Big-hitting Jesse Ryder has been recalled to the New Zealand squad for next month’s tour of Bangladesh, seven months after the cricketer with the ‘wild child’ image injured a hand in a bar incident.
   Ryder, 24, was included in the 17-member squad for the two Test and three one-day series. ‘I’m stoked (delighted) to be given another chance,’ he said. ‘It’s been a long time coming. It was up to them (the selectors) to give me another chance and I’m just happy they did.’
   Selector Dion Nash said Ryder had showed good recent form.
   ‘Jesse performed well on the emerging players tour in Australia in July,’ Nash said.
   Ryder made an impressive start to international one-day cricket, averaging 49 at a rapid strike rate of 91.
   But his career came to a sudden halt in February when he injured himself in a bar when he broke a window while trying to get into a locked toilet during celebrations following New Zealand’s home one-day series win over England.
   He needed surgery to his damaged right hand and a period of rehabilitation meant he missed the tour of England.
   Ryder said the incident had changed his attitude ‘pretty much big time’.
   ‘I’ve got a good support network around me now and we go through one day at a time in getting it all sorted,’ he said.
   Test new-ball bowler Chris Martin has been recalled to the one-day squad for the Bangladesh tour, while fellow seamer Iain O’Brien and opening batsman Aaron Redmond will join the tour party for the two Tests.
   Squad: Daniel Vettori (captain), Grant Elliott, Daniel Flynn, Gareth Hopkins, Jamie How, Chris Martin, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor. Aaron Redmond (tests only), Iain O’Brien (tests only), Scott Styris (ODIs only), Mark Gillespie (ODIs only).
   
   Itinerary
   October 7: One-day warm-up match, venue and opposition TBC
   October 9: 1st ODI, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
   October 11: 2nd ODI, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
   October 14: 3rd ODI, Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium, Chittagong
   October 17: 1st Test, Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium, Chittagong
   October 25: 2nd Test, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Dimitar Berbatov has been told to ignore comparisons to Eric Cantona and make his own name at Manchester United ahead of his debut for the club at Liverpool on Saturday.
   The Bulgarian striker is set to launch his United career at Anfield after wrapping up his 30-million-pound (53.5 million dollars) switch from Spurs on transfer deadline day.
   Berbatov’s sometimes moody demeanour and silky style of play has earned comparisons to French star Cantona, who helped transform United’s fortunes following his arrival from Leeds United in 1992.
   But Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists that the only player Berbatov should have in mind is himself when he finally pulls on a United shirt.
   Ferguson said: ‘Dimitar has only been with us for a few days and I’ve spent some of those in the south of France on my mid-season break!
   ‘But he has to put those comparisons (to Cantona) to bed by being himself. That’s why we brought him to the club. His qualities are different from Eric’s, but he brings a similar stature with him.
   ‘When Eric arrived, though, we were fighting to get to the top and he just helped us open the gate. There is less pressure on Dimitar now because we have had a run of success over the years.
   ‘Twenty-five years ago, new signings here were always billed as the man to end the wait (for the league title) or the final piece of the jigsaw, but that has changed.’
   Berbatov’s arrival provides United with a fearsome front-line, with Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, when fit, all available to the United boss.
   Ferguson said: ‘It was rightly pointed out last season that I didn’t have great alternatives up front. But with Dimitar, Wayne and Carlos, I do have those options, especially with Cristiano also able to play as a striker as well. We now look very strong in that department and the addition of Dimitar now gives us a big advantage.’
   Berbatov, who drew criticism from some quarters for openly calling for a move from Spurs this summer, insists that he has realised his dream by signing for United.
   He said: ‘I wanted to play for the biggest club in the world and if I make my debut at Liverpool, that’s fine. It’s a very big game, but I have come to United to play these games.
   ‘It’s always a big compliment to be compared to the likes of Cantona and Teddy Sheringham, but I need to play a lot of games to do as well as those guys. Maybe in the future, when I stop playing, people will mention me in the same way.’
   United’s newly-rich local rivals, Manchester City, made a late bid to try and snatch Berbatov away from United, but the player was unmoved by the superior financial terms on offer.
   ‘I heard about the offer Manchester City made and the money they want to spend,’ he said. ‘I was surprised but it did not make any difference to me. I just wanted to come here. That was my only goal - and I achieved it.’

The International Cricket Council will not make a decision on the new dates for the postponed Champions Trophy tournament until October at the earliest, it was announced here Thursday.
   A board meeting at the global governing body’s Dubai headquarters failed to reach agreement on the issue after the Champions Trophy, due to take place in Pakistan from September 12-28, was postponed until October 2009 after several leading sides voiced security concerns.
   However, already in the calendar for 2009 is a clashing seven-match one-day series between India and world champions Australia while the second edition of the lucrative Champions League Twenty20 tournament, featuring the world’s leading domestic sides, is due to take place from September 25 to October 11.
   The Board of Control for Cricket in India has so far refused to alter the dates of the Australia series and officials are struggling to find a gap in the schedule for the 50 overs per side Champions Trophy event.
   ‘It was agreed by the ICC Board that ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat would engage with member boards likely to be affected by the rescheduling of the tournament to September/October 2009,’ an ICC statement said.
   ‘It was further agreed that Mr Lorgat would report back to the Board on the result of that engagement at its next meeting, in October.’
   The ICC also announced plans for further trials of the umpire referral system used for the first time during Sri Lanka’s recent Test series win over India
   ‘It was agreed the ideal would be for as many umpires and teams as possible to be exposed to the trial to allow proper assessment of the system’s merits or otherwise,’ the ICC said, adding the series involved in the new trials would be determined in due course.,
   ‘It was confirmed that a final report on the trial to cover all series in which it has been employed would be presented to the ICC cricket committee in May 2009 and then considered by the chief executives committee in June 2009.
   The ICC also said they were looking at a new structure for international tours with the current Future Tours Programme, which revolves around bilateral arrangements made by individual boards, due to conclude in May 2012.
   Among the suggestions is an enchanced Test championship.
   Although no definitive decisions were reached in Dubai, the ICC said the majority of individual board chief executives ‘supported further exploration of the enhanced model’.

