Manchester United suffer John O'Shea injury blow

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said defender John O'Shea is likely to miss the rest of the season because of a leg problem.

O'Shea, 28, has not played since the Republic of Ireland's World Cup play-off against France in November as his nation failed to reach the finals.

Ferguson told the Irish Independent: "He's got a terrible injury - the blood clot became all knotted.

"It's a long process to clear it up and he'll probably miss the season now."

United have had problems in defence this season, with Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, Wes Brown, Rafael Da Silva, Fabio Da Silva and Gary Neville all having significant spells out of the game.

O'Shea's injury was initially thought to be nothing more serious than a dead leg.

However, Ferguson added: "It's one of those sorts of injuries that are unusual. It's like a dead leg except a dead leg is usually only three or four days.

"It's a bad blow for the boy and for the team because he can play anywhere.

"When you look at all the problems I've had with the back four this season, he could have played every single one."

Prior to suffering the injury to his leg, O'Shea had played 15 times for United this season as well as featuring in three World Cup qualifying games for the Republic of Ireland. BBC Website

Roger Federer into third round of Australian Open

Top seed Roger Federer eased into the third round of the Australian Open with a 6-2 6-3 6-2 dismantling of Victor Hanescu on Rod Laver Arena.

Federer, a three-time champion, hit 52 winners and was not broken once by his Romanian opponent.

Novak Djokovic, the 2008 champion, was well below his best as he beat Marco Chiudinelli in four sets.

The Serb, 22, dropped the first set and rarely impressed despite recovering to win 3-6 6-1 6-1 6-3.

Federer had been below his best in his opening match against Igor Andreev, when he dropped a set in the first round at a major for the first time in six years.

But he settled quickly against Hanescu, reeling off 20 winners in an opening set that lasted just 34 minutes.
The second set was captured in 33 minutes, despite Hanescu managing to nick three games, with the Swiss continuing to pepper the lines with winners.

Federer had already raced into a 3-0 lead in the third set when Prince William arrived, to the applause of the near-capacity 14,000 crowd, just an hour and 15 minutes after the start of the game. BBC Website

Aston Vialla Beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0 in Carling Cup 1st leg Semi Final

Aston Villa took a giant stride towards Wembley as James Milner's first-half goal gave them victory in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg at Blackburn Rovers.

Milner rounded off a devastating break after 23 minutes when he turned in Stewart Downing's cross as Villa swept the length of the field.

It gave Martin O'Neill's side a deserved advantage and provided a rich reward for Villa's attacking strategy as they dominated a jaded Blackburn side playing their second game this week.

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce felt the full force of Ewood Park's fury as his side laboured to make any impression on Villa in the early exchanges, with the half-time whistle being greeted by a chorus of jeering.

But Blackburn improved hugely after the break only to find their luck was out as striker Nikola Kalinic twice hit the woodwork, firstly with a close-range header, then with a shot from 12 yards.

Villa always carried the greater threat and will now be firm favourites to progress to a Carling Cup final date against either Manchester City or Manchester United, after Wednesday's second leg at Villa Park.

Robson suffers qualifying defeat

Britain's Laura Robson produced a battling performance in the second round of Australian Open qualifying before losing to Michaella Krajicek.

The 15-year-old, given a wildcard into the event, went down 6-4 7-6 (9-7) to the former world number 30 in two hours and five minutes.

Robson, the world number 406, will compete in the junior event at Melbourne Park.

Fellow Briton Naomi Cavaday faces Yanina Wickmayer later on Friday. BBC Website

Manager Rafael Benitez is not under threat: Liverpool

Rafael Benitez's position is "not on the agenda" despite Liverpool's shock FA Cup defeat by Reading, according to managing director Christian Purslow.

Benitez is under increasing pressure as boss after the loss to the Championship side, an early Champions League exit and poor Premier League form.

Despite his problems, the Spaniard has vowed to fight on at Anfield.

Former Reds captain Ronnie Whelan believes Benitez should be replaced following the defeat at the hands of the Royals.

Whelan, 48, told BBC Radio 5 live: "He should've gone a long time ago. They have got to do it now.

"Liverpool have not been good. They have lost 10 of the last 20 games.

A disappointing season has left Liverpool having to settle for a Europa League campaign, while lying seventh in the Premier League - 12 points behind leaders Chelsea - but Purslow has always maintained that Benitez's job is not under threat.

The misery continued on Wednesday night when Reading dumped them out of the FA Cup after extra time in front of their home supporters.

It was their 12th defeat of the season and after Benitez told the club's website he would "keep working hard with my team", another ex-Liverpool star expressed his displeasure.

Murray lies in Nadal's path at Australian Open

Andy Murray will face a qualifier in the first round of the Australian Open but he has been placed in arguably the toughest half of the draw.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal and US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro could block the Briton's path to the final.

Roger Federer is in the other side of the draw with Novak Djokovic and in-form Russian Nikolay Davydenko.

In the women's draw, wildcard Justine Henin avoided a seed, but could face Kim Clijsters in the quarter-finals.

