🔗 Share this article English Top-Flight Buildup, La Liga, Afcon Last 16 and Old Firm Derby – Saturday Live Introduction Good morning. The calendar confirms it's Saturday. After the festive confusion, it’s now day three in the 2026 house although a schedule of only four top-flight matches indicates things aren't back to normal. Nevertheless, for many out there, this is the last holiday weekend so a perfect opportunity to head to the match. That selection of four EPL games includes Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest at 12.30pm while, kicking off at the same time, we have the not-so-small issue of an Old Firm derby. One with particular intrigue given the current chaos at Celtic. In the evening at half past five, 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 a full slate of games in Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 while we’ve reached the last 16 of Afcon. Senegal v Sudan at four o'clock and Mali v Tunisia at seven o'clock keep the fun flowing. As usual with matchday live, we’re looking for interaction so send us your thoughts and messages. 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. It's widely accepted the caramel variety doesn't compare to the original. Right, it's time to begin the weekend's action! Early Contender for Longest Traveller One fan has made an epic trip. Christer Aakeroy emails this: “Having travelled over 4,400 miles from Manhattan, Kansas (yes, it’s known as the ‘Little Apple’) to watch my beloved Seagulls, I really hope that they live up to their undoubted potential and bring plenty of warmth and joy to the Amex this afternoon.” Brighton host Burnley (three o'clock) so the odds are in your favour/favor Christer. However, this piece of data might be worrying: Burnley are unbeaten in their last seven away league games against Brighton (W2 D5) since a 2-0 loss in August 2013. They’ve never lost at the Amex Stadium in the Premier League (W2 D4). A Full Slate of Minute-by-Minute Action If you like an MBM (minute-by-minute), we have you covered. And then some! 12.30pm Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest – Sarah Rendell 12.30pm Celtic v Rangers – David Tindall 5.30pm Bournemouth v Arsenal – Barry Glendenning Plus, Billy Munday will bring you live updates from the two 3pm Premier League kick-offs in his Saturday clockwatch while Dominic Booth will cover the opening Afcon knockout matches (4pm and 7pm kick-offs). Oh, look out for live updates from the concluding Ashes Test and the World Darts Championship final! European Round-Up A few results around Europe from last night. Serie A Cagliari 0-1 AC Milan La Liga Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Getafe Ligue 1 Toulouse 0-3 Lens Over in Italy, Rafael Leao marked his comeback with the opening Serie A strike of the new year. His second-half winner put Milan top of Serie A by two points although local rivals Inter can reclaim top spot 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 In France, Lens increased their lead at the top to four points over champions PSG with a convincing three-nil victory at eighth-place Toulouse, who were clearly hampered by being reduced to 10 men after just twenty 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 Get In Touch Off to a top-flight game this afternoon? Or perhaps you’ve made a maverick trip to the Afcon? Send your thoughts and hopes with us.
Introduction Good morning. The calendar confirms it's Saturday. After the festive confusion, it’s now day three in the 2026 house although a schedule of only four top-flight matches indicates things aren't back to normal. Nevertheless, for many out there, this is the last holiday weekend so a perfect opportunity to head to the match. That selection of four EPL games includes Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest at 12.30pm while, kicking off at the same time, we have the not-so-small issue of an Old Firm derby. One with particular intrigue given the current chaos at Celtic. In the evening at half past five, 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 a full slate of games in Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 while we’ve reached the last 16 of Afcon. Senegal v Sudan at four o'clock and Mali v Tunisia at seven o'clock keep the fun flowing. As usual with matchday live, we’re looking for interaction so send us your thoughts and messages. 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. It's widely accepted the caramel variety doesn't compare to the original. Right, it's time to begin the weekend's action!
Early Contender for Longest Traveller One fan has made an epic trip. Christer Aakeroy emails this: “Having travelled over 4,400 miles from Manhattan, Kansas (yes, it’s known as the ‘Little Apple’) to watch my beloved Seagulls, I really hope that they live up to their undoubted potential and bring plenty of warmth and joy to the Amex this afternoon.” Brighton host Burnley (three o'clock) so the odds are in your favour/favor Christer. However, this piece of data might be worrying: Burnley are unbeaten in their last seven away league games against Brighton (W2 D5) since a 2-0 loss in August 2013. They’ve never lost at the Amex Stadium in the Premier League (W2 D4).
A Full Slate of Minute-by-Minute Action If you like an MBM (minute-by-minute), we have you covered. And then some! 12.30pm Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest – Sarah Rendell 12.30pm Celtic v Rangers – David Tindall 5.30pm Bournemouth v Arsenal – Barry Glendenning Plus, Billy Munday will bring you live updates from the two 3pm Premier League kick-offs in his Saturday clockwatch while Dominic Booth will cover the opening Afcon knockout matches (4pm and 7pm kick-offs). Oh, look out for live updates from the concluding Ashes Test and the World Darts Championship final!
European Round-Up A few results around Europe from last night. Serie A Cagliari 0-1 AC Milan La Liga Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Getafe Ligue 1 Toulouse 0-3 Lens Over in Italy, Rafael Leao marked his comeback with the opening Serie A strike of the new year. His second-half winner put Milan top of Serie A by two points although local rivals Inter can reclaim top spot 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 In France, Lens increased their lead at the top to four points over champions PSG with a convincing three-nil victory at eighth-place Toulouse, who were clearly hampered by being reduced to 10 men after just twenty 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
Get In Touch Off to a top-flight game this afternoon? Or perhaps you’ve made a maverick trip to the Afcon? Send your thoughts and hopes with us.