Another weekend ending signals a downturn in drama for some, but for us there is still plenty on offer during the workweek. Teams are competing for season-defining moments and victories that could determine not only the outcome of a week but also the success of an entire year.

Heroes and villains can all be made in the space of five days, so here are our picks for those games most likely to get you out of your seat or leave you out of your mind.

Tuesday 20th January, Sky Bet Championship, Hull City v. Preston North End, 19:45

We start the week with a playoff clash in the Championship, as Hull City take a coast-to-coast trip to Deepdale to face a Preston side hot on their heels in pursuit of a top-six finish.

Both sides are currently well within the playoff picture, with Hull the better of the two in fifth place on 44 points. The Yorkshire side do have the advantage of fewer games played and a point buffer to North End and now have the chance to make up ground in the top six with a victory, with both Millwall and Ipswich being within three points of them.

The Tigers are also in better form, with their 1-0 defeat to Stoke being the only loss in 8 matches. Within their current purple patch, Hull have also shown their top-sex credentials with impressive away victories over fellow promotion chasers Millwall and Middlesbrough along the way.

Preston have lost fewer games than the Tigers, and they do boast a much better goal difference, but they have been less consistent recently, with just two wins from their last seven in all competitions. North End enter this one off the back of back-to-back defeats to League One Wigan in the FA Cup and a narrow 1-0 defeat to mid-table Derby on their return to league action.

The Lilywhites are often seen as a perennial championship mid-table side, but this season feels like a chance for them to push higher despite the fact we have seen this story before of a Preston side being nearly men. Their place in the playoff picture could look bleaker with a loss to Hull, as Stoke sit perilously close to usurping them, as the Potters are just two points away.

A win for either could prove to be crucial come the end of the season, with twists and turns likely to still come in a league where predictions prove impossible and where drama is an expected outcome almost every match week.

Date: 20/02/2026

Time: 19:45

Venue: Deepdale, Preston

The match will be shown on Sky Sports+.

 

Tuesday 20th January, UEFA Champions League, Inter Milan v Arsenal, 20:00

If the top end of the Championship does not float your boat, then perhaps the top end of the Champions League is the place to be as two titans clash in the league phase.

Both are currently at the pinnacle of their domestic leagues while hoping their season can be made even better with a deep run in Europe, which looks likely as Arsenal lead the way on 18 points whilst Inter are holding firm in sixth.

The Gunners are the only side with a perfect record in the Champions League, having won six from six, including impressive results over fellow European giants Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.

In the Premier League, Arsenal were left annoyed by a 0-0 draw to relegation fighters Nottingham Forest but still remain unbeaten for 11 matches in a record that includes nine wins.

If they can continue this unbeaten run, they will guarantee a top eight finish and progression in a season that many are already coining as a turning of the tide for an Arsenal side derided as nearly men for almost two decades.

Inter need to regain their form and confidence in Europe, with the blue side of Milan winning their opening four fixtures before slipping to back-to-back defeats to Atletico Madrid and Liverpool.

Inter themselves are in the midst of a good run of six matches unbeaten following their 1-0 win over Udinese. Those consecutive losses will do no good for their confidence, but a return to form could be on the cards with Inter now strutting their stuff at the top of Serie A and looking to return to their previously imperious home form in European competitions.

With so much on the line for both, this clash could be one for the ages and a real display of what makes those at the top of the tree tick. Inter did win last time out when the two faced last year, but Arteta will be hopeful of a rewriting of their woeful record away from home to Italian opposition with renewed confidence from their exploits in the Premier League, where they look poised to finally lift the league title.

Date: 20/01/2026

Time: 20:00

Venue: San Siro, Milan

The match will be shown on Amazon Prime Video.

Wednesday 21st January, Enterprise National League, Carlisle United v. York City, 19:45

Another Yorkshire side is fighting for promotion further down the pyramid this week, as National League leaders York City are leading a congested pack where just two points separate them and Forest Green in fifth.

Within that pack is Carlisle, who, having been relegated from the football league last season, are chasing an immediate return to the fourth tier under manager Mark Hughes.

Both sides are on 56 points, but York are ahead due to their superior goal difference of 38. With such a dominant tally, it is no surprise that the Minstermen are fighting for the illusive single automatic promotion spot, and with their form being unstoppable currently, they are right where they wanted to be at this stage of the season following their disappointing loss in the playoffs, which ended their 2024/25 campaign.

You will have to go back all the way to the 1st of October for the last time York lost in the league, a 3-1 home defeat to Scunthorpe, but since then they have been simply sensational, especially during November, where they earned six victories on the spin.

After a successful maiden fixture of 2026 over Sutton, York almost slipped up against Southend at the weekend when they found themselves 1-0 down for the majority of the match, but like good teams do, they hung in and left it until the 87th minute, when a Pearce equaliser saved the points and the undefeated record.

Carlisle will be hoping that is a sign of things to come, as a win for the Cumbrians could send them top and offer a semblance of comfort in what is a highly contested top end of the table. Many expected Mark Hughes to exit the club after their relegation, but his commitment to the club has seemingly shown through the performances, but they do have the added pressure of being the side that has lost the most in the top six.

They are still unbeaten in the league in 2026, with their last loss coming in a 2-0 away defeat to Boreham Wood in late December. They did drop points last time out to Solihull Moors; however, as a Georgie Kelly hat-trick was not enough to get the win after conceding an equaliser in stoppage time.

The result of this meeting could define the top of the National League for the coming months, and with automatic promotion firmly in both teams’ plans, there will be no room for mistakes in what could turn out to be one of the games of the season.

Date: 21/01/2026

Time: 19:45

Venue: Brunton Park, Carlisle

The match will be shown on DAZN.