Ed Sheeran and Elton John heading for second week at Number 1

Ed Sheeran and Elton John are heading for a second week at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart with their new collaboration Merry Christmas. The track is zooming ahead of its competition in our First Look Chart Update, with Merry Christmas also currently one of the front-runners for the coveted 2021 Christmas Number 1. Next week Ed and Elton will team up with LadBaby for a remix of the track, Sausage Rolls For Everyone, where LadBaby will be challenging to break an Official Charts record as the first act to ever gain four consecutive Christmas Number 1s.

Meanwhile, there’s a hotly-contested battle for Number 2 between two festive classics. As it stands, less than 2,00 chart sales are separating Wham!’s Last Christmas and Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You in the runner-up slot. Currently, Wham! are expected to rise one place to Number 2, while Mariah is at Number 3.

More Christmas songs should be in for a rise in the Top 10 this week too. The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl could rise one spot to Number 6 with Fairytale of New York, while George Ezra’s Amazon Original exclusive track Come On Home For Christmas could crack the Top 10 for the first time, rising 18 places to Number 8. It would be the singer-songwriter’s sixth UK Top 10 hit.

Outside the Top 10, Kelly Clarkson could reach a new peak this week with her modern Christmas classic Underneath The Tree. The track is looking to jump three places to Number 14. It previously peaked at Number 15. Other tracks currently on the rise in the Top 20 include Ariana Grande’s Santa Tell Me (16) and Andy Williams’ It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (17).

And finally, Official Charts newcomer Olivia Dean could gain her first ever UK Top 20 single this Friday. Her Nat King Cole cover The Christmas Song - another Amazon Music exclusive - is seeking to vault 21 places to Number 18.

The Official Singles Chart Top 100 is revealed on OfficialCharts.com every Friday at 5.45pm. Follow the Top 40 countdown live on BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart show with Scott Mills.