Saturday, February 1st
Ireland vs England - 17:45 CET
The 2025 Six Nations kicks off in style this weekend as two-time defending champions Ireland take on Steve Borthwick’s England in a blockbuster clash at the Aviva Stadium.
It’s a fixture that’s thrown up plenty of memorable moments, not least Marcus Smith’s dramatic drop goal last year to snatch a 23-22 English victory - ending Ireland’s hopes of securing back-to-back Grand Slams.
Head coach Andy Farrell will use that defeat as motivation this time around as they look to become the first team in Six Nations history to win three successive titles.
The second-ranked nation have named a typically potent lineup for Saturday’s match, including the likes of Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Bundee Aki, while handing a Six Nations debut to fly-half Sam Prendergast ahead of Jack Crowley.
As for England, they’ll be hoping that moving away from an ultra-aggressive blitz defence provides them with greater defensive stability, and with Freddie Steward, Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence among the backs, Borthwick’s men have more than enough quality to trouble Ireland.
Strap in, it promises to be a thriller!
Danny Clark
Sunday, February 2nd
Not one game means as much in Dutch football as this one between the big-name boys from the capital and the humble harbour workers from Rotterdam. The ‘Klassieker’ between Ajax and Feyenoord enters its 206th chapter this Sunday as the numbers two and Feyenoord of the Dutch Eredivisie face off in the Johan Cruyff ArenA.
This famous derby already had a peculiar chapter written for its epic earlier this season when edition number 205 got postponed due to police strikes and had to be played on a Wednesday night in late October.
The unfortunate planning didn’t stop the Rotterdam faithful from showing up in large numbers and filling the 47,500-capacity stadium De Kuip to the brim. After a huge 3-1 win away at Benfica one week earlier, Feyenoord arrived the clear favourite against an Ajax side which ‘only’ beat newly promoted Willem II 1-0.
But with no away fans present and nearly 50,000 people against them, Ajax academy products Kenneth Taylor and Jorrel Hato downed Feyenoord whilst simultaneously ending their 29-game unbeaten streak in the Eredivisie.
Ever since that October matchup, Ajax have refound their rhythm and confidence and shot up to second place in the Eredivisie. They narrowed the gap to league leaders PSV down to just one point before PSV took a 4-point lead last weekend thanks to Ajax not playing before their Europa League game against Galatasaray.
Feyenoord, however, are in a worse position with Brian Priske under heavy scrutiny and having lost 6-1 to Lille in last Wednesday’s grand finale of the Champions League’s League Phase. On top of that, goalkeeper Justin Bijlow will miss the game after having suffered another injury and striker Santiago Gimenez might miss it due to a potential move to Italian giants AC Milan.
Ajax are in injury trouble too with Mika Godts sidelined because of a hamstring injury. Alongside that, Chuba Akpom is on his way out as well as new signing Oliver Edvardsen not registered in time, there will be selection headaches for the hosts, setting up intrigue aplenty ahead of the contest.
Look no further than this Klassieker for some classic derby action.
Paul Winters
Arsenal vs Manchester City - 17:30 CET
Title-chasers Arsenal take on Manchester City in what has become quite the grudge match in the Premier League on Sunday.
The reverse fixture back in September saw City score in the 98th minute to salvage a 2-2 draw against an Arsenal team that played the entirety of the second half with 10 men. It was a fiery and feisty affair, with Erling Haaland telling Mikel Arteta to ‘stay humble, eh’ at full time.
It has been a tough season for the Gunners with failings in the transfer market and several injuries seeing them potentially miss a golden chance to win the title. Six points behind league leaders Liverpool heading into the weekend, they barely have any more margin for error. Despite possessing a depleted front line, they know anything less than a victory could see their title chances vanish.
To everyone’s surprise, four-time defending champions Manchester City have fallen off a cliff this season, with an ageing side failing to hit the incredibly lofty heights that they have typically hit under Pep Guardiola.
However, City have been busy this transfer window, signing Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis to bolster their squad. Marmoush impressed on his debut against Chelsea last weekend, while it was a bit more of a struggle for centre-back Khusanov.
Their form has begun to improve gradually in recent weeks, with one loss in their last nine games and Phil Foden and Erling Haaland starting to find their shooting boots again. As a result, they will be feeling confident of securing a spot in the Champions League next season.
If this clash is anything like the last meeting, it is guaranteed fireworks. City haven’t beaten Arsenal since April 2023, and Arteta’s men will be hoping it continues that way as the season reaches crunch time.
Tolga Akdeniz
In a weekend full of derbies and mouthwatering matches on the football pitch, it would be remiss of us to miss out on one of the most iconic games in world football.
The Milan derby between AC Milan and Inter comes at a crucial moment for both sides, with Inter chasing down Napoli at the top of Serie A and Milan looking to get back in the hunt for European football next season.
The form guide suggests it is Inter’s match to lose. In their last 10 league matches, they are unbeaten, but their last defeat in Serie A came at the hands of Milan in September when an 89th-minute winner from Matteo Gabbia was the difference.
That wasn’t their last meeting, however. In the Italian Super Cup earlier this month, it was AC Milan who came away with the spoils, winning the final 3-2 thanks to another dramatic late goal - this time from Tammy Abraham.
That sparked wild scenes as Sergio Conceicao won his first trophy with the side, and the prospect of them beating their city rivals for a third time this season must be a tantalising prospect.
It’s an occasion not to be missed - can AC Milan continue to snatch wins in the derby, or can Inter put their bogey team to bed finally?
Josh Donaldson
