Soccer: Gooners will hope that Arsenal can regain form during the Premiership's crucial winter period and get their title ambitions back on track.
IST Sports (www. istsports.ie, 01-8061753) has one-night packages for the home games against Wigan on December 6th (€259 per person), Liverpool on December 20th (€299 per person) and Portsmouth on December 28th (€259 per person). Prices include a night's accommodation, an official match ticket and a tour of the stadium. Allstar Travel (www.allstar.ie, 051-641511) is offering a one-day trip to the Wigan game for €219, including flights and a ticket, or €359 for an overnight stay, including flights, ticket and accommodation.
If Arsène Wenger's team fail to get the most out of those matches, there won't be much to look forward to at the Emirates Stadium as they enter 2009.
• Other teams will have more to relish, however, with both Liverpool and Chelsea hoping to maintain their table-topping form into the new year. On December 6th, Liverpool are visiting Blackburn and Chelsea are travelling to Bolton.
Holidays Online (www.holidaysonline.ie, 01-6797399) has packages to both games from €155pps, with seated match ticket, a night's accommodation and breakfast.
Rugby
Munster travel to ASM Clermont Auvergne, in the centre of France, on December 7th in the Heineken Cup.
Munster Sports Travel (www.munster sportstravel.com, 061-414717) has packages leaving from Shannon, Cork and Dublin, from €490pps for one night's accommodation, excluding match ticket.
Last year Munster managed a vital away bonus point,; they'll be hoping for at least the same again this time around.
• Davin O'Dwyer