Australia on Friday left out all-rounder Andrew Symonds for disciplinary reasons and chose 36-year-old leg-spinner Bryce McGain for next month’s four-Test tour of India.
   Symonds is considering his future in international cricket after being axed from the Australian squad for this month’s one-day series against Bangladesh in Darwin after opting to go fishing rather than attend a compulsory team meeting.
   Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said Symonds, who has played 22 Tests and 193 one-day internationals, will be left behind to give the 33-year-old time to consider his playing future.
   ‘Andrew Symonds was stood down for disciplinary reasons in Darwin and is now going through a process managed by Cricket Australia designed to give him time to assess whether he is fully committed to all of the things needed to be a member of the world’s number one team,’ Hilditch said.
   ‘Cricket Australia has told us that selectors will be advised once Andrew can be considered again for selection and we hope we can look forward to that advice in due course because as we all know a fit and fully committed Andrew Symonds can be a world-beater.
   ‘In the meantime, our advice was that he was not available to be considered for selection this time.’
   Australia selected Victorian McGain and Tasmanian Jason Krejza as their spinners in the 15-man party for the spin-friendly Indian wickets, and also included fast bowlers Doug Bollinger and Peter Siddle.
   Hilditch said he expected McGain to be well suited to the Indian conditions and he had been selected subject to a fitness test on an injured right shoulder.
   ‘Bryce McGain was the standout leg-spinner at interstate level last year and we think he is really well suited to the Indian conditions and bowling plans,’ he said.
   Hilditch said finger-spinner Krejza was another selection with an eye on the Indian conditions.
   ‘Jason had a good season for Tasmania last year and the selectors felt right-arm finger spinners would perform well in India, and Jason now has a chance to prove himself at the international level.’
   Hilditch said Bollinger and Siddle had been included to gain valuable international experience, adding veteran opening batsman Matthew Hayden was selected subject to fitness on an Achilles injury. ‘The tour of India is an icon series for the Australian team and the selection process has been a highly detailed exercise,’ Hilditch said.
   ‘A lot of planning has gone in to how we want to play against the Indian team and how we go about that in Indian conditions.’
   Australia’s opening Test of the series against India starts in Bangalore on October 9.

Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen celebrated the extension of his Ferrari contract with the quickest lap in free practice for the team’s home Italian Grand Prix on Friday.
   The Finn, without a win since the end of April and with no points from his last two races, blasted around the sport’s fastest circuit in one minute 23.861 seconds as morning downpours gave way to brilliant sunshine.
   Poland’s Robert Kubica, a driver who might have hoped to replace Raikkonen at Ferrari had the Finn’s contract not been extended to the end of 2010, was second on the timesheets for BMW-Sauber with a lap 0.070 slower.
   In a sign of the Swiss-based team’s promise at Monza, Germany’s Nick Heidfeld was third.
   McLaren’s championship leader Lewis Hamilton, just two points clear of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa with five races remaining after being stripped of victory in Belgium last weekend, lapped fourth quickest.
   Brazilian Massa, who has also been confirmed at Ferrari to 2010, could manage only the sixth best time.
   The blue skies and sunshine of the afternoon were a complete contrast to the heavy rain that washed out the morning’s first practice.
   With the drains struggling to cope with the downpour, mechanics wielded brushes to sweep water out of the garages while a scattering of fans huddled under umbrellas in the main grandstand.
   They had little to watch other than the rain lashing down, with drivers giving up 15 minutes from the end and the session abandoned because of the conditions with five minutes remaining on the clock.
   Hamilton was one of six drivers who did not attempt to complete a timed lap in the session.
   What times were set meant nothing, with Massa 14th and a massive 7.3 seconds off Force India driver Adrian Sutil’s fastest time of one minute 32.842 seconds.

West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul celebrated his award as the ICC Player of the Year by hitting 93 for Durham in a County Championship first division clash with Somerset at Taunton.
   After bowling out fellow title hopefuls Somerset for just 224, Durham will resume Friday’s final day of the rain-affected match on 265 for three with Michael di Venuto, who shared a 174-run stand with Chanderpaul, still at the crease on 131 not out.
   Charl Willoughby was the only home bowler to get any real joy, accounting for Chanderpaul, to return figures of two for 58 off 28 hard-working overs.
   Relegation-haunted Surrey are 171 for seven in response to Hampshire’s 480 for eight declared at The Oval.
   Scott Newman hit 58 at the top of the order but only captain Mark Ramprakash, with 55 not out, offered support.

The four-day match between the visiting GP-BCB National Academy and Sri Lanka Cricket Development Squad is destined for a draw after the hosts ended the third day on 376-6 in their first innings at the Ranigiri Dambulla Stadium on Friday.
   Replying to GP-BCB Academy’s 441, the hosts rode on a 170-run partnership between TSM Masmulla and BMAJ Mendis in the second-wicket stand to ward off any danger they had of losing the game.
   Masmulla scored 117 runs off 173 balls stroking 16 boundaries and a six while skipper Mendis scored 87. NMNP Nawela was unbeaten on 60 at stumps.
   Marshall Aiyub picked up two wickets for GP Academy from his six overs while Mahbubul Alam, Sohrawardi Shuvo, Rubel Hossain and Farhad Hossain took the remaining four wickets.

The Destiny 2000 Limited 3rd Open FIDE Rating Chess tournament, organised by Bangladesh Chess Federation and sponsoed by Destiny 2000 Ltd, starts at the hall-room of Bangladesh Chess Federation at 4:30pm today.
   The tournament is open for all chess players, Intending participants have been asked to enrol their names with entry fee before 1:00pm today at the federation’s office at Purana Paltan.
   The nine-round event will be played in Swiss league system and a prize money of Tk 50,000 will be distributed among the winners.

Olympic champion Usain Bolt has agreed to go training with Spanish football giants Real Madrid, the Jamaican sprint king revealed on Thursday.
   Bolt, who picked up three gold medals and world records in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the Beijing Games, said he was particularly looking forward to meeting Real’s former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
   ‘Raul and Van Nistelrooy, I think they’re some of the best goalscorers ever,’ Bolt told www.laureus.com.
   ‘I’ve watched van Nistelrooy from when he was with Manchester United, so I know he’s a great, great guy, so I look forward to meeting these guys.’

Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have pipped Sachin Tendulkar to the ICC ODI Player of the Year award but Adam Gilchrist believes the Little Master is still the best batsman around. Here on a promotional tour, Gilchrist said he does not doubt Dhoni’s ability but Tendulkar is simply the best.
   ‘Well, it’s hard to compare whether statistically or in your mind or opinion. It’s a big award for Mahendra to win but I would still say Sachin is the best player of recent times,’ Gilchrist told a news channel.
   Making a comparative study of both the Indians, Gilchrist said, ‘Dhoni is firepower, (it’s more about) his explosiveness and unpredictability. If there is anything about Sachin, it’s his technicality, he is beautiful to watch and clinical whereas Dhoni is almost carefree, playing without fear that can hurt you most. ‘He (Dhoni) hits some extraordinary shots that are quite unique to the game. You never see them in textbooks but are equally effective,’ said the Australian.
   Gilchrist was also against rushing Dhoni into the Test captain’s job even though he felt it was just a matter of time before the star stumper takes over the reins from Anil Kumble. ‘Well, his time will come I believe,’ Gilchrist said.

