Liverpool v Manchester City – Premier League football – Sunday 14 January - Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League – 3.30pm (Kick-off 4pm)
You could forgive Liverpool fans for being optimistic about the visit of Pep Guardiola’s side this weekend despite City coming into the game unbeaten and 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Manchester City have wobbled in recent fixtures against Crystal Palace, Bristol City and Burnley. Factor in City’s woeful Premier League record at Anfield – the last time they beat Liverpool on the road in a 2-1 win in March 2003 they had Peter Schmeichel between the sticks and Nicholas Anelka netted a brace – and the red half Merseyside’s optimism starts to make sense.
However, Liverpool’s ability to cope with the departure of talisman Philippe Coutinho for Barcelona earlier this week – even though Mohamed Salah has been a revelation since his summer move from Fiorentina, with only Harry Kane scoring more than the Egyptian this season – could be a key factor in the game’s outcome.
Tottenham v Everton – Premier League football – Saturday 13 January - BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 4KUHD - 5pm (Kick-off 5.30pm)
While Tottenham v Everton is one of the select few fixtures that has featured in every Premier League season since the competition’s inception in 1992, the head-to-head record over the 51 encounters between them is a one-sided affair.
Tottenham have beaten Everton on 24 occasions, drawing 19 – losing just eight times – and have had more Premier League home grounds (two) than Everton have had wins (one) over their north London rivals since 2012.
Having gone unbeaten in Sam Allardyce’s first seven Premier League games as Everton boss after Ronald Koeman’s departure, Everton’s festive form tailed off with defeats against Bournemouth and Manchester United on either side of New Year’s Eve.
Tottenham, by contrast, have only one blemish on their record during the notoriously busy Christmas period – a 4-1 humbling by Manchester City. Having won three of their last four since defeat in the north-west, Spurs will come into this weekend’s game expecting to add to their lopsided record against the Toffees.
Masters Snooker – Sunday 14 January - 1pm-5.15pm BBC Two and 7pm-11pm, BBC Red Button and online
Billiards is back this weekend when the Masters snooker gets under way from London’s Alexandra Palace. The invitational event, open to the top 16 players on the world circuit, features defending champion and number one seed Ronnie O’Sullivan as well as newcomers Luca Brecel and Anthony McGill, who are set make their debuts at this year’s competition.
Sunday sees Mark Selby and Mark Williams at the table in the tournament’s curtain raiser, with Selby – the man most likely to challenge O’Sullivan according to William Hill – while debutant Brecel plays in an evening fixture against Mark Allen.
BDO World Darts Championships
Saturday 13 January - Semi-finals – BT Sport 2 – 6.45pm
Sunday 14 January - Final – BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 4KUHD – 4pm
On the off chance your punters don’t fancy donning a glittered gold Stetson and heading down to Frimley Green to holler Sweet Caroline at the top of their lungs, BT Sports is broadcasting the British Darts Organisation (BDO) World Championships, meaning you can bring all of the drama from the darts to your pub this January.
The business end of the competition this weekend could feature German giant-killer Michael Unterbuchner – arguably the story of the championships so far, with the qualifier becoming both the first German to ever win at the BDO World Championships before knocking out 14th seed Michael Philips to reach the quarter finals.
England’s Glen Durrant is many people’s favourite to retain the title he won last year, despite currently being ranked world number three by the BDO.
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa – EFL Championship football – Saturday 13 January - Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football – 5.15pm (Kick off 5.30pm)
With three European Cups between them, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa’s clash has to be one of the most prestigious fixtures to ever be played outside of England’s top flight – one made all the more interesting after Forest knocked holders Arsenal out of the FA Cup at the third round stage for the first time under Arsene Wenger.
Forest’s FA Cup scalp doesn’t completely mask the club’s troubles this season though. They sit in 14th place in the Championship under interim boss Gary Brazil – who took over from former Rangers manager Mark Warburton after the latter was sacked on New Year’s Eve.
After a tricky start to his tenure, Steve Bruce's expensively assembled Villa side are in good form for their visit to Nottingham, though they haven’t won at the City Ground since 1995 when John Fashanu and Dean Saunders scored while Stan Collymore netted for Forest. Villa come into the weekend’s fixture sitting in the Championship’s play-off spots and having beaten the impressive Bristol City 5-0 on their last outing on New Year’s Day.