Jacques Kallis v Younis Khan

Two outstanding middle-order batsmen, but they carry different importance for their team. If Kallis fails there is, more often than not, someone to pick up to the slack for South Africa, but for Pakistan to succeed on this tour the feeling is that Younis will have to be successful. That is not to say all rests on him, but Pakistan's batting line-up needs a leader. Neither player has shown any sign of fading in the latter stages of their careers - both maintain averages over 50 - and perhaps Younis has never quite earned the praise for his achievements that he deserves. However, from some in South Africa there is a belief that is true of Kallis, too.

Graeme Smith v Junaid Khan

In the build-up to the series most questions have been about Smith in the build-up to his 100th Test as a captain. His challenge is now to focus on what really matters. Juggling his bowlers is the easier part of his job; with bat in hand he could be in for a testing time. Junaid, the left-arm quick, is one of the emerging fast bowlers in the world and is a style of bowler to have trouble Smith in the past. To be fair, Smith is not the only left hander to find left-arm quicks difficult - the usual angles take some adjusting to. In his Test career, Smith has fallen to left-arm pace in 25 of his 187 innings and his average against them 35.56, considerably lower than his career number of 49.28. A warning to Pakistan though: if Smith reaches a hundred, watch out. South Africa have never lost when he has scored a century.

Morne Morkel v Mohammad Irfan

What's taller than Morne Morkel? Mohammad Irfan, of course. Morkel's ability to extract bounce, especially on home surfaces, is well-known but in this series there is someone who may do that even more than him. At a towering two metres, Irfan is the already the player most hyped up ahead of the series, with many interested to see what effect his imposing physical presence will have. Although Irfan brings a certain novelty value, it could be his fuller lengths, not his ability to take people's head off that turns this into a contest. Morkel has learnt to adjust to make it more difficult for batsmen to leave him on length and advised Irfan to do the same. For men that tall, pitching the ball up is a tough ask but an important one given the conditions.

Robin Peterson v Saeed Ajmal

Some may laugh at the suggestion that this is a contest, after all Peterson is new as the frontline slower bowling option for South Africa while Ajmal would make it into most Test teams in the world. Peterson is best remembered for Brian Lara tearing into him at the Wanderers, Ajmal for his own tearing apart of England. Petersen, from nine Tests, has little over a fifth the wickets that Ajmal from 23 Tests has managed. But South African conditions and roles within teams could even things out. While there will be bounce, there is unlikely to be much turn as the hosts look to negate the doosra, teesra or whatever else Ajmal has up his sleeve. Peterson is not in the side purely as a wicket-taker and he will be expected to do a holding job on occasion but Pakistan's indifferent record against left-arm spin means this could be a big series for him.

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Firm favourites for the title, defending champions England have an easy opener to deal with when they take on tournament minnows Sri Lanka in a Group A match of the Women's Cricket World Cup here tomorrow.
The three-time winners of the tournament, since its inception in 1973, and the World T20 runners-up are led by Charlotte Edwards, who is set to appear in her fifth successive Cup. 

She led England to a four-wicket victory over Australia in the 2009 tournament final at Sydney.
England have a 100 per cent record against their rivals, considered outsiders in the race to the Super Six stage. 

The two teams have met on eight occasions, including one washed out match, and England have come out trumps seven times, making them clear front-runners. 

The England squad features familiar faces. There are eight players from the original winning squad of 2009 including the in-form ICC Women's Twenty20 Player of the Year Sarah Taylor, who will once again lead the side's batting line-up. 

Apart from Edwards, the most capped woman's player in ODIs with 160 appearances including 86 as captain, England have a top wicket-keeper batter in Sarah Taylor. 

Pacer Katherine Brunt, the number one ODI bowler in ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings with 76 scalps to her name, along with the talented slow left-armer Holly Colvin will be top bowlers for England. 

They also have three other spinners in the squad – Danielle Hazel, Laura Marsh and Danni Wyatt.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are looked upon as the team most likely to make an exit at the preliminary stage from this group that also has hosts India and the West Indies.
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Squads

Australia (for first two ODIs): Michael Clarke (captain), George Bailey, Ben Cutting, Xavier Doherty, Aaron Finch, James Faulkner, Phillip Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, Usman Khawaja.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo, Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Narsingh Deonarine, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Thomas. 

Australia: Australia's selectors have the Champions Trophy, to be played in June, in mind and have continued with the rotation policy despite some criticism following their relatively poor show against Sri Lanka. The rotation policy and injuries to key players (Moises Henriques and David Warner) gives a great chance for some young players to make some spots their own; the likes of Aaron Finch, James Faulkner and Usman Khawaja will be keen to make use of the opportunity. Finch has played 2 ODIs, Khawaja one while Faulkner will make his debut in the first ODI against West Indies. The fresh faces is also a test for skipper Clarke, as he has to manage a very young side against a competent West Indies unit.

The bowling attack looks a bit more experienced. Starc has cemented his place in the team while Mitchell Johnson has become a first choice bowler again. McKay, Faulkner and all-rounder Maxwell complete the rest of the line up.

West Indies: All the attention around the West Indies team is around the return of Ramnaresh Sarwan. After more than 18 months, which was spent in a battle with the board, the sturdy right hander is all set to make a comeback to the national team. His presence will be much needed, as West Indies are without Marlon Samuels who is injured. Chris Gayle has not been in the best of forms recently but he will know that he is only one big innings away. Andre Russell is suffering from a sore knee but is expected to be fit in time for the match. 
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The game is played in the stadium of FC Emmen Unive because the game is not in the home of Vitesse could be completed in connection with a dance party the upcoming weekend.

According to the supporters club Ajax Wednesday there were almost 2,000 tickets sold while the stadium can accommodate 8,600 fans. A mandatory buscombi which applies equally to Vitesse as Supporter Supporter Ajax is probably partly the cause.

Ajax coach Frank de Boer thinks it's bad for the image of the cup football: "I also read that there are only two thousand tickets have been sold. That's bad for the image of the cup football. The two teams that are still being nice in the league. There should normally fifteen to twenty thousand people to come. That does not fit in Emmen, but that stadium actually had twice sold should be. "

Not only Vitesse - Ajax will be poorly attended. The three other matches in the quarter-finals attracted very few supporters.

The visitors were clearly wobbled and were unable to recover in time to prevent Renato Ibarra's winning goal in the 81st minute, capping a furious rally by the home side.

Twente was hoping to restore its place atop the league with a win at Feyenoord, but was held to a 0-0 draw, keeping PSV one point clear.

Utrecht got goals from Anouar Kali, Edouard Duplan and Bob Schepers in a 3-1 triumph over last-place Willem II, while Soren Rieks scored 10 minutes from time to hand NEC a 2-1 home win against Groningen.

Ajax kicked away a two-goal lead in the final 22 minutes to sustain a 3-2 defeat at Vitesse on Sunday, leaving the Amsterdam side three points adrift of leaders PSV Eindhoven.

An own goal from Vitesse's Guram Kashia accounted for Ajax's 1-0 halftime lead before Christian Eriksen seemingly put the visitors on course for three points when he tallied his fifth goal of the season in the 64th minute.

Theo Janssen pulled a goal back for the hosts in the 68th minute and Patrick Van Aanholt leveled things at 2-2 11 minutes from time.

