Klinsmann delight as below-par Bayern close gap

Bayern Munich boss Jurgen Klinsmann was delighted the defending Bundesliga champions ground out a 1-0 win over Karlsruhe to narrow the gap on leaders Hertha Berlin to just a point.

“The three points were what mattered,” said Klinsmann despite his side’s average performance as a single first-half strike from Argentina striker Jose Sosa gave Bayern the three points.

With leaders Hertha Berlin losing 2-0 in Stuttgart, both Bayern and third-placed Wolfsburg are now only a point off the top, but Munich’s performance at their Allianz Arena against rock-bottom Karlsruhe was far from impressive.

“We?ve won the way Hertha have won seven or eight times this season, which is OK from time to time,” added Klinsmann.

“Especially in the second half, it didn?t go the way we wanted it to. We were too hurried, Karlsruhe fought back and made chances.

“We failed to wrap it up in the first half. Nevertheless, we?re satisfied enough. It?s good we?re only a point behind Berlin.

“The players are allowed an occasional off day.”

With Bayern facing Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals next month, captain Mark van Bommel was also demanding more from his side.

“There?s nothing much to say. We played badly, but won,” said Bayern’s Dutch skipper who signed a year’s extension to his contract in midweek.

“It was OK to start with and we scored the goal. But otherwise, we?re all aware it wasn?t great. At this stage of the season, these are the games you have to win, and we?ve gone out and won.

“There are three points at stake, we?ve taken them, and that?s all that matters.”

League leaders Hertha Berlin let their four-point lead slip to just a single point as they were beaten 2-0 at VfB Stuttgart.

“It was a very good game,” said delighted Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel.

“The team responded well to the 4-0 defeat by Werder Bremen the week before and rose to the challenge. They corrected a lot of mistakes and I am very happy.”

With both Bayern and third-placed Wolfsburg hard on his side’s heels, Hertha coach Lucien Favre was critical of his side’s performance after losing captain Arne Friedrich with a first-half thigh injury.

“Stuttgart were clearly better,” said the Swiss coach. “We saw two different teams, one played very well, the other one badly.

“If the team doesn’t function properly you will concede goals. We had a bad game and sometimes you have to accept that as a coach.”

Villarreal boost Champions League hopes

Villarreal put the pressure on Champions League rivals Atletico Madrid and Malaga with a 2-0 home win over 10-man Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Goals from Spanish international Santi Cazorla and Mati Fernandez saw fourth-placed Villarreal move five points clear of chasing Atletico and Malaga who are in action on Sunday.

For Bilbao, who had Markel Susaeta sent off late on, it was another setback as they have failed to win in their last seven outings and are not yet safe from the drop.

Turkish striker Nihat had the hosts’s first opening but his shot from an acute angle was blocked and Bilbao cleared their lines.

Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Lopez, called up into the Spain squad for the first time this week, was called into action on 13 minutes producing a fine save to thwart Igor Gabilondo’s deflected shot.

The breakthrough arrived in the 68th minute with Cazorla’s fierce shot into the corner after Bilbao were cut open.

Susaeta was sent off for a second yellow card all but ending Bilbao’s hopes of getting back in the game. Fernandez then scored in stoppage time to wrap up the win for Villarreal.

Third-placed Sevilla entertain Valladolid in Saturday’s late match looking to extend their lead over their chasing Champions League rivals.

Valladolid are down in ninth but are only four points off the final UEFA Cup spot and have already beaten Sevilla this season along with Real Madrid, Villarreal and Valencia.

“It is a tricky game against a team that has surprised a lot of the top teams,” said Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez.

“Valladolid have the ability to score goals and we need to be careful. Our stadium needs to be a fortress if we want to get the points we need (to qualify for the Champions League).”

Real Madrid take on Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday trying to put the pressure on Barcelona, six points ahead at the top, in the title race.

“We cannot slip up,” said goalkeeper Iker Casillas. “There are about two months left. A lot can happen, but things can also get ugly if the league is won early.”

It is an emotional game for Almeria’s Mexican coach Hugo Sanchez who played for Real between 1985 and 1992 winning four Pichichi crowns in the process.

Barcelona host Malaga at Camp Nou on Sunday as they continue their bid for a historic treble.

