Britton targets November return

Swansea City midfielder Leon Britton has targeted a November return as he gets set to step up his recovery from a knee injury.

The 32-year-old has had to take a watching brief this season after severe bruising on his knee led to fears the injury could develop into a stress fracture.

Britton has now undergone further scans that have shown signs of improvement and is set to start running again within the next fortnight.

The midfielder is now focused on returning to action next month.

"It is getting there slowly. The scan results were positive - the bruising on the bone is going but it's not completely gone yet," Britton told Swansea's official website.

"I have to do some treadmill work and hopefully I will be out on the pitch running in a week or two.

"It's the longest period I have been out since I left school. It sounds crazy but I can't remember anything since I had a stress fracture in my back when I was 14.

"That kept me out for six months, but since then I can't remember anything that was more than a month maybe.

"You can't rush things like this. I have been doing the oxygen chamber, seeing if there are any injections or if there is anything weird and whacky we can do. I'm trying everything to speed up the recovery, but unfortunately you just have to wait.

"We are hoping maybe mid-November. I have another scan coming up in a couple of weeks when I hope to get the green light to train properly."

Malmo 2 Olympiacos 0: Rosenberg´s brace creates history for hosts

Markus Rosenberg profited from poor defending to give Malmo a 2-0 win against Olympiacos and their first UEFA Champions League victory.

A one-minute period at the end of the first half turned the match in Malmo's favour as Konstantinos Mitroglou had a goal rightly ruled out for offside before the hosts took the lead from the resulting free-kick.

Olympiacos failed to clear the routine ball forward and Rosenberg took advantage to put Malmo 1-0 up after 42 minutes, having been second best up to that point.

Rosenberg's opener completely transformed the pattern of the match that Olympiacos entered off the back of a shock win over Atletico Madrid in their Group A opener.

Malmo looked far more comfortable after the break and Olympiacos left it too late to push men forward in search of an equaliser that then created the gaps for Rosenberg to seal the result late on.

As you would expect from Malmo's first home game back in Europe's elite club competition since 1990, they were welcomed by a raucous atmosphere.

That was soon punctured, however, as a series of well-anticipated interceptions were all that kept the visitors from taking the lead in a one-sided opening 15 minutes following good work from Ibrahim Afellay and Delvin Ndinga down the Olympiacos left.

However, that defence could do little as Luka Milivojevic powered at goal from a free-kick in the 21st minute, but luckily for Malmo, goalkeeper Robin Olsen was equal to the strike and Giannis Maniatis' volley from the resulting corner.

Despite that dominance it was Malmo who created the first clear opening three minutes later when Magnus Eriksson's diagonal, left-footed cross from the right was met by a Rosenberg diving header five yards from goal, only to be wonderfully saved by Roberto Jimenez.

Mitroglou had the ball in the net for the visitors after 42 minutes, but it was ruled out for offside.

And Malmo opened the scoring from the free-kick that followed.

Isaac Thelin flicked on Olsen's long punt that Alberto Botia looked to have dealt with before a breakdown in communication with his goalkeeper allowed Rosenberg to nip in and roll into an empty net.

Thelin had a fantastic opportunity to double the lead on the hour mark when the rebound from his own close-range header fell at his feet four yards from goal, but he miscued his half-volley, squandering a shot at an open net.

Olympiacos showed little sign of leveling until Alejandro Dominguez's low right-wing cross reached Mitroglou at the back post in the 68th minute. His shot was saved before the rebound sat up nicely for Maniatis, whose follow-up was cleared off the line.

Gaps began to appear but Olympiacos failed to fashion any chances of note and were undone by a long ball once more in the 82nd minute.

Thelin was involved again, flicking on for substitute Pawel Cibicki to occupy a defender, and the goalkeeper, before poking across goal for Rosenberg to finish and seal a historic win.

Malmo travel to Atletico Madrid in their next group match, while Olympiacos host leaders Juventus.