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Qatar vs. Lebanon
Date: 31/01/2013
Time: 18:30 local time (GMT +3)

Event: Friendly International
Stadium: Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Al Sadd Club


Qatar Squad


Goalkeepers
Qassim Burhan (Al Gharrafa)
Saad Al Shib (Al Sadd)
Baba Malick (Lekhwiya)


Defenders
Hamed Ismael (Al Rayyan)
Mohamed Moussa (Lekhwiya)
Youssef Moftah (Al Wakrah)
Bilal Mohamed (Al Gharrafa)
Ibrahim Al Ghanem (Al Gharrafa)
Mahdi Ali (Al Sadd)
Ahmed Yasser (Lekhwiya)
Abdul Karim Hassan (Al Sadd)
Ibrahim Maged (Al Sadd)
Khaled Moftah (Lekhwiya)


Midfielders
Younes Ali (Al Rayyan)
Khaled Abdul Raouf (Al Jaish)
Talal Al Baloushi (Al Sadd)
Abdul Aziz Al Sulaiti (Al Arabi)
Abdul Aziz Hatem (Al Arabi)
Ali Afif (Lekhwiya)
Mohamed El Sayed “Jeddo” (Al Jaish)
Khalfan Ibrahim (Al Sadd)
Maged Mohamed (Al Jaish)


Forwards
Jarallah Al Marri (Al Rayyan)
Hassan Al Haydos (Al Sadd)
Youssef Ahmed (Al Sadd)
Sebastian Soria (Lekhwiya)


Lebanon Squad

Goalkeepers
Lary Mehanna (Al Ansar)
Abbas Hassan (IFK Norrköping, Sweden)
Nazih Assaad (Nejmeh)


Defenders
Walid Ismail (Racing Beirut)
Ali Al Saadi (Safa Beirut)
Ali Hamam (Nejmeh)
Mootaz Jounaidi (Al Ansar)
Youssef Mohamad (Al Ahli, UAE)
Bilal Najjarin (Fujairah, UAE)
Nour Mansour (Safa Beirut)


Midfielders
Nader Matar (Canillas, Spain)
Abbas Atwi (Nejmeh)
Adnan Haidar (Stabæk, Norway)
Ahmad Zreik (Al Ahed)
Mohamad Shamas (Nejmeh)
Haitham Faour (Al Ahed)
Amer Khan (Safa Beirut)
Roda Antar (Shandong Luneng, China)


Forwards
Philippe Paoli (Racing Beirut)
Mohamad Haidar (Safa Beirut)
Feiz Chamseen (Al Egtmaaey Tripoli)
Hassan Maatouk (Al-Shaab, UAE)
Mohammed Ghaddar (Felda United, Malaysia)
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Match scheduled to begin at 14:30 local time (09:00 GMT)
Current time: 12:59 local, 07:29 GMT | Match begins in: 1:31 

India have been restricted to 26 one-dayers in the same period and their previous ODI was as far back as July 2012. Raj said she would have liked to play more games, but was nevertheless satisfied with the side's preparation and their showing in the two practice matches.

India are playing the tenth Women's World Cup, this one in home conditions, but apart from the weather their captain Mithali Raj does not believe being hosts grants them any particular advantage. India, who finished third in the 2009 edition, play their opening game against West Indies under lights at the Cricket Club of India on Wednesday.

Raj was expecting flat pitches which she felt would restrict India's home advantage to their experience of the weather. "It is going to be the humid conditions. During the practice games, we have had very flat wickets, and scores have been generally high. Basically, the ICC has provided batting tracks so that a lot of runs are scored in the tournament. We have had a camp in Mumbai so our players are used to the conditions. We are also used to slightly slower wickets.

"If it is a flat track, it is definitely not an advantage. In an ICC tournament everybody would want to see 300 on the board rather than 89 all out. I guess that is the reason, everybody around the world wants to prepare a batting track.

"I feel when it is a flat track, it could be anybody's game. There will be a lot of runs. The bowling needs to be tightened up. The crucial thing would be the fielding because the wicket will not change over both the innings."

West Indies finished fifth in 2009 in Australia "as underdogs", but have gained plenty of experience since then and are here to win this time, said their captain Merissa Aguilleira. West Indies have played 38 ODIs since the previous World Cup, only one behind England, who have played the most.

"It depends on the board completely to give us a number of matches," Raj said. "As players, whatever amount of games we get to play before the World Cup, we try and make the best of it. As a player, I would definitely want to have more tournaments, more international games to play.

"We had the domestic season and after that we had two camps, one in NCA and the other one in Mumbai. We have prepared really hard and we get into the tournament will full preparation. But again we will take it one match at a time. I personally would not emphasise more on the results, I'd rather go with the process. If everything goes well, then … we might … do it."

Compared to previous World Cups, Raj felt India had a strong opening combination going into the tournament. "One thing I have always felt is that India never had a very good opening pair. That was a concern. This time we have Thirush Kamini who has made a comeback. In both the [practice] games, the openers [Kamini and Poonam Raut] have given us a good start.

"We do have the senior players Jhulan Goswami and Amita Sharma. We have the vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur. We have two comeback players, Kamini and Karu Jain. I hope with this kind of combination we will do very well."

India lost the ODI series 2-1 on their Caribbean tour in early 2012. Raj said West Indies were a constantly developing side. "They have very talented players and some hard-hitters too. With Indian conditions, and I guess some of their players not keeping well, they are still to get acclimatized to the conditions, that might help us and also the kind of form we are in, I am sure the girls will put up a good show."

The experienced offspinner Anisa Mohammed had troubled the Indians in West Indies and Aguillera said her spinners would play a key role in India. "We are an all-round team. We have five spinners in the side and that has worked really well for us," Aguilleira said. "We'll make an impact with the compact side that we are.

"We went into the last World Cup as underdogs and lacked experience. But we've gained a lot of experience in the past four years and are not just taking part but competing this time."

West Indies were so tired after their trip from the Caribbean that they cancelled their second warm-up fixture following a heavy defeat to Australia Women in their first practice match. However, they are coming off a tied ODI series against South Africa at home and should not feel short of time in the middle. Aguilleira said the South Africa games had helped the side adapt to the new ODI rules which mandate a maximum of four fielders in the deep.
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Togo vs Tunisia

It is a must win tie for both Tunisia and Togo as they lock horns in the final Group D match of the 2013 African Cup of Nations on Wednesday.

Both nations are tied on three points apiece and a win for either side at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit will guarantee them a place in the quarterfinals in second place as Cote d’voire have already topped the group with a game against Algeria left to play.

The Elephants have secured top spot in the group with wins over both Togo and Tunisia, and all that remains is to fight for a second place birth.

The two sides lost to Ivory Coast with Tunisia being the bigger causalities with 3-0 defeat while Sparrow hawks lost 2-1 but both picked up maximum points against Algeria whose match against Ivory Coast is a dead rubber.

Unlike Togo, Tunisia are in a must win situation against Togo as anything less than maximum points would see the 2004 champions heading home.

For Togo, they can at least afford to draw the match which would still see them qualify for the knockout stages on a superior goal difference to Tunisia.

