As we delve deeper into the curtain call month of 2025, there is still much to play and fight for, and this week is no different, with action from football and darts on showcase in what is looking to be another fruitful week of sporting drama.

Tuesday 9th December, SkyBet League Two: Harrogate Town v. Accrington Stanley, 19:45

Our first pick of the week is in League Two, where Yorkshire’s only representative, Harrogate Town, looks to escape the drop zone with a win over Accrington Stanley at the Exercise Stadium.

Simon Weaver’s Harrogate finds themselves fighting for survival in the fourth tier, in 23rd place, with sixteen points accrued in 18 matches. That tally has Town one point off Cheltenham and an escape from the bottom two.

While being in touching distance of safety, Harrogate have been on a dour run recently, with not a single league win being picked up since the 27th of September. Harrogate has played seven matches, claiming just two points, leaving many frustrated by the challenging end-of-year schedule that lies ahead.

Accrington are next up, a side sitting six places above Town in 17th place. Despite an early wobble at the start of the season, Stanley have recently found themselves picking up form and crucial points with just one loss in their last six League Two matches, including a 1-0 home win against fellow strugglers Oldham.

Most of those points have come from sides also fighting to stay afloat in the league, which does not signal good news for Harrogate, who will be desperate to lift from the drop zone and close the gap to teams such as Stanley.

It is also worth noting that this will be a matchup between Harrogate, who have the second-worst home record, and Accrington, with one of the worst away records in the division. Therefore, we could be seeing a breaking of the mould at a time where safety is becoming increasingly more nerve-racking.

Date: 09/12/2025

Time: 19:45

Venue: Exercise Stadium, Harrogate

The match will be shown on The match will be shown on SkySports+.

 

Wednesday 10th December UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid v Manchester City 20:00

From League Two to the Champions League now, as a titanic matchup is set to take place at the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid host a City side attempting to jump into the automatic round of 16 spots.

With ten points from five matches, City stands ninth in the Champions League table. For the most part, it has been a fruitful campaign in Europe thus far, but concerns have arisen from Pep’s side about lacking the ruthlessness in the Premier League that has leaked into the Champions League.

That has been mostly quelled with impressive wins over Villarreal, Napoli and Dortmund. But, there have been cracks, particularly when dropping points against Monaco and losing to Leverkusen most recently.

Despite an irregular slow start in the league, the Cityzens have recovered and now find themselves back on Arsenal’s heels and fighting for the title with just two points now between them and the Gunners.

It is similarly tight in the CL table, as they are only two points off second place and five from the top spot, which is also Arsenal. Standing in their way is Real Madrid, who occupy fifth spot and remain two points ahead of City, having won four from five and only dropping points in a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Madrid also find themselves fighting to take the top spot in their domestic league; just one loss in La Liga has them four points behind bitter rivals Barcelona. They are also finally back to winning ways in the league, as a slight drop-off that saw them draw three consecutive matches has subsided with an impressive 3-0 win at Athletic Club last week.

With both sides now hitting stride in their respective leagues, it will be all the more interesting to see who will prevail in this encounter and give themselves what will be a welcome boost of confidence for a season that is starting to really heat up both domestically and in Europe.

Date: 10/12/2025 

Time: 20:00

Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

The match will be shown on TNT Sports 1.

 

Thursday 11th December PDC World Championship: Michael Smith vs. Lisa Ashton 20:10

It is that time of year once again for the premier showing in the darting calendar, as the World Championship is back at Ally Pally.

The first round has a meeting of two icons of the sport, with Michael Smith taking on Lisa Ashton. Smith is a seasoned winner as a former world champion and Grand Slam winner, as well as a six-time European Tour Event winner and an 11-time Player Championship winner.

Most recently he has also been a World Series final runner-up and World Cup of Darts winner in 2024. The scenes of Smith’s nine-dart finish versus Van Gerwen in the 2023 World Championship still permeate the darts media landscape and remain one of the most famous moments the sport has ever seen.

That could be changed, however, if Lisa Ashton can earn a victory, as the Lancashire Rose has the chance to cause something special on the biggest stage of them all. Ashton is one of the most decorated female darts players ever, with 15 WDF major event wins, 18 PDC Women’s Series wins and a staggering nine gold medals representing England and the United Kingdom.

Most recently Ashton triumphed at the Women’s World Matchplay, beating Fallon Sherrock 6-5 in the final. Hot from that win, Ashton will be full of confidence to better her highest placing in the World Championship, which is the last 96.

Ashton also has a point to prove over Smith, who has beaten her in each of the last four times the two have met. The only win for Ashton came in 2020, where Smith was beaten 6-4 in the Player Championship.

Date: 11/12/2025

Time: 20:15

Venue: Alexandra Palace, London

The match will be shown on Sky Sports Darts.