Basel 1 Liverpool 0: Streller strike gives Swiss side victory

Basel enjoyed another UEFA Champions League win over English opposition after defeating Liverpool 1-0 at St Jakob Park on Wednesday.

The Swiss side beat Chelsea at home and away at this stage last season and sent Manchester United crashing out of the competition following a 2-1 win in December 2011.

This time around Basel had 33-year-old forward Marco Streller to thank for another famous triumph as he bagged a poacher's goal early on in the second half.

Having taken a 5-1 hammering at Real Madrid in their opening fixture, victory puts Basel back on track ahead of two games with Ludogorets.

Liverpool began the Group B campaign by only just beating Ludogorets 2-1 with a Steven Gerrard penalty deep into stoppage time.

And this was another nervous display that puts Brendan Rodgers' men under pressure prior to facing holders Real at Anfield and in Spain.

Liverpool made two changes to their starting line-up from Saturday's Premier League derby draw against Everton, with Jose Enrique replacing Alberto Moreno and Philippe Coutinho coming back in for Adam Lallana.



Basel went into the match with problems at the back, with Marcelo Diaz suspended and fellow defenders Philipp Degen, Ivan Ivanov and Walter Samuel all sidelined through injury.



Paulo Sousa also preferred Breel Embolo to Derlis Gonzalez up front, even though the Paraguay international was on target in that Bernabeu defeat.



Raheem Sterling had the ball in the net in the opening stages, but the flag was correctly up for offside, while Basel had to make an early change when Behrang Safari limped off to be replaced by Gonzalez.



Liverpool survived a scare when Gerrard was dispossessed in front of his own box, while Gonzalez was twice guilty of a poor touch when getting the wrong side of Enrique.



Basel continued to show plenty of pace on the break, with Simon Mignolet saving well with his legs from a Serey Die shot, and Enrique caused problems when getting forward for Liverpool, but it remained goalless at the break.

The home fans were appealing for a penalty when Sterling appeared to bundle over Gonzalez in the area at the start of the second half and then Mignolet had to get down well to save from Ahmed Hamoudi on the break.

However, Mignolet could only palm out a deflected header from the resulting corner and veteran striker Streller pounced on the loose ball to score from close range after 52 minutes.

Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik only just dealt with a Mario Balotelli free-kick from fully 30 yards out and Sterling was later put clean through following a neat build-up, but could not control the pass.

Rickie Lambert replaced Lazar Markovic as Liverpool went in search of an equaliser, but Gerrard's late free-kick failed to really test Vaclik and Balotelli was offside when netting as the hosts held on.

Basel, who had to play their last European home match behind closed doors because of crowd trouble, could face more disciplinary action, though, after referee Jonas Eriksson reported an object thrown onto the pitch.

Anderlecht 0 Borussia Dortmund 3: Immobile, Ramos help Germans cruise

Borussia Dortmund put their domestic troubles to one side, winning 3-0 at Anderlecht to make it two UEFA Champions League wins from two.

Jurgen Klopp's side have seized just one point from their last three outings in the Bundesliga and went into Wednesday's fixture on the back of a painful defeat to arch-rivals Schalke.

However, Ciro Immoblie fired them into a third-minute lead following a handsome throughball from Shinji Kagawa.

A brace from substitute Adrian Ramos then put the victory beyond doubt, a predator's goal preceding a fine individual effort.

Immobile's strike represented his second in as many Champions League appearances for Dortmund, and the club's second-fastest goal in the competition after Andreas Moller's effort against Juventus in 1995.

Dortmund have a maximum haul of six points in Group D, with Arsenal second on three points ahead of Anderlecht and Galatasaray on one apiece.

Belgian champions Anderlecht, who are now winless in 10 Champions League games, welcomed back goalkeeper Silvio Proto from suspension and influential playmaker Dennis Praet following a calf strain, while Sebastian Kehl's return eased Dortmund's injury problems.

Klopp nevertheless elected to drop Mats Hummels, who is short of match fitness, and start Immobile instead of Ramos at his spearhead.