The Adebayor skippered team will be the favourites heading into this final Group D match as they have looked quite impressive in their opening two matches.

Togo and Tunisia have met in seven official matches since 1994 of which Tunisia have won six times and one has been drawn. The Sparrow Hawks have never beaten Tunisia, but will fancy their chances after the Carthage Eagles’ poor showing against Cote d’Ivoire.

The last time the two met was in October 2011 where Tunisia ran out 2-0 winners.
Surprisingly, Togo have never reached the last eight of the continental soccer show piece in their history.

Algeria vs Cote d'Ivoire

Last year’s losing finalists Cote d’voire take on Algeria in their last group match the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations at the Royal Bafokeng on Wednesday night in what is already considered as a dead rubber.

The Elephants are already through to the next stage after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Togo before stepping up a gear to register a solid 3-0 win over Tunisia while Algeria already bowed out after losing their opening two matches to Tunisia (1-0) and Togo (2-0).

Sabri Lamouchi’s side are assured of finishing top of group D due to better head to head statistics irrespective of the outcome of the match between Togo and Tunisia, who will battle it out for second place at the Mbombela Stadium.

The 1992 winners will however look to replicate their form from the 2012 edition where they maintained a perfect record en route to the final, where they eventually lost to Zambia on penalties.
Algeria on the other hand have it all to do as they are still searching for their first goal and first point in the tournament.

The desert Foxes have looked good on the ball but have nothing to show for it after losing their opening game to Tunisia 1-0 before a 2-0 loss to Togo confirmed their early exit.

Algeria will draw inspiration from their last meeting in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations where they scored late to tie the match at 2-2 before netting in extra time to secure a 3-2 win.
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Tromsø IL vs Widzew Lodz - Half-time Double Chance Odds Comparison
Date: Wednesday January 30, 2013, Time: 15:00 GMT


The 2013 Copa del Sol takes place in Marbella and Pinatar (Region of Murcia, Spain) between 23 January and 2 February 2013. The tournament give an opening to the newly constructed Pinatar Arena Football Center. Like in the previous edition, 12 teams was divided into two groups, the Red Group and the Blue Group

The Premium Club tournament Copa del Sol has been a success since the introduction in 2010. When the fourth edition kicks off on January 23rd it includes some of Europe’s giants. CSKA Moscow and Shakhtar Donetsk are to be challenged by the major Nordic clubs FC Copenhagen (Denmark), Swedish IFK Göteborg and Molde FK from Norway.
Copa del Sol will be played between 23 January and 2 February 2013 on the Spanish Alicante coast.

Teams participating in Copa del Sol 2013:
Tromso IL (Norway)
Stromsgodset TF (Norway)
Molde FK (Norway)
Rosenborg BK (Norway)
IFK Göteborg (Sweden)
RTS Widsew Lodz (Poland)
FC Vaslui (Romania)
CSKA Moscow (Russia)
FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
NK Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)


Format
In Copa del Sol, 12 teams are divided into two groups and each team plays three matches. The winners of the two groups face each other in a final, where the total amount of price money is 80'000 euro.
Groups and final match schedule will be announced following acceptance by final team and draw next week.

Copa del Sol
Copa del Sol provides excellent training and match opportunities fort the Scandinavian teams during the challenging winter break. The intention is to provide a top level training environment and matches at a high international level. The tournament 2013 is played between 23 January and 2 February.

Copa del Sol is the result of a partnership between NPFL (Norwegian Professional Football League) and IEC in Sports, part of Lagardère Group. The parties have engaged Matchworld for marketing and team logistics in Russia and Ukraine. Furthermore, Sabra Tours and Phoenix handle team logistics and management in the region during the tournament period.

The Arenas
Match venues are located at La Manga Club Football Center (La Manga) and Pinatar Arena (Pinatar) on the Spanish coast south of Alicante.

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As part of their preparations for the AFC Asian Cup qualifier which begins next month, the Paul Le Guen coached Oman will play China in an international friendly at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher on Wednesday, 30 January. 

In the Asian Cup qualifier, Oman are in Group A alongside with West Asian neighbours Jordan, Syria and Singapore. Oman had failed to qualify for the tournament proper in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. 

China failed to reach the 2014 World Cup after they finished third in the group, however, Oman are still in contention for a berth in the Fifa World Cup 2014 after remaining equal on points with Iraq and Australia in the Group B of the Asian qualifiers.

If they manage to win the remaining three matches of the competition, they will qualify directly in the next year's finals in Brazil. They have a difficult away trip to Australia in March followed by a home tie against Iraq before wrapping up the campaign with a trip to Jordan. 

 This is the first major game after a disastrous Gulf Cup campaign in Bahrain early this month where Oman was knocked-out of the tournament. Speaking to the media during the pre-match press conference yesterday, China Coach Jose Camacho said the match would give his young side an exposure playing against Oman.

"They (Oman) are a great side to play against and it will certainly give more exposure to my boys," said the former Real Madrid and Spain coach. "I think what we want to gain from this friendly international is experience and I am sure playing against them can lift ourselves," he said.

"A win can change the perspective of our side," said a source close to Oman's team management.
"The coach is working really hard with the boys and I am sure it will help us," he said.

"I am sure this time we will be able to qualify. We have a young team and they are in a transition period and it will take some time to really settle but I am sure as many matches comes by we can certainly reach great heights," the source added.
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DANIEL Geale has to knock out Anthony Mundine tonight to prove he is the fighter we believe he is. Mundine needs to beat Geale to prove he is the fighter he has always said he is. 
 
Both fighters are planning knockouts. Both want something beyond the result.
Geale not only has to settle an old score from 2009 but keep somewhere in the back of his mind that all of 

America and all of Europe don't see the Geale-Mundine fight as the morality play that we see it as here.
They don't care about the black hat against the white hat.

They see it as the IBF champion stepping into the ring against a fighter that was very good some time ago, and a fight he should win convincingly.

No matter how brave Mundine would be to go the distance with Geale it won't be seen that way overseas, where Mundine is regarded as beyond his prime. A points victory will be seen as conclusive proof of Geale's limitations.

A loss, of course, would be Geale's disaster. Some believe Mundine is fighting for his legacy. Not so. His legacy is set. Whatever people will think of Mundine will not be changed by tonight's result.
Mundine is fighting for whatever fights might be left.

There is little interest in him overseas and he has already fought and beaten everybody left to fight in Australia.
With the IBF belt around his waist, though, Mundine suddenly has something to take to the market.

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Burkina Faso vs Zambia

The Burkinabe will fly into the contest filled with confidence after their emphatic 4-0 victory over Ethiopia in the same stadium they compete in now. Still, it would take a brave man to bet against Zambia, who won so many admirers with their emotional victory in 2012. The Stallions’ victory last week might have flattered them as well, with Ethiopia becoming visibly demoralised as the game progressed.

In their final group game, Burkina Faso and Zambia clash at the Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, with qualification to the knockout rounds the very visible prize.

The west Africans will, however, be without veteran keeper Abdoulaye Soulama, recalled to the team by Paul Put, but who was dismissed in the second half for handling outside his area.

Alain Traore, Nigeria’s nemesis back in the first match, will once again look to be the hero. The French-based player, currently the tournament’s top scorer, could score the goals to secure Burkina Faso’s place in the knockout stages.

