Merry fecking Christmas!

If the loved ones really love you, they'll love you enough to sit down with you and watch a festival of sport on Friday night and all day Saturday. 'Tis the season to lie in front of the tele and watch other people sweat it out. When you get home from work on Friday, park up and drink in the very best that Christmas has to offer. This lineup on the 22nd and 23rd of December is something else.

Friday

7pm Michael van Gerwen v James Wilson World Darts Championship Sky Sports The second round of the World Darts Championship kicks off on Friday with four games in the evening session headlined by the very best in the business. 7.45pm Arsenal v Liverpool Premier League Sky Sports  Mohamed Salah against the flakiest defence around - there will be blood. And there will be boos at the Emirates too. 8.30pm Espanyol v Atletico Madrid La Liga Sky Sports Something for the hipster in your life.

Saturday

12pm Real Madrid v Barcelona La Liga Sky Sports 11 points adrift in La Liga with one game in hand, this is must-win for the champions, there's no two ways about it. 12.30pm Everton v Chelsea Premier League Sky Sports Sam Allardyce trying to bore the life out of the most frantic manager in the league - what's not to love? 1pm Steve Lennon (?) v Rob Cross World Darts Championship Sky Sports If Carlow man Lennon wins on Wednesday, he'll be in a second round clash with Rob Cross on Saturday during another four-game afternoon session. 3pm Man City v Bournemouth Premier League TBC There are nine Premier League games on Saturday and, whilst none of the six 3pm kickoffs are being broadcast in Ireland, there are places you can go... If you're abroad and doing it all legally, of course. 5.30pm Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur Premier League The high-flying Irish contingent are one point above Spurs at present and can take over Arsenal with the right results this weekend. If you're one of the unlucky few. Derry man in the second round with two of the greatest on after him. The Serie A title race is the best in Europe at the minute. Second place Juve are three points ahead of Roma but the capital city outfit have a game in hand over the champs. This is a crucial game. The start of the inter-pros. Jose Mourinho trying to keep light pressure on Man City - he's hovering the bandaid above the wound, if not applying it at all. Just to keep it going for the craic - it's Christmas after all.