RAMSEY SUFFERS INJURY SETBACK

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey has suffered a setback in his recovery from a thigh injury, manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed.

The Wales international has not featured since hobbling off in a 3-1 Premier League win over West Ham on December 26.

Wenger revealed the midfielder is now a number of weeks away from returning to action.

"Ramsey will be out for longer because he had a setback and it doesn't look too good," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.

"It is matter of some weeks for him."

Wenger has been boosted by the news that Tomas Rosicky could return for Sunday's clash with Crystal Palace after undergoing surgery on a broken nose, while Jack Wilshere could be back for the following weekend's trip to Liverpool.

Wilshere has been suffering with an ankle problem and missed Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Southampton, but Wenger is confident he can return for the visit to Anfield.

"We have good news (on Wilshere)," he continued.

"For Sunday he will be short but he has a chance to be available for the week after at Liverpool."

"(For Palace) we have no problems apart from (Mathieu) Flamini, who we lose through suspension. Everybody else should be available.

"We could have Rosicky back again for Sunday. He had problems after surgery on his nose. So we lose Flamini but we gain Rosicky."

GALATASARAY SNAP UP GUNTER

Galatasaray have completed the signing of teenage defender Koray Gunter from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €2.5million.

The Germany Under-19 international has made just one Bundesliga appearance for Jurgen Klopp's side, as a substitute at Borussia Monchengladbach in October.

He has now moved to Istanbul on a four-and-a-half-year deal, although Dortmund have an option to buy the player back for a fee of €7m in the 2015-16 season.

For now, the 19-year-old centre-back, who represented Turkey at Under-16 level before switching allegiance to Germany, faces the challenge of trying to force his way into Roberto Mancini's side.

Mancini has allowed Morocco forward Nordin Amrabat to join La Liga strugglers Malaga on loan until the end of the season.

Armindo Bruma has also made a loan move away from Galatasaray after agreeing to join Super Lig rivals Gaziantepspor.

In addition, versatile Spaniard Albert Riera has left the Turk Telekom Arena after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA PREVIEW

Bayern Munich's unbeaten Bundesliga record could tick into a 17th calendar month when they take on Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.

The European champions have not tasted defeat in the German top flight since October 2012, and will feel confident of extending that run against struggling Frankfurt.

But the visitors have enjoyed a mini-resurgence of late, going three unbeaten after losing five of the previous six.

That said, Bayern won the reverse fixture 1-0 back in August and have not lost at home against Frankfurt since 2000.

Pep Guardiola's charges hold a commanding 13-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga ahead of the weekend's action, with second-placed Bayer Leverkusen having lost their last three fixtures.

They take on Stuttgart on Saturday in a bid to hack away at that deficit, but may regard a title challenge as beyond them, with Bayern showing no sign of slowing down.

Borussia Dortmund have taken five points from a possible 21 in recent months, but will be hopeful of kick-starting an upturn in fortunes against basement club Eintracht Braunschweig on Friday.

Jurgen Klopp's men have suffered five defeats this season, but four of those have come in that seven-match sequence.

Fourth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach, who suffered their first defeat in nine against Bayern last time out, visit Hannover as they aim to heap pressure on Dortmund once again.

At the other end of the table, Nuremberg won for the first time in 18 Bundesliga matches last weekend, but face a tricky tie as they head to the capital to face Hertha Berlin, while Hamburg could leapfrog Hoffenheim when the sides meet on Satuday.

Elsewhere, Schalke host Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen travel to Augsburg and Freiburg visit Mainz.

COPA LIBATADORES WRAP UP

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona booked their place in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey with convincing wins on Wednesday.

Atletico will face city rivals Real in the last four after beating Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in their second-leg meeting, 3-1 on aggregate, while Barca won 5-1 on the night to set up an aggregate 9-2 success.

Diego Simeone's side booked a repeat of last season's final after coming from a goal down with two second-half strikes to inflict Bilbao's first defeat at the new San Mames.

Aritz Aduriz opened the scoring for the hosts in the 42nd minute, which put Bilbao level in the tie, however Raul Garcia levelled for the holders 10 minutes into the second half.

That away goal all but sealed Atletico's progression, but they secured victory on the night as Diego Costa ended a run of seven games without a goal in all competitions with an 86th-minute winner.

Fellow La Liga title challengers Barcelona also made it through to the last four with a comprehensive victory over Levante.

The visitors went ahead at Camp Nou in the ninth minute through an unfortunate own goal from Sergi Roberto, the youngster unaware as a Levante header struck him on the back to divert the ball into the net.

It was the third consecutive meeting with Barca that Levante had taken the lead, but just like previous games they were not ahead for long as Adriano levelled 19 minutes later with his third goal of the season from 20 yards.

Carles Puyol then put Barca in front with a powerful front-post header from a Cristian Tello corner, the defender's first goal in over a year, before Alexis Sanchez struck twice in as many minutes at the start of the second half to make it 4-1.

Cesc Fabregas completed the scoring in the 68th minute, the midfielder cutting in from the right before driving a low shot beyond Javi Jimenez to set up a semi-final against the winner of Real Sociedad and Racing Santander, who play on Thursday.

COPA DEL REY WRAP UP

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona booked their place in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey with convincing wins on Wednesday.

Atletico will face city rivals Real in the last four after beating Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in their second-leg meeting, 3-1 on aggregate, while Barca won 5-1 on the night to set up an aggregate 9-2 success.

Diego Simeone's side booked a repeat of last season's final after coming from a goal down with two second-half strikes to inflict Bilbao's first defeat at the new San Mames.

Aritz Aduriz opened the scoring for the hosts in the 42nd minute, which put Bilbao level in the tie, however Raul Garcia levelled for the holders 10 minutes into the second half.

That away goal all but sealed Atletico's progression, but they secured victory on the night as Diego Costa ended a run of seven games without a goal in all competitions with an 86th-minute winner.

Fellow La Liga title challengers Barcelona also made it through to the last four with a comprehensive victory over Levante.

The visitors went ahead at Camp Nou in the ninth minute through an unfortunate own goal from Sergi Roberto, the youngster unaware as a Levante header struck him on the back to divert the ball into the net.

It was the third consecutive meeting with Barca that Levante had taken the lead, but just like previous games they were not ahead for long as Adriano levelled 19 minutes later with his third goal of the season from 20 yards.

Carles Puyol then put Barca in front with a powerful front-post header from a Cristian Tello corner, the defender's first goal in over a year, before Alexis Sanchez struck twice in as many minutes at the start of the second half to make it 4-1.

Cesc Fabregas completed the scoring in the 68th minute, the midfielder cutting in from the right before driving a low shot beyond Javi Jimenez to set up a semi-final against the winner of Real Sociedad and Racing Santander, who play on Thursday.

MOURINHO ANGERED BY WEST HAM ANTICS

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho struggled to hide his frustration with West Ham's defensive approach following their 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge.