Few would have predicted, when the Afcon schedules will drawn out, that Burkina Faso would top the group at this late stage, yet the Stallions’ four points have been earned on merit. Zambia, on the other hand, are in danger of crashing out - their euphoric victory a year ago but a distant memory.
 
Herve Renard will hope not, and will be able to call on the sublime talents of Rainford Kalaba, who looked so influential and impressive against Nigeria, to try and save his side. The crux of last season’s victorious side will also be present, and the likes of Christopher Katongo, Joseph Musonda, and the heroic Kennedy Mweene will do everything in their power to keep the side alive.

Nigeria vs Ethiopia

Rustenburg will be the venue for the Super Eagles’ final Group C match—a contest which will decide the immediate future of the nation’s football. How will the nation remember the 2013 Cup of Nations? Will this be the year of what-ifs and might-have-beens? The year when the side conceded late equalisers against Burkina Faso and Zambia, throwing away four points in the process.

Or, will it be the year when the side overcame some perceived injustices to qualify from a tricky group and make an emphatic return to the continent’s high table? The future is still in the hands of the Super Eagles, for whom the permutations are numerous.

All Stephen Keshi will be telling his boys is that a win against Ethiopia will guarantee their place in the quarter-finals. The Black Lions may well be in disarray after their demolition at the hands of Burkina Faso, and shorn of the confidence that characterised their opening battle with Zambia, the Big Boss may well identify the Walya Antelopes as ripe for the taking.

After impressing in the first two fixtures, the duo of Emmanuel Emenike and Ahmed Musa will likely be the key attacking options for Nigeria. Despite his nervous penalty miss, John Obi Mikel’s improvement throughout the Zambia match will not have gone unnoticed—indeed, it was his pass which led to Emenike’s opening goal against Chipolopolo.

Defensive resiliency has been the issue for Naija in the first two games, and Keshi might be tempted to recall skipper Joseph Yobo, who sat out of the second fixture against Zambia.
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Aston Villa vs Newcastle

Aston Villa (from): Guzan, Given, Marshall, Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Lichaj, Stevens, Baker, Bennett, Ireland, Westwood, N'Zogbia, Bannan, Holman, Benteke, Agbonlahor, Bent, Bowery, Weimann, Burke, Johnson, Williams, Carruthers, Dunne.

Newcastle United (from): Krul, Elliot, Debuchy, Santon, Perch, Williamson, Coloccini, Yanga-Mbiwa, S. Taylor, Sissoko, Gutierrez, Anita, Cabaye, Bigirimana, Obertan, Sammy Ameobi, Marveaux, Cisse, Shola Ameobi, Gouffran.
 
Match officials
Referee:
Mike Dean; Assistants: J Collin, D Bryan; Fourth official: C Foy

Queens Park Rangers vs Manchester City

QPR (from): Cesar, Green, Murphy, Cerny, Onuoha, Hill, Ben-Haim, Nelsen, Ferdinand, Mbia, Park, Fabio, Granero, Traore, Derry, Taarabt, Faurlin, Hoilett, Wright-Phillips, Ephraim, Mackie, Campbell, Remy, Bothroyd, Zamora.

Manchester City (from): Hart, Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Lescott, Nastasic, Rekik, Clichy, Kolarov, Milner, Silva, Sinclair, Barry, Garcia, Nasri, Aguero, Tevez, Balotelli, Dzeko, Lopes.
 
Match officials
Referee:
Phil Dowd; Assistants: S Long, G Beswick; Fourth official: J Moss

Stoke City vs Wigan Athletic

Stoke (from): Begovic, Sorensen, Cameron, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Upson, Whelan, Nzonzi, Walters, Kightly, Etherington, Jones, Whitehead, Crouch, Jerome, Adam, Palacios, Owen, Shotton.

Wigan (from): Al Habsi, Boyce, Caldwell, Figueroa, Beausejour, Gomez, Jones, Maloney, Espinoza, McCarthy, McArthur, Stam, McManaman, Di Santo, Henriquez, Boselli, Fyvie, Redmond, Mustoe, Golobart.
 
Match officials
Referee: Mike Jones; Assistants: M Mullarkey, P Bankes; Fourth official: M Halsey

Sunderland vs Swansea City

Sunderland (from): Mignolet, Westwood, Bardsley, O'Shea, Kilgallon, Bramble, Mangane, N'Diaye, Gardner, Colback, McClean, Larsson, Johnson, Vaughan, Sessegnon, Fletcher, Saha, Campbell, Wickham, McFadden.

Swansea City (from): Vorm, Bartley, Flores, Tate, Williams, Britton, Michu, Graham, Hernandez, Dyer, Lamah, Routledge, Monk, Shechter, Moore, De Guzman, Tiendalli, Rangel, Ki, Tremmel, Gower, Davies.

Match officials
Referee:
Andre Marriner; Assistants: P Kirkup, S Massey; Fourth official: L Probert
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Niger vs Ghana:

  • Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
  • Date: Monday, 28 January
  • Kick-off: 17:00 GMT

Niger coach Gernot Rohr:

"For the motivation it [playing Ghana] is wonderful. We are a little country of football and we are playing against a big country of football - so we will have a beautiful game.

"We had a lot of chances to score a goal, we could have beaten DR Congo - now we hope that against Ghana we will play a good game.

Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan:

"I didn't know much about them until I saw their first game against Mali.

"They are a very organised team and they fight - I think they can cause harm to us but we aren't looking at that. We are Ghanaians and we are looking forward to a win.

"So it's not going to be easy but we'll be trying our hardest to get a maximum three points and qualify for the next stage."

"I've seen that the crowd [in Port Elizabeth] was with us and it was a good atmosphere in the stadium and I hope my players will do the same against Ghana."

Lineup, Bookings (0) & Substitutions (0)

Niger

  • 16 Daouda
  • 08 Kourouma
  • 13 Chicoto
  • 18 Dan Kowa
  • 19 Koudize
  • 21 Bachar
  • 23 Soumaila
  • 03 Lancina
  • 10 Talatou
  • 02 Maazou
  • 07 Sidibe

Substitutes

  • 01 Alzouma
  • 04 Amadou
  • 05 James
  • 15 Alassane
  • 06 Laouali
  • 12 Sakou
  • 14 Issoufou
  • 17 N'Gounou
  • 20 Amadou
  • 09 Kamilou
  • 11 Issoufou

Ghana

  • 16 Dauda
  • 04 Pantsil
  • 15 Vorsah
  • 21 Boye
  • 23 Afful
  • 07 Atsu
  • 08 Agyemang
  • 10 Adomah
  • 11 Rabiu
  • 20 Asamoah
  • 03 Gyan

Substitutes

  • 01 Adjei
  • 12 Larsen
  • 02 R Boateng
  • 05 Awal
  • 13 Akaminko
  • 19 Mensah
  • 06 Annan
  • 09 D Boateng
  • 14 Asante
  • 17 Clottey
  • 18 Boakye
Ref: Badara Diatta

CONGO DR VS MALI

  • Venue: Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
  • Date: Monday, 28 January
  • Kick-off: 17:00 GMT

Mali coach Patrice Carteron:
"We need a point to qualify for the quarter-finals and must forget about [the 1-0 defeat to] Ghana and focus on the Congolese.
"The destiny of Mali is in our hands."