“If I had to prioritise one of them, it would be the league because it?s what gives you stability and sets the tone for the team,” said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. “We have to focus on the next match above any other.”

Spurs check Chelsea title charge

Chelsea missed a gilt-edged chance to pile pressure on Manchester United in the English Premier League title race as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday.

Luka Modric’s superb strike early in the second half consigned Guus Hiddink to his first defeat since assuming control at Stamford Bridge on an interim basis, but while the Dutchman will be piqued at losing his unbeaten record, his real annoyance will be at failing to capitalise on United’s surprise defeat at Fulham.

Instead, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side retain their four-point lead over Chelsea - a lead that could be stretched to seven if they win their game in hand - and Hiddink might well come to see this as the day his hopes of restoring the league championship to west London were snuffed out.

Ferguson, a close friend of Harry Redknapp, will be feeling even better disposed towards the Tottenham manager after this result, which should also extinguish any lingering relegation fears at White Hart Lane.

Instead, Redknapp can start looking up towards the seventh place that will guarantee a place in next season’s Europa League, the successor to the UEFA Cup.

For Hiddink, however, this defeat represented the most painful of reality checks and the Dutchman will have plenty to ponder on his flight to Moscow on Sunday, as he prepares for Russia’s World Cup qualification double-header against Azerbaijan.

It was not simply the result which will have dismayed him, but Chelsea’s limp performance. There was no energy or zip to the visitors’ football and not even the most one-eyed observer could claim that Tottenham did not deserve their triumph.

The only consolation, of sorts, was that Chelsea are not the first of the Premier League’s established elite to come unstuck in these parts. Spurs can now boast that in home league games against Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea they have collected eight points and conceded just one goal.

Kick-off may have been delayed by half an hour due to traffic problems caused by a security alert, but Spurs still began at a rattling pace, thanks largely to the energetic Wilson Palacios and Jermaine Jenas, who refused to grant any of Chelsea’s advanced midfield trio a moment’s peace.

Chelsea’s rhythm was wrecked. The visitors produced just two long-range shots from Michael Essien and Nicolas Anelka - both comfortably saved by Heurelho Gomes - in a toothless first-half performance and while Petr Cech, the Chelsea goalkeeper, was hardly under siege, Spurs still looked the likelier scorers.

In the 18th minute, Gomes’s long downfield punt was horribly misjudged by Alex, the ball bouncing over him and into the path of Robbie Keane. The Ireland striker’s half-volley was cleanly struck but Cech proved equal to it at his near post.

Keane was a persistent menace, and he forced Cech into another smart save six minutes later, firing off a shot from 12 yards after a storming run from Vedran Corluka.

Hiddink must have been baffled at his team’s lethargy, especially as news had filtered through of Manchester United falling behind at Fulham, but if the Dutchman hoped that the interval would shake Chelsea out of their stupor, he was mistaken.

They started the second period in the same ponderous fashion they had finished the first and this time they were punished. After Aaron Lennon had wriggled into space on the right, the England winger squared to the top of the penalty area, where Modric was lurking with intent. One swish of his right boot sent the ball scudding into the bottom corner, and Spurs had a deserved lead.

Not even falling behind was enough to spark a Chelsea revival and it took until the final 15 minutes for Hiddink’s side to generate any meaningful momentum.

Gomes was finally forced into serious action in the 78th minute, when John Terry rose highest to meet Frank Lampard’s inswinging free-kick and the England defender’s header was clawed behind.

United self-destruct, Fulham blow title race wide open

Danny Murphy and Zoltan Gera struck to hand Fulham a shock win over nine-man Manchester United and throw open the Premier League title race.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s league leaders followed last weekend’s defeat to Liverpool with a second successive reverse that opened the door for Chelsea and Liverpool to close the gap at the head of the table.

And to make a miserable afternoon even worse, Ferguson was forced to watch as Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney were dismissed, ruling them out of crucial games in the final run-in.

The week-long post-mortem that followed last weekend’s jarring 4-1 defeat had been centred on the impact it might possibly have on United’s poise during the run-in.

Prior to that reverse, Ferguson’s side had been cruising towards a third successive title, destroying any hopes the chasing pack may have had with a formidable run of eleven successive league victories.

