De La Red: Real midfielder Ruben de la Red, who briefly passed out during the 3-2 King's Cup loss at Real Union last month, is in "perfect" shape, one of the doctor's examining him was quoted as saying by Marca newspaper yesterday. Tests would continue until the exact reason for the player's collapse was known, he added.
Giovani: Mexico forward Giovani Dos Santos is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a serious ankle injury in training with his club Tottenham Hotspur, said manager Harry Redknapp. "He picked up a nasty injury in training on Monday morning and he'll be out for a while.
Torres: Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez anticipates the return of striker Fernando Torres for today's home game against West Brom. "I think Torres will be fit. It will be very good for the team to have him back. We are playing well but we're not taking our chances," he said.
Jordan: Joe Jordan has left Portsmouth's coaching staff, the Premier League club said yesterday. Local media have speculated the 56-year-old may be considering joining his former boss Harry Redknapp at Tottenham.
Mutu: Fiorentina hope to have Adrian Mutu back within two weeks after the Romania striker injured a thigh muscle in Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich.
Celtic: UEFA has opened a disciplinary investigation after a teenage supporter invaded the pitch during Celtic's 1-1 home draw with Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday. Celtic have a suspended fine of 30,000 Swiss francs hanging over them from last season after a fan ran on the pitch near the end of their Champions League win over Milan and made contact with goalkeeper Dida.
MFA DIV. II: Lija vs Melita 0-2; Mellieħa vs Marsa 1-0.
English FA Cup: First round - Leeds vs Northampton 1-1.
Basketball: Peugeot League - Stunners vs Athleta 35-46. MBA Shield - Compleet vs Depiro 96-38.
Tennis: WTA Championships - (White group) Zvonareva vs Jankovic 2-6 6-3 6-4; Radwanska vs Kuznetsova 6-2 7-5. (Maroon Group) Dementieva vs Petrova 6-4 4-6 6-4. Today SFs - Dementieva vs Zvonareva: Jankovic vs V. Williams.
Motor racing: Former world champion Fernando Alonso of Spain was decisive in Renault's brilliant end of season, the French team's technical director said. "Fernando is an outstanding driver, everyone knows it, but he is also a very, very good test driver. He is intelligent, accurate, precise. Working with him is a form of security: you don't have to wonder whether what he says is right or not," Bob Bell said.
Cycling: Russian Alexandr Kolobnev extended his contract with Team Saxo Bank, formerly known as CSC-Saxo Bank, for two years until 2010, the Danish outfit said. "The last two years have been good and it's definitely the right place for me to take it to the next level," Kolobnev said in a statement. Kolobnev took fourth place at the Beijing Olympics road race.
Cricket: The ICC has told the four host countries of the 2011 World Cup to speed up their preparations for the event. ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat told representatives of the Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh cricket boards during a meeting in New Delhi this week that they needed to fast track preparations that are running 10 months behind schedule. India is due to host 22 matches.
Athletics: World 110 metres hurdles champion Liu Xiang will have surgery in the US on an Achilles injury that denied him the chance of defending his Olympic title on home soil. The former world record holder has spent the past week in the US seeking advice on the injury. Liu's coach Sun Haiping was convinced by medical experts that an operation was necessary.