December is finally here, and it is time to get into the festive sporting calendar. This week we have a choice of multiple exciting fixtures to kick off one of the best months of the year for sporting spectacles.

Tuesday 2nd December Snooker UK Championship: Ronnie O’Sullivan v. Yuelong Zhou 13:00

Snooker returns to the iconic York Barbican for the Championship, and what better way to mark the occasion than to watch arguably the best snooker player of all time kick off his campaign to claim a ninth UK Championship?

’O’Sullivan is currently fifth in the world rankings but has had a less than stellar month with two wins and two losses from four matches, including a 4-0 hammering by Shaun Murphy most recently in the Riyadh Snooker Championship.

The English legend has had to wait to face an opponent from outside the UK, with all of his last seven matches coming against opponents from the home nations.

Zhou comes into this with back-to-back wins under his belt over Fu and Clark; the world-ranked 29th has had a much better run-in as compared with O’Sullivan, as he has managed to pick up seven wins from his last ten.

This will be the first time the two have met since February 2024, when O’Sullivan ran out a 6-2 winner. In fact, the Rocket has never lost to Zhou in seven meetings and will be hopeful that record can remain and avoid a shock defeat this early in his run for more silverware.

Date: 02/12/2025

Time: 13:00

Venue: York Barbican, York

The match will be shown on BBC Two.

 
Wednesday 3rd December Premier League: Leeds United v Chelsea 20:15

A rivalry is reignited this midweek with the rarity of a midweek Premier League fixture. The animosity between Leeds and Chelsea, despite their distance, is extremely fierce and dates back generations.

Times have been tough at Elland Road following Leeds’ promotion to the Premier League at the end of last season. With a host of new names to bleed in and a league full of Titans to contend with, the Whites find themselves with just three wins from 13 and 11 points, which has them in the relegation zone on goals scored.

Daniel Farke's team has been without a win since late October, and they now need to reverse their dismal run of four consecutive losses. A glimmer of hope was almost given when they looked to be on their way to a 2-2 draw with Man City, but a late winner from Foden sank Leeds to another defeat.

Chelsea have had a much better time of it this season and look to be a nailed-on top-four contender. They do currently sit in fourth place with 23 points but have a precarious three-point gap to ninth and need to continue their form, which has seen them lose just twice in 12 matches.

Maresca has instilled confidence in the Blues, as evidenced by their decisive 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League.

Leeds must take decisive action to halt the current trend and initiate a timely recovery from the bottom of the table. However, with six points separating them from 15th place, the fightback must commence promptly.

Date: 03/12/2025

Time: 20:15

Venue: Elland Road, Leeds

The match will be shown on Sky Sports Premier League.

 

Friday 5th December Sky Bet Championship: Hull City v Middlesbrough 20:00

We are now entering the Championship as two Yorkshire sides square off at the top of the table. Middlesbrough are the better of the two sides in the table, with 33 points seeing them in second place.

We mentioned Boro’s game against league leaders Coventry last week, which ended in the Sky Blues coming away with a 4-2 win. That has left the gap wide open between the top automatic spots, as Frank Lampard’s side now have a 10-point buffer between them and the Teesiders.

That was just Middlesbrough’s third loss of the season, and they now have to start looking over their shoulder despite a win over Derby at the weekend, as Millwall are chasing with just a two-point deficit behind them.

Hull will be looking to cause more trouble in the Northeast, with the Tigers needing a result to enter the playoff places. Just outside the top six currently, Hull have been on an inconsistent run recently with two or three losses in five games.

Having suffered back-to-back losses to QPR and Ipswich, the Tigers made a return to winning ways over fellow playoff hunters Stoke in a 2-1 away victory.

If history is anything to go by, then Middlesbrough may have the upper hand, as Hull have not beaten Boro since December 2023. But, with both sides gaining confidence from recent wins, it could be a closely fought affair which could ultimately shape the look of the playoffs.

Date: 05/12/2025

Time: 20:00

Venue: MKM Stadium, Hull

The match will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football.