But the nature of Liverpool’s victory suddenly punctured United’s air of invincibility.

And judging by this shocking display at Craven Cottage, it has deflated the swaggering self-belief that had previously been a hallmark of the reigning champions’ campaign.

Having looked alarmingly fragile at the back seven days earlier, United showed no signs of having resolved the defensive problems that had allowed Liverpool to beat Edwin van der Sar four times.

Nemanja Vidic - last weekend’s guiltiest culprit - was absent following his sending off against Rafael Benitez’s side, and without the normally reliable Serb the visitors looked vulnerable to almost every early Fulham attack.

Not that the defence was given much protection by a midfield that was constantly caught in possession and seemed incapable of picking out the simplest of passes.

Credit must go to Fulham for their direct approach, with the lively forwards Andrew Johnson, Bobby Zamora and Clint Dempsey stretching the United back-line to provide ready targets for steady service delivered from midfield.

The alarm bells should have been ringing for Ferguson’s side just two minutes into the game when Dempsey found space inside the box and fired wide of Van der Sar’s near post from a narrow angle.

United briefly looked as though they might respond when Dimitar Berbatov headed over four minutes later - but astonishingly that turned out to be the visitors’ only real chance of a one-sided opening half.

Instead it was the Fulham strikers who repeatedly found space between United’s back-pedalling back four, forcing Van der Sar into a succession of excellent saves that prevented the home side taking more convincing control of the game.

There was little the Dutch keeper could do, however, about Murphy’s 17th-minute penalty that gave Fulham a deserved lead.

Zamora may lack pace but his presence had already unsettled Ferguson’s side before he rose to meet Simon Davies’s corner and saw his header palmed away by Van der Sar.

The ball came back to Zamora whose second effort was goal-bound until Scholes turned goalkeeper to concede the spot-kick and earn a red card.

Once again reduced to ten men, it was clear that this would be a stern test of United’s character but the remainder of the first half offered few signs that they were capable of clawing their way back into the game.

Ferguson’s stern glare as he left the pitch at half-time suggested he had seen more than enough and it was no surprise when the ineffectual Berbatov was replaced at half-time by Rooney.

Rooney’s omission from the starting line-up had been a surprise and the England forward immediately gave United a more meaningful attacking threat.

But although the visitors managed to carve out some presentable chances, Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer pulled off a string of outstanding saves to deny Cristiano Ronaldo, Park Ji-Sung and Rooney.

And when Ferguson’s side were launching a series of desperate late attacks, Gera broke and exchanged passes with Johnson before finishing with an acrobatic volley.

Then, to cap a shocking afternoon for the champions, Rooney gestured in frustration at referee Phil Dowd, earning himself a second yellow card and ensuring United finished the game with nine men.

Old boy Sanchez aims to dent Real title bid

Hugo Sanchez became a legend at Real Madrid in seven trophy-laden seasons but on Sunday the Mexican will put sentiment aside as his Almeria side look for a first ever win at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Legendary striker Sanchez starred for Real between 1985 and 1992, winning five league titles and four ‘Pichichi’ (top goalscorer) crowns, but now he wants to get one over on his old club.

“It will be emotional to return to Real Madrid but I have to put my job first and we will go for the three points,” said Sanchez.

“I would like to make Almeria history by winning at the Bernabeu for the first time.”

The only problem for Sanchez, and Almeria, is that Real can afford no slip-ups as they look to close the six-point gap to frontrunners Barcelona.

Juande Ramos’s side may have crashed out of Europe but they have won 11 of their last 12 games to stay on Barca’s heels and French midfielder Lass Diarra believes they are capable of winning all their remaining fixtures to snatch the league title.

“There is a positive atmosphere in the squad,” said Diarra.

“Our goal is to win the title by winning every game. We are very much alive and I think we can catch up with Barcelona. I am convinced we are capable of winning all our matches.”

Having halved a one-time 12-point gap to Barca, Real have just the league on which to focus while their arch-rivals must also focus on the Kings Cup final and the Champions League.

Barca manager Pep Guardiola rested Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry last weekend in the 2-0 win over Almeria as he tries to keep his stars fresh for the key final few months of the season.

