First-Ever NBC PREMIER LEAGUE Doubleheader to Air 12/26

NBC Sports Group's holiday Premier League coverage is highlighted by 30 matches in nine days, featuring the first-ever NBC doubleheader this Saturday, Dec. 26 beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET, and the return of Premier League Breakaway this Monday, Dec. 28, at 10 a.m. ET. In addition, on Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN presents a new PREMIER LEAGUE DOWNLOAD profiling Manchester United and England national team captain Wayne Rooney.

The first ever Premier League doubleheader on a U.S. broadcast network kicks off Saturday, Dec. 26 at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC with Newcastle v. Everton. Then at 2:45 p.m. ET on NBC (also available on TELEMUNDO) second-place Arsenal visit Southampton. The Gunners have the title race top of mind, as they come off a 2-1 victory over third-place Manchester City, bringing them within two points of the top spot in the league. NBC Sports Group's lead Premier League announcer Arlo White calls Southampton-Arsenal joined by Graeme Le Saux at St Mary's Stadium.

Premier League Download: Rooney - The Man Behind The Goals (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN) includes unprecedented access to Rooney's home and family for a behind-the-scenes look at the man behind the footballer. Hosted by Gary Lineker, the film features access to Rooney at Old Trafford and at the English national team's camp, including a first-hand account of his rise to the top, and how those closest to him influenced his career. In addition, Rooney returns to the housing estates in Liverpool, where he grew up as an Everton fan, to reflect on where it all began.

The program features interviews with a stellar list of Rooney's former and current managers, plus some of the biggest names from football both in England and abroad, including: Sven Goran Eriksson, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Louis van Gaal, Jamie Carragher, Roy Hodgson, and David Moyes. The film also catches up with Sir Bobby Charlton, who held the all-time England goalscoring record before it was broken by Rooney.

Holiday Premier League coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET on Saturday with PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE on NBCSN followed by Stoke City facing Rooney and fifth-place Manchester United at 7:45 a.m. ET on NBCSN and NBC UNIVERSO. Rooney, who marked his 500th appearance with the club last weekend, and the Red Devils look to keep pace in the title race and rebound from their 2-1 home loss to Norwich City.

At 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, NBCSN presents coverage of Liverpool v. first-place Leicester City, and usa network hosts coverage of Chelsea v. Watford. Leicester City, unbeaten in 10 Premier league matches, feature two of the Premier League's top three scorers, Jamie Vardy (15 goals, most in BPL) and Riyad Mahrez (13 goals, tied-second-most in BPL). The pressure is on for the Foxes as their title hopes become more real - five of the last six teams at the top of the table on December 25 went on to become Premier League champions.

Chelsea face Watford in their first match with new manager Guus Hiddink, after former manager Jose Mourinho was fired last week. The Blues come off a 3-1 win over Sunderland.

Coverage on Monday, Dec. 28 begins at 9 a.m. ET with PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE on NBCSN, followed by Premier League Breakaway at 10 a.m. ET on NBCSN, a special two-hour show featuring RedZone-like live look-ins on the best action from all five Premier League matches in the 10 a.m. ET window. NBC Sports Group's Breakaway program gives viewers the most compelling action in real time and on replay, including every goal in every match, so viewers won't miss a single score or key play. Rebecca Lowe will guide the program as it cuts from match to match to follow the most important stories with minimal interruption. All matches at 10 a.m. ET will be available in their entirety via live stream on NBC Sports Live Extra and on Premier League Extra Time, a bonus television package available to MVPDs at no extra cost for customers who receive NBCSN. Premier League Breakaway will also be available on NBC Sports Live Extra.

Coverage continues at 12:30 p.m. ET on Monday with Manchester United v. Chelsea on NBCSN and NBC UNIVERSO. White calls the match joined by Le Saux and Lee Dixon at Old Trafford.

In addition, the two 12:30 p.m. ET matches on Dec. 28 which are not on NBCSN will be available in their entirety via live stream on NBC Sports Live Extra and on Premier League Extra Time.

A special episode of THE MEN IN BLAZERS SHOW hosted by Michael Davies and Roger Bennett and featuring Lowe will air on Monday at 6 p.m. ET. The show will recap the first half of the Premier League season.

Mid-week Premier League action begins Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 2 p.m. ET with PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE on NBCSN followed by first-place Leicester City v. third-place Manchester City at 2:45 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Live match coverage wraps up Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. ET with PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE on NBCSN followed by Sunderland v. Liverpool at 2:45 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Lowe hosts Premier League Live, joined by a combination of former Major League Soccer and U.S. Men's National Team midfielder Kyle Martino, former Jamaican National Team Player Robbie Earle, and former Premier League footballer Robbie Mustoe.

Saturdays throughout the Premier League season, The 2 Robbies "Football" Show, hosted by Earle and Mustoe, airs at 5 p.m. ET on the terrestrial NBC Sports Radio Network as well as on NBCSportsRadio.com and the NBC Sports Radio mobile app. For more information, and to download the app, visit NBCSportsRadio.com.

All Premier League games will be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs.

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