prospect, made even more so by Arsenal's improvements this seasons and the return of Chelsea's legendary manager Jose Mourinho.

Arsenal has surpassed every expectation that fans had of them this season, having written them off after a summer of chasing failed transfer targets and an opening day defeat to Aston Villa. Fast forward 11 rounds of play and the club finds itself leading the league by four points and being led by the rejuvenated Aaron Ramsey and the newly arrived Mesut Ozil.

Chelsea, on the other hand, was tipped by many to be running away with the league at this point, yet the Blues find themselves right in the thick of the battle for the top four positions, tied on points with Liverpool and lagging behind only on goals scored. A win for either side here could prove vital to the club's ambitions this year, as three less points on a rivals scoreboard can be the difference between joy and heartbreak this May.

December 26: Manchester City (4th) v. Liverpool (2nd), Etihad Stadium, Manchester
The undisputed highlight of the Boxing Day match lineup, England's fallen giants visit the home of the billionaire new kids on the block in a top of the table matchup that has produced some exciting spectacles in recent seasons. A slow start and a poor record away from home have turned up the pressure on new City manager Manuel Pelligrini, but a strong home record, coupled with the momentum that should come off the back of the recent 6-0 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur will give the club confidence going into this crucial match.

Conversely Livepool F.C., England's most decorated club, have spent the last few seasons stuck in the mid table quagmire, unable to compete financially with the likes of their Boxing Day opponents, yet are entering the holiday period second in the table, suffering defeats only to league leaders Arsenal and fellow highflyers Southampton. Liverpool will have felt hard done by in both of last season's matches with City, having been in strong positions only for two individual errors to cost them equalizing goals, leading to draws in both matches. Manager Brendan Rodgers will hope that his team will be able to see out a victory against one of their top four rivals this time around.

December 29: Chelsea (3rd) v. Liverpool (2nd) Stamford Bridge, London
While I resisted listing two teams that were already featured, this matchup, even without taking into account the ever growing rivalry between the two clubs will be a not-to-be-missed duel between two of the nation's heavyweight sides, and two that are competing at the very top of the table in the first third of the season. While the preceding matches may have altered their league positions slightly going into this game, both of these teams will be continuing their quest for a top four place, or higher, and a win here, like with all of these top games will be a real statement of intent for the victorious team.