Bojan Krkic, 18, scored both goals against Almeria but admits it is difficult to force his way into Barca’s star-studded line-up.

“It is not easy to get a game when you have Eto’o, (Lionel) Messi and Henry in front of you. They are three of the best players in the world,” said Bojan.

Malaga are the visitors at Camp Nou on Sunday, and are looking to claim another big scalp. The promoted side have surprised everyone this season and are only two points off the Champions League spots.

Atletico Madrid are level on points with Malaga after a morale-boosting 3-2 win over Villarreal last time out and aim to build on that success at strugglers Real Mallorca on Sunday.

Uruguayan international Diego Forlan has scored more than any other player in 2009 with nine league goals taking his tally to 19 - just four behind the league’s top-scorer Samuel Eto’o.

“I didn’t expect to score so many goals in Spain because it is a tough league,” confessed Forlan. “I am quite far away (from Eto’o) and I don’t really set targets. I just keep on working hard.”

Villarreal need to make amends for the defeat to Atletico and they host Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Sevilla are well positioned in third six points ahead of Villarreal and want to consolidate their lead at home to Valladolid on Saturday.

For Valencia the Champions League dream is rapidly disappearing with the 2004 champions falling five points off the top four after one win in their last eight league matches.

Unai Emery’s side travel to an improving Racing Santander outfit on Sunday needing a win to take the spotlight off their well-publicised financial problems.

Milan focus on Champions League return

AC Milan face a tough trip to Napoli as they continue their push for a top three finish and automatic entry into next season’s Champions League group stages.

Milan finished fifth in Serie A a year ago and spent this season in exile in the UEFA Cup until they were knocked out by Werder Bremen at the end of last month.

But now, according to injured midfield general Gennaro Gattuso, the Italian giants are focussed on securing a top three finish.

While Milan may have failed to put up a championship fight this season — they trail leaders and city rivals Inter by 12 points — Gattuso is convinced that they would have succeeded where their neighbours failed and beaten Manchester United in the Champions League.

“If Milan had come up against Manchester we would have beaten them,” he said. “In one-off matches we can achieve the unexpected.

“But for us right now the most important thing is getting back into the Champions League, a year in the UEFA Cup has hurt us.”

The clash in Naples will be the latest step in achieving that objective and they will be looking to maintain their six-point lead over fourth placed Genoa, who host Udinese.

But Gattuso is expecting a rejuvenated Napoli under former Italy coach and Milan midfielder Roberto Donadoni, who is taking charge of his first home match.

Napoli have not won in 10 league matches but the mood around the camp has improved since Donadoni’s arrival.

“Donadoni’s arrival will have made things even harder but if we win then third place is in the bag,” said Gattuso, who is not likely to play again this season due to a cruciate knee ligament injury sustained in December.

Before the season began this match would have been viewed as potentially a crucial one in the title race but Roma’s disastrous start to the season sees them arrive at this juncture with their eyes set firmly on clinching fourth place, not the title.

They trail Genoa in that race by two points but have stuttered recently, drawing their last three matches and winning only two of the last seven.

Juventus, in stark contrast, have won four in a row and are still dreaming of a first scudetto crown since 2003, having had their 2005 and 2006 titles stripped due to match-fixing.

Midfielder Claudio Marchisio, an increasingly important part of the team with Malian Momo Sissoko out injured, believes Juventus can still pull back the seven-point gap to Inter.

The two sides meet in Turin in four weeks.

“We’ve having a great season and we are going to keep on believing right to the end,” he said.

“There are still a lot of points to play for and Inter are starting to feel tired after all their matches.

“This is a decisive moment, we need to look for a maximum of points in our next three matches against Roma, Chievo and Genoa so we can be in the best possible position when we play the leaders.”

Inter host rock bottom Reggina on Sunday and will be odds on to come away from that with three points, particularly since star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic put his European disappointment behind him with a brace last weekend in the 2-0 win over Fiorentina.

Carlos keen on Real Madrid move

Brazilian full-back Roberto Carlos has revealed that he would be interested in a return to Real Madrid if Florentino Perez wins the club’s presidential election.

Carlos has just recently signed a one-year extension with Turkish side Fenerbahce.

