Benayoun: Liverpool's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun is a serious doubt for their Champions League tie with Real Madrid today after tearing a hamstring in training at the weekend. Benayoun scored the only goal when Liverpool beat Real 1-0 in Madrid in the first leg of the last 16 tie last month, but faces an anxious wait to see if he can play any part at Anfield after colliding with a team mate in training.
Lecce: Second-from-bottom Lecce sacked coach Mario Beretta yesterday and handed Luigi De Canio the challenge of keeping the team in Serie A. Beretta was dismissed after promoted Lecce were held to a 0-0 home draw by bottom club Reggina on Sunday, having lost their four previous games.
Valencia plight: Valencia coach Unai Emery said the financially troubled club would keep working to end their miserable run after they surrendered an early lead to lose 2-1 at relegation-threatened Numancia on Sunday. The team have not won since early February. "There is no other option but to work, keep going and try to get back the confidence that the team has lost," he said. "We hope that the team has reached the bottom now and we will not throw in the towel."
In Russia: CSKA Moscow edged Rubin Kazan 2-1 in extra time to lift the Russian Super Cup on Sunday, Tomas Necid's late volley securing victory in the traditional curtain-raiser for the March-November league season.
Schalke: Schalke sacked general manager Andreas Mueller yesterday after a disappointing season so far, but have kept faith in their Dutch coach Fred Rutten. Schalke, who finished third in the Bundesliga last season, are in eighth place, nine points off the top. They were also eliminated from the Champions League as well as the UEFA Cup and last week were knocked out of the German Cup quarter-finals by Mainz.
Altintop: Midfielder Hamit Altintop has been added to Bayern Munich's growing injury list ahead of their Champions League tie against Sporting Lisbon today. The Turkey international, who suffered an ankle injury in Saturday's 5-1 win over Hanover, was expected to be out for two to three weeks.
Chivu out: Cristian Chivu has lost his battle to return from a thigh injury in time for Inter's Champions League last-16 second leg at Manchester United tomorrow, the Serie A leaders said. Fellow defender Walter Samuel is in the squad after passing a fitness test. Inter and United drew 0-0 in the first leg in Milan last month.
Cicinho: Roma's Brazilian right back Cicinho had surgery on a knee ligament injury, the Serie A club said. Media reports said he would be out for the rest of the season.
MFA Division Three: Fgura vs Gudja 0-0; Pembroke vs Siġġiewi 1-0.
Serie B: Avellino vs Mantova 1-1.
Basketball, NBA: Yao Ming scored 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to spark the Houston Rockets to a 93-83 win over the Memphis Grizzlies and their 12th consecutive home victory on Sunday. Yao also had three blocked shots for the Rockets, the Western Conference's No. 3 team. The big man from China had 11 points in the first quarter when Houston opened up a 28-19 lead. The margin went to 18 late in the second and the Rockets were on cruise control for the remainder of the game.
Rugby: France lock Romain Millo-Chluski has been ruled out of Sunday's Six Nations game against England at Twickenham because of injury and will be replaced by number eight Louis Picamoles. The withdrawal of Millo-Chluski and the recall of Picamoles leaves the French squad with only two locks, Lionel Nallet and Jerome Thion.
Horse racing: Top chaser Kauto Star is poised to become the first horse in the race's 85-year history to regain the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Successful in 2007, he was beaten into second place behind stablemate Denman last year but is 15-8 favourite to recapture his crown on Friday, the final day of the Cheltenham Festival which starts today.
Tennis: Former world number one Maria Sharapova will begin her long-awaited comeback from a shoulder injury in Indian Wells this week where she will team up with compatriot Elena Vesnina in the women's doubles, the Russian said on her website. "I am excited to be playing competitive tennis again," the 21-year-old, who has been sidelined since August and has dropped out of the world's top 20 for the first time in almost five years, told www.mariasharapova.com.
Athletics: Chinese 110m hurdles world champion Liu Xiang has returned home from the United States after surgery on a foot injury that denied him the chance to defend his Olympic title on home soil at the Beijing Games. The 25-year-old, who has spent three months recovering abroad, would go straight into training but was still a doubt for the World Championships in Berlin in August, Liu's coach Sun Haiping said.