DR Congo coach Claude LeRoy:
"We know that only a win will now qualify us for the quarter-finals.
"It will be rough and tough for us against Mali, but at least we know what we have to do."
"We will attack because that has always been my philosophy. I love to play offensive football."


 

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Los Angeles will put its 19-5 home record on the line Sunday and hasn't lost five in a row since Feb. 22-28, 2011. The Clippers will head east after their tilt with Portland to start an eight-game odyssey.

The Trail Blazers have won two in a row since a six-game drought and received a triple-double from Nicolas Batum on Saturday. Batum tallied 20 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, while Damian Lillard added 20 points for Portland, which went 2-3 on the homestand and played tough defense down the stretch.

"To end the game on a 10-0 run was a testament to what we've done for most of the season," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "We don't quit. We bounce back. We're resilient."

Batum recorded his first career triple-double on Monday against the Washington Wizards. Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 and 12 points, respectively, in the win over the Clips.

Portland is 7-13 away from the Rose City and will host the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night.

The Blazers lost at home to the Clippers, 103-90, back on Nov. 8 this season, but is still 11-5 in the previous 16 meetings between the teams. The Clippers have won two in a row as the host in this series.

The Clippers have dropped four in a row twice this season (Nov. 21-26) and are coming off Saturday's 101-100 loss at Portland's Rose Garden. Playing without All-Star point guard Chris Paul for a third straight game due to a bruised right kneecap, the Clippers were led by Blake Griffin's 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Paul is out indefinitely.

Jamal Crawford scored 19 points off the bench for L.A., which was outscored 10-0 to close out the game and still leads the Pacific Division by five games ahead of Golden State.   

"Tough pill to swallow," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro told NBA.com. "We had an opportunity to steal this one and we couldn't convert down the stretch."

Crawford had a chance for the win, but his shot was off.

"I thought it was in," Crawford said. "I got the space I wanted, everything."

The Clippers held a 56-32 points in the paint advantage.



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This event is actors honoring actors, which means the red carpet and the audience are full of — you guessed it — actors. None of those other guilds will get in the way of those fabulous celebs and their terrific gowns (the not-so-terrific ones, too, 'cause that's part of the fun). Remember, the SAG Awards recognize best ensemble casts in lieu of having best picture and best TV series categories.

The 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards have arrived, landing nicely after the Golden Globes and before the Oscars to deliver a dose of red-carpet glamour for those in need. And you can watch the red carpet arrivals here in a video live stream starting at 3 p.m. PST (6 p.m. EST)!

If you showed up early and are waiting for the red-carpet video to start, click play to watch footage from the 2013 SAG Awards nominations ... and if the red carpet's over in real time, you can still enjoy it taped. Just click play to see who showed and stopped to talk!

After a few rainy days in Los Angeles, let's hope the blue skies hold outside the Shrine Auditorium and Exposition Center, for the best view of all the stars. Never fear, though: The red carpet is tented, just in case.

And keep your browser tuned to the Ministry of Gossip for our own interviews from the red carpet.

The SAG Awards can be seen starting at 5 p.m. PST (8 p.m. EST) on TBS and TNT.
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NEC - FC GRONINGEN

NEC lost his last home game on 26 August 2012 against FC Twente (1-3). The seven duels afterwards the team of coach Alex Pastor on private land not defeat anymore (W2, G5).

FC Groningen is the least efficient offensive club in the Premier League. 187 attempts were made to score. This resulted in eighteen hits. A percentage of 9.84 percent.

The Nijmegen knew contrast of the last five games there is no one more win. This is currently the worst series of all clubs in the Premier League. The last two games scored NEC not.

FC Groningen did not know his last four games to win (V3, G1). The last victory was against Heracles Almelo on December 2, 2012 (2-0).

NEC received six red cards this season, the highest number of the Eredivisie. The suspended for this game yet Kevin Conboy saw three times red.

Both teams scored only once in the last four games. Victor Pálsson against PSV (1-1) and Virgil van Dijk against Feyenoord (2-1 loss).

FC Groningen after nineteen rounds twenty points, the lowest number since the season 2002/03. Then gathered the Groningers only fourteen points.

FC Groningen striker David Texeira scored all 447 minutes not in the Eredivisie. His final goal is dated 19 August 2012 (Willem II 1-1).
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BARCELONA: 
Hosts Spain and European title holders Denmark advanced to the men’s world handball championship final after emphatic wins over their respective opponents on Friday.

Spain eased to a 26-22 success against surprise packages Slovenia and Denmark romped to an impressive 30-24 defeat of 2003 winners Croatia to set up a mouth-watering clash in Barcelona’s Palau San Jordi today. “I am very pleased because I have won three bronze medals in the world championships but I had never qualified for a final before this,” said Spain goalkeeper Arpad Sterbik. “We still haven’t really taken it all in. It’s an unbelievable feeling top be in the final.”

The Palau Sant Jordi will hold an unprecedent final between two traditional handball nations but both with few WCh finals in their memories. For Spain, this will be an historical chance to repeat the success Tunisia 2005, when they won their only gold of their showcases. As a home team, they will play in front of their fans, which could mean an extra motivation for Valero Rivera's side. On the other hand, Denmark come to their third world final with the wish of winning their first title.

In the final will face two of the most accurate teams of the championship. Denmark is the only side who have won all their matches (8/8), while Spain was only defeated by Croatia in the last matchday of the group phase.

THE STATISTICAL FACTS
  1. On scoring and conceded goals, Denmark have netted 272 and conceded 209 (+63). Spain have scored 245 and conceded 164 (+81).
  2. Among all the participants, Denmark is the most accurate in shooting (65%). Spain have a 59% ratio of shooting accuracy.
  3. Scoring wings. Spain have in their two right wings a warranty of goals. Albert Rocas and Víctor Tomás are the top scorers of the Hispanos with 34 goals each. In Denmark happens the same, but in a more intense way and in their two corners with their two starter wings. Hans Lindberg has scored 35 goals, while Anders Eggert is the top scorer of his team and of the tournament with 52 goals.
  4. Two Fast Breaking teams. Having played one more game, Croatia is the team with the most fast breaks goals of the tournament (69). Denmark with 65 and Spain with 53 are second and third in this ranking.
  5. Goalscoring Hansen's absence. So far, the Danish star is not playing his best championship. He is the sixth goalscorer of his team with 20 goals and his shooting accuracy is not the best. With 45% of goals from his attempts, Hansen is the second Danish player with the poorest scoring ratio.
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Feyenoord played so bad against to Ajax on the away but at home they still have a strong and solid team, without any lost. If they win against Twente, they will be in the race!

Twente (and also PSV) has suprised us all last week. They could not even score too. Although Chadli has returned back. Actually their play was not good enough for the win.

Twente lost the leadership to PSV and also they will be playing on away. Feyenoord can win this game and we may watch a hard & pleasant race at Eredivisie.
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After all, Lennon was not much more than a child when the then Leeds United manager, Peter Reid, threw him into a team that was in “complete turmoil” and sliding out of the Premier League.

Indeed, Lennon set a Premier League record when, aged just 16 years and 129 days, he came on a substitute in August 2003 — against, ironically enough, Spurs.

