Bayern to play MLS All-Star

European champions Bayern Munich will play in the 2014 Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star Game as part of their pre-season North American tour, the US league said on Thursday.

The exhibition match will be on August 6 in Portland, Oregon, at the home of the Portland Timbers, MLS said in a statement.

Bayern won their fifth European title, and first in 12 years, in May by beating fellow German side Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Champions League final at London's Wembley Stadium.

They also won a domestic league and cup double to become the first German club to claim the treble.

They currently have a four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga and have reached the Champions League last 16.

In the 2013 MLS All-Star Game, Italy's Serie A club AS Roma cruised to a 3-1 victory in Kansas City.

Hertha fight back to down Bremen

Hertha Berlin came from behind to defeat Werder Bremen 3-2 and move provisionally sixth in the Bundesliga on Friday.

Hertha striker Adrian Ramos scored twice in nine minutes to cancel out Nils Petersen's 15th-minute opening strike, set up by Aaron Hunt on his 200th Bundesliga appearance.

Bremen defender Theodor Gebre Selassie bundled Per Skjelbred over in the 17th and Ramos duly equalised from the penalty spot, before Skjelbred played the Hertha striker through to score again from a narrow angle.

Hunt equalised four minutes after that, with Peterson returning the favour from earlier to set the Bremen captain up.

Crowd favourite Ronny made it 3-2 three minutes into the second half, tucking away what proved to be the winner from a rebound after Raphael Wolf saved Peter Pekarik's initial header.

Pressure still on Schalke coach

Jens Keller may have steered Schalke 04 into the Champions League last 16, but defeat is still not an option for the Royal Blues' coach against strugglers Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Schalke's 2-0 win at home to FC Basle on Wednesday confirmed their place in the knockout stages of Europe's leading club competition, but Keller is still living in fear of the sack having been told his future will be decided during the Bundesliga's winter break.

Keller is due to celebrate a year in office on Monday, but defeat at home to third-from-bottom Freiburg could be his last game in charge with his team currently seventh in the table.

"I can't say anything different after each game, whether we win or lose," said Schalke's general manager Horst Heldt on the subject of Keller's future.

"It remains the case that we will get together after the Nuremberg game (on December 21) and take stock."

Heldt has promised a "merciless" appraisal of Keller's performance, but it is clear the 43-year-old can ill afford further defeats, especially as Schalke's last two opponents of 2013 are currently in the bottom three.

Having had to beat Basle to stay in the Champions League, Keller's relief at reaching the last 16 was palpable and he needs another win at the Veltins Arena on Sunday to improve his chances of staying in charge.

"No one can understand the sort of pressure the team and I were under," he said.

"There was tremendous joy at the final whistle, no one had given us any credit.

"It's enormously important to reach the last 16, especially for the finances.

"Now we have to put up 11 players against Freiburg."

Keller was referring to a mounting injury list as both captain Benedikt Hoewedes and attacking midfielder Julian Draxler will not play again this year after picking up hamstring injuries against Basle.

Long-term knee-injury victims Dennis Aogo, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Marco Hoeger are all out until at least early next year.

Schalke's erratic form has seen them leak 28 goals in 15 Bundesliga games this season and centre-back Felipe Santana says the Royal Blues are wary of suffering a surprise defeat.

"Freiburg have many qualities, they are a dangerous opponent," said the Brazilian.

"We need to be highly concentrated for the full 90 minutes to avoid suffering a terrible surprise.

Bayern secure top spot for winter break

Leaders Bayern Munich made sure they will go into the winter break top of the with a 3-1 win over Hamburg SV to go seven points clear in the Bundesliga and stretch their unbeaten run in the league to a staggering 41 games.

Second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, in action on Sunday, can cut it back to four points with one game left in the Bundesliga before a break until January.

With Franck Ribery and David Alaba on the bench and Arjen Robben injured, Bayern were initially made to work hard against battling Hamburg, eager to redeem themselves for last season's 9-2 demolition by Bayern.