There will be no all-Williams final as Venus and Serena landed in the same half of the draw.

World number one Serena will face Urszula Radwanska of Poland in her opening match.

Britain's two entrants Elena Baltacha and Katie O'Brien both drew opponents below them in the world rankings.

Baltacha will meet France's Pauline Parmentier, while O'Brien was drawn against Austrian Patricia Mayr.

Henin, 27, is preparing to play her first Grand Slam tournament since the 2008 Australian Open after 20 months in retirement.

She will meet fellow Belgian Kirsten Flipkens in the first round, before a possible meeting with world number five Elena Dementieva.

While Henin was the name the top players were hoping to avoid in the women's draw, all eyes were on Murray in the men's.

He dropped from fourth to fifth in the world rankings before the seedings were announced, and that meant Federer, Nadal, Djokovic or Del Potro could face the 22-year-old Scot as early as the quarter-finals.

Friday's draw means Murray may have to beat Nadal, Del Potro and Federer in successive matches to win his maiden Grand Slam title.

The Briton will discover his first-round opponent when qualifying ends on Sunday.

If he wins that match, he will come up against Marc Gicquel or Simone Bolelli, with Jurgen Melzer seeded to meet him in the third round.

Murray may have to beat the dangerous Gael Monfils if he is to get beyond the fourth round for the first time in Melbourne.

Del Potro could face Marin Cilic at that stage before a possible quarter-final against Andy Roddick.

Nadal will open the defence of his title against Australian Peter Luczak, while Federer could face an early test against world number 36 Igor Andreev.

Davydenko, who has beaten Federer in their last two meetings, could lie in wait for the world number one in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic, the 2008 champion, meets Spain's Daniel Gimeno-Traver.

Fourth seed Del Potro, who withdrew from the Kooyong Classic on Thursday with a wrist injury, is due to meet 31-year-old American Michael Russell.

The Argentine is set to play at Melbourne Park despite the injury, according to Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley.

"He decided to take a couple of days' break," Tiley told Australian state radio. "He obviously wants to start 2010 well."

Elsewhere in the women's draw, last year's beaten finalist Dinara Safina could meet fellow Russian Maria Sharapova in the fourth round.

Clijsters was drawn against a qualifier in the first round, but world number three Svetlana Kuznetsova looks likely to be her first test in the last 16. BBC Website

FIFA World Cup 2010 Fixtures

FIFA World Cup Fixtures
Date Time Match
(US/Eastern)

Jun 11, 2010 9:00am South Africa vs Mexico
Jun 11, 2010 1:30pm Uruguay vs France
Jun 12, 2010 6:30am Korea Republic vs Greece
Jun 12, 2010 9:00am Argentina vs Nigeria
Jun 12, 2010 1:30pm England vs USA
Jun 13, 2010 6:30am Algeria vs Slovenia
Jun 13, 2010 9:00am Serbia vs Ghana
Jun 13, 2010 1:30pm Germany vs Australia
Jun 14, 2010 6:30am Netherlands vs Denmark
Jun 14, 2010 9:00am Japan vs Cameroon
Jun 14, 2010 1:30pm Italy vs Paraguay
Jun 15, 2010 6:30am New Zealand vs Slovakia
Jun 15, 2010 9:00am Côte d'Ivoire vs Portugal
Jun 15, 2010 1:30pm Brazil vs Korea DPR
Jun 16, 2010 6:30am Honduras vs Chile
Jun 16, 2010 9:00am Spain vs Switzerland
Jun 16, 2010 1:30pm South Africa vs Uruguay
Jun 17, 2010 6:30am Argentina vs Korea Republic
Jun 17, 2010 9:00am Greece vs Nigeria
Jun 17, 2010 1:30pm France vs Mexico
Jun 18, 2010 6:30am Germany vs Serbia
Jun 18, 2010 9:00am Slovenia vs USA
Jun 18, 2010 1:30pm England vs Algeria
Jun 19, 2010 6:30am Netherlands vs Japan
Jun 19, 2010 9:00am Ghana vs Australia
Jun 19, 2010 1:30pm Cameroon vs Denmark
Jun 20, 2010 6:30am Slovakia vs Paraguay
Jun 20, 2010 9:00am Italy vs New Zealand
Jun 20, 2010 1:30pm Brazil vs Côte d'Ivoire
Jun 21, 2010 6:30am Portugal vs Korea DPR
Jun 21, 2010 9:00am Chile vs Switzerland
Jun 21, 2010 1:30pm Spain vs Honduras
Jun 22, 2010 9:00am France vs South Africa
Jun 22, 2010 9:00am Mexico vs Uruguay
Jun 22, 2010 1:30pm Nigeria vs Korea Republic
Jun 22, 2010 1:30pm Greece vs Argentina
Jun 23, 2010 9:00am Slovenia vs England
Jun 23, 2010 9:00am USA vs Algeria
Jun 23, 2010 1:30pm Ghana vs Germany
Jun 23, 2010 1:30pm Australia vs Serbia
Jun 24, 2010 9:00am Paraguay vs New Zealand
Jun 24, 2010 9:00am Slovakia vs Italy
Jun 24, 2010 1:30pm Cameroon vs Netherlands
Jun 24, 2010 1:30pm Denmark vs Japan
Jun 25, 2010 9:00am Portugal vs Brazil
Jun 25, 2010 9:00am Korea DPR vs Côte d'Ivoire
Jun 25, 2010 1:30pm Chile vs Spain
Jun 25, 2010 1:30pm Switzerland vs Honduras
Jun 26, 2010 1:30pm 1C - 2D
Jun 26, 2010 1:30pm 1A vs 2B
Jun 27, 2010 1:30pm 1D vs 2C
Jun 27, 2010 1:30pm 1B vs 2A
Jun 28, 2010 1:30pm 1E vs 2F
Jun 28, 2010 1:30pm 1G vs 2H
Jun 29, 2010 1:30pm 1F vs 2E
Jun 29, 2010 1:30pm 1H vs 2G
Jul 2, 2010 1:30pm Team 1 vs Team 3
Jul 2, 2010 1:30pm Team 5 vs Team 7
Jul 3, 2010 1:30pm Team 2 vs Team 4
Jul 3, 2010 1:30pm Team 6 vs Team 8
Jul 6, 2010 1:30pm Team A vs Team C
Jul 7, 2010 1:30pm Team B vs Team D
Jul 10, 2010 1:30pm Loser 1 vs Loser 2
Jul 11, 2010 1:30pm Winner 1 vs Winner 2