“He was a breath of fresh air, to be fair to the boy,” Reid recalls of his bold decision to blood the Leeds-born winger. It was a move, Reid admits, borne of desperation as well as intuition.

“He had pace and we needed pace in the team,” he says. “He had a great balance about him and for a young man he wasn’t outgoing but he had an inner confidence.”

This is a common theme when discussing Lennon who played 43 matches for Leeds before being signed by Tottenham Hotspur for a snip of just £500,000 in 2005 by the club’s then sporting director Frank Arnesen who, however, decamped to Chelsea before the winger made an appearance.
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Real Madrid
  1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 18 goals and 4 assists in 19 appearances this season tells it’s own story. Left foot, right foot, heading, skills, crossing, the Portugese winger has the complete arsenal to score at any moment.
  2. Xabi Alonso – The midfield lynchpin has a sensational range of passing, and can set Madrid away by dropping deep and switching the play at will. Set piece delivery also excellent.
  3. Sergio Ramos – Back from suspension, Iker Casillas named him as Madrid’s most important player earlier in the season. Has matured into a dependable, tough-tackling centre back; one of the very best in Europe.

Getafe
  1. Alexis – The stylish centre back will have to be on top form to keep the likes of Ronaldo and Higuain at bay. Has chipped in with 3 goals this season, and could be Getafe’s main threat on any rare attacking set piece opportunities.
  2. Pablo Alcacer – The highly-rated teenager has the potential to unlock any defence on his day. Has only scored twice so far this season but is learning with every game.
  3. Angel Laftia – The midfielder will have his work cut out tracking the runs of Modric behind him, and possibly helping Valera to double up on Ronaldo. Has scored twice this season.
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World number one Novak Djokovic faces Andy Murray in the Australian Open final Sunday as they renew a rivalry that has become the premier matchup in men’s tennis.

Djokovic, the 2011 and 2012 champion, is bidding for the event’s first hat-trick of the professional era, while U.S. Open winner Murray can become the only player to open his Grand Slam account with back-to-back major titles.

The Serb and the Briton, both 25 and born only a week apart, have already met in two Grand Slam finals, with Djokovic dominating Murray in straight sets in Melbourne two years ago.

However, an increasingly athletic Murray outlasted Djokovic in five sets in the U.S. Open decider in September, when he finally landed a Grand Slam title after being runner-up four times.

The result broke a 76-year major drought for British men - and it gave Murray added belief that he can win at the highest level, after also beating Roger Federer in last year’s Olympic final.

Murray confirmed his new stature with a five-set defeat of Federer in Friday’s Melbourne semi-final, his first ever Grand Slam win against the Swiss, and goes into Sunday’s title match with his confidence high.
“I’ve been questioned for large parts of my career about physically would I be strong enough, mentally would I be strong enough, do I listen to my coaches, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. …Whatever it is, can I handle pressure,” Murray said.

“I think those years of having all of those questions and then finally to be able to answer them I think, yeah, it was all part of the process. So I hope on Sunday I can play a good match.”

Murray is into his third straight Grand Slam final but he is rated by many observers as second-favourite to Djokovic, who has again shown his amazing resilience and played tennis of the highest order in Melbourne.
Djokovic, who outlasted Rafael Nadal in last year’s record five-hour, 53-minute final, won a punishing five-setter with Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round but showed no ill effects when he beat Tomas Berdych two days later.

In the semi-final, he made a mockery of what should have been a difficult test against David Ferrer as he routed the fourth seed in straight sets, sweeping him off the court in less than 90 minutes.

“It’s just the conditions in general that I like, especially on Rod Laver Arena. It’s my most successful Grand Slam,” Djokovic said.

“Being in a third consecutive final is an incredible feeling and achievement, I’m so very proud of it.”
Cool temperatures are forecast for the final, which gets under way at 7:30 p.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET) on Rod Laver Arena, centre court at the riverside Melbourne Park complex.
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Although it may be true that the Murray-Djokovic final is going to be in the centre of attention today, I would say that the first match of the schedule, which will see Hradecka/Cermak playing against Gajdosova/Ebden, also deserves some attention from the betting point of view. Pinnacle, for example, are offering 1.80 for the Czech duo to capture the title and I think that those odds are worth taking.

Look - it is true that mixed doubles have always been a fairly unpredictable discipline in this particular format. However, it is also true that the teams that play the better tennis win much more often than those that don't. And I fully believe that Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak are going to play better than their opponents today. First of all, they have more quality when it comes to doubles, with Lucie Hradecka being one of the very best doubles players in the world and Frantisek Cermak being a very experienced specialist.

Meanwhile, both Gajdosova and Ebden play doubles only as an addition to their regular singles careers.
Furthermore, I think that the the Australian duo (and especially Gajdosova, who seems to be one of the least consistent players on the tour right now) is also much more likely to crack under pressure - and you can be sure that there is going to be a lot of pressure on them today with the locals expecting them to capture the title. Like Sijsling/Haase, I think that the two are actually quite lucky to be in the finals. And, just like yesterday, I think that the better team is going to win in the finals.
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UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson (or UFC on Fox 6) is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 26, 2013 at the United Center in Chicago Illinois.

Main Card (Fox)
Flyweight Demetrious Johnson (c) vs. John Dodson
Light Heavyweight Quinton Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira
Lightweight Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis
Featherweight Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas 

Topping the bill is a battle for the UFC flyweight world championship, as two of the world's fastest mixed martial arts fighters go head-to-head for the title.  World champ Demetrious Johnson makes the first defence of his title against winner of The Ultimate Fighter John Dodson.

In the co-main event, former light-heavyweight world champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson steps inside the Octagon for what he says will be the last time as he takes on dangerous Brazilian Glover Teixeira in what promises to be a spectacular bout.

Also on the card is a lightweight battle with world championship ramifications as former WEC champion Anthony Pettis takes on "The Cowboy" Donald Cerrone with the winner likely to earn a shot at the title.
And kicking off proceedings tonight is a featherweight bout between two top contenders looking to position themselves for a title shot later in the year as Erik Koch squares off against Ricardo Lamas.
The action kicks off at 1am, so why not follow the action with us as we take you through each and every bout on the main card, round-by-round.


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Florida Panthers Vs Philadelphia Flyers Live Stream Online NHL 2013. There is something about the Philadelphia Flyers that makes them easy to hate. Maybe it has to do with incidents such as the Mike Richards hit on David Booth. One could argue that Booth has not been the same player since that hit.  Maybe it is because as a die~hard New York Mets fan, my dislike of the Philadelphia Phillies oozes past the bounds of baseball and into the realm of Philadelphia sports in general.

Maybe it is simply because Philly fans are so obnoxiously in your face that there is no other sensible human reaction other than utter dislike of all things Philadelphia, I mean they even booed cancer for crying out loud!  Whatever it is, whenever the Flyers play the Panthers I feel like the game takes on more importance than your average run of the mill non~division game.

