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Best sports to stream on TV this week: 5 unmissable sporting clashes

From Liverpool vs Man City to England vs USA, live rugby, NFL and snooker, here are the 5 best sports events streaming this weekend.

29 November 2024

Give us a passionate crowd, jeopardy and bragging rights and we'll duly shuffle towards the edge of our seats. Live sport can do weird things to a person – this correspondent was once brought to tears by a snooker match – and once you're hooked there's no going back.

With an eye honed by countless misspent evenings and weekends, we've picked out the best sport to watch on TV this week, from consequential clashes to entertaining showpieces, including a free-to-air option here and there.

Whether it's snooker, football, NFL or rugby, here's what we recommend streaming this weekend...

Ireland vs Australia (Sat, 30 Nov)

The Autumn Nations Series couldn’t have gone much worse for the Northern Hemisphere, with only France and Scotland salvaging any pride. England and Wales may have lost a combined six of seven fixtures, but no team’s star has fallen further than Ireland’s. Sloppy, ill-disciplined, prickly, it’s made for ugly viewing. It’s fitting, therefore, that this campaign should conclude with an encounter between the best of the Northern Hemisphere powers (on paper), and the worst of the Southern Hemisphere cohort. The return of Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, who ushered in Ireland’s Golden Age with Andy Farrell as his deputy, is a delicious little subplot.

England vs USA (Sat, 30 Nov)

Fresh from their Euro 2022 triumph, the Lionesses beat the USA 2-1 the last time these sides met, and with it, the balance of power appeared to have shifted. That cycle, however, was short-lived. From Mary Earps to Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly, the spine of England’s team is faltering. A potential new focal point has emerged in Grace Clinton, but Sarina Wiegman is in a race against time to recalibrate the team for Euro 2025. The pressure on Emma Hayes, meanwhile, is largely personal on her return to London. The legendary former Chelsea coach led the USA to Olympic gold just weeks into her reign, as you do, though she’ll be without three of her standout players at Wembley, with Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson all sidelined.

UK Championship final (Sun, 1 Dec)

Ronnie O’Sullivan crashing out as the top seed in the opening round of one of the season’s biggest events was always going to make headlines, but let’s give the Judd Trumps and Kyren Wilsons of the world their dues. Those in the know wouldn’t have been shocked in the slightest – fine, perhaps a little – at the Rocket’s early exit, which has blown the contest wide open at the York Barbican.

Liverpool vs Man City (Sun, 1 Dec)

It’s always a right ding-dong when these two meet, and with regards to Man City’s astounding recent collapse, this clash with Liverpool could either be just what the doctor ordered, or a cruel joke. Arne Slot must be finding this Premier League business a bit too easy. The former head coach of Feyenoord (the Dutch middleweights that pulled off a jaw-dropping comeback from 0-3 against Pep Guardiola’s men in midweek) has built an eight-point lead at the top of the table with utmost serenity, and the title will be as good as his if Liverpool are able to extend their opponents’ winless run to seven. To paraphrase the title of Man City’s PR series documentary, this is very much a case of something or nothing.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Baltimore Ravens (Sun, 1 Dec)

You don’t need to be an NFL aficionado to appreciate the Eagles vs Ravens, a fixture that will showcase the sport at its most muscular. Forget playbooks and any pretence of subtlety – this is a showdown between the league’s biggest and baddest ball-carriers, two bruisers that are equally adept at finding gaps as they are at simply running people over, Jonah Lomu-style. The Ravens’ Derrick Henry has churned up more turf than any other player this season, except for the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley that is. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts, meanwhile, are two of the best all-rounders this game has ever seen, just as happy tossing the ball as they are waltzing between defenders twice their size.

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Previously on best sports to stream this week...

Australia vs India 1st Test (22-26 Nov)

The two best teams in red-ball cricket face off in Perth (27 degrees Celsius) for the 1st Test of a mouthwatering five-Test series, with the mighty tourists coming off one of the worst results in their history. The Men in Blue got thrashed 0-3 on home soil by New Zealand earlier this month, a once-in-a-generation result that could see heads roll. The role of team talisman Virat Kohli has even been questioned, so he’ll relish the chance to bite back. With India needing to win four of the Tests to guarantee a place in the World Test Championship final, the margin for error is tiny.

Eubank vs Erdogan (Fri, 22 Nov)

When do we ever get boxing on free-to-air nowadays, especially at a decent hour on a Friday night? It’s a good one too, headlined by Harlem Eubank vs Nurali Erdogan. Eubank, the cousin of Chris Eubank Jr., is undefeated, boasting a 19-0 record with eight knockouts, but this bout at Newcastle’s Walker Activity Dome marks his welterweight debut. The 30-year-old, who’s eyeing a fight with Conor Benn – the son of Nigel, Chris Eubank Sr.’s great rival – has eight three-minute rounds to show he’s worthy of the sport’s bigger stages.