The hosts dominated possession for long periods but could not find a way past West Ham goalkeeper Adrian and the massed ranks of defenders in front of him.

Although Andy Carroll provided a muscular presence on his first Premier League start this season, Sam Allardyce's men offered little in the way of an attacking threat.

As a result, they gained a valuable point in their fight against relegation and left Chelsea three points behind new leaders Manchester City at the summit.

Although Mourinho respected West Ham's motives, he was scathing of their methods.

"I just told the boys it is very difficult to play a football match when only one team wants to play," he said.

"Football matches are about two teams playing and this match was only one team playing and the other team not playing.

"I told 'Big Sam', and I repeat my words, they need points and because they need points to come here the way they did, is it acceptable? Maybe, yes.

"I cannot be too critical because if I was in this position I don't know if I would do the same. Maybe, so I don’t want to criticise that.

"But at the same time I told (him) also, this is not the Premier League, this is not the best league in the world – this is football from the 19th Century."

Asked to expand on his comments, Mourinho added: "Cheating - I don't know if that's the right word; pretending injuries, the goalkeeper winning time since the first minute. Not after 70 minutes, the first minute.

"Medical staff coming on, (players) kicking long balls to nobody, 10 defenders in the box. The defenders, they didn't put one foot outside the box. It's very basic.

"But, again, I am nobody to criticise. I hope the point means something for them at the end of the season. My players did everything to try to win and to try to play."

EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

Vitesse Arnhem will face a tough challenge to keep pace with Eredivisie leaders Ajax Amsterdam when they travel to Feyenoord on Friday.

Peter Bosz's Vitesse side led the Eredivisie from mid-November until their 1-1 draw away to NEC Nijmegen last week saw Ajax move top of the Dutch top tier with their 1-0 triumph on the road at Go Ahead Eagles.

Vitesse (41 points) are in danger of dropping further behind Ajax (43) when they travel to Rotterdam to play Feyenoord (36), who sit fourth in the league.

The Arnhem-based club have not won at Feyenoord since 2005 and while Friday's hosts lost 3-2 away to struggling ADO Den Haag last week, they have won all but three home matches this season, including their past three.

The past three matches have seen Vitesse stutter with Bosz's side giving up a lead each time to draw twice and win once.

Vitesse's young midfield trio of Davy Propper, Marko Vejinovic and Christian Atsu will be crucial to their side's hopes having stepped up in the absence of Theo Janssen, who is out for the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in October.

For Feyenoord, Italian striker Graziano Pelle will be the key man, having scored 15 goals in 18 games in the Eredivisie this season.

If Vitesse lose and Ajax win in Utrecht on Sunday, the reigning champions will move five points clear at the top of the table.

But Ajax also face a tough trip having only won once in their past five visits to Utrecht.

Ajax cruised past Jan Wouters' men 3-0 earlier in the season and should be confident up against a side that have lost their past four games, although Utrecht are sure to be up for the contest against the Amsterdam giants.

Twente could overhaul Vitesse if they lose to Feyenoord with the Enschede-based club four points behind Bosz's men with a game in hand.

If Twente beat Groningen on Wednesday in their left over match and defeat Cambuur on Sunday, they will move to 43 points, which would see them level with Ajax if Frank de Boer's team slip up against Utrecht.

At the other end of the table, bottom club NEC could maintain their mini-revival since the winter break when they host 12th-placed Go Ahead Eagles.

NEC have 19 points and are undefeated in 2014 and could rise two positions if they win, and RKC Waalwijk and Den Haag lose to PSV Eindhoven and Heerenveen respectively.

In other matches, PEC Zwolle will entertain Roda JC, Heracles will host NAC Breda and Groningen will visit AZ Alkmaar.

LA LIGA PREVIEW

La Liga faces a potentially game-changing weekend as the top three clubs all prepare for tough clashes throughout Spain.

Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will enter round 22 of the season with a point between them and, while enough time will remain to rectify any slip-ups this weekend, their three fixtures have the look of season-defining matches.

On Saturday, league leaders Barcelona (54 points, plus 44 goal difference) will host Valencia, while on Sunday, Atletico (54, plus 38) will welcome Real Sociedad to the Spanish capital and Real (53, plus 39) will travel to take on Athletic Bilbao.

Valencia have been uncharacteristically poor this season and sit 10th heading into Saturday's clash with Barcelona, 29 points adrift of the Catalans.

But with the likes of Jonas, Ever Banega and Sofiane Feghouli, Valencia still have the kind of players who could shock Barcelona with a bit of luck.

History is against Valencia, as they have not beaten Barcelona in 14 meetings in all competitions, but head coach Pizzi will surely remind his players that their club have regularly challenged the likes of Barca and Real over the past decade in the hope they can step up on Saturday.

Sociedad will arrive at Atletico's Estadio Vicente Calderon in sixth spot in La Liga and on the back of a 4-0 thrashing of Elche.

The Basque club have only lost once in their past 10 competitive outings and with French striker Antoine Griezmann in third position in La Liga's scoring charts after a brace against Elche, Sociedad will pose a significant threat to Atletico.

If both Barcelona and Atletico fail to win this weekend, Real could move top of the Spanish first division for just the second time this season and the first time at the end of a full round.

But Carlo Ancelotti's men will need to overcome a tenacious Bilbao side if they are to make the most of any potential slip-ups by their title rivals.

Bilbao have yet to lose at home this season in all competitions and managed to beat Barcelona in December at San Mames, however, Real have won their past eight fixtures against the Basque club.

Granada and Celta de Vigo will begin the round on Friday, while Villarreal and Osasuna will wrap it up on Monday.

In other fixtures, Levante will host Rayo Vallecano, Real Valladolid visit Getafe, Malaga face Sevilla, Elche are set to clash with Almeria and Real Betis welcome Espanyol to Seville.

BUFFON @ 36

Gianluigi Buffon turned 36 today and what an illustrious career it has been for the legend so far. A World cup winner, Scudetto's, Coppa Italia's u name it. Only Iker Casillas comes close to this unaging top cat. Unarguably the best shot-stopper between the sticks for more than a decade, Buffon has been able to stay relevant for club and country by reinventing himself with strings of fine saves and imposing presence.
Some might say keepers age like fine wine, but if Buffon were a bottle no doubt he would been produced from the best vines by the very best wine press and processed by the most skilled workers.

A legend who is a role model off and on the pitch...
One of the few remaining generals of a dying breed...
A Chardonnay to be sipped and not gulped...
The Azzuri's well maintained vintage sports car...
The Old lady's Trojan horse who commands from the back...
A true ambassador of soccer...

Gigi Buffon, Juuvi Soccer salutes you!!!

PELE V MARADONA: WHO WAS BETTER?

Diego Maradona has launched a scathing attack on Pele, claiming the Brazilian will always be considered second best to him.