The International Cricket Council is exploring ways to ensure that Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the world game, and plans to push for an enhanced Test Championship when the current Future Tours Programme expires in 2012.
   Under the current provisions of the FTP, all Test nations must play each other home and away within a six-year cycle, although the haphazard nature of some of the less fashionable contests have left them vulnerable, especially at a time when Twenty20 cricket is taking over the world game.
   The key considerations for both the ICC Board and the CEC were and are:
   All three formats of international cricket should be protected and promoted with Test cricket identified as the pinnacle of the sport
   The ‘icon’ Test series must be protected
   ICC should look at ways of taking greater central ownership of international cricket outside its events or at least providing for more consistency in marketing/promotion
   The concept of a Test Championship should be explored further
   The proposal was raised at the quarterly ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) meeting, which took place in Dubai on Wednesday. Other issues on the agenda included the postponement of the ICC Champions Trophy, and further discussion about the Umpire Decision Review System, which was trialled during India’s recent Test tour of Sri Lanka.
   The trial received largely positive feedback, and a report was presented by the ICC umpires’ and referees’ manager, Vince van der Bijl, and the ICC umpires’ manager Doug Cowie. It was agreed that an extension of the trial should be considered for upcoming series, and that, ideally, as many umpires and teams as possible should be exposed to the system to allow proper assessment of the merits and drawbacks. A final report on the trial to cover all series in which it has been employed would be presented to the Cricket Committee in May 2009 and then considered by the CEC in June 2009.
   The CEC comprises the chief executives of the 10 Test-playing members and three representatives from ICC Associate Members. It is chaired by the ICC’s chief executive, with the president and the chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee also in attendance.

The row between the West Indies Cricket Board and its sponsors, Digicel, took another twist on Thursday with a proposal from the company to settle its dispute with the board.
   In August, Digicel filed an injunction in the High Court in London seeking to have the WICB withdraw all approval for the Stanford Super Series which, it claimed, encroached its ‘exclusive sponsorship rights’. The move came in the light of rumours that Stanford was close to signing Cable and Wireless (Digicel’s competitor and a former sponsor of the West Indies team) as a sponsor for the series.
   The court put the matter to arbitration, and the results of this are due in October. However, in a statement sent to Cricinfo, Digicel said it proposed a ‘compromise solution will involve the waiver of a considerable number of legal and commercial rights owned by Digicel by virtue of its sole and exclusive sponsorship agreement with the WICB’.
   The conditions of the offer are that the Stanford side in the 20/20 for 20 match against England on November 1 wear official West Indies kit with Digicel branding; that no telecommunications company be involved in the event; and that Digicel’s costs be paid for by the board.
   While this might appear one-sided, Digicel claims that in return it will be ‘foregoing a large number of valuable legal rights and entitlements including broadcast rights, exclusively branded pitch mats, sight screens, perimeter boards, promotional opportunities, advertising, content rights and various other avenues for commercial use that it currently owns by virtue of its sole and exclusive sponsorship agreement with the WICB’.
   The statement concludes: ‘Digicel would call upon both the WICB and Stanford to engage constructively on this matter and to put cricket in the West Indies first. Digicel’s compromise solution is a very credible alternative and provides something for every party concerned.’
   Insiders believe that the WICB might have little option but to agree to the bulk of the demands, because without the board’s backing, the series could be deemed unofficial which, given the precedent set with the ICL in India, would create numerous issues for the players involved.
   As far as the ECB are concerned, however, the matches were approved by the ICC back in June, and so they have no doubts about their status. An ECB spokesman told Cricinfo that the other details were solely an issue for the WICB.

China pulled away from its Paralympic rivals Friday as the host nation’s medal tally soared over 100 and South African swimming sensation Natalie du Toit set her sights on a fourth gold.
   Away from the sporting arena, International Paralympic chiefs were forced to defend the controversial banning of an Irish athlete and speak out against the doping problems in powerlifting.
   China’s total of 103 medals means it has a bigger haul in six days of competition than it won during the whole of last month’s Olympics, when it collected exactly 100.
   Its 34 golds include 15 in athletics and eight in table tennis, elevating China well clear of second-placed Britain, on 31 golds and an overall total of 64.
   ‘The Chinese athletes are doing very well and there is high morale among all the athletes from China and now they are number one in the medal tally,’ said Wang Wei, the vice-president of organising committee BOCOG.
   But he added that promoting the Paralympic movement and the cause of people with disabilities in China was more important than medals.
   Meanwhile du Toit, who has already won the 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley events, is confident about her chances in the 400m freestyle in Beijing’s Water Cube during the evening session.
   ‘I’m a 10 kilometres swimmer so when I get to swim the 800m or 400m, that’s my race,’ the 24-year-old said after her heat.
   ‘I’m just going to go out there tonight and do my best and swim how I feel. Hopefully I can go faster and drop about two or three seconds (from my qualifying time of 4 mins 24.75secs).’
   Du Toit, who finished 16th in the 10 kilometre marathon swim in the Olympics last month, is aiming for two more wins to match her gold tally at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.
   She is one of only two Paralympians who also competed at the Beijing Olympics, along with Polish teenager Natalia Partyka, who won table tennis gold in her class on Wednesday
   At the ‘Bird’s Nest’ National Stadium earlier Friday, the women’s 5000m wheelchair race was repeated after the first run Monday saw a huge pile-up less than 100 metres from the finishing line.
   Medals were handed out for the first race but subsequently withdrawn. In the re-run, the same three athletes finished in the medal positions but in a different order.

Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed the threat posed to Manchester United by newly-wealthy Manchester City and ridiculed their ambitions to sign Cristiano Ronaldo as ‘absurd.’
   City have emerged as the world’s richest club since being bought out by the Abu Dhabi United Group earlier this month and they flexed their financial muscle by landing Brazilian striker Robinho in a 32-million-pound (57 million dollars) deal with Real Madrid.
   Blues boss Mark Hughes has suggested that the spending will go on and that the club are determined to break up the ‘big four’ stranglehold on the Premier League.
   But United manager Ferguson insists that City still have much to prove before they can think about competing with United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.
   He said: ‘There’s plenty of talk from them (City) right now, but the great thing about my time at this club is that there has always been a challenge for us.
   ‘Four years ago when Jose (Mourinho) went to Chelsea, it represented a different challenge. Before that it was always Arsenal and us. Then Chelsea became the new kids on the block and won those first two championships.
   ‘We accepted the challenge and got on with our business the best way we can and that is all we can do.
   ‘But what you see of Manchester United today is not an overnight situation. This club has been built up over many years now. It is not going to be here for today — we’ll be here for a long time no matter where the challenges come from — we’ll still be there.
   ‘Yes, we’ve bought big players, but I don’t think you can see a cash cow from Manchester United in a way that could happen in other areas, the way that some clubs are talking at the moment.
   ‘I disregard it really because it is all talk at the moment. We’ve seen it before and it will happen again.
   ‘There has been a lot of talk. For instance, they spoke about trying to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, which is absolutely absurd.
   ‘They will find it difficult to get the players that they want and that’s the first thing you have to overcome. It’s not easy nowadays.’
   City manager Hughes, a former United striker, has claimed that Saturday’s clash with Chelsea at Eastlands will overshadow United’s trip to Liverpool — traditionally the biggest fixture on the Premier League calendar.
   And Ferguson admits that Hughes may need to reassess his viewpoint — especially after playing in numerous United-Liverpool clashes.
   Ferguson said: ‘I’m going to check what Mark had for breakfast! Something must have upset him.
   ‘I said to (chief executive) David Gill today — check how many games he played for us against Liverpool will you? Give him a reality check! Liverpool v United is the biggest — it’s a great game.’