“I have a year left on my contract, but many things can happen with Florentino,” Marca quote him as saying. “I have renewed here and have another season, but we shall see because everyone knows I have great respect for him.

“Fenerbahce have given me the opportunity to be here for ten or 15 years, but I have already spent eleven years of my life with Real Madrid.

Walcott blow for Gunners and England

Theo Walcott’s hopes of a return to the England squad next week have been dashed by a knee injury that means another frustrating spell on the sidelines for the Arsenal winger.

The 20-year-old, who had only just completed his recovery from a serious shoulder injury, suffered the fresh setback in training on Friday.

“He will have a scan on his knee today and we are a bit surprised and worried because he was in very good form coming back,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted.

“That is very bad news for us. Out for the rest of the season would be too long, but certainly he is out of the squad for the Newcastle game tomorrow and he could be out of the squad for England.”

Wenger added: “Theo locked his knee when he was walking back from training, so it could be a cartilage. Training was fully normal and maybe he has done it in training and it came out when he stopped. But we have to see how he responds today. I hope that it is not serious, but he has to be scanned.”

Walcott had been named in England’s under-21 squad for matches next week but a good display at Newcastle on Saturday may have resulted in promotion into Fabio Capello’s senior squad for next week’s friendly against Slovakia, which is followed by a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine.

Arsenal go into Saturday’s match looking to keep their noses in front of Aston Villa in the battle for fourth place and the Premier League’s finally qualifying place for next season’s Champions League.

Wenger admits he is worried that the international break could affect his side’s recent momentum.

“Now many of the team go away on international duty and I hope we do not lose players through injuries because many of our players are coming back now from injuries. It looks like we are in a good situation.

“Cesc Fabregas should be fit in two weeks. He is back in full training now and during the international break he has two weeks to sharpen up.”

Although his priority is holding off Villa, Wenger has not given up hope of catching the sides above Arsenal.

“We have prepared ourselves mentally to give absolutely everything in every game,” he said. “It is down to us. I would like to change the order of the top four to get in front of one or two teams.”

Wenger added: “The title is not as much done as people think it is. Manchester United has a huge advantage, because they are four points ahead and have a game in hand. But it is still open, because they all still have to play us, so it will be interesting.”

Bayern happy with Barcelona draw

Bayern Munich were celebrating mildly on Friday despite being drawn against Spanish giants Barcelona - one of the title favourites - in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The German champions had been hoping to play the first leg away from home, and that wish was granted in Nyon Friday where Manchester United drew FC Porto, Liverpool drew Chelsea and Arsenal were handed a tie with Villarreal.

The first leg of Bayern’s showdown with the Catalan giants and 2006 Champions League winners takes place at the Nou Camp stadium on Wednesday 8 April with the return in Germany on Tuesday 14 April.

“This is fantastic news for our football club,” enthused Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness.

“As we’ve been saying all along, if we’re to be drawn against one of the giants, we want the first leg away from home, and that’s what we’ve got. Barcelona at the Allianz Arena in the return is a dream come true for our fans.”

Klinsmann added: “Coming face-to-face with the best team in Europe at the moment is a terrific challenge for us all.

“It’s something truly out of the ordinary. Barcelona will be exceptionally tough, but anything’s possible. We believe in ourselves, and there’s no need to be overawed.”

Bayern last triumphed in the competition in 2001. Should they reach the semis the Bavarian giants would face either Liverpool or Chelsea in the last four, with the first leg at the Allianz Arena on 28/29 April, and the return in England on 5/6 May.

“It’s a shame we don’t have the same sequence [with the return at home] for the semi-finals,” Hoeness commented.

The quarter-final tie will be an emotional affair for Mark van Bommel, a Champions League winner with Barcelona in 2006.

Messi: I would stay at Barcelona forever

Lionel Messi wants to stay at Barcelona for the rest of his career, the Argentina forward said. “I have said many times that if it were up to me I would stay my whole life at Barca,” he said at a book presentation in the Catalan capital.

“There are some things money cannot buy such as happiness and how good I feel here,” added the 21-year-old while replying to a question about whether he would consider signing for arch-rivals Real Madrid.

