Saturday

8am-12pm (all times BST)

Matchday live

Football

There’s no better entry point to the weekend’s footballing action than our rolling blog as David Tindall sets up Saturday’s big matches. Breaking news, team updates and the vibe from around the grounds keeps you bang up to date with all the latest developments, including and fallout from Friday night’s Manchester United v Newcastle clash. There’s a bumper seven Premier League fixtures and six Scottish Premiership games to stay across and readers are welcome to join the conversation. Send your thoughts and observations to matchday.live@theguardian.com

11.30am

Kempton, Aintree and Chepstow live blog

Racing

With exciting cards in store at Kempton and Chepstow Tony Paley has all the latest action at the helm of our rolling blog. At the latter, Haiti Couleurs strives to get his season back on track. Winner of the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham festival and the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in the spring, the eight-year-old made a successful return to action over hurdles at Newbury to tee himself up for last month’s Betfair Chase at Haydock. Haiti Couleurs was pulled up on Merseyside, but is expected to show his true colours on home turf this weekend. Greg Wood reports.

12.30pm

Nottingham Forest v Manchester City live

Premier League

Saturday’s lunchtime fixture sees City – pushing hard on the shoulders of pacesetters Arsenal after five consecutive victories – travel to the City Ground with the prospect of three points elevating them, albeit temporarily, to the summit. Forest wilted in a 1-0 defeat by Fulham on Monday, though four wins in their past seven league games is still one more than Sean Dyche’s side managed in their previous 18. The death of Forest legend John Robertson at the age of 72 on Christmas Day following a long illness adds poignancy to the game. Barry Glendenning helms our liveblog with Ben Fisher reporting.

3pm

Arsenal v Brighton live

Premier League

Arsenal are a match for any team at home, and after a run of five wins on the spin at the Emirates will more than fancy their chances against Brighton. The visitors are without a victory in their four past matches against the Gunners, although they did battle back from a goal down to draw 1-1 in both meetings last season. Arsenal could be boosted by the return of Kai Havertz. The 26-year-old has not been seen since Arsenal’s first match of the season following surgery on his right knee. However, Havertz returned to training last week and Mikel Arteta admitted he was close to making the squad for their Carabao Cup penalty-shootout triumph over Crystal Palace on Tuesday night. Scott Murray hosts our liveblog, with Ben Bloom our matchday reporter. 

5.30pm

Chelsea v Aston Villa live

Premier League

The late afternoon match pits the elite’s form side with one of the league’s most unpredictable teams. Villa arrive at Stamford Bridge on a roll of seven league wins – their best run in the top flight since a nine-game streak between October and December 1910. The hosts Chelsea, curiously, are unbeaten in the three league games they have played this season against teams starting the day above them in the table, beating Liverpool 2-1, Tottenham 1-0, and drawing 1-1 against Arsenal. Jacob Steinberg reports.

11.30pm

Australia v England live

The Ashes

All set for more Melbourne mayhem? Whatever the third day brings, you are in good hands with Rob Smyth and James Wallace hosting our unbeatable over-by-over coverage.

Sunday

8am-1pm

Matchday live

Football

Tom Bassam and John Brewin pick up the thread of our unbeatable football blog. They will be looking forward to Sunday’s Premier League meetings of Sunderland v Leeds and the London derby clash of Crystal Palace v Tottenham as well as four matches in the Africa Cup of Nations and a clutch of Serie A games.

2pm

Sunderland v Leeds live

Premier League

Leeds have taken eight points from their past four games to put some daylight between themselves and the bottom three and travel to high-flying Sunderland. The Black Cats, for all their impressive displays, have only scored one goal so far in four outings in December, Chemsdine Talbi’s effort against Liverpool. Sunderland have three strikers in their ranks in Brian Brobbey, Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor – the latter of whom is their top scorer with four league goals – and Brobbey was the latest of that trio to find the net, scoring against Bournemouth in November. Katy Murrells helms our liveblog with Louise Taylor reporting from the Stadium of Light.

4.30pm

Crystal Palace v Tottenham live

Premier League

With both clubs having to bear damaging defeats last weekend, there’s an extra frisson to this London derby, particularly as Palace sprung a double over Spurs last season. Palace are set to be without Chris Richards after the defender required stitches in a cut foot during the Carabao Cup exit to Arsenal. Oliver Glasner said that goalkeeper Dean Henderson will return despite stand-in Walter Benítez’s impressive display against the Gunners. Tottenham will be missing their captain Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons due to suspension. They join Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke on the sidelines as the headaches mount up for Thomas Frank. John Brewin helms our live blog, with Ed Aarons and Jonathan Wilson at Selhurst Park.

6pm

NFL live blog

American football

Sunday evening brings nine NFL clashes, with Graham Searles hosting our unmissable liveblog as the Carolina Panthers continue their playoff push against the Seattle Seahawks and there’s a clash of contenders as the Philadelphia Eagles meet the Buffalo Bills in the penultimate week of the regular season.

8pm

Côte d’Ivoire v Cameroon live

Africa Cup of Nations

Billy Munday is on hand as the holders face Cameroon in this Group F clash in Marrakech. The men in orange were grateful to Amad Diallo as the Manchester United player scored the Elephants’ only goal in their opener against Mozambique. Wilfried Zaha, playing his first international in more than two years after his surprise recall, wasted several chances and Franck Kessie had two point-blank efforts saved by the Mozambique goalkeeper Ernan. Cameroon won by the same scoreline against Gabon after Karl Etta Eyong’s early strike. The Indomitable Lions, five-time Cup of Nations winners, have been to more World Cups than any other African country but have struggled of late. They fired their coach Marc Brys three weeks ago and left goalkeeper André Onana out of the squad for the tournament, having missed out on World Cup qualification last month.

11.30pm

Australia v England live

The Ashes

If there is any action by day fourth of the fourth Ashes Test, Taha Hashim and Jonathan Wallace will provide over-by-over coverage of events at the MCG, where wickets and records have been tumbling.