Man City vs Tottenham (Sat, 23 Nov)

Like a mosquito to a lion, something about Tottenham makes Pep Guardiola’s blood run cold. Man City’s record (W10 L8 D3) against the great pretenders from North London ranks amongst their worst under the Spaniard, who went full Boris Johnson’s dead cat this week by signing a nominal contract extension that’s distracted nicely from the four-game losing streak and potential relegation they’d rather not think about. That said, it’s not been the finest of weeks for Tottenham, who’ve kicked up more fuss about the length of Rodrigo Bentancur’s ban for racist comments than the comments themselves.

Las Vegas GP (22-24 Nov)

Max Verstappen looks set to win the title in Las Vegas this weekend, but as ever when an F1 race is staged in the US, the wildly overblown pageantry will almost certainly eclipse the racing. That’s because the vast majority of the F1 drivers are boy-racers in a very literal sense, highly valuable and malleable gaming nerds with bedtimes as strict as their calorie-counts. The toe-curlingly awkward interactions between the talent and the aggressively charismatic announcers and celebrities should be TV gold.

England vs Japan (Sun, 24 Nov)

Over the past few weeks, several England players have aired their grievances with Eddie Jones, but following five straight defeats under Steve Borthwick, the wells of sympathy have run dry ahead of the big reunion. When things soured under Jones, he (rightly) paid the price. But things were never as bad as this. England have won only half of the 26 games they’ve played under Borthwick, whose late tactical tweaks have generally been disastrous, and more than a few supporters at Twickenham will be quietly hoping for the Brave Blossoms to prevail, if only to hasten Borthwick’s exit.

England vs South Africa (Sat, 16 Nov)

Right from the off, the Steve Borthwick era has had an end-of-days feel to it, the sense that a ‘Wally with a brolly’ moment could materialise at any moment. The World Cup and Six Nations campaigns were pleasantly surprising in that they weren’t total and utter disasters, but England have since reverted to the mean – hard – losing four on the bounce and five of their last six, and the visiting Springboks, the rugby equivalent of Space Jam’s Monstars, could blow the wheels off at Twickenham. This may well go down as a ‘where were you?’ fixture.

Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic (Sun, 17 Nov)

Madison Square Garden doesn’t open its doors to the UFC for any old event. After growing bored of defending the light-heavyweight title, a belt he effectively owned for a decade, Jon Jones stepped up to heavyweight, returning from a three-year hiatus to score a frighteningly effortless first-round victory over the great Cyril Gane. His reward: a showdown with the most celebrated heavyweight in UFC history, Stipe Miocic. The former two-time champion has become a full-time firefighter since his last UFC outing, a defeat to Francis Ngannou in 2021, and aged 42, this will almost certainly be his last hurrah.

England vs Republic of Ireland (Sun, 17 Nov)

From one England team in a spot of bother to another. Poor Lee Carsley. Stitched up by the FA, which forced him to twist himself in very public knots over a Three Lions post that had already been earmarked for Thomas Tuchel, and now deserted by droves of players for what could have been a glorious swansong against the nation he represented as a player, the Republic of Ireland. It’s even raised the ire of the normally frustratingly docile Harry Kane. England likely need to win to stand a chance of gaining promotion back to the, ahem, big leagues (Nations League A).

ATP Finals final (Sun, 17 Nov)

We wish people stopped trying to christen it the “fifth grand slam”, because the ATP Finals are nothing like a major. The Turin tournament is restricted to the eight top-ranked players on the ATP Tour, for starters, and the group format provides a welcome break from the usual. But we digress. With Novak Djokovic absent, the world No.1 and chief Carota Boy himself Jannik Sinner is looking like the man to beat, unless Carlos Alcaraz is able to get to grips with the runny tummy that anyone in their right mind wouldn’t ever risk on such a public stage.

Grand Slam of Darts final (Sun, 17 Nov)

How often do you see each of the top three contenders – and reigning champion – fall at the first hurdle of any competition? Darts titans Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith failed to get out of their groups at Aldersley Leisure Village, blowing the contest wide open. It would be a brilliant way for Luke Littler to cap his first year on the PDC professional tour, but ironically, the 17-year-old sensation has now inspired a whole raft of underdogs. It’s an opportunity that top pros Rob Cross and Gary Anderson won’t want to pass up either.

Ireland vs New Zealand (Fri, 8 Nov)

“Don’t miss your flight home tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you c***.” According to Johnny Sexton, those were the words that sparked – not that he ever needed much provocation – his uncouth exchange with Rieko Ioane in the immediate aftermath of Ireland’s latest World Cup elimination at the hands of New Zealand. With the top spot in the world rankings on the line, Friday’s Autumn International in Dublin isn’t a fixture that needed a sensationalist subplot, but it helps. Ireland will be captained by Caelan Doris, while the All Blacks are missing Beauden Barrett.

