Sports on DStv – 28 December – 3 January

The Premier League will bring in the New Year with a round which spans from Saturday 30 December to Tuesday 2 January, and features cracking games such as Luton Town v Chelsea, Nottingham Forest v Manchester United (30 December at 14:30 and 19:30 respectively), Fulham v Arsenal (31 December at 16:00) and Liverpool v Newcastle United (1 January at 22:00).

The latter clash is a Premier League classic, with the most recent meeting of the Reds and the Magpies back in August seeing the Merseyside team claim a stunning 2-1 win at St James Park – despite being down to 10 men.

“I think in my 1,000 games as a coach or a manager I never had a game like this, that’s the truth,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp of that incredible triumph. “Not that we never turned games [around], we did that, but 10 men in an atmosphere like this against an opponent like this – it’s not that I can’t remember, I’m pretty sure it never happened because these moments are rare and super-special.”

Serie A will also feature prominently with a round on 29 and 30 December, headlined (and closed out) by a battle between Juventus and Roma at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday night (21:45). While the Bianconeri are looking to further establish themselves as contenders for the Scudetto, the Giallorossi are competing for a top-four finish – making this a key clash in the upper regions of the table.

“All games are worth three points, but some give us a bigger morale boost going forward. There’s a long way to go, but wins [in games] like this are important,” said Juventus captain Danilo.