Brazilian Rene Simoes was sacked as manager of Jamaica Thursday, the day after the country’s second straight defeat in 2010 World Cup qualifying.
   Two defeats in four days proved too much for the Jamaica Football Federation.
   ‘The Jamaica Football Federation would like to formally announce that it has severed ties with Technical Director of the country’s football programme, Professor Rene Simoes, and his Brazilian staff with immediate effect,’ the federation said in a statement.
   The federation is already looking for someone to fill the gap, with three matches remaining in the semi-final phase of qualifying in the North and Central America and Caribbean region.
   ‘Having established clear objectives at the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign and evaluated the results thus far, it became clear to us as a body that our objectives were not being met,’ the JFF statement said. ‘Based on that, a decision was taken to part company with Professor Simoes and his staff at this time.’
   The ReggaeBoyz were beaten 2-0 by Honduras in San Pedro Sula on Wednesday night, four days after being beaten 3-0 by Mexico at the Azteca.
   The back-to-back losses left the 1998 World Cup qualifiers in last place in the four team Group 2 with one point from three games, the same as Canada but with a record of one goal for and six against.
   The top two teams from each of three groups advance to the final round, from which three teams advance directly to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
   The 55 year-old Simoes was in his second stint as the coach of the Jamaican team after serving between 1994 and 2000. During his first spell, he led them to a spot in the 1998 World Cup in France where they beat Japan 2-1 after losing 3-1 to Croatia and 5-0 to Argentina in their first-round group.
   Simoes returned in January this year, replacing Bora Milutinovic, who was sacked by JFF president Horace Burrell.
   Simoes has also coached CONCACAF rivals Trinidad and Tobago and Honduras.
   Burrell, the ex-army Captain who heads the JFF told a radio sports talk show Thursday that it was a tough decision to fire his ‘very good friend’.
   ‘I could have allowed things to go on as they are, but honestly would not be performing my duties in the way that it is expected and to push Jamaica’s football forward,’ he said.
   Burrell was head of the JFF when Jamaica qualified for the World Cup in France under Simoes and was re-elected to the post of JFF head last November.
   He was optimistic that Jamaica, who failed to get past the first round in the last World Cup qualification series, can still advance and has not given up hopes of defying the odds and squeezing into the final round.
   ‘We are not out, first of all, and we have three games at home (remaining in the semk-finals),’ he said. ‘We are going to get re-energised and we are going to hope for good results.’
   He said he expected to name a successor to Simoes within the coming week.

Coach Pim Verbeek says Australia have sent a strong message to rivals after his injury-hit team’s away win to Uzbekistan to launch their final Asian 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, reports said.
   A first-half header from veteran Scott Chipperfield proved the winner for Australia on Wednesday and condemned the Uzbeks to their second consecutive group defeat, ahead of a must-win trip to Japan next month.
   The Australians won despite the last-minute withdrawal with a stomach bug of key midfielder Jason Culina who joined a casualty list that included European stars Vince Grella, Mark Viduka, Tim Cahill and Scott McDonald.
   ‘I think we have played better games at certain moments, but, yes, I think they (rivals) all know now how good we are,’ Verbeek told Friday’s Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
   ‘When you see how many players we didn’t have, players with extra quality, then you have to realise this was a very good result.
   ‘We should not (under-estimate) Uzbekistan away - getting the three points, it’s great.
   ‘We always said if we win one away game and our four home games, that’s 15 points, and that can be enough.
   ‘This is the first step, a great start, but of course it’s only a start,’ he said adding that Australia have seven qualifying games to go.
   The Dutch coach said the Uzbeks rarely threatened, although defender Luke Wilkshire did make two goal-line clearances.
   ‘Organisation-wise, we did very well,’ Verbeek said.
   ‘We didn’t give one chance away. How many times did (goalkeeper) Mark Schwarzer have to dive? I think it was zero.’
   Australia face Qatar in their next qualifying game in Brisbane on October 15.

Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann has told restless forward Lukas Podolski his frustrating stay on the bench will continue for the German giants’ trip to Cologne today.
   Despite scoring two goals for Germany last weekend in a World Cup qualifier, Podolski, 23, remains third-choice striker at Bayern behind Miroslav Klose, who hit a hat-trick against Finland on Wednesday, and Italian Luca Toni.
   ‘Lukas is still the challenger to our two strikers and he must show he is better than them,’ said Klinsmann.
   ‘That can be a long-term process - over several months or years even.’
   With Real Madrid, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur all expressing an interest, it would be no surprise if Podolski leaves Bayern when the transfer window re-opens in January.
   Having been told to ‘stop whining’ about his situation by Bayern manager Uli Honess, Podolski has made no secret of his desire to return to his old club Cologne and will be itching for a chance to impress his potential employers.
   ‘That is not a pleasant role for Lukas, he can’t be content. And if I were him, I would also be unhappy,’ added Klinsmann.
   With some of Europe’s biggest clubs monitoring the situation, Bayern can expect some big bids for Podolski who has scored 30 goals for Germany.
   ‘It is an honour other clubs are interested in signing our players; whether they sign him is another question,’ Klinsmann added.
   Defending champions Bayern are up to seventh in the table and need to beat Cologne to threaten the league leaders.
   Having picked up their first Bundesliga win at Karlsruhe since last season’s promotion, Cologne have been boosted by seeing captain Umit Ozat finally leave hospital after he collapsed during a league match last month.
   The 31-year-old is desperate to continue playing despite his medical drama caused by inflammation of the heart muscle and he needs six weeks complete rest before he will find out if he can play again.
   League leaders Schalke 04 face a tough test at neighbours Borussia Dortmund on Saturday who are third in the table.
   Schalke’s coach Fred Rutten will give a Bundesliga debut to Dutch midfielder Jefferson Farfan, who has recovered from a shoulder injury, while goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could play his first game since breaking his metatarsal in July.
   Third-placed Hamburg are expected to give a debut to Brazilian midfielder Thiago Neves at Bayer Leverkusen, who are challenging in fourth.
   Newly-promoted Hoffenheim will be looking to bounce back from last week’s 5-2 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen when they face VfB Stuttgart with Germany striker Mario Gomez rediscovering his form.
   Champions League side Werder Bremen are hunting their first win of the season when they play strugglers Energie Cottbus on Saturday, the same day mid-table Wolfsburg and Hertha Berlin face off.
   Fixtures
   Saturday
   Werder Bremen v Energie Cottbus
   Hamburg v Bayer Leverkusen
   Hertha Berlin v VfL Wolfsburg
   Borussia Dortmund v Schalke 04
   Hoffenheim v VfB Stuttgart
   Cologne v Bayern Munich
   Sunday
   Hanover 96 v Borussia M’gladbach
   VfL Bochum v Arminia Bielefeld