So far, he has scored 18 goals in 24 league matches and netted six times in the Champions League and five times in the King’s Cup.

United handed plum draw as Chelsea draw Liverpool

Holders Manchester United were handed arguably the plum pick of the Champions League quarter-finals draw after being pitted against 2004 champions FC Porto here Friday.

For the second year in a row four English teams feature in the last eight with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool also looking for a quick and comparatively easy passage to the semi-finals.

While 2006 finalists Arsenal were drawn to play Spanish side Villarreal, semi-finalists the same year, an all-English quarter-final will see Liverpool take on Chelsea at Anfield before travelling to Stamford Bridge a week later.

In the other quarter-final 2006 winners Barcelona welcome Bayern Munich to the Nou Camp before playing the second leg in Germany.

Quarter-finals draw:

Match 1

Villarreal (ESP) v Arsenal (ENG)

Match 2

Manchester United (ENG) v FC Porto (POR)

Match 3

Liverpool (ENG) v Chelsea (ENG)

Match 4

Barcelona (ESP) v Bayern Munich (GER)

Semi-finals

Manchester United (ENG) or FC Porto (POR) v Villarreal (ESP) or Arsenal (ENG)

Barcelona (ESP) or Bayern Munich (GER) v Liverpool (ENG) or Chelsea (ENG)

Quarter-final matches played on 7/8 and 14/15 April

Semi-finals - 28/29 April and 5/6 May

Final - Rome May 27

Ballack´s charm offensive on Germany team-mates

Germany captain Michael Ballack has been working hard to build bridges with his team-mates following last autumn’s spat with national coach Joachim Loew, senior players have revealed.

Chelsea midfielder Ballack caused a storm here last autumn when he accused Loew of failing to show senior players enough respect and loyalty after veteran midfielder Torsten Frings was kept on the bench for two World Cup qualifiers.

Ballack was later forced to issue an apology and backed down, but it became clear things were not entirely harmonious in the Germany camp.

And senior players defender Philipp Lahm and striker Miroslav Klose have revealed Ballack is now working hard to improve his image within the national team.

“He approaches players far more now than he used to,” Bayern Munich’s Lahm told Stern magazine.

And Klose, who misses both Germany’s qualifiers against Leichtenstein, in Leipzig on March 28, and Wales, on April 1 in Cardiff, with an ankle injury, says Ballack must lead by example on and off the field.

“You notice that Michael tries to integrate himself more,” said Klose, who has captained Germany in Ballack’s absence.

“But he must also do that on the field, that will not happen today or tomorrow, but is something he must learn and create for himself.”

After Germany lost the Euro 2008 final 1-0 to Spain in Vienna last June, several senior players criticised Ballack for using strong language, especially in his on-field row with team manager Oliver Bierhoff.

Ballack later justified his words by saying when he started his career, a football dressing room was the place where problems within the team were thrashed out.

“Things are different to how they were,” said Ballack, who made his debut in 1999.

“My challenge is to conduct myself as the captain of the national team and to be approachable for the younger players.”

And Loew himself says he has seen a change in attitude from his captain, who has won 90 caps.

“During the last game, I had the feeling that Michael was communicating more and that is good,” said the national coach.

Germany have lost their last two games at home - the first time that has happened since 1956 - when they went down 2-1 to England at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium last November and were then humbled 1-0 by Norway in February.

Minnows Leichtenstein - ranked 151 in the world - take on Germany on March 28 in a World Cup qualifier and Germany need a convincing win to underline their place as group leaders ahead of Russia.

Bellamy hopes of Aalborg return dashed

Craig Bellamy’s hopes of making an early return to action in Manchester City’s UEFA Cup meeting with Aalborg on Thursday have been dashed after manager Mark Hughes ruled the striker out of the trip to Denmark.

City are strong favourites to proceed to the last eight of the competition after a 2-0 first leg win and Bellamy had been optimistic about the chances of featuring in his first game since suffering a knee injury at the start of this month.

Hughes said Sunday’s Premier League clash against Sunderland would be a more realistic target for the Wales striker, who has been an instant hit with the City fans since his January move from West Ham.

Hughes is hoping Belgian midfielder Vincent Kompany will come through a late fitness test on a toe injury.