The Philadelphia Flyers are co ming to town tonight to take on the Panthers at 7:30 PM.  Both teams are in desperate need for a win after both have suffered through slow starts to the shortened season.  The Panthers and the Flyers each have one win to go along with three losses so tonight’s game should feature a large helping of early season desperation.  This will be the only meeting between the teams in South Florida.  They will play two more games this season in Philadelphia.  Last season the Flyers took the season series winning three out of four games.  The Flyers have also won four straight games in Florida dating back to March of 2010. (Source)

Injury Report:

The Florida Panthers injury woes continue to spiral downwards. The destruction of the Panthers top line will be co mplete tonight as it appears Tomas Fleischmann will not play after suffering a skate cut on his foot. (Source) Fleischmann will join injured line mates Kris Versteeg and Stephen Weiss as well as injured forwards Sean Bergenheim and Marcel Goc.  To fill some of the vacancies in the lineup, the Panthers have called up forward Quinton Howden.  Howden has played in 41 games for the Panthers AHL affiliate the San Antonio Rampage.  In those games Howden has scored 9 goals, 10 assists and 19 points. In addition to the forwards out, defenseman Eric Gudbranson still does not appear to be ready make his season debut.

The Flyers have some injury problems of their own. Forward Scott Hartnell will be out 4~8 weeks with a broken metatarsal in his left foot. The Flyers signed veteran forward Mike Knuble to provide more depth in lieu of the injury. (Source) In addition to Hartnell being out, reports that the Flyers will be without Andrej Meszaros, Zac Rinaldo and Danny Briere.

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New York looks to get on track Saturday night by avoiding a third straight home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have earned both of their victories on the road.
 
The New York Rangers had Stanley Cup aspirations even before acquiring Rick Nash prior to the lockout.
 
New York (1-3-0) is off to a poor start, though, and fell to previously winless Philadelphia 2-1 on Thursday. All three of Gaborik's goals came in Wednesday's win over Boston, and he notched his first assist versus the Flyers

Despite their star power, they've yet to prove they're capable of living up to the lofty expectations.

The Rangers finished with an Eastern Conference-best 109 points in 2011-12 before falling in six games to New Jersey in the conference finals. They traded Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, defensive prospect Tim Erixon and a 2013 first-round draft pick to Columbus for Nash in July, adding another marquee player to join fellow top-liners Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards.

Richards and Nash went without a point for the first time this season.

"We're not getting enough good plays from our top guys," coach John Tortorella said. "From some guys, yeah, we're getting a good level. From others, absolutely not. We have to decide, consistently as a group, how we want to play.

"I thought we got some good shifts, but our top guys, Gabby, Richards, Nasher, just have to get going more."

Toronto (2-2-0) will need to replace one its top players after forward Joffrey Lupul broke his forearm in a win at Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, just days after signing a five-year contract extension.

Coach Randy Carlyle isn't giving up on his team that quickly, but he also knows the inconsistency will hurt Toronto going forward. It went 0 for 5 on the power play, which included a pair of 5-on-3 advantages -- including one late in the first period while holding a 3-1 lead.

He missed his first game Thursday when the Maple Leafs fell 7-4 at home to the New York Islanders, prompting fans to chant "Let's go Blue Jays!" in the final minutes.

"I think we saw one team (Wednesday) and a totally different team (Thursday)," Carlyle said. "We were out of it, we were out of sync

"It you don't score on your 5-on-3 at some point in the game usually momentum is going to turn in favor of the opposition."

Toronto is 1 for 24 on the power play while going 2-4-1 in the last seven meetings with the Rangers, but both victories came at Madison Square Garden.

It's unclear who will be in net for the Leafs after Ben Scrivens allowed five goals on 25 shots Thursday before being pulled in favor of James Reimer.

Though the home fans have been displeased, the Leafs are playing well on the road. They beat Montreal 2-1 on Jan. 19, and James van Riemsdyk scored twice and added an assist in a 5-2 over the Penguins on Wednesday night.

"It's another learning experience and it's a tough one to swallow, but I'll take what I can from it," Scrivens said.

The Leafs have gotten the better of Henrik Lundqvist in the last three meetings, scoring 10 goals after he shut them out in his two previous starts. Lundqvist, though, earned a 4-3 shootout victory in the most recent matchup March 24.

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Algeria which qualified as the second-best ranked team in the qualifiers were tipped by most pundits to go through to the next round alongside favourites Ivory Coast but the Fennec Foxes failed to get off to a winning start as they lost 1-0 to neighbours Tunisia after dominating most parts of the match.

After losing their opening games, Algeria and Togo will be targeting their first points when they meet in a crucial 2013 Afcon encounter at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Saturday

The Algerians will have to find a way to rebound mentally from what was an extremely disappointing defeat against Tunisia having dominated the game for most spells.

Coach Vahid Halilhodzic will expect his charges led Islam Slimani, Foued Kadir and Adlene Guedioura who missed many scoring opportunities against Tunisia to be more lethal in front of goal this time round if they are to overcome Adebayor led Togo.

Nonetheless, the Bosnian coach must expect a tougher battle against the Sparrow Hawks who held their own during the 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast until they were sunk by a late Gervinho winner.

While a number of Algerian stars will look to redeem themselves in front of goal, the same goes for Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor who will aim to open his account in the tournament after missing some chances against Ivory Coast including a one on one in the opening minutes of the game. 

The winner of the game will brighten the chances of reaching the quarter finals going into the last game while a loss for any will mean elimination.
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Fulham boss Martin Jol is confident that striker Dimitar Berbatov can show his class on his return to Manchester United today.

It is the sort of evening that feels exquisitely tailored for Dimitar Berbatov. The stage, the lights, the live TV audience and the narrative that calls for him to steal it all as the leading man. Martin Jol, his manager at Fulham, has enjoyed his peep at the script of Berbatov's return to Old Trafford in Saturday evening's FA Cup tie. "Hopefully, he will score a couple of goals," he says. "It's not important if they will cheer or celebrate … score a couple of goals and don't celebrate. That will be nice."

Berbatov pitches up at what was meant to be his theatre against a backdrop of edginess, frustration and difficult adjustment. Fulham have laboured since early November, their free-scoring enterprise having given way to something of a grind and nine Premier League points from an available 36. There are nervous backward glances and few signs of an incoming big signing in January. Where are the £21m proceeds of the August sales of Mousa Dembélé and Clint Dempsey to Tottenham Hotspur when you need them?

Perhaps there could be a message on a vest, steeped in the kind of nonchalance Berbatov has long specialised in. It would not contain any pop at Manchester United, his previous employer of four years. It is not his style. And this is not a point-proving performance. Again, not his thing.

There is the possibility that some United fans would enjoy seeing Berbatov seize the occasion; those who saw in him the player they themselves once wanted to be, those who got him, those who felt sorry for him over how it ended at United, with the brutal omission from the Champions League final squad in 2011. He would stay for another season before his move to Fulham, but something fractured that night at Wembley against Barcelona.

Berbatov has gone from an environment in which victory was so necessary and routine that it barely brought pleasure, to one in which staff wonder where the four wins that ought to bring top-flight survival are coming from. "Berbatov was always playing for clubs who could win things," Jol says. "He played in the 2002 Champions League final for Bayer Leverkusen. Here, it's different and it's probably quite a change for him. I'm still trying to get it in his mind that we've got different targets."

Berbatov seems to be struggling with the transition, in terms of what he has to expect from his team-mates, and it was possible to detect exasperation in the slogan that he revealed on his vest after scoring against Southampton on Boxing Day. The implicit continuation of his slogan, "Keep calm and pass me the ball", was: "If you are capable of doing so".

