Sport
EUROPA LEAGUE
CHELSEA 3 vs RUBIN KAZAN 1
CRICKET: Wicketkeeper Matt Prior has been left out of England’s 30-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. The squad must be cut to 15 by 5 May.
HORSE RACING: Ted Walsh-trained horse Battlefront died on the first day of the Aintree Festival.
FOOTBALL: Midfielder Yaya Toure has signed a contract extension to stay with Manchester City until 2017.
BEN CLEMINSON PREVIEWS THE MANCHESTER DERBY AND BILL ESDAILE LOOKS AT TODAY’S AINTREE CARD
MANCHESTER UNITED vs MANCHESTER CITY
Monday, 8pm
SPRINTER Sacre is the closest thing I’ve seen to unbeatable in the National Hunt game and Nicky Henderson’s stable star heads to Aintree tomorrow as the heavy favourite to stretch his unbeaten run over fences to nine – with five of those wins at t
BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE GRAND NATIONAL AND THE REST OF TOMORROW’S CARD
DONALD McCain has been pulling his hair out all winter due to the terrible weather, but it looks as though Overturn will finally get his ground in tomorrow’s Maghull Novices’ Chase (2.15pm).
SUNDERLAND manager Paolo Di Canio finally denied holding fascist views yesterday, following days of mounting pressure to distance himself from previous statements appearing to endorse extreme right-wing politics.
TOTTENHAM midfielder Scott Parker has already decided where to display his potential Europa League winners medal this season and insists it will be treasured more fondly than the two he won playing for Chelsea.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
REAL MADRID 3 vs GALATASARAY 0
CHELSEA manager Rafael Benitez has indicated his desire to stay in England if, as expected, he leaves Stamford Bridge in the summer.
FOOTBALL: Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has been sentenced to 250 hours of community service after pleading guilty to driving while disqualified and without insurance.
RUGBY UNION: Harlequins director of rugby Conor O’Shea has ruled himself out of the running to become the next Ireland head coach and emphasised his long-term commitment to Quins.
FOOTBALL: Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson faces six months on the sidelines after developing a blood clot on his lung.
- But new French tax laws may hit move
- And club play down Wenger interest
NEW Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has been urged by Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion campaigners, to demonstrate a commitment to their policies.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 2 vs BARCELONA 2
JOCKEY Katie Walsh has defended horse racing against claims the Grand National is cruel to animals ahead of Saturday’s race at Aintree.
A DECISION on whether 200 bags of blood seized from Spanish doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes can be tested for possible links to sport superstars has been delayed until next month.
QUEENS Park Rangers defender Christopher Samba says he was subjected to racism on Twitter following his team’s 3-2 defeat at Fulham on Monday night.
STRIKER Didier Drogba feels former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has “unfinished business” at Stamford Bridge and should return to the club.
FOOTBALL: World governing body Fifa has approved GoalControl technology to be used at the 2014 World Cup. The 14-camera tracking system can inform the referee a goal has been scored within a second.
RUGBY UNION: Manchester United have pulled out of the running to host 2015 Rugby World Cup matches over concerns their pitch will be damaged.
AT STAMFORD BRIDGE
FA CUP
CHELSEA 1 vs MANCHESTER UNITED 0
CHELSEA boss Rafael Benitez insists Champions League qualification remains his priority this season, despite guiding the Blues to an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
PREMIER LEAGUE
FULHAM 3 vs QUEENS PARK RANGERS 2
QUEENS Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp has told his players they need to pick up 14 points from their remaining seven games to avoid Premier League relegation.
GOLF COMMENT
RORY McIlroy might have lost his world No1 ranking to Tiger Woods and suffered a very difficult start to the year, but there have been some positive signs from the Northern Irishman in the past few days.
SUNDERLAND were last night forced to deny that new manager Paolo Di Canio is a fascist, while the Italian himself labelled suggestions he was racist as “absolutely stupid and ridiculous”.
NEW world No2 Andy Murray is not about to rest on his laurels, insisting he can overtake Serbian Novak Djokovic and top the ATP rankings.
LIBERTY Counsel bounced back from a poor Cheltenham Festival to claim the Irish Grand National at odds of 50-1 yesterday at Fairyhouse.
RUGBY UNION: Saracens will play their possible Heineken Cup semi-final at Twickenham against Toulon or Leicester Tigers on 28 April, should they beat Ulster Rugby in Saturday’s quarter-final.
CRICKET: Australia captain Michael Clarke was admitted to hospital on Sunday, suffering with gastroenteritis.
FOOTBALL: Neil Warnock has left his post as Leeds manager after a run of six games without a win.
Captain believes Three Lions will still reach Brazil
MARATHON world record holder Paula Radcliffe fears her competitive career could be over, after complications with a long-term foot injury.
TOTTENHAM are worth more than Premier League champions Manchester City and traditional giants Liverpool, according to a new method of valuing football clubs devised by a former City worker.
BRITISH boxer David Haye is poised to announce his comeback to the ring today, but WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko has warned the 32-year-old he will not get a title shot anytime soon.
CRICKET: New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder has suffered a fractured skull after being attacked in a bar. The 28-year-old is in intensive care.
CYCLING: Britain’s Mark Cavendish won the second stage of the Three Days of De Panne race in Belgium.
CRICKET: Warwickshire beat the MCC by an innings and 29 runs in the county season curtain-raiser.
BEN CLEMINSON AND BILL ESDAILE PREVIEW THE BEST OF THE EASTER WEEKEND’S FOOTBALL AND RACING ACTION
MEYDAN racecourse hosts its fourth Dubai World Cup (6.05pm) on Saturday evening since the switch from Nad Al Sheba and those interested in backing any of the leading fancies should take note that the last three renewals have been won by 20/1, 12/1
But manager Roy Hodgson retains qualification hopes
WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
MONTENEGRO 1 vs ENGLAND 1
SOUGHT-AFTER Tottenham star Gareth Bale has given the biggest indication yet that he is to reject the lure of a move to one of Europe’s top clubs this summer after signing a three-year deal to become an ambassador for BT Sport.
CAPTAIN Alastair Cook admits he could not bear to watch the final three overs as England clung on to claim an unlikely draw in the decisive final Test against New Zealand yesterday.
CRICKET COMMENT
IT IS far from easy to bat for a day and a half in the hope of snatching a draw from the jaws of defeat, so England’s achievement in saving the third Test in New Zealand, and the series, was no mean feat.
SCOTLAND’S hopes of reaching the 2014 World Cup in Brazil were ended last night with a 2-0 defeat to Serbia. Two close-range finishes from Filip Duricic kept Gordon Strachan’s team bottom of Group A without a win from six matches.
FORMER Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has fuelled speculation of a sensational Stamford Bridge homecoming this summer, believing a return to management in England is the next inevitable step on his career path.
RUGBY UNION: London Welsh have lost their appeal against a five-point deduction and a £15,000 fine for fielding an ineligible player in 10 Premiership games.