The legendary duo are widely accepted as the two greatest footballers to have played the game and have regularly bickered in public over their respective standing.

And having seen Pele lift an honorary award at the recent FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony, Maradona has reacted furiously to being overlooked, stating it was a "mistake" to reward the Santos legend.

He blasted: "How can you say that Pele received the Ballon d'Or before me?

"I received the award in Paris (Golden Ball for services to football from France Football in 1996).

"So to make Pele the first one to receive the award before me is a huge mistake.

"According to me, Pele will always remain second best in football when compared to Maradona.

"Look at it this way, in his own country, Brazil, Pele is the second best sportsman after (former Formula One racer) Ayrton Senna.

"Pele will always be second, be it in international football or in Brazilian sports. The sad thing is that he is second best and he will continue to stay in that position.

"While presenting the award (this year's Ballon d'Or) to Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele uttered his name as 'Cristiano Leonardo'. This just shows where he belongs."

Neither Maradona or Pele were eligible to win the Ballon d'Or in its original existence as non-Europeans were ineligible.

Maradona captained Argentina to success at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, also securing league championships in Spain with Barcelona, Italy with Napoli, and his homeland with Boca Juniors.

Pele has three World Cups to his name - more than any player in history and officially scored 1,283 goals in 1,363 games.

SERIE A WRAP UP

Roma made the most of Juventus' slip-up on Saturday with a 3-1 win at Verona, while Milan scored two late goals to beat Cagliari 2-1.

After 10-man Juve were held to a 1-1 draw at Lazio, Roma closed to within six points of the champions with an impressive away win.

Adem Ljajic opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time but Verona, who entered the game on the back of successive defeats, levelled in the 49th minute through Emil Hallfredsson.

Gervinho, who scored the winner against Juventus in Roma's 1-0 Coppa Italia quarter-final win on Tuesday, restored the lead for Rudi Garcia's side on the hour-mark.

And a late Francesco Totti penalty sealed all three points for the capital club, who have won five matches in a row in all competitions.

Giampaolo Pazzini and Mario Balotelli scored in the last three minutes as Milan clinched a 2-1 come-from-behind win at Cagliari.

The hosts looked on course for their first victory against Milan since 1998 after Marco Sau's clever finish in the 28th minute.

Milan missed a host of chances to equalise but with three minutes left, Balotelli again stepped up for new head coach Clarence Seedorf, curling in an excellent free-kick.

And Pazzini, introduced as a substitute for Robinho on the hour-mark, hooked in Keisuke Honda's corner in the 89th minute, as his first league goal of the season gave Milan back-to-back Serie A wins for the first time this season.

Fiorentina missed the chance to close within one point of the fourth-placed Napoli after being held to a 3-3 draw against Genoa.

Genoa took the lead twice in the first half, through Alberto Gilardino and Luca Antonini, but Alberto Aquilani struck twice as both sides entered the break at 2-2.

Aquilani's third goal gave the Florence-based club the lead in the 57th minute, but Sebastian De Maio levelled with 13 minutes remaining.

Inter's winless start to 2014 continued on Sunday as they could only manage a 0-0 draw with rock-bottom Catania at San Siro.

The Milan-based club's first five games of the calendar year have now yielded two draws and three defeats, while a run of one Serie A win from nine has seen them slip to fifth.

Diego Milito went close in the first half for Inter, but their lack of creativity and cutting edge was nearly punished twice by Catania's Gonzalo Bergessio after the break.

Other results on Sunday saw Bologna climb out of the bottom three thanks to a last-gasp 1-1 draw at Sampdoria.

Alessandro Diamanti's injury-time penalty secured a point for Bologna, after Manolo Gabbiadini put the hosts ahead in the 62nd minute.

Livorno scored three times in the first 26 minutes in a 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Sassuolo, while Parma and Torino claimed 1-0 home triumphs against Udinese and 10-man Atalanta respectively.

LA LÌGA WRAP UP

Barcelona returned to winning ways in La Liga with a 3-0 thumping of Malaga, while Atletico Madrid beat Rayo Vallecano 4-2 on Sunday.

The Catalan giants dropped to third in the table after Atleti and Real Madrid won ahead of their Camp Nou fixture, but reclaimed their place at the summit with a thoroughly convincing performance on Sunday.

After consecutive league draws against Atleti and Levante – the first time Barca had gone two league games without winning since May 2011 – Gerardo Martino's side dominated the first half and took the lead through Gerard Pique in the 40th minute, his second goal in as many matches.

Barca would have led by more if it were not for the brilliance of Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero, but goals from Pedro and Alexis Sanchez in the first 20 minutes of the second half sealed the result.

Lionel Messi did not score, as his league scoring drought extended to 120 days, but new president Josep Maria Bartomeu, watching from the stands, would not have minded as Barca dominated from start to finish.

They remain goal difference ahead of Atletico, who had star midfielder Arda Turan score a double.

David Villa opened the scoring for Diego Simeone's side in the eighth minute before Rayo Vallecano missed a chance to equalise from the penalty spot.

Jonathan Viera's penalty was well saved by Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 12th minute, and Turan opened his account on the half-hour mark to make them pay.

Viera tried to make amends for his miss with a goal six minutes before the break but Turan restored their two-goal advantage on the stroke of half-time.

A Saul Niguez own goal put Atletico 4-1 ahead, meaning Joaquin Larrivey's late goal meant little.

Athletic Bilbao also won well on the road, thrashing a 10-man Osasuna 5-1 to move five points clear in fourth.

Markel Susaeta's third-minute goal gave Athletic the lead, and although Emiliano Armenteros levelled, Aritz Aduriz put the winners back in front in the 16th minute.

Aduriz added a second in the second half before Alejandro Arribas was sent off for a second yellow card, with substitutes Ibai Gomez and Kike Sola compounding their misery with late goals.

And in Sunday's other match, Almeria beat Getafe 1-0 thanks to Jonathan Zongo's second-half strike.

LIGUE 1 WRAP UP

Monaco closed the gap on Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain to three points with a 2-0 victory over Marseille on Sunday.

PSG's 1-1 draw with Guingamp on Saturday opened the door for the men from the principality to reduce the deficit by two points, and the result rarely looked in doubt at Stade Louis II.

Valere Germain found the net four minutes prior to the break to put the hosts ahead with his first top-flight goal for the club.

That lead was doubled in the 57th minute when Emmanuel Riviere beat his marker to fire the ball into the roof of the net from inside the six-yard box.

Lyon stretched their unbeaten run to seven with a 3-0 victory over 10-man Evian, climbing to fifth in the process.

Bafetimbi Gomis opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area, before John Mensah was show two yellow cards in quick succession to bring a premature end to his involvement.

Alexandre Lacazette took full advantage two minutes before the interval when he found the net with a deft chip.