"He is good," Jol says, "but he will still show it if you don't give him a good ball or the final ball's not good enough. I would love to get it out of his, sort of, attitude but I don't think I will manage that. If things are going well, you can see the other players will accept it. If not, you're always going to have one or two players who will start sniping at him. I have to control that. But until now, they're quite happy he's here."

Berbatov cannot be bent to the will of others. He is what he is and he does what he does. Sir Alex Ferguson's gripe about him at Old Trafford was that he slowed up United's offensive game with his desire to weave those elaborate patterns. The manager signed him for a club record £30.75m from Tottenham in 2008 because he felt the attack that had just won the Champions League needed a fresh dimension. But Berbatov could not adjust to United's tempo as, say, Robin van Persie has done since his arrival from Arsenal last summer.

Berbatov embraces contradiction. He is the stroller who appears not to try but is feted for his dedication and love of the game. He would wear shades to the cinema yet is a head-down, himself-to-himself kind of guy. He is arrogant but never once during his time in Manchester did he criticise Ferguson or United, even when he was out of the team.

He continues to polarise United's fans. His most memorable moments in a red shirt were not always of the greatest import, such as his spell-binding skill and assist against West Ham United in 2008 or his brief Franz Beckenbauer-style performance at centre-half against Leeds last season. Most United supporters remember a flick or a piece of velvety control. To cherish those is appreciate the man.

Berbatov's best season was 2010-11, when he scored 20 league goals, including hat-tricks against Liverpool and Birmingham City, and five in one game against Blackburn Rovers. He shared the Golden Boot with Manchester City's Carlos Tevez but, in some quarters, his cluster-scoring devalued the achievement. His season would end in the heartbreak against Barcelona, when Ferguson preferred Michael Owen on the bench.

The naysayers complain that Berbatov did not score against major rivals. They highlight his three-year goal drought in the Champions League and there is the old chestnut about him not working hard. He delighted United fans by snubbing City in favour of the move to Old Trafford, a decision that was celebrated in terrace song. His most savage critics say that it was the best thing he did for United. Berbatov did not play regularly – he was a 66th-minute substitute in the 2009 Champions League final against Barcelona – and there was a reason for that, which was not favourable.

The positive reading of his United career, though, celebrates his balletic quality and focuses on his Premier League numbers: 48 goals in 82 starts and 26 substitute appearances. He went to Old Trafford to win things and he claimed two titles and one League Cup.

"I don't think Dimitar was a failure here, he did a great job," Ferguson says. "The problem was the way we wanted to play, the selections we had. The hardest thing was when we had Tevez here also. That affected both of them.

"Some people like to see players run through brick walls and Dimitar is not that type. But he's a very talented boy who had a decent goalscoring record here. It was a terrible decision to have to make [in the 2011 Champions League final] and Dimitar didn't take it well, which you expect."

"It will be good to see Berby," adds the United midfielder Ryan Giggs. "He gave the club so much great service. He was such a talent and we'll have to keep an eye on him. I'm sure the crowd will give him a good reception."

Berbatov was unavailable for comment. He is too cool for interviews, although he did give one to the Fulham programme last month. Unsurprisingly, it was not run-of-the-mill. In it, he talked of his passion for "beauty and grace" in football; how he did not "want to watch players puffing around the pitch. You see games where the ball is flying from one box to another and it makes my neck hurt," he said. "That is not football for me."
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Petkovic's men are also within 90 minutes of booking a place in the Coppa Italia final at the expense of Juventus, ahead of a two-legged encounter with Borussia Monchengladbach in the Europa League.
Lazio have claimed eight wins from 10 in the league to stay within five points of Juve and Petkovic is targeting a sustained challenge on first place.

Lazio head coach Vladimir Petkovic believes the capital club are enjoying a period of success not seen at the Stadio Olimpico in over a decade.

The Biancocelesti are chasing Juventus hard to claim their first Serie A title since 2000 and, if they avoid defeat to Chievo tomorrow, they will have come through 17 games unbeaten in all competitions.

Chievo's form has been characteristically inconsistent this term but Petkovic has been impressed by the impact Eugenio Corini has made at the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi.

He added: ``We will look to dominate, as always, and we will need to beat an opponent who have picked up a lot of points since changing their coach.

``Are Lazio at the beginning of a successful cycle? We're already on one,'' he told Gazzetta.it.
``Cycles can be short or long, it depends on a lot of things. We are all trying to stay at this high level.
``We saw how much we had grown and improved during the game against Juventus.
``I watched the game again. We dominated the first half, struggled a bit in the second but with a bit of luck we managed to bring a result home.
``We are all working hard as individuals to improve further. The cup game proved we are competitive and can always claim a positive result.
``Now against Chievo we have to demonstrate that we can win every match.''

``They close ranks very quickly and they certainly put you in a lot of bother on the counter-attack.''
Former Sunderland midfielder Lorik Cana serves a one-match ban while Miroslav Klose, Ederson and Marius Stankevicius look set to miss out through injury.

Boukary Drame, Luciano and Perparim Hetemaj will be unable to help the Chievo cause due to injury, with Corini set to hand Luca Rigoni and Roberto Guana late fitness tests.
The Gialloblu have added Genoa midfielder Felipe Seymour to the squad, though, with the Chilean saying: ``I'm happy and relaxed.
``I've joined a new team that has plenty of ambition and I'm ready to help them reach their targets.''

Chievo have not beaten Lazio since March 2009, when they won 3-0 in the Italian capital, with the Biancocelesti winning four of the subsequent seven meetings.
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Saturday, January 26, 2013
TimeHome
AwayVenue
14:30 GMT Borussia Monchengladbach  v  Fortuna Düsseldorf Borussia Park
14:30 GMT Eintracht Frankfurt  v  TSG Hoffenheim Commerzbank Arena
14:30 GMT FC Augsburg  v  Schalke 04 impuls arena
14:30 GMT Hannover 96  v  VfL Wolfsburg AWD-Arena
14:30 GMT SpVgg Greuther Furth  v  Mainz Playmobil-Stadion
17:30 GMT SC Freiburg  v  Bayer Leverkusen badenova-Stadion

Van Buyten: Bayern should not take Arsenal tie lightly

The Belgium international has stressed that the Gunners will not be pushovers in the Champions League, and is keen to end his career at the Allianz Arena


The Bavarians are by many seen as the favorites to reach the quarterfinals at the expense of the Premier League side, but the veteran has stressed that the Gunners will be tough opponents.

"We are aware of the fact that we have now reached the stage where every opponent poses a stern test, regardless of what the so-called experts and statistics say," Van Buyten told Bild.

"If we go into the tie thinking that it will be easy for us, it is going to be extremely tough."

The Belgian defender then went on to say that he is keen to extend his expiring contract with Bayern as he intends to end his contract at his current club.

"I want to end my career at Bayern, but not at the end of this season. We all know how I am when it comes to negotiations. Things can go very quickly with me. We wouldn't even need to negotiate."

Van Buyten joined Bayern from Hamburg in the summer of 2006 and has since made over 100 Bundesliga appearances for the Bavarians.
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