Premier League Buildup, La Liga, Africa Cup Knockout Stage and Celtic v Rangers – Saturday 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 live up to their undoubted potential and bring plenty of warmth and joy to the Amex this afternoon.”

Brighton host Burnley (three o'clock) so statistics suggest a positive outcome, Christer. Then again, this Opta stat is a little concerning:

• Burnley are without a loss in their last seven league visits to Brighton (Two wins, five draws) since a 2-0 loss in August 2013. They’ve never lost at the Amex Stadium in the Premier League (W2 D4).

If you like an MBM (minute-by-minute), we have you covered. And then some!

• 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

Plus, live updates from the 3pm EPL games will be provided by Billy Munday in his clockwatch while Dominic Booth will cover the opening Afcon knockout matches (starting at four and seven).

Also, keep your eyes peeled for live coverage of the fifth and final Ashes Test (Tim de Lisle and Angus Fontaine) and the PDC World darts final (Rob Smyth)!

A few results around Europe from last night.

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

Meanwhile in France, Lens extended their advantage at the summit over champions PSG with a convincing three-nil victory at eighth-place Toulouse, who were clearly hampered by being reduced to 10 men after just twenty 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

Off to a top-flight game this afternoon? Or perhaps you’ve made a maverick trip to the Afcon? Share your predictions and stories with us.