And the attacker doubled his tally in the 76th minute following a counter-attacking Lyon move to seal all three points.

In the day's remaining match, Bordeaux kept up the pressure on Lyon by recovering from back-to-back defeats to beat Saint-Etienne 2-0 and go sixth.

Abdou Traore's smashed Bordeaux into the lead four minutes prior to the interval, before Carlos Henrique converted from close range six minutes into the second half to make sure of victory.

COLOMBIA PRIMERA A WRAP UP

Reigning champions Atletico Nacional started the Colombian Primera A strongly with 3-1 victory over Medellin on Sunday.

A disastrous day for Medellin's Jefferson Mena started in the 22nd minute as his own goal gave Atletico Nacional the lead.

Despite bossing the majority of the possession, Nacional struggled to get the second goal and kill off the game until a penalty was won on 68 minutes with Edwin Cardona converting.

After receiving a yellow card five minutes earlier, Mena was sent off for a second bookable offence on 72 minutes leaving Medellin reduced to ten men just before Nacional's Sherman Cardenas added another goal.

Medellin striker German Cano did pull a goal back on 77 minutes but a straight red to midfielder Javier Calle made the mission impossible for the visitors.

Santa Fe enjoyed the biggest win of the round after a 3-0 triumph at Itagui.

Goals to Wilder Medina and Luis Arias in the first half and a late strike from Yulian Anchico ensured a comfortable victory for Santa Fe.

Boyaca Chico survived a late rally from Deportivo Cali to run out 2-1 winners on the back of two first-half goals.

In other matches, newly-promoted Uniautonoma won 3-2 at home against Deportes Tolima, Millonarios overcame Envigado 2-1 and there was a 1-1 draw between La Equidad and Alianza Petrolera.

Once Caldas bolted to a 3-1 triumph against Fortelaza, Junior completed a thrilling 3-2 win at Atletico Huila and Deportivo Pasto cantered to a 3-1 result against Patriotas Boyaca.

ESSIEN TO MILAN: DONE DEAL

Michael Essien has completed his transfer from Chelsea to AC Milan.
We wish him an injury free campaign as the finals in Brazil draws closer.

MARCO BORIELLO

West Ham United are delighted to confirm their second signing of the day as Marco Borriello joins on loan #COYI pic.twitter.com/i5KcuXehmX

FA CUP 4TH ROUND

THE FA CUP WITH BUDWEISER - FOURTH ROUNDShow last 5 matches and coverageFixtureKick-offStatusShow

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13:00

ChelseavStoke

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BARCELONA PRESIDENT RESIGNS

Barcelona's president Sandro Rosell has resigned hours before the clubs unscheduled general meeting.
His resignation stems from the controversy clouding Neymar's signing from Santos last year...
The club is yet to comment on the issue.

CHELSEA HIJACK LIVERPOOL DEAL!!!

Chelsea has played dirty once again by hijacking Liverpool's deal with Basel and Egyptian wing wizard Mohammed Salah for a reported fee in the region of £11 million.
Personal terms and a medical will follow suite.
Brendan Rodgers must be fuming at Jose Mourinho who also hijacked Tottenham's bid for William.

STEPHEN KESHI IS 52 TODAY

Super Eagles coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi is 52 today!!!
Many more years and trophies ahead boss!!!

ARJEN ROBBEN @ 30

Arjen Robben is a one legged pacy little winger widely regarded as one of the best drivers in the business. By driver we mean players who are able to turn defenders round, ease past them and also do it again so the world realizes it was no fluke.
Arjen Robben ranks very high in this category, his winner at the 2012/2013 champions league finals will forever be etched in our memories.
He turns 30 today and Juuvi Soccer sincerely wish Robben many more driving years ahead!!!

HAZARD IS BELGIAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Eden Hazard's kid brother Thorgan is officially Belgian player of the year.

Dressed to impress: Hazard and his girlfriend Marie pose on the red carpet before the bash

INCE INFORMED OF SACK THROUGH TEXT

Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston has confirmed Paul Ince learned of his sacking as manager via text message.

The former England international was relieved of his duties, together with assistants Alex Rae and Steve Thompson, on Tuesday after a dismal run that saw Blackpool pick up one point from nine Championship games.

It had been reported that Ince was informed of the club's decision through a text message and this has now been corroborated by Oyston.

However, Oyston feels he was left with little choice due to Ince being away on a coaching course, which he had not informed the chairman he would be attending.

Oyston told Sky Sports : "Following a meeting on Sunday, I told them (Blackpool's management team) in no uncertain terms that things had to change. Paul promptly went off on a coaching course and I heard nothing from Alex (Rae) or Steve Thompson.

"We couldn't get hold of Paul so we relayed the message that we had decided to make a change and obviously informed him in writing.

"It was done by letter but obviously I informed them that we were making changes via text because I couldn't get hold of them.

"I don't want to get into mud-slinging. It's a case of priorities and I'd have liked our management team to have placed player recruitment as their priority. We all agreed that was the only way of arresting our slide.

"I wasn't made aware by Paul that he was going on a coaching course and would be disappearing off the face of the earth for two days. I was disappointed about that."

Oyston claims the decision to dismiss Ince was taken with a heavy heart.

"It's very unpleasant and only the second time I've had to make managerial changes in my 15 years at Blackpool. We've always majored on stability and trying to keep managers.

"It's never pleasant to put people out of work. You don't get into football to do that. On a personal level, I get along with all three of them and I think they're all good people, but you've got to do what's best for the football club."

ZAMALEK APPIONT MIDO

Former Egyptian star Mido has been appointed manager of his home-town club Zamalek, it was announced on Tuesday.

Mido takes over from Helmi Toulan, who was sacked after Zamalek's 1-1 draw with Haras El-Hodood in the Egyptian Premier League.

That was just their fourth game of the season with Zamalek in fourth position with two wins, one draw and one loss.

"We have officially appointed Mido as the first team new head coach," the club said in a statement on their official website.

Mido, who turns 31 in February, will be the youngest manager in Egyptian football history and has no prior coaching experience.

He began his decorated career at Zamalek in 1999 before enjoying successful stints across Europe, most notably at Ajax and Tottenham.

He also scored 19 goals in 51 appearances for the Egyptian national side.

BLACKPOOL SACK INCE

The sack Axe has been wielded once more. Don't get Juuvi wrong we don't necessarily enjoy bad news but hey, someone else just got a job. By the way isn't it supposed to be a result oriented game?

Blackpool have sacked manager Paul Ince with veteran Scottish midfielder Barry Ferguson placed in temporary charge of the Sky Bet Championship club.

