English Top-Flight Buildup, Spanish Football, Afcon Last 16 and Celtic v Rangers – Matchday Live

An early contender for longest traveller. 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 fulfill their obvious talent and bring plenty of cheer and happiness to the Amex this afternoon.”

Brighton host Burnley (three o'clock) so statistics suggest a positive outcome, Christer. However, this piece of data might be worrying:

• Burnley are without a loss in their last seven league visits to 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).

For fans of live text commentary, we offer extensive coverage. And more!

• 12.30pm Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest – Coverage by Sarah
• 12.30pm Celtic v Rangers – me, David Tindall
• 5.30pm Bournemouth v Arsenal – Barry Glendenning

Additionally, 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 (starting at four and seven).

Oh, look out for live updates from the concluding Ashes Test and the World Darts Championship final!

Here are some key European scores from Friday.

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 celebrated his return from injury with the first Serie A goal of 2026. 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 comfortable 3-0 success at eighth-place Toulouse, who were significantly hindered by being having a player sent off after just 20 minutes. Lens have now won seven consecutive matches. They couldn’t, could they?

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

Heading to a Premier League match today? Maybe you've embarked on an adventurous journey to the Africa Cup of Nations? Send your thoughts and hopes with us.