“It is a lot better than it has been, although he is still having a little bit of pain,” the City boss reported. “He had a run out for the first time yesterday and we will make a late decision on him.

“Hopefully we will have the option because he will give us that little bit of strength in the middle of the park we maybe lacked (in a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea) at the weekend.”

Hughes believes City have got a great chance of lifting the trophy this season but insisted that Aalborg’s prospects of overturning the first-leg deficit would not be under-estimated.

“They are a good side,” he said. “People shouldn’t under-estimate the task that is ahead of us.

“They have caused good teams problems in the past and people shouldn’t be distracted by how well we played in the first leg.

“They didn’t play as well as people expected because of the manner of our performance.

“If they get ahead they are likely to cause you problems. We have to make sure we are in control of the tie.”

Marchena still confident

Valencia defender Carlos Marchena remains confident that they can manage to qualify for the Champions League this season, in spite of their current crisis.

Los Che’s are five points adrift of the Primera Division top four, following their 1-1 draw at home to Recreativo Huelva.

“The Champions League is still within reach for us. Nothing is impossible and there are a lot of games to play for and the points difference isn’t that big,” he was quoted as saying by Marca.

“Of course, there are a group of other teams who are all chasing the same thing as we are. But we cannot give up and we must try with all our might [to qualify].

“There have been games where we have missed our chances to win, but if we continue pushing, we will win again eventually.”

Football Fan Shoots Player Dead

An Iraqi football fan shot dead a player of the opposing team as he tried to score an equalizing goal in the final minutes of a match last Saturday. The shooting occured in Hilla (100 km south of Baghdad) during a match between local teams.

According to police accounts, as soon as the player, Haider Kadhim, was one-on-one with the goalkeeper and close to scoring the equalizer, a fan in the crowd shot his gun at him. The fan arrested immediately but the player did not survive the shooting.

While this is sad news (and prime material for dark humor; gives ‘he went down like he was shot’ a whole new meaning) and clearly no advert for football being an instrument of peace, the incident needs to be taken in context of the local situation and of the position football holds in different societies across the world.

If there’s one thing football has taught us about social dynamics, it’s that perfectly rational individuals will turn into raving lunatics when put in an highly-charge emotional setting as a group and given a target to unite themselves against. It’s fun, it’s passion, it’s football, it’s madness, but at the end of the day as long you’ve had fun and you’ve channeled your frustrations of the day / week through the fan experience, it’s all good, right?

Now take that dynamic and put that in the middle of a (relatively) unmonitored environment with a much higher degree of stress and a history of violence, and you’re just asking for something to go wrong.

This isn’t specific to Iraq, or typical of the Middle East. You won’t find many incidents of fan violence (let alone shootings) in UAE or Saudi Arabia, for example. It’s part of football all over the world and it really bubbles through when extreme social / cultural / political / economic divides manifest themselves in the guise of football rivalry, even though football has nothing to do with it.

Be it street gangs in Argentina, fighting on the pitch in the pub in South Korea, chants heard in Glasgow, fans beaten to death in Indonesia, stabbings in Rome, fans attacking players in Turkey or stadium brawls in Serbia, these conflicts are about rational people confusing the escapist illusions of football with real life, and inflicting (and suffering) harsh consequences as a result.

Jimenez unhappy at Inter

Inter midfielder Luis Jimenez admits he is eager to leave the club at the end of the season.

The Chilean midfielder is frustrated by the lack of first-team opportunities with the Nerazzurri.

“I asked to leave in the winter - I had several offers and big clubs came forward,” Jimenez lamented in La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“However, Inter said that they needed me and a transfer was out of the question. I was amazed and the situation has deteriorated still further since then.

“I can’t come to terms with what is happening and I can’t see a good reason for it.

“I feel good and I even discussed things with Jose Mourinho recently and that left me optimistic, but I obviously misunderstood what he was saying.

“I thought I would be brought back into the team, but I wasn’t even in the Coppa Italia squad.

“Sometimes I feel like a ghost in training and I don’t want to spend another season like this.”

Barcellona, Laporta dreams about the Treble

Barcelona are seen once again as favourites to land La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, but club president Joan Laporta is refusing to start thinking about treble celebrations.