Monty Panesar hopes for England Test return

Monty Panesar says he loves playing cricket in South Africa for the Highveld Lions, but believes he can create the opportunity to return to Test cricket with England. BBC Website

Laura Robson and Naomi Cavaday progress in qualifiers of Australian Open

Britons Laura Robson and Naomi Cavaday were made to work hard to reach round two of Australian Open qualifying on Thursday, while Melanie South lost.

Robson, 15, a wildcard entry after reaching the Hopman Cup final with Andy Murray last week, beat Australian hopeful Sophie Ferguson 6-4 2-6 6-4.

Cavaday, 20, beat Russian Alexandra Panova 3-6 7-6 6-3 and will next face world number 16 Yanina Wickmayer.

South, 23, rarely threatened American Shenay Perry in a 6-3 6-3 defeat.

It was another good day for Britain's tennis players at a blustery Melbourne Park following the three men's victories on Wednesday.

Robson, ranked 406 in the world, continued her fine form but had to overcome a few nervy moments in the final set against the 23-year-old Ferguson, 148th in the rankings.

The Briton, who beat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, the world number 26, in the Hopman Cup final in Perth, let a 3-0 lead slip before breaking back to secure a hard-earned victory.

Robson will next play 21-year-old Michaella Krajicek, who reached the third round at the Australian Open in 2006, and said: "I can't remember the last time I played like that. It was really windy, and I obviously didn't play my best tennis.

Burnley appoint Laws as new boss

Burnley have appointed Brian Laws as manager on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The ex-Clarets player, sacked by Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in December, succeeds Owen Coyle, who joined Bolton last week.

Laws, who will be unveiled at a 1530 GMT news conference on Wednesday, beat Doncaster's Sean O'Driscoll to the job.

"I have had an affinity with this club for a long time and I am honoured to have the privilege of managing them in the Premier League," Laws said.

He added on the club's website: "I am sure there are a lot of Burnley fans asking, 'Why Brian Laws?'

"Well let me tell you, I have followed Burnley since I was 16 years old, when I joined the club. This is a fantastic opportunity. Owen Coyle has done a fantastic job at this club. Nobody can ever take that away and I wouldn't want to even try.

"But at this moment in time he has dropped the baton and we want to pick it up with the supporters and drive on over the finishing line, which means we will have stayed in the Premier League.

"That is our drive and ambition and I will do everything in my power to achieve that because this great club is where it should be."

The first mission for Laws will be to ensure the Clarets do not get dragged into a relegation battle, with Burnley - in the top flight for the first time since 1976 and currently only two points above the drop zone - on 20 points after 20 games.

O'Driscoll was also approached as a potential successor to Coyle, having enjoyed success at Doncaster since 2006.

However, Laws was left as the front-runner when the Championship side revealed that enquiries had been made by a Premier League club for O'Driscoll's services but these were "now at an end". BBC Website

Ferrari target beating Schumacher

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali says Michael Schumacher's return to Formula 1 has fired up the Italian outfit and new recruit Fernando Alonso.

Schumacher, who won five world titles with Ferrari, is returning in 2010 with Mercedes, who won both titles in 2009 under their former guise, Brawn.

But Domencali insists Ferrari have him in their sights, saying: "Michael's return is inner motivation to our team.

"Fernando is the only driver to defeat Michael and he wants to win."

Schumacher's renewed rivalry with Alonso, who beat him to the 2005 and 2006 championships when driving for Renault, is one of the most anticipated match-ups of the new season, alongside 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton's first competitive meeting with Schumacher.

Relationships between the seven-time world champion and Alonso soured during their championship battle in 2006. BBC Website