OSSIE ARDILES IN CAR CRASH

World Cup winner and former Tottenham favourite Ossie Ardiles is in hospital following a car crash.
Sky Sports News (SSN) reported that the 61-year-old Argentinian was involved in a motoring accident in the Falklands.
The midfielder's former Spurs team-mate Ricky Villa, 61, was also reportedly in the same car but there have been no word on the extent of any injuries sustained in the accident.
A nurse confirmed to SSN that Ardiles was indeed in hospital in the Falkland Islands and although she said he was 'fine', did not elaborate on his condition nor that of his ex-team-mate.
Both players were part of an Argentina side that lifted the 1978 World Cup, held in their own country, before heading to London later that summer to join Tottenham.
While at White Hart Lane, the pair were part of a Tottenham team that collected the FA Cup in 1981, with Villa scoring the winner against Manchester City in the replay at Wembley.

VENEZUELA PRIMERA LEAGUE

Deportivo Tachira, Tucanes and Aragua remain the only Venezuela Primera Division teams with a 100 per cent record after matchday two.

It took two late goals for Deportivo Tachira to overcome Yaracuyanos 4-2 to the delight of their home fans.

Jose Meza and Yoandri Orozco twice put Tachira into the lead before the goals were cancelled out with Yaracuyanos' Eduard Bello levelling just before half-time and Luis Randazzo tying the scores in the 88th minute.

But Tachira were not to be denied as Angel Osorio secured the go-ahead goal on 91 minutes before Orozco completed his brace two minutes later.

Juan Garcia scored the only goal as Tucanes won 1-0 on the road against Atletico El Vigia.

Because of their 4-0 win over Atletico Venezuela on matchday one, Tucanes retain first position on the standings with a superior goal difference.

Aragua joined Tucanes and Tachira with a 70th-minute strike from Nestor Bareiro ensuring a 1-0 home win over Mineros de Guayana.

Reigning champions Zamora grabbed their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Deportivo Petare.

Pierre Pluchino scored the winner for Zamora after Petare's Armando Maita cancelled out Ricardo Clarke's opener.

In other matches, Atletico Venezuela edged Carabobo 1-0, Caracas won 2-1 against Llaneros de Guanare and Trujillanos secured a 1-0 road trip win over Zulia.

Deportivo La Guaira enjoyed a 2-1 victory against Estudiantes de Merida and Deportivo Anzoategui drew 2-2 with Deportivo Lara.

COPPA ITALIA PREVIEW

Serie A's top two meet in the quarter-final of the Coppa Italia on Tuesday when Roma host Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico.

Roma, beaten by rivals Lazio in last year's final, are eight points behind league leaders Juve, who have won their last 12 Serie A matches.

The pair have lost just two league games between them all season, with Roma's solitary defeat coming against the champions earlier this month.

Rudi Garcia's side have responded well to that setback, winning three games in a row without conceding a goal.

Roma took their clean-sheet tally in league matches to 13 from 20 games with Saturday's 3-0 win over Livorno, and Garcia was happy that his charges were not distracted by the prospect of meeting Juventus.

"The Juventus match is more important? No, (Saturday) was more important because no game is won before the ball is kicked," he said.

"I'm pleased that my players were focused on the task at hand without getting distracted by Tuesday's game."

Clarence Seedorf played for Milan the last time they won the competition in 2002-03 and he will take charge of his first Coppa Italia game as coach against Udinese on Wednesday.

Seedorf took the reins at San Siro last week and had an instant impact as Milan defeated Verona 1-0 courtesy of Mario Balotelli's late penalty.

Udinese's Coppa Italia form has been one of few positives in an otherwise poor campaign for Francesco Guidolin's men, who sit 15th after a run of just one win in seven Serie A fixtures.

Guidolin guided his side to a shock 1-0 victory over Inter in the previous round, with Maicosuel grabbing the decisive goal.

Six-time winners Fiorentina have what appears to be the easiest tie as they host second-tier Siena.

However, Mario Beretta's men have taken three top-flight scalps already this season, knocking out Livorno, Bologna and Catania away from home to reach the last eight.

Holders Lazio travel to Napoli on January 29 with revenge in mind, having been beaten 4-2 on home soil in the league by Rafael Benitez's side in December.

LIGUE 1 WRAP UP

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain hammered Nantes 5-0 to maintain their five-point lead at the top of Ligue 1.

Laurent Blanc's side were never troubled on Sunday evening and went ahead in the 10th minute through a Thiago Silva tap-in.

Ibrahimovic added a first-half penalty and rounded the scoring off after further goals from Thiago Motta and Edinson Cavani.

PSG have won four of their last five league games and remain on course to retain the title.

Second-placed Monaco got back on track by defeating Toulouse 2-0.

After two games without a win, Claudio Ranieri's side moved in front after 36 minutes through Layvin Kurzawa's third goal in four league games.

Monaco's victory was confirmed two minutes from time when substitute Lucas Ocampos found the net, ending Toulouse's run of six games without defeat.

Meanwhile, Lyon made it six games unbeaten with a 2-0 win at Reims, who tasted defeat in the league for the first time since November.

Alexandre Lacazette bagged his 10th of the Ligue 1 season after 25 minutes and a Gueida Fofana strike - his first of the campaign - six minutes from time made the game safe.

LA LIGA WRAP UP

Atletico Madrid missed the opportunity to leapfrop Barcelona at the top of La Liga as both sides were held to 1-1 draws on Sunday.

Gerardo Martino's Barca, missing the injured Neymar, were well below their best in a 1-1 draw at Levante's Estadio Ciudad de Valencia.

Barcelona had thumped the same opponents 7-0 on the opening day, but fell behind on 10 minutes when Loukas Vyntra headed home Andreas Ivanschitz's corner.

The lead was short-lived, Gerard Pique meeting a delivery from Xavi to level in the 19th minute with a near carbon copy of Vyntra's effort.

Barca improved in the second half, but failed to find a winner and were almost caught out by a 20-yard effort from Ivanschitz in the closing stages.

That gave Atletico the opportunity to remove Barcelona from the top of the league for the first time since September 2012, but Diego Simeone's charges fell short in a 1-1 draw with Sevilla at Vicente Calderon.

David Villa put Atletico ahead on 18 minutes, but Ivan Rakitic levelled from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute, meaning the Croatian midfielder has now scored at Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico this season.

The match ended on a sour note for the visitors as Alberto Moreno was sent off in the 90th minute, but Sevilla are now unbeaten in eight league games and seventh in the table.

Villarreal moved up to fourth with a comfortable 2-0 victory over struggling Almeria.

Ikechukwu Uche's 12th goal of the season put the hosts ahead after just three minutes, and Bruno Soriano scored from the penalty spot in the closing stages to confirm the points for Marcelino Garcia Toral's men.

Getafe overcame a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad in Sunday's early game.

A double inside 16 minutes from Imanol Agirretxe put Sociedad in control, but Ciprian Marica halved the deficit shortly before the half-hour mark.

Getafe's comeback was completed on 52 minutes when Pedro Leon grabbed his sixth goal of the campaign.

The home side held on for a point despite playing the last 30 minutes with 10 men due to the dismissal of Borja.

