Here is what is in store in the coming week

Ahead of a busy week of sport across the globe, Graham Caygill highlights five of the leading events going on over the coming seven days.

1. NFL: Wild card play-offs, today and tomorrow, OSN Sports

 Business picks up in the NFL as the play-offs begin this weekend. Today’s action sees the Houston Texans host the Kansas City Chiefs followed by the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tomorrow’s first game has the Minnesota Vikings go up against the Seattle Seahawks, who are bidding for a second Super Bowl victory in three years and a third successive appearance in the event. The Green Bay Packers complete the weekend’s busy schedule as they travel to the Washington Redskins.

2. Cricket: Australia v India, first ODI, 7.20am, Tuesday, OSN Sport 

The current world champions in the 50-over form of the game go up against the previous winners in what should be an entertaining five-match series, with the action beginning in Perth on Tuesday. Steve Smith leads Australia into action fresh from guiding them to a 2-0 Test series victory over the West Indies, and he will be hoping for a repeat of the last time they met in an ODI, which was the World Cup semi-final in March last year, when his 105 helped his side win by 95 runs.

3. Premier League: Liverpool v Arsenal, midnight, Wednesday, beIN Sports 

Leaders Arsenal travel to Anfield with a two-point lead at the top of the table, but while Liverpool have failed to find much in the way of consistency this season, they will still be a dangerous prospect for the London side. Jurgen Klopp’s men have played some of their best stuff against the bigger named teams in the division. The 4-1 win at Manchester City in November was one of the performances of the season and Arsene Wenger would do well to be way of the Merseyside club.

4. Cricket: South Africa v England, third Test, 12.30pm, Thursday, OSN Sport 

The teams head to Johannesburg with England still having the advantage at 1-0 in the four-match series. If Alastair Cook’s men can win at the Wanderers Stadium for the first time since 2005 they will clinch the series. The pressure is on the Proteas, who have AB de Villiers taking over as captain after Hashim Amla stepped down from the role following the drawn second Test in Cape Town last week.

5. Motorsport: Dubai 24 Hours, Thursday to Saturday 

The 11th staging of the annual endurance race takes place at the Dubai Autodrome next weekend. The teams will begin arriving in the UAE early in the week for the event, which not only tests driver speed, but the ability of their car to last for 24 hours of racing. Last year’s event was won by the Black Falcon team of Abdulaziz Al Faisal, Hubert Haupt, Yelmer Burrman and Oliver Webb, and Faisal, Haupt and Buurman are back again, this time with Bernd Schneider and Michal Broniszewski. Qualifying is on Thursday, with the race beginning at 2pm on Friday and finishing at the same time on Saturday.

Blog Source: http://www.thenational.ae/sport/here-is-what-is-in-store-in-the-coming-week