“We are enjoying a good run now, but the season is far from over and we must remain prudent,” he said in an interview with RAC-1 programme ‘Tu diras’.

“What is important is that we continue to show we are the team to beat, and that we are back to our best. I believe that the Real Madrid fans are disappointed to see Barca so solid and strong again.

Ancelotti: We still aim for the second place

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that the club are interested in Inter full-back Maxwell and reassured the fans on Kaka’s condition. “Maxwell is a player Milan like a lot, I think we will talk about it in a while,” he said. “He is one of the best wing players around.”

“Checks on Kakà have been made, it’s nothing serious. Abbiati? This season, destiny has been against us,” he continued, referring to the goalkeeper’s season-ending injury.

On the team’s objective in the league, Ancelotti said, “We are doing well and we are still aiming for the second place, we aren’t getting complacent. We also have the direct encounter against Juventus to play at home”.

Gordon hoping to get place back

Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon admits that he is frustrated with his situation at the club.

But the Scottish star is determined to get his place back from Hungarian goalkeeper Marton Fulop.

“It has been frustrating and annoying at times but you have got to put up with that and do the usual thing of get back to basics and you work hard in training and wait for your chance,” he told Sky Sports News.

“But it is very difficult to do that and not get upset but I have knuckled down and put in some good performances.

“Hopefully I have put myself in contention for this weekend (against Manchester City).

“There have been days when it has been difficult but I am a professional player and it is how you react and I hope to win my place back very soon.”

Bayern´s Hoeness suggests football levy

Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness has suggested each household in Germany pay an extra two euros (2.5 US dollars) per month to put German league football back on terrestrial television.

Hoeness has suggested an additional levy to the 17.98 euros (23 US dollars) German TV licence fee to help the professional game here close the yawning gap between its TV revenue compared to those in England, Spain and Italy.

“My biggest hope is that folk will at some point be prepared to pay two euros a month for their football,” Hoeness told German finance magazine Wirtschaftswoche.

“That’s not even half a pack of cigarettes or a small beer in the pub.”

Hoeness believes an additional two euros per month from Germany?s 37 million TV households would generate some 900 million euros (1.166 billion US dollars) in annual revenue.

Bundesliga football is currently broadcast on cable television provider Premiere, with subscribers paying around 25 euros (32 US dollars) per month.

But the idea supported by Hoeness has been met with scepticism here as negative headlines appeared along the lines of “Solidarity surcharge for footballers” and “Compulsory fee for millionaire players”.

But Hoeness insists the minor extra payment could put German football back on terrestrial television here and would mean regular access to top Bundesliga games for all.

“I mean that for an additional two euros per month the man in the street would be able to watch the entire first and second Bundesliga programme ?free?,” said Hoeness.

“A two euro monthly charge would allow public service broadcasters ARD and ZDF to show every game live.

“Everyone, and I repeat, everyone could watch every match live, and/or at a time of their choosing, and/or potentially free on demand.

“More people in Germany are passionate about football than anything else.

“Not everyone wants to watch soap operas, folk music, romantic drama, arts programming, or even politics.

“But everyone still has to pay a 17.98 euro monthly licence fee.”

The 36 clubs in the Bundesliga’s two divisions currently receive a total of around 300 million euros (389 million US), a figure set to rise to 412 million (534 million US) from next season, so under Hoeness’ plan German clubs would receive double their current payment.

“German football would certainly then begin to close the gap to the other major European football markets,” added Hoeness, who steps down as Bayern manager at the end of the season.

Hoeness says while leading clubs around the continent received between 80 (103 million US) and 130 (168 million US) million euros annually from national TV rights, Bayern earn some 50 million (64 million US) from television, 30 million (38.8 million US) of which comes from the Bundesliga.

And with the financial crisis starting to seep down through German society, Hoeness said Bayern may drop their gate prices to help their fans.

“The man in the street is likely to be hit hardest by the global recession,” said Hoeness.

“People who can?t just get away for the weekend, who may no longer have money left over to follow their club and purchase a ticket for the match,” said Hoeness.

“If it becomes really bad and unemployment soars, we?ll review our ticket prices and adjust them to reflect the situation.”