French league giants Marseille are hoping for midfielder Mathieu Valbuena to unleash some pent-up frustration in timely and positive fashion when they visit Bordeaux today.
   With three wins and a draw from their first four matches Marseille top the table thanks to superior goal difference on seven-time champions Lyon, who could take the league lead when they host Nice.
   Valbuena has more than one reason to be motivated to ‘take the reins of the midfield’, as he said this week.
   After succumbing to the surgeon’s knife during the summer due to injury he has been watching in frustration as his teammates have taken the league lead.
   Secondly, Bordeaux was the team that rejected him as a budding youth player because he was apparently too small.
   ‘I’m hungry for the ball, to get back playing and enjoying my game. It’s been agony watching my teammates play this season,’ said Valbuena.
   With Liverpool on the menu in the Champions League this Tuesday, Marseille will be hoping the 23-year-old attacking midfielder shows a glimpse of his talents.
   In their epic 1-0 victory over the Reds at Anfield last year, the diminutive frame of Valbuena, at just 1.65m (5ft 5in), sidestepped the hosts’ defence to scorch the Liverpool net with the game’s winning goal.
   Bordeaux meanwhile have their own motivation to grab all three points, namely that they have won two and lost two games, losing precious points that they could rue at the end of the campaign.
   After giving Lyon a run for their money last season, finally losing the title by four points, Bordeaux keeper Ulrich Rame admits the ‘Girondins’ need to regain cohesion and says it’s crucial they don’t slip up this Saturday.
   ‘All the teams in front of us have had a good start to the season, whereas we’ve been mediocre. It’s vital we don’t get left trailing behind,’ said Rame.
   A look at previous campaigns would suggest that even if Lyon have a bad start to the season, they often come back and win when it matters.
   Nice have once again had a scorching start to the campaign, albeit without having to face big guns like Bordeaux, Marseille or Lyon.
   At the other end of the table Elie Baup, who coached Bordeaux when they last won the league crown, in 1999, has a major task on his hands after taking charge of newly-promoted Nantes last week.
   After four games the ‘Canaries’ have one draw and three defeats, but Baup - known as a disciplinarian - has launched what he hopes will be the turnaround, beginning with double daily training sessions.
   Despite the complaints of his entire squad this week, Baup insists the team need a proverbial kick up the behind if they are to be competitive this season.
   ‘I’m not overdoing it,’ insists Baup. ‘What we’re doing is what’s needed if we want to be competitive in the first division. I’m paid to succeed with this team, and nothing else.’
   Baup will get to see on Sunday, when Nantes face Paris St Germain at the Parc des Princes, whether his boot camp-style training sessions have the desired effect.
   Fixtures
   Saturday
   Lyon v Nice
   Auxerre v Nancy
   Monaco v Lorient
   Rennes v Le Havre
   Le Mans v Toulouse
   Valenciennes v Grenoble
   Bordeaux v Marseille
   Sunday
   Sochaux v Lille
   Caen v Saint-Etienne
   Paris St Germain v Nantes

Celtic striker Scott McDonald is desperate to prove his fitness and play some part in today’s game against his former club Motherwell.
   The Hoops travel to Fir Park wanting to put the memory of their Old Firm defeat behind them by claiming all three points in the Scottish Premier League clash.
   Celtic have fallen behind Rangers in the race for the championship and manager Gordon Strachan knows he has the chance to temporarily put the pressure on their rivals if they claim a victory in their early kick-off game.
   And McDonald, who has been forced to miss the last two games through a groin injury, knows he has to play a part in the match against Motherwell if he has a chance of starting in their Champions League opener against Aalborg on Wednesday.
   ‘It’s a massive few days for us. We have a tough game at Motherwell and then we face Aalborg on Wednesday. Both matches are huge,’ said McDonald. ‘Things are going well. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go with the Australia squad this week but that’s allowed for a better recovery time for me.
   ‘I’ll be doing my best to prove my fitness ahead of the Motherwell game and hopefully I can be involved at some point. If I make the Motherwell match, I’ll be doing everything I can to play my way into the manager’s plans for Aalborg.
   ‘That’s such an important match for us. The first UEFA Champions League game is always crucial and the fact we’re at home makes it even bigger.’
   Gordon Strachan will be without Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink for the match at Fir Park after his red card in his last outing against Rangers in the Old Firm derby.
   Motherwell manager Mark McGhee has ordered his players to put their UEFA Cup game against Nancy next Thursday out of their minds.
   John Sutton, who has scored in both his outings this season, is expected to lead the Motherwell attack.
   Later on Saturday there is a top of the table clash at Ibrox as league leaders Rangers take on Kilmarnock. Defender David Weir should be fit after recovering from a groin injury but the fitness of Kevin Thomson and Kyle Lafferty remain in doubt.
   Aberdeen could welcome back Zander Diamond and Scott Severin for the visit of Hamilton. However Jamie Smith has been ruled out for two weeks with a calf injury.
   Derek Riordan aims to begin his second spell at Hibernian against Dundee United at Easter Road following his transfer from Celtic. Dundee United, looking for their first win of the season, have been boosted by the news winger Craig Conway has signed a two-year contract extension.
   Hearts travel to Falkirk without full-back Robbie Neilson after he underwent an operation on a persistent ankle injury. Winless St Mirren face the long journey north to take on Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Struggling Everton will not rush influential Australian midfielder Tim Cahill back into action, the English Premier League club’s manager David Moyes said.
   Cahill hasn’t played since March because of a broken foot and has missed the start of the new season as well as Australia’s opening World Cup qualifier in Uzbekistan in midweek.
   The 28-year-old Cahill has returned to full training, but no date has yet been set for his return to the first team.
   ‘Tim has started training again and we are glad to have him back with us,’ said Moyes.
   ‘We have missed him a great deal since he has been out. We have followed instructions from his surgeon and the early signs we have seen from Tim are good.
   ‘He looks really sharp and fit and he’s obviously looked after himself during the time he was out. I don’t know when he’ll be available again but he’s coming along nicely just now. The one thing we won’t do, though, is take any risks with him.’
   Cahill scored 10 league goals last season and played a crucial role in helping Everton to fifth place in the table and a spot in the UEFA Cup.
   He has been missed this seaspon with the Merseysiders losing two of their opening three games and sitting fourth from bottom ahead of their Sunday trip to Stoke City.
   ‘What he does for the team is really important,’ Moyes told www.evertonfc.com.
   ‘We have missed him since March and though we did okay without him towards the end of last season, of course we needed him. ‘I’m sure there will be a mental barrier for him to overcome when he gets back because he has suffered the injury three times.

