🔗 Share this article English Top-Flight Buildup, La Liga, Africa Cup Knockout Stage and Old Firm Derby – Saturday Live Introduction Hello. It’s … (checks diary) … Saturday. Following the holiday blur, it’s now the third day of the new year although a schedule of only four top-flight matches indicates things aren't back to normal. Still, for many out there, this is the final weekend of the holiday so a perfect opportunity to make a trip to the stadium. That quartet of Premier League offerings includes Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest at half past twelve while, starting simultaneously, we have the little matter of an Old Firm derby. One with particular intrigue given the current chaos at Celtic. Later in the day at 5.30pm, leaders Arsenal travel to a Bournemouth side who are struggling for victories but are still capable of playing out entertaining draws with the bigger sides. While the lower leagues have a day off, there is plenty of action in Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 while we’ve reached the last 16 of Afcon. Senegal v Sudan at 4pm and Mali v Tunisia at 7pm keep the fun flowing. As usual with matchday live, we’re looking for interaction so hit us with comments and emails. Are you going to a game? Has the new year brought renewed hope for your club? Or simply just tell us if your day consists of wall-to-wall football on the tellybox as you polish off the final chocolate oranges. I think we can all agree that the caramel version is nowhere near as good. Alright, it's time to begin the weekend's action! Early Contender for Longest Traveller One fan has made an epic trip. A message arrives from Christer Aakeroy: “Journeying more than 4,400 miles from Manhattan, Kansas – the 'Little Apple' – to support my beloved Seagulls, I really hope that they live up to their undoubted potential and bring plenty of cheer and happiness to the Amex this afternoon.” Brighton host Burnley (three o'clock) so the odds are in your favour/favor Christer. Then again, this piece of data might be worrying: Burnley are without a loss in their last seven league visits to Brighton (Two wins, five draws) since a defeat in August 2013. They’ve remained undefeated at the Amex in the top flight (Two wins, four draws). A Full Slate of Minute-by-Minute Action For fans of live text commentary, we offer extensive coverage. And more! 12.30pm Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest – Coverage by Sarah 12.30pm Celtic v Rangers – David Tindall 5.30pm Bournemouth v Arsenal – Barry Glendenning Plus, live updates from the 3pm EPL games will be provided by Billy Munday in his clockwatch while Dominic Booth will cover the opening Afcon knockout matches (4pm and 7pm kick-offs). Also, keep your eyes peeled for live coverage of the fifth and final Ashes Test (Tim de Lisle and Angus Fontaine) and the PDC World darts final (Rob Smyth)! European Round-Up Here are some key European scores from Friday. Serie A Cagliari 0-1 AC Milan La Liga Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Getafe Ligue 1 Toulouse 0-3 Lens In Italy, Rafael Leao marked his comeback with the opening Serie A strike of the new year. His 50th-minute winner put Milan top of Serie A by two points although local rivals Inter can return to the summit when they host Bologna on Sunday. Serie A Table (Top 5): 1. AC Milan – 38 pts 2. Inter Milan – 36 pts 3. Napoli – 34 pts 4. Roma – 33 pts 5. Juventus – 32 pts Meanwhile in France, Lens extended their advantage at the summit over champions PSG with a convincing three-nil victory at eighth-place Toulouse, who were significantly hindered by being having a player sent off after just 20 minutes. That’s seven straight wins now for Lens. Could they pull off a title shock? Ligue 1 Table (Top 5): 1. Lens – 40 pts 2. PSG – 36 pts 3. Marseille – 32 pts 4. Lille – 32 pts 5. Lyon – 27 pts Share Your Matchday Experience Off to a top-flight game this afternoon? Maybe you've embarked on an adventurous journey to the Africa Cup of Nations? Share your predictions and stories with us.
Introduction Hello. It’s … (checks diary) … Saturday. Following the holiday blur, it’s now the third day of the new year although a schedule of only four top-flight matches indicates things aren't back to normal. Still, for many out there, this is the final weekend of the holiday so a perfect opportunity to make a trip to the stadium. That quartet of Premier League offerings includes Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest at half past twelve while, starting simultaneously, we have the little matter of an Old Firm derby. One with particular intrigue given the current chaos at Celtic. Later in the day at 5.30pm, leaders Arsenal travel to a Bournemouth side who are struggling for victories but are still capable of playing out entertaining draws with the bigger sides. While the lower leagues have a day off, there is plenty of action in Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 while we’ve reached the last 16 of Afcon. Senegal v Sudan at 4pm and Mali v Tunisia at 7pm keep the fun flowing. As usual with matchday live, we’re looking for interaction so hit us with comments and emails. Are you going to a game? Has the new year brought renewed hope for your club? Or simply just tell us if your day consists of wall-to-wall football on the tellybox as you polish off the final chocolate oranges. I think we can all agree that the caramel version is nowhere near as good. Alright, it's time to begin the weekend's action!
Early Contender for Longest Traveller One fan has made an epic trip. A message arrives from Christer Aakeroy: “Journeying more than 4,400 miles from Manhattan, Kansas – the 'Little Apple' – to support my beloved Seagulls, I really hope that they live up to their undoubted potential and bring plenty of cheer and happiness to the Amex this afternoon.” Brighton host Burnley (three o'clock) so the odds are in your favour/favor Christer. Then again, this piece of data might be worrying: Burnley are without a loss in their last seven league visits to Brighton (Two wins, five draws) since a defeat in August 2013. They’ve remained undefeated at the Amex in the top flight (Two wins, four draws).
A Full Slate of Minute-by-Minute Action For fans of live text commentary, we offer extensive coverage. And more! 12.30pm Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest – Coverage by Sarah 12.30pm Celtic v Rangers – David Tindall 5.30pm Bournemouth v Arsenal – Barry Glendenning Plus, live updates from the 3pm EPL games will be provided by Billy Munday in his clockwatch while Dominic Booth will cover the opening Afcon knockout matches (4pm and 7pm kick-offs). Also, keep your eyes peeled for live coverage of the fifth and final Ashes Test (Tim de Lisle and Angus Fontaine) and the PDC World darts final (Rob Smyth)!
European Round-Up Here are some key European scores from Friday. Serie A Cagliari 0-1 AC Milan La Liga Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Getafe Ligue 1 Toulouse 0-3 Lens In Italy, Rafael Leao marked his comeback with the opening Serie A strike of the new year. His 50th-minute winner put Milan top of Serie A by two points although local rivals Inter can return to the summit when they host Bologna on Sunday. Serie A Table (Top 5): 1. AC Milan – 38 pts 2. Inter Milan – 36 pts 3. Napoli – 34 pts 4. Roma – 33 pts 5. Juventus – 32 pts Meanwhile in France, Lens extended their advantage at the summit over champions PSG with a convincing three-nil victory at eighth-place Toulouse, who were significantly hindered by being having a player sent off after just 20 minutes. That’s seven straight wins now for Lens. Could they pull off a title shock? Ligue 1 Table (Top 5): 1. Lens – 40 pts 2. PSG – 36 pts 3. Marseille – 32 pts 4. Lille – 32 pts 5. Lyon – 27 pts
Share Your Matchday Experience Off to a top-flight game this afternoon? Maybe you've embarked on an adventurous journey to the Africa Cup of Nations? Share your predictions and stories with us.