CHELSEA V MANCHESTER UNITED

The bridge will in for some real rumble as the undisputed champions of the heavyweight division;Manchester United visit  London...the champions might be low on confidence with a poor run of results but make no mistake, they are MANCHESTER UNITED!!!
Jose Mourinho has been playing mind games all season long but whether it has been effective remains a question for another day.

A suitable title for this clash would be
RUMBLE AT THE BRIDGE!!!

Guys do you have a better title?

UAE PRO LEAGUE WRAP UP

Second-placed Al Shabab reduced to gap to leaders Al Ahli to three points at the top of the UAE Pro League.

A first-half brace from Carlos Vilanueva handed Al Shabab a 2-0 home success over fourth-placed Al Sharjah, who lost for the first time in 11 league matches.

That result allowed Al Shabab to close the gap on the leaders, who were held 0-0 at in-form Al Wahda, now unbeaten in eight.

A point further back in third are Al Jazira, who won 2-1 at Al Wasl.

Shin Hyung-Min and Ali Ahmed Mabkhout scored for the visitors in the 57th and 63rd minutes and although Andre Senghor pulled one back six minutes later it was not enough for Al Wasl to avoid a third straight league defeat.

Al Shaab climbed off the bottom with a 2-0 home win over 10-man Al Nasr, Badr Al Noubi and Michael N'Dri scoring the goals as Tariq Ahmed saw red for the visitors.

Strugglers Dubai and Emirates finished 1-1, Jehad Al Hussain giving Dubai the lead before Jair equalised for the visitors midway through the second half.

Elsewhere, the games between Al Dhafra and Bani Yas, and Ajman and Al Ain finished goalless.

LIGUE 1 WRAP UP

Montpellier's first win in 12 matches - a 2-0 triumph at 10-man Sochaux - saw them move a step closer to Ligue 1 safety on Saturday.

Anthony Mounier's left-footed strike in the 19th minute put Rolland Courbis' men in the ascendancy, before Nathan Sinkala was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence 16 minutes later.

A second goal from Souleymane Camara wrapped up the side's first league victory under Courbis, sending them 16th in the league.

Ajaccio's slide towards relegation continued as they fell to a fifth straight defeat against Nice.

The French top flight's basement club, who have not won in the league since their sole victory of the season on September 25, fell behind to a Christian Bruls free-kick from a tight angle in the fifth minute, before Dario Cvitanich made sure of the three points at the death with a close-range finish.

Evian climbed one point further away from the drop zone as they played out a goalless draw at Rennes, who have now gone five matches without a win.

Bordeaux suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since September in a 1-0 reverse at Bastia.

Adam Ba scored the only goal of the game three minutes before the break as the hosts recorded their first win in six.

Lorient returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Guingamp, lifting them to ninth in the division.

Having lost their first league match in eight last time out, normal service was resumed when Yann Jouffre broke the deadlock in the eighth minute.

Kevin Monnet-Paquet added a second five minutes later to make sure of the three points.

Elsewhere, the early clash between Marseille and Valenciennes was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

SERIE A WRAP UP

Juventus and Roma won again to maintain their blistering pace at the top of Serie A on Saturday, putting pressure on third-placed Napoli.

Rafael Benitez's side are due to face Bologna on Sunday and will need a win to keep pace with the top two after Roma comfortably beat Livorno 3-0 and Juventus edged a determined Sampdoria side 4-2.

Antonio Conte's men set a new club record with 11 consecutive wins in the league last time out and continued their fine form against Sinisa Mihajlovic's men, going two goals ahead after 24 minutes through Arturo Vidal and Fernando Llorente.

There was time for an Andrea Barzagli own goal and Vidal's second before the break with Juventus' co-owned striker Manolo Gabbiadini making life uncomfortable for Conte's men in the second half.

However, Paul Pogba struck a long-range effort 12 minutes from time to wrap up the three points as the champions maintained their 100 per cent record at home in the league and matched Roma's earlier victory.

Rudi Garcia's charges made sure Attilio Perotti's first game in charge of Livorno was one to forget, brushing their opponents aside in a convincing triumph.

Having taken over from Davide Nicola on Monday, Perotti's reign at the club could hardly have got off to a worse start, with Mattia Destro opening the scoring from close range after just six minutes.

Adem Ljajic's cross was backheeled into the path of Destro, who made no mistake with a powerful finish before Kevin Strootman added a second half an hour later.

Roma saw an effort ruled out for offside before the break and, despite not being as impressive in the second half, the hosts added a third when Ljajic struck 12 minutes from time.

After seeing his side deny their relegation-threatened opponents a shot on target, coach Garcia said: "I'm happy with this win. We scored three without letting the opposition have any chances. It's a good evening's work.

"We're second and we'll do everything we can to obtain the best results possible in the second half of the season."

Juve remain eight points ahead of Roma and are now 13 clear of Napoli.

LA LIGA WRAP UP

Real Madrid cruised to a 5-0 victory at bottom side Real Betis to move level on points with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo thumped in his 31st goal of the season as early as the 10th minute, before Gareth Bale doubled the advantage with a free-kick 15 minutes later.

Karim Benzema put the result beyond doubt in first-half stoppage time - his 100th goal for the club - before further goals in the second period for Angel Di Maria and Alvaro Morata put the gloss on the scoreline.

It was Madrid's seventh straight win in all competitions, and Carlo Ancelotti's side have now racked up five consecutive clean sheets.

The result leaves them level with Barcelona and Atletico at the top of the table on 50 points, with their title rivals taking on Levante and Sevilla respectively on Sunday.

Elche claimed their first win in six league matches and moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 home success over 10-man Rayo Vallecano.

The visitors saw Raul Baena dismissed after just 18 minutes, and Edu Albacar put the home side in front from the resulting penalty.

That lead was doubled 11 minutes from time by Javi Marquez, and Vallecano have now won just once in seven La Liga outings.

Elsewhere, Sergio Garcia's 88th-minute goal earned Espanyol a 1-0 at home over Celta Vigo while the game between Granada and Osasuna finished goalless.

FAILED BAYERN EXPERIMENT

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola used his side's friendly against Red Bull Salzburg to experiment as they suffered a 3-0 loss.

The match was the last of Bayern's three January friendlies and first-half goals from Sadio Mane, Jonathan Soriano and Robert Zulj saw Salzburg to the surprise win on Saturday.

Kevin Kampl also missed a second-half penalty for the hosts at the Red Bull Arena.

Guardiola said it was important he used the friendly to try new things ahead of Bayern resuming their Bundesliga campaign against Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday.

"I made some tactical changes today because we wanted to have one more player in the midfield," he said.

"Yesterday, we trained a new system with three defenders. This was mainly so that we could have the ball a little bit more in the midfield.