Valencia’s Spanish international midfielder David Silva will undergo surgery on his injured left ankle on Tuesday, the first division club announced.
   ‘After the latest tests carried out this morning and a meeting with the coach and players, we have decided to operate on the player. The surgery will take place in Barcelona on Tuesday,’ the club said Friday.
   Silva, 22, played 34 matches in La Liga last season before helping Spain to Euro 2008 glory.

Brazilian striker Ney Fabiano was sent off for spitting in Melbourne Victory’s 1-0 win over Adelaide United in Australia’s A-League here on Friday.
   Fabiano was red carded in the 29th minute with television footage showing the Brazilian striker spitting at Adelaide opponent Robert Cornthwaite after the pair were involved in an on-field altercation.
   If found guilty, Fabiano, signed in June from Thai club Chonburi FC, faces a multiple match suspension from the A-League match review panel.
   Two weeks ago Perth defender Dino Djulbic received a five-match ban for spitting in the direction of a match official.
   But despite Fabiano’s dismissal Melbourne moved clear at the top of the A-League with a 63rd-minute goal by former Socceroo defender Kevin Muscat.

The honeymoon period being enjoyed by fans of West Ham was hit with an untimely hitch Friday after it was reported the club’s shirt sponsor has gone into administration. Hammers fans have widely welcomed the appointment of former Chelsea forward Gianfranco Zola as the club’s new manager, but on Friday the XL travel company which sponsor’s the Premier League club’s shirts went bankrupt.
   West Ham have received only 2.5 million pounds (4.45 million US) from an initial three-year deal with XL, according to the BBC website. It said a 7.5 million pounds (13.3 million US) deal, worth 2.5 million (4.45 million US) a year, was signed with the Sussex-based company in February 2007 but only one year of the contract has been paid so far.
   West Ham are now searching for a new shirt sponsor while waiting to see, along with XL’s other creditors, what administrators do with the company.
   A West Ham statement said: ‘XL Holidays remains the club’s principal partner and we await further information from the administrator before ascertaining the impact of these events.
   ‘We are of course saddened for the customers of XL Holidays that they have been affected and hope that a speedy and satisfactory solution is found.’
   XL Leisure Group, which is based in Crawley, is Britain’s third largest package holiday group.

Robinho is set to make his Premier League debut on Saturday against Chelsea - the club he was set to join until English football’s previously unchallenged big-spenders were trumped by Manchester City.
   In an astonishing example of how much money is now involved in the top-flight of English football, the Brazil star was signed from under Chelsea’s noses on transfer deadline day when City were taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
   Up until then, few thought any club could have more cash at their disposal than Chelsea, backed by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
   But City’s new owners made clear their intention to break into the supposedly closed-shop of England’s top four clubs - Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool - by signing Robinho for a staggering British record 32.5 million pounds.
   Brazilians have a chequered history in English football.
   Juninho was a firm favourite at Middlesbrough but few Newcastle fans remember Mirandinha’s time at their club with immense affection.
   City meanwhile have repeatedly disappointed their passionate supporters, a situation made worse by their proximity to serial trophy-winners Manchester United.
   It seemed they would flatter to deceive yet again when former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the man who was supposed to bankroll City back to the big-time, had to end his ownership of the club.
   However, his decision to sell City to the oil-rich Abu Dhabi group has opened up new possibilities for the Eastlands club and their faithful fans.
   Manager Mark Hughes, a former United and Chelsea striker, said Robinho was looking forward to playing his part in a clash which will go some way to proving if an embarrassment of riches simply means yet more embarrassment for City.
   ‘The intention is that he plays a part on Saturday,’ said Hughes.
   ‘The one impression everyone has of Robinho is that as soon as he gets the ball you sense something is going to happen and I think everyone will see that at the weekend.
   ‘By all accounts he did not pick up any injuries (in the World Cup qualifier against Bolivia) and played 90 minutes, but like all the players who have been away on international duty we will have to get them back and have a look at them.’
   Elsewhere, champions United face north-west rivals Liverpool in a clash always eagerly anticipated by fans of both clubs.
   Liverpool have made an unbeaten start to the league season while United, still without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, have been unconvincing.
   But Liverpool’s Spanish defender, Alvaro Arbeloa, has warned that the champions remain a threat even without last season’s 42-goal top scorer.
   ‘United don’t have Ronaldo - but they still have really good players like Nani, Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and now Dimitar Berbatov,’ Arbeloa said.
   Theo Walcott may have been the hat-trick hero for England in their World Cup qualifying win away to Croatia on Wednesday but the teenager could still be left out of the starting line-up for Arsenal’s match away to Blackburn.
   ‘I don’t know if he will play at Blackburn,’ Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
   ‘I will have to rotate the squad in the next three games because you cannot expect the players who have played in their national teams to play three times in a week.’
   Extra police have been drafted in for Newcastle’s match at home to Hull where several protests against the Magpies board are expected following the departure of fans favourite Kevin Keegan as the club’s manager.
   Meanwhile, West Ham players will look to impress new boss Gianfranco Zola at home to bottom-of-the-table West Brom although the Italian is not expected to assume full command until Monday.
   Saturday’s other matches see Fulham at home to Bolton, Portsmouth entertain Middlesbrough and Wigan are up against Sunderland.
   Premier League new boys Stoke are at home to Everton on Sunday while Monday’s match is at White Hart Lane between Tottenham and Aston Villa.
   
