Premier League winter break: All you need to know

Premier League's first ever winter break will take place between February 8 and February 22, in two parts for two sets of clubs.

Arsenal players have been training at Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex in Dubai.

Premier League's first ever winter break will take place between February 8 and February 22, in two parts for two sets of clubs. The break, however, is only for Premier League clubs. From the Championship to clubs down the ladder, there is no break.

The Premier League action though doesn't stop, the set of fixtures are simply divided over two weekends.

Unlike the rest of Europe -- where the winter break is in the festive period during Christmas or New Year -- the PL sees the winter break in February. This is because the PL calendar holds exciting ties during the festive period.

Here's a breakdown of the fixtures: Premier League games on the first weekend: 8 February: Everton vs Crystal Palace, Brighton vs Watford 9 February: Sheffield United vs Bournemouth, Manchester City vs West Ham Teams off: Wolves, Leicester, Southampton, Burnley, Norwich City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea, Manchester United.

 

Premier League games on the second weekend: 14 February: Wolves vs Leicester 15 February: Southampton vs Burnley, Norwich vs Liverpool 16 February: Aston Villa vs Tottenham, Arsenal vs Newcastle 17 February: Chelsea vs Manchester United Teams off: Everton, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Watford, Sheffield United, Bournemouth, Manchester City, West Ham.

Number of days off for each club: 16 days: Chelsea, Manchester United 15 days: Aston Villa, Everton, Newcastle United, Watford, West Ham United 14 days: Arsenal, Brighton and Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Norwich, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur 13 days: Bournemouth, Burnley, Leicester City, Manchester City, Sheffield United, Wolves The FA Cup replays have seen the number of days reduced for some clubs.

Team	Normal winter break	Winter break after replay
Newcastle United	15 days	12 days
Liverpool*	14 days	11 days
Tottenham Hotspur	14 days	11 days
Southampton	14 days	10 days

*Liverpool's first team did get a proper break as Jurgen Kloop decided to play the youth team kids in the FA Cup replay.

 

How the break is across other big European leagues: Spain, Italy: The leagues stopped for two weeks, from December 21 to January 4.

France: Like the two countries above, football in France also takes a break from December 21 but it is a three-week break rather than a two-week break. But there was Coupe de France action on the January 4 weekend, so not all teams get three weeks off.

Germany: It is a bigger break in Germany, with football shutting down for four weeks from December 21. The games restart on January 18 weekend. Apart from the time off for the players, what are the clubs doing in the break?

Arsenal: Warm-weather training camp in Dubai. Aston Villa: Players will return to training on February 10. Bournemouth: Players to resume usual training after some time off. Brighton: Due to visit Dubai but was cancelled because of security concerns. Burnley: Players to resume usual training after some time off.

Chelsea: Players return to training at Cobham after a break. Not travelling anywhere. Crystal Palace: Roy Hodgson urged players to "get away from football and spend time with their families". Everton: Players return to the club's Finch Farm training center after a break. Leicester: Anticipating a replay in the FA Cup, plans of a warm-weather training camp were scrapped. Liverpool: Players return to Melwood after a break. Manchester City: Players return to training as usual at the club's training grounds. Manchester United: Warm-weather training camp in Marbella, Spain. Newcastle: Break was reduced by the FA Cup replay at Oxford.

Norwich: Players had extra days off earlier this week but play Liverpool on Saturday. Sheffield United: Warm-weather training in Dubai. Southampton: FA Cup replay at Tottenham saw the break reduced. Tottenham: FA Cup replay against Southampton saw the break reduced. Watford: Players were given some time off before match against Brighton on Saturday. West Ham: Yet to announce any plans; scheduled to face Man City on Sunday. Wolves: Warm-weather training in Marbella, Spain.