The weekend sport: another new era dawns for England

Football: England v Malta (Saturday 5pm) - ITV​

Amid the revelations of the past fortnight, it might have escaped the wider attention that England are back in football action this Saturday. However, football fans would have noticed the lack of Premier League and Champions League action this week. The timing of the match is nigh on ideal for pubs because it represents a great chance to get Saturday night trade in earlier and be the venue of choice for those customers after the match.

Football: Scotland v Lithuania (Saturday 7.45pm) - Sky Sports 5​

Less than an hour after England's match finishes, the focus switches to Scotland. Gordon Strachan's team comfortably won its first qualifying match and will hope to take a step closer to a first major tournament since 1998 by overcoming Lithuania.

Mixed Martial Arts: UFC 204 (Saturday 11pm) - BT Sport 2​

It's going to be a late, late night for combat sports fans and also for the Golden Fleece​ in Chelmsford, Essex. They are one of several pubs that have capitalised on the increase in popularity for combat sports, thanks to the likes of Conor McGregor. The Irishman is not in action in this event, but this Manchester event is still going going to provide an all-nighter for the pubs that have later licensing allowances or a temporary event notice in place for the occasion.

Cricket: Bangladesh v England ODI (Sunday 9.30am) - Sky Sports 2​

England's trip to Bangladesh has been overshadowed by security concerns, but now they will look to be completely focused on the field and secure a set of morale-boosting wins before their upcoming Test Series in India. These one-day matches may not be the most glamorous of ties, but cricket fans will still want to spend a large chunk of their Sunday watching England in action.