Davis vs Lemos (Sat, 9 Nov)

Having made his name at the Tokyo Olympics, where he took silver, Keyshawn Davis is fighting in his hometown for the first time since going pro, and he’s not playing things safe in front of his family and friends. The No.3-ranked lightweight will put his undefeated record on the line against heavy-hitting Gustavo Lemos, who’s returning to the ring with a point to prove after suffering his first ever defeat. The Argentine has spent the past few years operating in the heavier junior welterweight division, growing meaner and tougher, and Davis almost certainly won't have felt power like his before. In the nicknames stakes – The Businessman vs El Electrico – the American loses hands down.

Pacific Championships finals (Sun, 10 Nov)

A quadruple-header of finals sounds way too good to be true, but that’s exactly what’s in store on the decisive last day of the 2024 Pacific Championships. The men’s and women’s Pacific Cup finals – between Australia and Tonga, and Australia and New Zealand respectively – headline the action from Western Sydney Stadium, while there’ll also be a pair of promotion/relegation showdowns, between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea on the men’s side, and Papua New Guinea and Samoa on the women’s. The only catch is that your Saturday night will have to power through to Sunday lunchtime if you want to catch all the action.

Liverpool vs Chelsea WSL (Sun, 10 Nov)

Chelsea’s enduring status as the WSL’s gold standard is testament to the care and attention Todd Boehly has lavished upon manager of the month Sonia Bompastor’s team, who have won every game across all competitions this season. In spite of all of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s goals and assists, the Blues trail Man City in the standings by virtue of having played fewer games. The deficit could stand at four points by the time they line up against Liverpool, who are in strong form too. Taylor Hinds is one of the form players in the league, and the Reds could end the weekend above Arsenal in the pecking order.

Inter vs Napoli (Sun, 10 Nov)

Sunday evening’s top-of-the-table clash between league leaders Napoli and reigning champions Inter could well become one of this season’s defining inflection points. Yes, we’re aware it’s only November. Barely a week ago, Napoli were seven points clear and, for the first time since getting involved with Tottenham, Antonio Conte seemed genuinely happy. One 3-0 stuffing later, they’re in danger of slipping not just to 2nd, but as far down as 5th. If Napoli do lose at the San Siro, having to shake hands with the dreamboat Simone Inzaghi is hardly likely to brighten Conte’s mood.

England vs New Zealand (Sat, 2 Nov)

The Autumn Nations Series (Autumn Internationals to proper fans) gets underway on Saturday, with a fixture that will lay bare the trajectory of each team, whether they like it or not. Twickenham will be an uneasy place, and not just because of the stadium rebrand. There’s been a strange stopgap feel to Steve Borthwick’s reign, as if he’s only ever one more defeat away from the sack, and All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson is now in the same boat too. His reign started with a pair of victories over England in the summer, but after losing three Rugby Championship games, one of those to Argentina, things are unravelling fast.

Conceicao vs Foster (Sun, 3 Nov)

At the age of 35, taking the WBC super featherweight title off O'Shaquie Foster should have been the highlight of Brazilian veteran Robson Conceicao’s career. It’s turned out to be anything but. The fight itself wasn’t a classic, but the outcome, a split decision victory that most onlookers could scarcely believe, has gone down as one of the most controversial of the year. The rematch takes place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, against a backdrop of anger.

Harrogate Town vs Wrexham (Sun, 3 Nov)

"That wasn’t in the script,” winks the studio anchor, as the camera pans to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, trying in vain to blend in with the crowd despite the outrageous antics of a plainly inebriated Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. Bingo cards at the ready for Wrexham’s clash with Harrogate Town, who it says here are nicknamed the Sulphurites. Here’s hoping this FA Cup first round proper tie is no stinker. The Robins have never actually beaten Harrogate. Granted, they’ve only met three times, but they were all post-takeover and two were only last season, when both clubs were in League Two. For Paul Mullin, read Sam Folarin.

Brazilian Grand Prix (1-3 Nov)

No need to fret if you’re not a regular F1 watcher. The FIA, F1’s governing body, are making the rules up as they go along. Perma-scowling reigning champion Max Verstappen got away with a cynical barge on his closest challenger, baby-faced cherub Lando Norris, in Austin a fortnight ago, only to have the same move punished a week later in Mexico City. As Lewis Hamilton fans would testify, the FIA had plenty of chances to set the boundaries three years ago but opted to instead indulge the then-rising star. It’s making for an acrimonious title race, and neutrals are savouring every minute.

Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers (Sun, 2 Nov)

Even the most dedicated American football hater might want to take note of the pick of this weekend’s NFL fixtures. The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are fierce rivals in the NFC North division, and they’ve been two of the best teams in the league all season. Despite losing their star man to a broken leg, the Lions are being spoken of as legit Super Bowl contenders, which is pretty huge considering they’re one of only four teams never to have even reached NFL’s biggest game.

Image Credit: Justin Setterfield via Getty Images

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