Pennant: Jermaine Pennant would like to sign for Stoke permanently when his loan deal runs out in January. Pennant has put in some eye-catching displays since joining the Potters from Real Zaragoza in August. “I’m enjoying myself and the way things are going here, if the two clubs can agree something in January then I’ll be more than happy to put pen to paper,” he said.
Marchisio: Claudio Marchisio has been ruled out of tomorrow’s friendly against Romania due to injury. The Juventus midfielder, who was replaced in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Roma, is struggling with a muscle problem in his right leg. Marchisio underwent medical tests in Florence yesterday which illustrated a slight problem.
Levein: Scotland manager Craig Levein called up St Johnstone midfielder Murray Davidson and Swindon full-back Paul Caddis for TOday’s friendly in Aberdeen against the Faroe Islands. The new pair will make the transition from the U-21s after Levein was hit by nine withdrawals from his 20-man squad over the weekend.
Ibrahimovic: Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not play in tomorrow’s friendly against Germany, coach Erik Hamren said. “As the situation stands it is better that he rests. He got a few knocks in the match against Inter on Sunday,” Hamren explained.
Carvalho: Real Madrid defender Ricardo Carvalho is a doubt for Portugal’s clash with Spain tomorrow due to an ankle problem. The 32-year-old suffered the injury in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Sporting Gijon, although he managed to last the 90 minutes.
Ledesma: Cristian Ledesma has thanked Lazio for his first call-up to the Italian national team. The Argentine midfielder has an Italian passport and received his maiden call for tomorrow’s friendly against Romania. “If the call-up arrived, I owe it above all to my team-mates and the whole Lazio world,” he said.
MFA Div. Three: Luqa vs Marsa 0-0; Sirens vs Kirkop 2-4.
Serie B: Pescara vs Ascoli 1-2; Siena vs Grosseto 3-1.
Boxing: Boxing promoter Frank Warren has criticised David Haye for claiming he bet on himself to beat Audley Harrison. Haye admitted after defending his WBA crown on Saturday that he had backed himself to win in round three. The 30-year-old, who also promoted the fight, stopped Harrison in that round in Manchester. “For a fighter promoting it (the bout) who is in the ring I think it is unacceptable. It shouldn’t be allowed to happen. It is not as though they’re not getting a fortune to fight in the first place,” Warren said.
Basket, NBA: The Phoenix Suns poured in 22 three-pointers, the second most in NBA history, to hand the Los Angeles Lakers their second defeat of the season on Sunday. The Suns just missed the league record of 23 three-point baskets, set by Orlando against Sacramento in January 2009, as they beat the Lakers 121-116.
Golf: South Korea’s In-Kyung Kim won her third career LPGA title on Sunday, firing an eight-under par 64 to capture Mexico’s 1.1 million-dollar Lorena Ochoa Invitational by three strokes. Kim fired nine birdies against a lone bogey for her first triumph since last year’s State Farm Classic to finish 72 holes on 19-under par 269 and leave Norway’s Suzann Pettersen a runner-up for the sixth time in a winless season. Kim won $220,000.
Badminton: Chinese badminton pin-up Lin Dan kept alive the faint hopes of millions of adoring female fans after revealing he has no intention of getting married in the near future. The dashing Lin, whose girlfriend and former team-mate Xie Xingfang has retired after winning a silver medal in Beijing, has his personal life closely scrutinised by the Chinese press. “I am still young so getting married is not on my agenda yet,” the 27-year-old said.