Premier League Pre-Match Buzz, La Liga, Afcon Last 16 and Old Firm Derby – Saturday Action

An early contender for longest traveller. A message arrives from Christer Aakeroy:

“Journeying more than 4,400 miles from Manhattan, Kansas – the 'Little Apple' – to support my beloved Seagulls, I really hope that they live up to their undoubted potential and bring plenty of cheer and happiness to the Amex this afternoon.”

Brighton host Burnley (three o'clock) so the odds are in your favour/favor Christer. However, this piece of data might be worrying:

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

For fans of live text commentary, we offer extensive coverage. And more!

• 12.30pm Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest – Sarah Rendell
• 12.30pm Celtic v Rangers – me, David Tindall
• 5.30pm Bournemouth v Arsenal – Barry Glendenning

Additionally, Billy Munday will bring you live updates from the two 3pm Premier League kick-offs in his Saturday clockwatch while Dominic Booth is on hand with live coverage of the first two Afcon last-16 ties (4pm and 7pm kick-offs).

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)!

Here are some key European scores from Friday.

Serie A

Cagliari 0-1 AC Milan

La Liga

Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Getafe

Ligue 1

Toulouse 0-3 Lens

In Italy, Rafael Leao marked his comeback with the opening Serie A strike of the new year. His 50th-minute winner put Milan top of Serie A by two points although local rivals Inter can return to the summit 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

In France, Lens increased their lead at the top to four points over champions PSG with a convincing three-nil victory at eighth-place Toulouse, who were clearly hampered by being having a player sent off after just twenty minutes. That’s seven straight wins now for Lens. Could they pull off a title shock?

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? Maybe you've embarked on an adventurous journey to the Africa Cup of Nations? Send your thoughts and hopes with us.