   Fixtures
   (1400GMT unless stated)
   Saturday
   Blackburn v Arsenal
   Fulham v Bolton
   Liverpool v Manchester United (1145GMT)
   Manchester City v Chelsea
   Newcastle v Hull
   Portsmouth v Middlesbrough
   West Brom v West Ham
   Wigan v Sunderland
   Sunday
   Stoke v Everton (1230GMT)
   Monday
   Tottenham v Aston Villa (1900GMT)

Few foreign footballers have proved as popular in England as Gianfranco Zola.
   It may have been because the joy he evidently had in playing football was equal to the pleasure the Italian forward gave during seven years of superbly skilled football at Chelsea.
   At a time when the term 'Premier League player' became synonymous with arrogance, greed, embarrassing off-field behaviour and an inability to kick with both feet, Zola was living proof that professionalism need not be a dirty word, and was appreciated all the more for it - and not just at Stamford Bridge.
   Of course, being a great player is no guarantee of being a great manager as the likes of Ruud Gullit, who brought Zola to Chelsea for 4.5 million pounds in 1996, have discovered.
   But Zola's appointment as West Ham's first overseas manager will start with a flurry of good wishes for the former striker - something not always common in an era when foreign players and managers are often blamed for many of the ills of English football. The now 42-year-old Zola scored 89 goals in 249 appearances for Chelsea but his impact went far beyond the scoresheet with his array of deft flicks, passes and brilliantly executed free-kicks living long in the memory of fans.
   He first came to prominence at Napoli, where he understudied Argentina great Diego Maradona and absorbed all he could from one of the most talented players in football history.
   'I learnt everything from Diego,' Zola admitted later. 'After one year I had completely changed. I saw him do things in training and matches I had never even dreamed possible.
   'He was simply the best I've ever seen. I'm not saying I wouldn't have been a good player if I had not played with him at that stage of my career, but I do know I wouldn't be the player I am now.'
   After moving to Parma, Zola's flair play did not find favour with manager Carlo Ancelotti and Gullit could not believe his luck when he was given the opportunity to bring him to west London.
   'You don't get an opportunity like this every day and when I heard he might be available I knew I wanted him,' said a delighted Gullit.
   Zola helped Chelsea win trophies at home and abroad, playing a key role during the years of transformation which turned Chelsea from also rans to a major force within English football.
   His old Chelsea and Italy team-mate Roberto di Matteo is learning his trade as a manager with English third tier side MK Dons.
   Zola, by contrast after working as an assistant to Pierluigi Casiraghi with the Italian Under-21s, has been pitched into the high profile pressure of the Premier League.
   Hammers chiefs must hope Zola hasn't climbed too high too soon and they won't be the only ones in England who will be disappointed if Zola isn't a success at Upton Park
   
   Factfile
   Name: Gianfranco Zola
   Birthdate: July 5, 1966
   Birthplace: Oliena, Sardinia
   1984: Signs first professional contract with Nuorese.
   1987: Joins Sardinian Serie C club Sassari Torres.
   1989: Joins Napoli in Serie A where he understudies Diego Maradona.
   1990: Wins the Scudetto - the Italian Championship with Napoli
   1991: Becomes first-team regular when Argentina great Maradona is banned for 15 months after testing positive for cocaine. Later that year makes his Italy debut.
   1993: Moves to Parma
   1994: Member of Italy's World Cup squad but only features in last 16 win over Nigeria
   1995: Wins UEFA Cup with Parma
   1996: Signed by then Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit for 4.5 million pounds.
   1997: Scores in Italy's 1-0 World Cup qualifier win over England at Wembley. Later that year wins last of his 35 Italy caps, also against England, in Rome.
   2000: Wins FA Cup with Chelsea
   2003: Voted Chelsea's best player in a fans poll, beating Blues legends Jimmy Greaves and Peter Osgood. At the end of the season returns to Italy after signing for Cagliari in Serie B.
   2005: Retires as a player aged 38, having helped Cagliari gain promotion to Serie A.
   2006: Becomes assistant to Italy Under-21 manager Pierluigi Casiraghi.
   2008: On September 11 signs three-year contract to become West Ham manager after admitting in March he would be interested in becoming boss of the Premier League club's London rivals Chelsea.

Real Madrid are 40 million euros better off after selling Robinho to Manchester City, but his loss leaves the Spanish champions short of firepower in their quest for a third successive title.
   Real coach Bernd Schuster was so concerned by the Brazilian’s exit that he made two last-ditch offers for Valencia striker David Villa, top-scorer at Euro 2008, before the transfer window shut but the player decided to stay put.
   ‘I was really happy when Valencia rejected the offer because it was a true gesture of confidence and I felt really wanted,’ said Villa.
   ‘They preferred me to stay than to take all that money.’
   After failing to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United it represented another huge setback for Real but they must overcome it ahead of Sunday’s home match against newcomers Numancia.
   Real are looking to register their first points of the season after an opening 2-1 defeat at Deportivo La Coruna a fortnight ago.
   Numancia defeated Barcelona 1-0 in their opening fixture and are targeting a second giant killing on their return to the top-flight.
   Valencia started with a 3-0 victory over Real Mallorca and new coach Unai Emery returns to his old club Almeria on Sunday hoping to build on the good start.
   Emery spent two seasons at Almeria winning promotion and guiding them to eighth in the table last season - the highest ever finish in the club’s history - before jumping ship to Valencia in the summer.
   Emery has been given an early season headache with the news that David Silva, courted by Manchester United in the summer, could be out for out for two to three months due to surgery on his left ankle.
   Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola had a nightmare start to his regime with a 1-0 reverse at Numancia that mirrored the problems of last season.
   Guardiola stuck with the 4-3-3 system - with French international Thierry Henry again on the left wing - and the team again looked out of sorts.‘We were too desperate to win and maybe that let us down,’ explained Brazilian right back Daniel Alves. ‘It is better to make these mistakes now rather than in two months.’
   Barcelona are at home - where they are far stronger - against Racing Santander on Saturday looking for a first win of the new campaign. Neighbours Espanyol got off to a winning start but the departures of Albert Riera to Liverpool and Javier Zabaleta to Manchester City could be felt later in the season.
   Veteran Irish full back Steve Finnan has come in from Liverpool and could come into contention for Sunday’s match at Recreativo Huelva.
   Real Betis hope to parade their new signing Spanish international Sergio Garcia - a ten million euro capture from Real Zaragoza - in Sunday’s trip to Getafe. After crushing Malaga 4-0 in their league opener Atletico Madrid have had the honour of sitting top of the standings for the first time in four years and defend top spot when they travel to Valladolid on Saturday.
   Argentine Ever Banega, part of his country’s Olympic gold winning team, is hopeful of making his bow after joining from Valencia on a season-long loan.
   ‘I am not going to rush things because I want to be in the best form possible,’ said Banega.
   ‘However, I can’t wait to make my debut in the Atletico shirt.’
   Elsewhere, Real Madrid’s conquerors Deportivo face another title candidate on Sunday with a trip to Villarreal.
   