"We have to use these friendlies to try out new things, for me that is what they are about. Javi (Martinez) played 35 minutes with a little injury, so we had some problems.

"But again, friendlies are exactly for that. I can't test new things during the season. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg can play as a central defender or in the midfield.

"However when you are three goals behind after the first half the coach goes crazy and the players sadly have to try to deal with that."

CHELSEA TOILET PAPERS?

Uzbekistan Manchester United fans have been selling 'CHELSEA FC TOILET PAPERS' all around the capital's city center...
Juuvi Soccer would love to get our hands on some rolls for our offices....
Cheeky?

PARDEW DEFENDS ABU DHABI TRIP

Alan Pardew is adamant Newcastle United's players will be made to work hard during a mid-season trip to Abu Dhabi.

Having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Cardiff City earlier this month, Newcastle have 10 days without a game following Saturday's fixture at West Ham.

Pardew's squad will head to the Middle East for a training camp, with the manager confident the trip will reap rewards.

"Our fans need to know we booked this before we went out of the cup," Pardew told the Shields Gazette.

"We were thinking about doing a mini-break, like we did when we finished fifth (in the 2011-12 season).

"We lost the first game when we came back, but we went on a terrific run afterwards. We'd done so much work.

"This would have been our prep for the fourth round, but unfortunately we got knocked out.

"We're coming back on Thursday. It’ll be three or four days' work in the sun. That's all.

"The only disappointing thing is that there are suggestions we're doing it in the cup week – it was always going to be done this week."

A LEAGUE WRAP UP

Wellington Phoenix's Costa Rican internationals shone as the club recorded its second-largest win with a 5-0 rout of Melbourne Victory.

Carlos Hernandez's first-half brace sandwiched a screamer from Kenny Cunningham as Wellington raced into a three-goal lead prior to the interval.

Further goals from Jeremy Brockie and Stein Huysegems piled further misery on the Victory, who missed the chance to go second in the A-League, and enabled the resurgent Phoenix to claim a fourth win in five matches.

The visitors' defeat was especially disappointing for former Phoenix star Kosta Barbarouses, who was playing in Wellington for the first time since returning from a stint in Greece with Panathinaikos.

Hernandez opened the scoring after 18 minutes following good work from Tyler Boyd and the Victory were left with a mountain to climb after conceding two further goals at the end of the first half.

Cunningham found the net with a long-range effort before Hernandez scored again from the penalty spot to make it 3-0.

There was no way back for Melbourne and substitute Brockie made a positive impression in the closing stages, scoring himself before laying on Wellington’s fifth for Huysegems.

In Saturday's other game, Central Coast Mariners kept the pressure on the top two with a 1-0 win at out-of-form Sydney.

Mile Sterjovski's second-half thunderbolt, which took a wicked deflection off Matthew Jurman, proved the only goal of the game and handed the visitors a deserved victory.

Sydney have now won just one of their last seven matches, but things are much more positive for the Mariners, who are unbeaten in four and within seven points of leaders Brisbane Roar.

Phil Moss' men wasted a string of opportunities in a first half that saw Sydney’s Ranko Despotovic have a goal correctly ruled out for offside.

Corey Gameiro then spurned a fine opportunity prior to the Mariners claiming the all-important breakthrough.

Sterjovski was given too much space just outside the box and his powerful shot struck Jurman on the arm to leave Vedran Janjetovic wrong-footed.

DUDES' GOT STYLE

What a hairdo: Chelsea defender Luiz, who was at the Benfica v Porto game at the weekend, is also included in the star-studded squad

David Luis is Juuvi Soccer's stylist of the week.

LIVERPOOL SEAL ANOTHER SPONSORSHIP DEAL

Liverpool legend Ian Rush, star midfielder Coutinho and the club's chief executive Ian Ayre pose with Dunkin' Donuts CEO Nigel Travis

Liverpool have announced a partnership with Dunkin' Brands Group - the American company responsible for Dunkin' Donuts and ice-cream chain Baskin-Robbins.

PEPSI 2014 ADVERT

The idea of Lionel Messi, Robin van Persie, Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Ramos all in the same team may not be as far-fetched as you think. The stars have combined to form Pepsi's dream team for 2014 with 14 other players as part of the 'Live for Now' campaign, bringing together their flair and enthusiasm for the beautiful game.

NEYMAR INJURY BLOW

Barcelona forward Neymar suffered an ankle injury in the team’s Copa del Rey win on Thursday night making him a doubt for their Champions League game against Manchester City in a month’s time.
Lionel Messi lit-up the last-16 second leg which Barça won 2-0 making it 6-0 on aggregate by scoring twice and revived memories of one of his greatest ever goals – also scored against Getafe – with the second strike. But the night was soured by Neymar’s set-back.
Barça visit the Etihad on February 18 in the first knockout round of the Champions League but the Brazilian could struggle to make the trip after turning badly on his right ankle.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2540917/Neymar-injury-hell-Brazil-star-suffers-ankle-sprain-Barca-Copa-del-Rey-win.html#ixzz2qdZaSiKR
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SOUTHAMPTON IN CRISIS?

As Nicola Cortese slalomed his way across the ski runs in the exclusive mountain resort of Lech over New Year, Southampton's executive chairman knew it would be all downhill.
In his path was Katharina Liebherr, the heiress to the £3billion fortune left to her on trust by her father Markus after his sudden death in August 2010.
The story has picked up speed since his return, gathering momentum as Liebherr's daughter continued with her bid for power behind the scenes at St Mary's.

On Wednesday night, just after 7pm she won, but the fear is that Southampton will be the biggest losers.
Cortese had tolerated Katharina until she refused to allow him to continue in his executive role without interference.
The Italian, a banker by profession, established The Southampton Way when Markus Liebherr took the club out of administration in 2009. He lived and breathed Southampton.
Each day, when he walked up the main staircase at St Mary's and headed towards his office suite, he passed a mural on the wall which reminded his staff of their ambition.
Katharina, who has no experience of running a football club and until recently had little interest in the sport, will run the show from now on.
Katharina has been in London this week, spending much of her time in the offices of her lawyers Allen & Overy.
She will be non-executive chairman of the club and intends to appoint a chief executive to handle Southampton's affairs. The transition will not be easy.
Southampton are a thriving Premier League club, the good news story as a succession of homegrown players make their way into the first team.
One of Southampton’s academy recruits is Cortese’s son, while his wife is also heavily involved in some of the club’s community projects.
This week's events have been bubbling since last summer, when Katharina arrived unexpectedly at the club's pre-season training camp in the stunning Alpine setting of Velden, Austria.
It was on the banks of Lake Worthersee, on the decking of the Seespitz Restaurant on the evening of Wednesday July 24, that she made her first serious demands to be involved in the day-to-day running of the club.
Until that moment Cortese had held her at arm's length as he went about the business of establishing Southampton as a force again in the Barclays Premier League.
It was Cortese who decided to fire Alan Pardew in August 2010 and replace him with Nigel Adkins.
Southampton won two successive promotions before Mauricio Pochettino, who was discovered by Cortese during a scouting mission to Espanyol for a player two years ago, was brought in on January 18 last year.
Between them they convinced raw academy graduates such as Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers and James Ward-Prowse to remain at Southampton, even when they had better offers elsewhere.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2540218/Liebherr-dream-wrecker-How-3bn-heiress-whos-never-shown-football-ousted-man-Saints-fans-believe-again.html#ixzz2qYkH0MPJ
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

VENEZUELA DIVISION WRAP UP

Deportivo Anzoategui have begun the Venezuela Primera Division Clausura season with a 1-0 win away to Deportivo Petare.