It took the Italy international little time to vindicate that decision. Kagawa's masterful clipped pass sent Immobile through on goal, and the latter stabbed the ball into the bottom corner with customary composure.

Anderlecht's Aleksandar Mitrovic then had a goal ruled out for offside, before Aubameyang immediately spurned a gilt-edged chance to double Dortmund's lead. Kagawa employed exquisite footwork to free Kevin Grosskreutz down the left and, with goalkeeper Proto drawn to him, the Germany international cut the ball across the box for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who somehow fired wide despite half of the net being unguarded.

Steven Defour's piledriver forced Roman Weidenfeller into a smart save as Anderlecht began to get into the game.

Grosskreutz bravely poked the ball into the net after 26 minutes, under the challenge of Proto, but his supplier Aubameyang had drifted offside and the goal was disallowed.

Proto kept out a Marcel Schmelzer effort thereafter, and Anderlecht will have been relieved to reach half-time with only a one-goal deficit.

The second half continued as the first had ended, with Dortmund taking the game to their hosts and Proto being called upon to save a fierce Immobile drive and an Aubameyang attempt.

From a rare Anderlecht attack, Chancel Mbemba did produce a fine shot that flew inches over the bar, but that merely offered brief respite from relentless Dortmund pressure.

Ramos came off the bench in the 65th minute and soon put the result beyond doubt.

Lukasz Piszczek curled a magnificent, low cross around the back of the Anderlecht defence in the 69th minute and the Colombian got ahead of his man to poke it home.

Ramos completed the win by spinning his marker and producing another fine finish with 11 minutes to go.

Ludogorets 1 Real Madrid 2: Benzema spares blushes for visitors

Karim Benzema spared Real Madrid's blushes as his strike secured an unconvincing 2-1 UEFA Champions League win at Ludogorets.

The France striker hit home 13 minutes from time to deny the plucky hosts their first point in the competition following a superb display of determination from the Bulgarian side.

Georgi Dermendzhiev's men had come within a last-minute penalty of taking a point from Liverpool in their opening fixture and once again belied their tag as Group B's underdogs on Wednesday.

The hosts took the lead early in a clash moved from Razgrad to the Stadion Vasil Levski in Sofia through forward Marcelinho.

Real talisman Cristiano Ronaldo then missed a penalty, but atoned for that failure by converting a second spot-kick soon after.

Ludogorets refused to lie down following that leveller and looked set to take a point from an end-to-end contest, only for Benzema to dash those hopes and seal a fifth-straight win in all competitions for Real.

Dermendzhiev's side were rewarded for a fast start to proceedings in the sixth minute as Marcelinho took advantage of Real's continued failings at set-pieces.

The Brazilian nodded in at the far post after Cosmin Moti had flicked Fabio Espinho's corner into his path in another display of poor marking from the visitors.

Gareth Bale then went close to providing a response, which looked set to arrive in the 10th minute after Yordan Minev conceded a penalty for a foul on Javier Hernandez.

But Ronaldo's spot-kick was a poor one, allowing Vladislav Stoyanov to preserve Ludogorets' advantage with a save down to his right.

The Portugal forward did put the ball in the net three minutes later with a cool finish into the bottom corner, however, his effort was ruled out for offside.

Yet Ronaldo was not to be denied and he restored parity from the spot in the 24th minute by drawing a foul from Moti in the area and powering beyond the unfortunate Stoyanov, who correctly chose to go the same way he did for the earlier penalty.

Ludogorets remained a threat going forward, though, and Real were grateful to captain Iker Casillas for keeping them level with a strong save on the half hour from Mihail Alexandrov.

Real's superiority was apparent by the end of the half but Ancelotti's men continued to be profligate in front of goal, Hernandez dragging an effort wide three minutes before half-time, with Stoyanov then brilliantly denying Bale seven minutes after the restart.

For all Real's pressure, Casillas was just as busy at the other end, the Real captain producing flying saves from Espinho and Marcelinho.

However, Ludogorets' admirable resistance was finally ended as substitute Benzema - brought on for Hernandez - rescued Real by volleying home Marcelo's left-wing cross.

