We begin with AFL, and the Sydney Swans play Geelong in tonight's first semifinal, with a spot against the Adelaide Crows in the preliminary finals on the line.
It is the 300th game for Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh, and the club also insists there are no concerns about star forward Lance Franklin's troublesome quadricep injury.
The Swans will start as solid favourites as they try to continue the astonishing run that has overturned their 0-6 start to the season.
But assistant coach Henry Playfair says the team is not taking a victory for granted.
"What we do know is they're a great team and they finished second, so they've had a sensational year, and it's a bit of history to write off the teams that lose the qualifying final and talk up the teams that win the elimination finals."
Greater Western Sydney and the West Coast Eagles play the second semifinal for the right to face Richmond in the penultimate finals round.
There is also knockout football in the National Rugby League.
Brisbane faces Penrith tonight and Parramatta and North Queensland clash on Saturday.
Brisbane will be without skipper Darius Boyd, still sidelined with a hamstring complaint.
Kodi Nikorima will start at fullback, with veteran Benji Marshall remaining in the halves with Anthony Milford.
Coach Wayne Bennett is adamant Boyd's absence will not dent Brisbane's chances.
"Yeah, I'm confident. We have trained well. But we've got to get out there and do it and not get too excited early and control the rucks a little bit better than we did last time we played."
In football, the national women's team, the Matildas, will host the first of two friendly matches against powerhouse Brazil on Saturday.
For the first time in Matildas history, coach Alen Stajcic could field an entirely foreign-based side.
The Matildas' players have flown in from the United States, Norway, Germany and Japan.
It will also be the first time many current Matildas have played before a sellout crowd, a fact not lost on veteran goalkeeper Lydia Williams.
"As long as I've been around the team, it hasn't been this big of a reception before. And it's quite exciting to sell out a crowd -- and, hopefully, two stadiums. That's something that I didn't think would ever happen, and it's exciting to see the kind of drive we've had in the Australian public."
There are also a few blockbuster match-ups in the English Premier League this weekend.
Defending champion Chelsea faces mid-table Arsenal, while league leader Manchester United plays struggling Everton.
And you can watch Liverpool host Burnley on SBS from 11:25pm in the east on Saturday night, live and in HD.
Elsewhere, Australia's winless Wallabies face Argentina in the Rugby Championship in Canberra on Saturday.
Australia will look to Kurtley Beale to recreate the form that has brought the Wallabies close -- but not close enough -- to defeating New Zealand and South Africa in recent weeks.
Centre Tevita Kuridrani has appealed to supporters in the capital to come out and back the national team.
"I think if all the fans could come and watch the boys play -- a few of the (ACT) Brumbies boys that are playing for the Wallabies -- if they can turn out on the weekend, that would be much appreciated."
In cricket, Australia and India face off in the first match of the one-day series on the Asian subcontinent on Sunday.
India has been on a roll in tests and recently subjected Sri Lanka to a tour whitewash by winning all nine matches there.
Australian assistant coach David Saker says the team is up to the challenge, though.
"I think we've got the skill to be able to win these games, but it's going to be really tough. Nathan Coulter-Nile and Kane Richardson bowled really well yesterday, and, if they can bowl with that same intensity and that same sort of pace, I think they'll trouble the Indian team."
In tennis, Davis Cup great Lleyton Hewitt claims he has never been with a more united team than the Australian side he will captain against Belgium in this weekend's Brussels semifinal.
Hewitt's team includes Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Jordan Thompson and John Peers.
And, finally, in the United States, the World Surf League event at Lower Trestles continues into this weekend, with several Australians still in the mix.
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