Friday, January 3rd
World Darts Championship final - 20:45 CET
After 19 days of darting drama, the World Championship final brings together a titan of the sport and the teenager that the world is talking about to give us the perfect aperitif to the sporting weekend.
Luke Littler, at just 17, booked his place in a second-successive world final after a 6-1 thrashing of crowd favourite Stephen Bunting on Thursday - a game where the teen was frankly ridiculous, hitting 13 180s with an average above 105 and checking out the big fish - 170 - to boot.
Much talk after his last two victories has been about the ‘friendly’ nature the games have been played in, as he shared fist bumps and hand slaps with Bunting as well as Nathan Aspinall despite dishing out demolitions.
That will not be happening in the final. He faces Michael van Gerwen - a three-time champion of the world - who is possibly the most ruthless competitor on the circuit and will give no quarter to Littler in what is a tantalising contest.
For Van Gerwen, it will be a return to the pinnacle of darts after some time in the doldrums - relatively speaking - but the romanticist will want Littler to lift the Sid Waddell trophy and essentially complete the sport before he can legally drink the champagne to celebrate.
Expect 100+ finishes, drama and a raucous crowd - it will be a must-watch event.
Josh Donaldson
Sunday, January 5th
Liverpool vs Manchester United - 17:30 CET
If there were ever a game between two clubs in complete opposite form, confidence and general atmosphere, then it would be this one.
Liverpool are flying high at the top of the Premier League as they continue to impress and blow all expectations out of the water. Arne Slot’s side are the real deal and they go into this Sunday’s rivalry bigger favourites than they possibly ever have been.
That is because their arch-enemies Manchester United are 14th in the Premier League having lost their past four games. It has been a horrid run and nightmare start to life at Old Trafford for new manager Ruben Amorim. It doesn’t get any easier this weekend against the runaway leaders for a club at rock bottom.
Considering the history of this rivalry it seems odd to say it but this match is a free hit for United in their current predicament. As for Liverpool, it needs to be business as usual - if they turn up then they will win comfortably. A lapse in concentration would be unforgivable against a side there for the taking.
Harry Dunnett
Roma vs Lazio - Sunday 20:45 CET
The headline clash of the weekend in Serie A comes on Sunday evening, with Roma taking on Lazio in the fiercely competitive Derby della Capitale.
Claudio Ranieri’s side have endured a difficult first half of the season - but despite sitting 15 points adrift of fourth-placed Lazio - the Giallorossi will be as motivated as ever to earn the local bragging rights.
Attacking duo Paulo Dybala and Artem Dovbyk have found form in recent weeks, providing a timely boost for Roma, while Marco Baroni’s Lazio remain in with an outside chance of winning the Scudetto for the first time since 1999/00.
The Biancocelesti have won six of their last seven matches on the road, so while this isn’t an away game in the truest sense (with both teams sharing the Stadio Olimpico), Baroni’s men will be confident of kicking off the new year in style against their rivals.
Danny Clark
Monday, January 6th
Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings (02:20 CET)
With the playoffs right around the corner in the NFL, two NFC North rivals do battle with permutations for the post-season as well as bragging rights, are on the line in what some are calling the most important regular season game in the history of the league.
Detroit and Minnesota sit atop the NFC Conference with 14 wins from 16 games and know that victory in week 18 will give them the top seed in the conference, but more importantly, give the other side a much harder route through the playoffs.
Both sides will look to their quarterbacks to fire in a match of this intensity, and it is the Lions’ Jarred Goff who has the more experience, having reached a Super Bowl before, whilst also having a career year, leading the conference in passing yards and touchdowns across the season.
In Sam Darnold, the Vikings have someone who can match Goff, but he still has a question mark over him in these pressurised situations. However, he has been great with plenty of comebacks during the 2024 season.
This is essentially as close to a Superbowl contest as we can get during the regular season and it will be an intriguing battle with plenty of talking points to keep everyone interested.
Josh Donaldson