Anzoategui topped the 2012-13 standings in Venezuela but were disappointed to finish fourth in the Apertura season of the 2013-14 campaign.

Juvencio Betancourt's made an early statement about their intentions in the Clausura season on Wednesday with Rolando Escobar scoring the only goal as they knocked off Petare in Caracas.

The win took Anzoategui to sixth on the Primera Division table, three goals behind Deportivo Lara and Tucanes, who started their respective games with big wins.

Lara were spurred on by a superb hat-trick by midfielder Edgar Perez Greco as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Atletico El Vigia.

Perez Greco struck in the seventh minute, 19th and 22nd as he got Lara off to a dynamic start that shell-shocked Atletico El Vigia.

Mauricio Parra rounded out the scoring for Lara on 56 minutes as the home side delighted their fans with an emphatic beginning to the campaign.

It was a similar story in Puerto Ayacucho as Tucanes thrashed Atletico Venezuela 4-0.

An early goal from Tucanes' Arnaldo Aranda was the only strike of the first half before Juan Garcia doubled the advantage just after half-time.

Late goals to Jesus Gonzalez and Argenis Gomez sealed the win with Tucanes joining Lara as the league pacesetters.

Defending champions Mineros de Guayana had a winning start to the season with a 2-0 triumph over Zulia.

Ricardo Blanco found the net just before half-time with Oscar Cordero making the scoreline comfortable on 61 minutes.

In other results, Aragua enjoyed a 2-0 road trip win at Estudiantes de Merida, Deportivo Tachira shaded Deportivo La Guaira 1-0 away from home and there was a 1-1 draw between Yaracuyanos and Zamora.

Trujillanos drew 1-1 with Caracas and Carabobo snatched a 1-0 triumph over Llaneros de Guanare.

MATIC SIGNING A FINANCIAL FARCE?

Chelsea sold Nemanja Matic for a little over 3 million pounds, only to churn out 21 million pounds for the midfielder again. A total waste of 18 million pounds...not financially clever most pundits and fans would argue. Only time will tell just how important this move will prove to be.

BENDTNER TURNS 26 TODAY

Nicklas Bendtner is a Danish footballer who plays for Premier League side Arsenal. His preferred position is centre forward, but he has also played on the right side of attack for Arsenal and possesses a powerful header.

SERIE A PREVIEW

Clarence Seedorf returns to San Siro as Milan coach on Sunday, while Juventus will look to extend their record winning streak in Serie A.

Former Netherlands international Seedorf retired from playing on Tuesday in order to replace Massimiliano Allegri, who was sacked following last weekend's 4-3 defeat at struggling Sassuolo.

The 38-year-old represented Milan with great distinction in his playing career, scoring 62 goals in 432 appearances and winning two Serie A titles, two UEFA Champions Leagues and one Coppa Italia crown in a 10-year stay.

Mauro Tassotti took charge of Wednesday's 3-1 Coppa Italia win over Serie B side Spezia, and Seedorf's reign as coach begins with a tricky visit of Verona to Lombardy.

Verona have adapted superbly to life back in the top flight following last season's promotion from Serie B and sit sixth after 19 games, having racked up 10 wins.

Luca Toni's nine goals in 17 games have been key to that, although they fell to a 3-0 home defeat to Napoli last time out.

They may look to Milan's woeful home form as an opportunity to respond strongly, however.

Milan's win against Atalanta on January 6 was their first on home soil in seven games in all competitions, but they followed that up with the stunning loss to Sassuolo - whose four goals were all scored by teenage striker Domenico Berardi.

Champions Juventus, meanwhile, will be confident of extending their record winning run in Serie A to 12 games when they host Sampdoria on Saturday.

Antonio Conte's side have won all nine of their home games in the league this season, but Samp are the last side to have beaten Juve on their own patch, having picked up a 2-1 win at Juventus Stadium on January 6 last year.

Juve's closest title rivals Roma and Napoli will face Livorno and Bologna respectively hoping for a rare slip up from the champions, with Fiorentina and Inter hoping Rafael Benitez and Rudi Garcia's sides lose as they look to boost their UEFA Champions League hopes at Catania and Genoa.

Sassuolo, with morale boosted after their win over Milan and the clubs below them facing tough games, host Torino with the bottom five's final side Chievo hosting Parma.

Elsewhere, Lazio travel to Udinese yet to be beaten under returning coach Edy Reja, and Atalanta host Cagliari.

CHILE PRIMERA DIVISION WRAP UP

Universidad Concepcion is the only Chilean Primera Division side with a 100 per cent record after a 2-1 triumph over Universidad Catolica.

Catolica, who also started the match with two wins from two games, started the better of the two sides' as Argentine Ramiro Costa scored the opening goal on 37 minutes.

The lead held until 10 minutes after the half-time interval with Concepcion's Leonardo Monje goal bringing the home side back into the game.

Fernando Manriquez scored the go-ahead goal for Concepcion on 78 minutes and they coped with the 90th-minute sending-off of defender Diego Diaz to hold on for victory.

Palestino and Colo Colo had both won their first two games of the season going into round three but came out with score draws against their opposition.

After going 2-0 up through Roberto Gutierrez and Sergio Lopez, Palestino took the foot off the pedal to draw 2-2 at Santiago Wanderers.

Nicolas Canales pulled a goal back for the Wanderers after 52 minutes before Palestino suffered a further blow with a straight red card given to midfielder Joao Ortiz in the 69th minute.

Wanderers immediately went on the attack and forced an equaliser through Sebastian Mendez on 75 minutes but could not make their personnel advantage count to snatch the three points.

Colo Colo also dropped points from a winning position after going 1-0 up through Jaime Valdez' 10th minute strike before Antofagasta's Michael Silva equalised in second-half stoppage time.

In other matches, Everton remain winless after a 3-0 loss to Rangers, Nublense secured their first win of the season with a 2-0 win over Union La Calera and Union Espanola drew 1-1 with Deportes Iquique.

O'Higgins and Audax Italiano fought out a 1-1 draw, Cobresal withstood a late challenge to defeat Universidad Chile 2-1 and Cobreloa tied 1-1 with Huachipato.