Sporting briefs

Berbatov: Striker Dimitar Berbatov will miss Manchester United's Premier League match at Aston Villa tomorrow after suffering a thigh injury, his agent said. "According to Manchester United's medical staff Berbatov will be recovering between seven and ten days," Emil Danchev told Bulgarian Darik radio. United manager Alex Ferguson is also sweating on the fitness of Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney.

Osasuna: Osasuna have signed defender Sergio Fernandez from Real Zaragoza as a replacement for Roversio, who is out for the rest of the season after damaging his right knee, the club said. Fernandez will be at the struggling Pamplona club until the end of the season with an option to extend his stay, Osasuna said.

Bodmer: Lyon will have to make do without second-choice midfielder Mathieu Bodmer for two months after he decided to have surgery to treat a groin injury, the Ligue 1 club said. The seven times French champions added that Argentine forward Cesar Delgado would be out of action for two weeks, also because of a groin injury.

de la Red: Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon said it was still unclear why Ruben de la Red collapsed during a King's Cup match last month and tests on the midfielder were continuing. The Spanish international was running back towards the halfway line when he fell face first and lay motionless. Medical staff quickly moved in and the 23-year-old showed signs of movement as he was carried off.

Cycling: The 2010 Tour de France will start in Rotterdam, organisers said yesterday. The port city was preferred to fellow Dutch town Utrecht. "We have chosen Rotterdam because after London (in 2007) Rotterdam as a big city shows our will to use the Tour to promote the bicycle as an urban mode of transport," Tour organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation, said.

Cricket: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani is to personally request his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh allow the Indian team to tour Pakistan early next year. A statement said that Gillani had also assured the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that the government would ensure proper security arrangements for the series. Doubts have emerged over January's tour after the Indian government stopped a junior hockey team from touring Pakistan at the last moment earlier this month over security concerns.

Rugby: England prop Andrew Sheridan has been ruled out of tomorrow's game against South Africa with a neck injury and Tim Payne has been drafted straight into the starting team, the RFU said. Sheridan suffered the injury against Australia last weekend and will be rested as a precaution. He is expected to be fit for England's final autumn test against New Zealand on Nov 29.

London 2012: London 2012 Olympic organisers look set to move the badminton venue from Greenwich but have decided against changing the bases for basketball and equestrian events. Organisers said that the planned new temporary 6,000-seat venue, which was to have hosted badminton and rhythmic gymnastics, could be "shifted" following a viability review by accountants KPMG. The 12,000-seat venue for basketball would remain on the Olympic Park and the equestrian events would remain at Greenwich Park.

Basket, NBA: Chauncey Billups scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 91-81 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The Nuggets have won seven of eight games since acquiring Billups in a trade with the Detroit Pistons two weeks ago. Billups, an All Star and NBA champion, dished out six assists and Carmelo Anthony added 21 points and nine rebounds as Denver (8-4) snapped a three-game win streak for the Spurs (5-6).

Arena swimsuits: Olympic 100 freestyle champion Alain Bernard will wear swim suits from manufacturer Arena in 2009. The Frenchman said he wanted to prove his gold medal earned in Beijing had nothing to do with wearing the Speedo LZR suits.

Golf: The Japanese men's golf tour has beefed up security after a minor explosion shattered windows at the venue clubhouse for next week's Casio World Open. The JGTA Tour said yesterday it had deployed round-the-clock security at Kochi's Kuroshio Country Club after the incident earlier this week. Nobody was hurt in the blast. "There was a small explosion. It appears that a device of some description was deliberately left in the lobby by someone," the JGTO's Chieko Hataguchi told Reuters. "As a result we've put in 24-hour security. We are investigating the scene and security has been tightened. We are also examining what extra safety measures to take."