Jose's Old Trafford return, Manchester derby, Ruiz vs Joshua 2: What to watch this week

December kicks off with a football-packed week, but that does not mean it is the only sport you should take note of on Astro and Astro GO. Here are the 10 big live events happening this week (coverage is subject to change)

EPL: Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur

Schedule: Thursday, December 5 @ 3:30am

Channel: Astro Supersport 2 (CH812 & CH832)

Jose Mourinho, who was sacked by Manchester United almost a year ago, returns to Old Trafford for the first time with a chance to pile more pressure on his successor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian has overseen a disastrous Premier League campaign so far as the Red Devils are sitting eight points away from the top four.

EPL: Liverpool vs Everton

Schedule: Thursday, December 5 @ 4:15am

Channel: Astro Supersport 3 (CH813 & CH833)

The Merseyside derby arguably comes at a bad time for Marco Silva, as the Everton manager faces intense pressure with his side being just two points above the relegation zone. A defeat to Jurgen Klopp's unbeaten Reds could mean the end of his time at Goodison Park.

NBA: Toronto Raptors vs Houston Rockets

Schedule: Friday, December 6 @ 8:30am

Channel: Astro Supersport 4 (CH814 & CH834)

This is a basketball game not to be missed as early MVP contenders James Harden and Pascal Siakam are ready to battle it out for the first time this season. It is also a clash between two contrasting playing styles as the Rockets have been impressive with their Harden-led offence, while the defending champions have been effective in neutralising their opponents' star players.

ONE Championship: Mark of Greatness

Schedule: Friday, December 6 @ 6:00pm

Channel: Astro Supersport 2 (CH812 & CH832)

The ONE Championship returns to Kuala Lumpur with two new kickboxing titles on the line. Thai fighter Sam-A Gaiyanghadao takes on Chinese kickboxing star Wang Junguang for the inaugural ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship, while Alaverdi Ramazanov and Zhang Chenglong aim to become the first-ever ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion. The likes of local fighters such as Jihin Radzuan and Agilan Thani are also set to light up the Axiata Arena.

Bundesliga: Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayern Munich

Schedule: Saturday, December 7 @ 10:30pm

Channel: Fox Sports (CH815 & CH835)

Nine months ago, Bayern were on the way to their seventh consecutive Bundesliga championship when they visited the Borussia-Park to take on fourth-place Monchengladbach, Now, tables have turned as Marco Rose's side welcome the struggling defending champions as the current league leaders, hoping to hand the visitors their fourth league defeat of the season.

Andy Ruiz vs Anthony Joshua 2

Schedule: Sunday, December 8 @ 12:00am

Channel: Astro PPV (CH825)

The Clash on the Dunes is on almost immediately after Joshua lost his unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles to the Mexican, arguably the biggest boxing upset of the century. Will the former undisputed champion regain his honour in Saudi Arabia? Meanwhile, the rest of the card is full of heavyweight fights such sa Filip Hrgovic defending his WBC International heavyweight title against Eric Molina, and Dillian Whyte duking it out with Mariusz Wach.

EPL: Manchester City vs Manchester United

Schedule: Sunday, December 8 @ 1:30am

Channel: Astro Supersport 3 (CH813 & CH833)

It's back-to-back big matches for United as they visit Pep Guardiola's side for the Manchester derby after facing Tottenham. Local pride aside, both teams cannot afford to lose this encounter, with the red side of Manchester wanting to turn their fortunes around and the blue side needing to keep up with runaway league leaders Liverpool.

Serie A: Lazio vs Juventus

Schedule: Sunday, December 8 @ 3:45am

Channel: Fox Sports 2 (CH816 & CH836)

There is a top-three battle in Italy this week as Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. head to Rome to face third-place Lazio, aiming to get back to their winning ways after drawing 2-2 with Sassuolo over the weekend. That result saw the title holders surrende their top spot to Inter, who defeated SPAL 2-1.

UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Rozenstruik

Schedule: Sunday, December 8 @ 10:00am

Channel: Fox Sports (CH815 & CH835)

The upcoming UFC main heavyweight bout in Washington, D.C. could be over before you know it, as Rozenstruik (9-0-0) has ended three of his last four fights in less than 30 seconds. Can Overeem (45-17-0), a former UFC Heavyweight Championship contender, stop the knockout artist?

UCI Track World Cup: Cambridge

Schedule: Sunday, December 8 @ 11:00am

Channel: Astro Supersport (CH811 & CH831)

The world's best track cyclists head to New Zealand for the fourth leg of the 2019/20 UCI Track Cycling World Cup, including Malaysian cyclist Azizulhasni Awang, who is looking to bounce back strongly after a winless outing in Hong Kong. The Pocket Rocketman, who recently won a men's sprint gold medal at the 2019 Asian Track Cycling Championships, finished sixth in the keirin final and was knocked out of the sprint event in the second round.