A frustrating outing, despite Benzema's winner, got worse for the holders as Ronaldo picked up a late ankle injury.

Ligue 1 Preview: Stuttering title favourites face off in Paris

Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco meet on Sunday as the two pre-season Ligue 1 title favourites aim to gain momentum after stuttering starts.

Defending champions PSG are yet to lose this season but sit five points adrift of early leaders and arch rivals Marseille after being held to a 1-1 scoreline by Toulouse last Saturday, a result that marked their fifth draw of the league campaign.

However, the hosts should head into the game at the Parc des Princes with considerable momentum following a superb 3-2 win over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

That triumph, achieved without the services of injured talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, served as a perfect illustration of the challenge facing Monaco, who drew 0-0 with Zenit in their latest Champions League outing and have already lost four games in the French top flight this term.

PSG could start this weekend's fixture eight points behind Marcelo Bielsa's Marseille, whose superb six-game winning streak will be expected to continue on Saturday when they travel to face a Caen side who have suffered a dip in form following their strong start to life in the top flight.

Second-placed Bordeaux will also be strong favourites against second-bottom Reims, but Rene Girard's Lille - currently third - face the much more daunting task of a trip to Lyon.

Metz have been the surprise package of the season so far, continuing a revival that has seen them earn back-to-back promotions with a surge to fifth in the table.

Albert Cartier's men sit level on points with PSG and will be out to maintain their eye-catching form versus an Evian side seeking a third straight win, while fellow new-boys Lens take on a Rennes side once again struggling under Philippe Montanier.

Guingamp battle Brittany rivals Nantes as they bid to move off the foot of the table and Bastia host Lorient in a meeting of two sides desperate to end dismal winless streaks.

Elsewhere, Nice welcome Montpellier to the Allianz Riviera and Saint-Etienne face Toulouse.

Zenit 0 Monaco 0: Hosts held to dour draw

Zenit stretched their unbeaten run to 15 matches as they were held to a dismal 0-0 draw by Monaco in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Both sides headed into the Group C encounter at the Stadion Petrovsky having earned wins in the opening matchday, Zenit impressively overturning Benfica in Lisbon while Monaco beat Bayer Leverkusen.

However, neither team was able to find the inspiration that helped to their respective opening victories in a dour affair in St Petersburg.

Leonardo Jardim's Monaco had the better of the play for the majority of the contest but were unable to find a way through Zenit goalkeeper Yuri Lodygin, who produced a string of saves to preserve the impressive streak for Andre Villas-Boas' side.

The result leaves both clubs on four points heading in to the third round of fixtures in three weeks' time.

Monaco almost went ahead as early as the third minute when Dimitar Berbatov was denied from close range by Lodygin after meeting a pull-back from Lucas Ocampos.

Nabil Dirar then narrowly fired over the crossbar with a spectacular scissor-kick volley from long range before Ocampos headed a Joao Moutinho free-kick wide at the near post as the visitors dominated the early stages.

Zenit did manage to weather the early storm but their lack of a goal threat was evident throughout a first half which was low on excitement for the most part.

Ocampos looked the player most likely to break the deadlock and only a flying save from Lodygin prevented him from doing so in the 43rd minute.

Zenit enjoyed a better share of possession in the second half but the final ball continued to desert them as the hosts' attack was frustrated by a stern Monaco defence.

Villas Boas' men did finally force Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic into a save with 25 minutes to play, but Nicolas Lombaerts could only direct his header from Hulk's corner directly at the Croatian shot-stopper.

Having replaced Berbatov, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco went close to punishing Zenit for their lack of attacking threat, the winger shooting narrowly wide on the rebound after seeing his initial effort well saved by Lodygin.

Monaco pressed for the late winner their strong away performance perhaps deserved, yet Ferreira Carrasco's chance proved to be the last meaningful opportunity of the contest as the spoils were shared.

The principality club will next host Benfica while Zenit visit the BayArena to take on Leverkusen.