   Fixtures
   Saturday
   Valladolid v Atletico Madrid
   Barcelona v Racing Santander (1900 GMT)
   Sevilla v Sporting Gijon (2100 GMT)
   Sunday (1600 GMT unless stated)
   Malaga v Athletic Bilbao
   Recreativo v Espanyol
   Getafe v Real Betis
   Villarreal v Deportivo La Coruna
   Real Mallorca v Osasuna
   Real Madrid v Numancia (1800 GMT)
   Almeria v Valencia (2000 GMT)

The Serie A season is only one match old but already football has been pushed onto the back seat and hooligan violence is dominating the headlines in Italy.
   Giants AC Milan lost their opening home match to newly-promoted Bologna and normally the pressure would be on them to respond in a tricky away tie at Genoa.
   But instead it is violence on the tip of every tongue and football bosses are so worried that away fans have been barred from travelling to Fiorentina’s trip to Napoli and Catania’s journey to Inter Milan.
   It’s because a group of about 1,000 Napoli fans, mostly ticketless, wrecked a train bound for Rome ahead of a Serie A opener two weeks ago.
   But a Napoli fans’ group has hit back at the bad press the club has since received — not only bad press, sanctions too as all Napoli fans were banned by the Interior Ministry from travelling to away matches for the rest of the season.
   ‘The vast majority of Napoli fans are good people who go to the stadium out of passion: the measures taken by the sporting justice are extremely severe,’ moaned Rosa Russo from the Napoli supporters syndicate. ‘We feel anger and disdain for what has happened because a single group of hooligans have made guilty by association all the good people who can’t now go to the stadium on Sundays.’
   On Thursday the Italian Football League president Antonio Matarrese suggested that putting prison cells inside stadiums could be a possibility.
   ‘That way if there are hooligans we can put them quickly behind bars and then transfer them to prison,’ he said. ‘Either we have to be strong or it’s better to surrender. We will not surrender.’
   It is all overshadowing what has been a surprisingly difficult start for all five of the top title contenders. Champions Inter were held to a draw at Sampdoria in their opening match while AS Roma drew at home to Napoli.
   Fiorentina and Juventus ended in a stalemate but the biggest problems were with Milan who lost despite an impressive debut from Ronaldinho.
   Things could be looking up for the six-time European champions, though, as world player of the year Kaka came through a friendly run out against Swiss Lugano in midweek in his comeback from knee surgery.
   ‘Personally I feel good. I feel calm. I played 45 minutes which did me good and most of all I realised that I don’t feel any more pain,’ he said.
   Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti will be desperate to get the Brazilian back into the starting line-up so his team don’t suffer the same malaise that ruptured their hopes of success last season.
   Milan failed to win any of their first seven home league matches and a 2-1 defeat to Inter before Christmas left them more than 20 points off the pace.
   Jose Mourinho’s Inter also have problems, though, but more so with personnel.
   Patrick Vieira is back to fitness but captain Javier Zanetti and fellow Argentine Esteban Cambiasso as well as Brazilian pair Maicon and Julio Cesar don’t return to Milan until Friday following South American World Cup qualifiers.
   Dejan Stankovic was injured playing for Serbia in midweek and Mourinho already had defensive problems that forced him to play midfielder Cambiasso at centre-back against Sampdoria.
   The opposite is the case for Juventus, who host Udinese on Sunday and could welcome back Italy centre-half Giorgio Chiellini, although he is more likely to be on the bench with a return to the first team scheduled for midweek in the Champions League.
   
   Fixtures
   Saturday
   Inter Milan v Catania
   Palermo v AS Roma
   Sunday
   Bologna v Atalanta
   Genoa v AC Milan
   Juventus v Udinese
   Lazio v Sampdoria
   Lecce v Chievo
   Napoli v Fiorentina
   Reggina v Torino
   Siena v Cagliari

Top seed Daniela Hantuchova battled past Taiwan’s Chan Yung-Jan 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-2 to join Nadia Petrova and Patty Schnyder in the Bali Open semi-finals on Friday.
   Slovakia’s Hantuchova, last year’s runner-up, negotiated an opening set littered with eight breaks of serve and saved two set points before taking the lead on a tie-break.
   But Chan, a Strasbourg semi-finalist in May, levelled at a set each Hantuchova eventually steadied to claim victory in just over two-and-a-half hours. Second seed Patty Schnyder had it much easier as she crushed Marta Domachowska 6-2, 6-2 in the 57th-ranked Pole’s first quarter-final of the season.
   ‘I made few early errors and had a great start,’ said the Swiss US Open quarter-finalist.
   ‘She had to adjust to my game and didn’t like it.’
   Earlier Russian fourth seed Petrova overcame a ragged start to beat Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-3.
   Petrova recovered from 4-1 down in the first set, then raced away for her third consecutive straight-sets win against the fifth seed.
   ‘I had a poor start and I got mad at myself,’ said Petrova, competing in Bali for the second time. ‘I didn’t like the way I was playing.
   ‘I wasn’t giving the right fight out there, I realised that and started doing something about it.
   ‘In the second set I felt more in charge and confident on serve. Overall, I’m happy with the performance.’
   Petrova will face Schnyder on Saturday trailing 5-6 in their series dating back to 2000.

Liverpool were handed a major boost on the eve of their showdown with Manchester United with skipper Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres both passed fit for the first big Premier League clash of the season.
   Torres had been sidelined with a hamstring injury, while Gerrard underwent minor groin surgery last month, but both completed a light training session at the club’s Melwood training ground and have been included in the squad.
   ‘They are both much better,’ Reds boss Rafael Benitez told www.liverpoolfc.tv.
   ‘They came through a full training session this morning. It wasn’t a very hard session, but they will both be in the squad.
   ‘It’s important for us to have these two players of quality who can change a game.
   ‘I’m not surprised they are available because the medical staff have done a good job and the players have been working really hard with the physios to get fit.’
   Liverpool go into today’s game having failed to score against the reigning European champions in their last seven league meetings, a run stretching back to September 2004 and even then, it was a John O’Shea own goal.
   United, who will be without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, are expected to hand 30-million-pound signing Dimitar Berbatov his debut for the club at Anfield and team-mate Ryan Giggs would not be surprised if the Bulgarian had an immediate impact.
   ‘Berbatov is a Manchester United-type player,’ Giggs said of the 27-year-old. ‘He has that physique and stature because he is over six foot, so he offers something a little bit different to Wayne Rooney or Carlos Tevez. For a big man he has a superb touch.
   ‘But he also has a big personality, the personality you need to be a success at Manchester United.
   ‘I’m glad he’s on the same side as me, I have seen his ability at first hand when he played against us for Tottenham and I am sure he will be an excellent signing.’