El Clasico, STL Champions Cup, Mourinho vs Lampard: What to watch this week

With big football matches and exciting non-football clashes happening around the world, what's not to like about this week? Here are 10 of the best live sporting events, only on Astro and Astro GO! (coverage is subject to change)

ONE Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational Singapore

Here are your groups for the ONE Esports Dota 2 Singapore World Pro Invitational starting on Dec 17!Event Page ? https://t.co/F1ZtEp9Nio#ONEDota2 pic.twitter.com/QJmlx4IaBX

— ONE Esports ?#ONEDota2 (@oneesportsgg) December 11, 2019

Schedule: December 17 - 22 Channels: eGG Network (CH800) 12 of the best Dota 2 teams in the world, including current Dota Pro Circuit top two TNC Predator and Vici Gaming, gather in Singapore to compete for a share of the US$500,000 prize pool. As we wait for the action to begin, the biggest pre-tournament news is arguably a surprise return of Malaysian player Yeik "MidOne" Nai Zheng to Team Secret's active roster after announcing his short-lived departure last month.

Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig

Schedule: Wednesday, December 18 @ 3:30am Channel: Fox Sports (CH815 & CH835) Third-placed Dortmund have an opportunity to reduce their gap from the top when they welcome new league leaders RB Leipzig, partly thanks to Monchengladbach's 2-1 loss to Wolfsburg last weekend, to the Signal Iduna Park.

LaLiga: Barcelona vs Real Madrid

Schedule: Wednesday, December 19 @ 3:00am Channel: beIN Sports (CH818) El Clasico is finally set to take place after the original meeting was postponed due to political unrest in Catalonia. Besides being a meeting between the two eternal rivals, it might also have a big say on the title race as both teams are locked equal on points at the top of the league table.

NBA: Milwaukee Bucks vs Los Angeles Lakers

Schedule: Friday, December 20 @ 9:00am Channel: Astro Supersport 4 (CH814 & CH834) The Best of the West meet the Beast of the East this week as LeBron James and Co. duel with Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks at the Fiserv Forum. The Lakers are on a 14-game road win streak, while the home side are arguably more impressive with their league-best win streak of 18 games at the time of writing.

A-League: Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory

Schedule: Saturday, December 21 @ 2:00pm Channel: beIN Sports (CH818) After the last three Melbourne derby encounters ended in draws, will we see a different result this time? Another same outcome or a defeat for Erick Mombaerts's side, currently second on the A-League standings, will delight league leaders Sydney FC, who face Wellington Phoenix on the same matchday.

UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs Korean Zombie

The new #UFCBusan main event has a new poster! ?? Tickets on sale now: https://t.co/Cnm5mnonnF ?? pic.twitter.com/s5pPzx0ywq

— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) December 10, 2019

Schedule: Saturday, December 21 @ 6:00pm Channel: Fox Sports (CH815 & CH835) Due to a last-minute injury to Brian Ortega, former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar has stepped in to take on Chan Sung Jung in the main event of UFC Busan, which expectedly features a stacked card of South Korean fighters.

FIFA Club World Cup Final

Who will win the #ClubWC? ? pic.twitter.com/8CS1U9MzS2

— Stadium Astro (@stadiumastro) December 16, 2019

Schedule: Sunday, December 22 @ 1:30am Channel: Astro Supersport 2 (CH812 & CH832) Since the tournament's inception in 2000, it has been a monopoly between Europe and South America, with the former having taken home the trophy for the past six years. Can Liverpool make it seven in a row for UEFA, or can Monterrey create history by becoming the first CONCACAF side to reach the final? Either way, the winners of the semi-final tie will go on to face CONMEBOL's Flamengo or AFC's Al Hilal.

STL Champions Cup

Schedule: December 22 - 28 Channel: Astro Arena (CH801 & CH802) The Champions Cup is bigger than ever as top Sepak Takraw League (STL) sides, including Premier winners Perak Bison, and invitational overseas teams such as the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore and Indonesia battle it out to be crowned the best in the region.

EPL: Manchester City vs Leicester City

Schedule: Sunday, December 22 @ 1:30am Channel: Astro Supersport 3 (CH813 & CH833) Despite being away for the FIFA Club World Cup, Liverpool are set to benefit in the title race with their two nearest challengers face off in the Premier League. Leicester are 10 points behind the runaway league leaders, while Pep Guardiola's defending champions are further four away.

EPL: Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea

Schedule: Monday, December 23 @ 12:30am Channel: Astro Supersport 3 (CH813 & CH833) The student takes on the master once again as Frank Lampard and his Chelsea side visit Jose Mourinho's Tottenham for a London derby. They faced off once last season at the Carabao Cup when they were still managers of Derby County and Manchester United respectively, with the former prevailing on penalties.