Sporting briefs

Marquez: Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez will have surgery on his left knee to repair the damage he suffered in Tuesday's goalless Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea. After further tests, Barca's medical services said Marquez had damaged the internal and external meniscus in his knee. The Primera Liga leaders estimated they would be without Marquez for between eight and 10 weeks.

Truancy: Atletico Madrid have temporarily dropped Maniche and Giourkas Seitaridis from their squad as a punishment after they failed to turn up to a league match. Portugal midfielder Maniche and Greece full-back Seitaridis were not included in Abel Resino's squad for the 3-1 home win over Sporting Gijon on Sunday, but all players are expected to attend the game regardless, Atletico said.

Ketsbaia replaced: Former Cyprus champions Anorthosis Famagusta have appointed German Ewald Lienen as their new manager following the departure of their talisman leader Temuri Ketsbaia. Anorthosis said the deal would be finalised once the coach arranged his personal affairs in Germany over the coming weeks.

Guti: Real Madrid midfielder Guti will miss Saturday''s "Clasico" match at home to league leaders Barcelona after he suffered ligament damage to his left ankle. Guti, who scored a superb free-kick in the 4-2 comeback win at Sevilla last weekend, hurt the ankle in training and the injury was picked up by a scan.

Lucescu: Romania appointed Razvan Lucescu as national team coach yesterdayday, replacing Victor Piturca whose contract was mutually terminated after poor results in 2010 World Cup qualifiers. "The board unanimously validated Razvan Lucescu as coach," the Romania soccer federation said.

Ligue 1: S. Rennes vs Bordeaux 2-3.

Basket, NBA: Dallas Mavericks completed a surprise series victory over the higher-ranked San Antonio Spurs yesterday, while Houston Rockets' bid for a second-round berth was grounded when they lost to Portland Trail Blazers. The Mavericks rode Dirk Nowitzki's 31-point performance to a 106-93 Game Five victory to claim their best-of-seven Western Conference series 4-1. Houston lost 88-77 at Portland but still lead the series 3-2.

Cycling: Last year's Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre will race in next month's Giro d'Italia, his Cervelo team said. The Spaniard will encounter a difficult field with Astana's Lance Armstrong among the top names due to ride in the May 9-31 race.

Motor racing: The A1 GP series cancelled its final race of the season in Mexico due to the outbreak of swine flu there. The race had been scheduled for May 22-24 in Mexico City. This weekend's race at Brands Hatch in southern England will now be the final race of the season for the self-styled World Cup of Motorsport.

Motorcycling: Italy's MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi is to ride a parade lap of the treacherous Isle of Man TT circuit for the first time in June this year. The world champion will ride alongside fellow Italian great Giacomo Agostini for a circuit of the demanding 61.1km course.

Tennis: Argentina's former world number three Guillermo Coria has quit tennis at the age of 27 because he has lost motivation. "I didn't have any more desire to compete," the former French Open finalist said. Coria, who won nine singles titles and was runner-up at Roland Garros in 2004, last played at an ATP Challenger tournament in Bangkok in March. He has slipped to 672 in the world rankings.