Mario Mandzukic struck at the right time when he nodded in after 42 minutes. Mario Goetze's superb control and volley seven minutes after the restart gave them a two-goal cushion before Xherdan Shaqiri killed off the game in stoppage time.

Hamburg had briefly cut the deficit in the 87th minute through Pierre-Michel Lasogga.

Borussia Dortmund battled back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Hoffenheim but dropped further points after having won one of their last five games to stay in third place.

German, English clubs dominate UCL

The group stage of the Champions League, which was completed on Wednesday amidst tension and controversy, has confirmed the domination of German and English clubs in Europe - and the decline of the once powerful Italians.

For the first time, all four of the German and English teams competing -Schalke 04, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and title holders Bayern Munich, as well as Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City - have made it into the tournament's round of 16.

There will be just three Spanish teams in the knockout stage - Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid - plus one Russian side, Zenit St Petersburg, and only AC Milan from Italy. The other teams to have advanced are Paris St Germain of France, Olimpiacos of Greece and Galatasaray of Turkey.

Bayern Munich idol Franck Ribery celebrated the four German teams going through by saying: "The Bundesliga is dominating in Europe at the moment."

"The level of the Bundesliga has developed enormously in the past few years. It's among the best leagues in the world, if not the best league worldwide," he added.

And former Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus said: "I see the Bundesliga as the strongest league in Europe. I actually expected all four teams to reach the Champions League round of 16."

Leverkusen booked their place on Tuesday with a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad, the only Spanish team to disappoint. Leverkusen were helped by Group A winners Manchester United beating Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0.

The Daily Mail has also hailed "England's clean sweep," labelling it "an important achievement," though also bemoaning the fact that Asenal were almost eliminated after a 2-0 defeat at Napoli.

Group B was dominated by Real Madrid, who - along with city rivals Atletico - chalked up the highest points tally, 16. The whites also topped the goals chart with 20, nine of them put away by the rampant Cristiano Ronaldo. Group B also saw the failure of Italian champions Juventus, who crashed out at Galatasaray in a snow-delayed match.

Paris St Germain cruised through Group C without any problems, with Swedish veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the charge.

Defending champions Bayern Munich seemed set fair to carry all before them in Group D - only to be stopped in their tracks by Manchester City.

Bayern thought about taking all six games after building a 2-0 lead after just 12 minutes against City on Tuesday. However, David Silva and company turned the game around to 3-2, and in the end were just one goal away from snatching top spot.

Bayern will have to tighten up in defence if they wish to become the first team since AC Milan in 1990 to win back-to-back titles.

Chelsea, for their part recovered from a poor start to win Group E and Napoli were unlucky to be edged out in Group F after a bizarre triple tie with Dortmund and Arsenal.

Ironically, Napoli were eliminated with 12 points while Zenit went through in Group G with just six, having won only one game.

That group was dominated by impressive Atletico Madrid, with Diego Costa in astonishing form. Barcelona had few problems in winning Group H, in which Milan salvaged some pride for Italy by scraping in second above luckless Ajax.

German delight as all four teams progress

Bundesliga teams have once again kept the German flag flying in Europe with all four sides progressing to the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time.

After May's first all-German Champions League final in Wembley, holders Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have joined Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke in the knock-out phase of this season's competition.

"All four German clubs in the last 16, that has never happened before. Our league can celebrate a historic triumph!" wrote German daily Bild.

On three occasions three German teams, Dortmund, Schalke and Bayern, have reached the last 16 in 1997-98, 2004-05 and 2012-13, but this is the first time since the Champions League started in 1992 that four German teams have reached the knock-out phase.

The Germans have the joint biggest contingent in the knock-out stages alongside English quartet Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, while three Spanish teams, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are also through.

On Wednesday, Dortmund needed a dramatic late goal from Kevin Grosskreutz to seal a 2-1 win at Marseille to finish as winners of Group F and had been just three minutes from going out of the competition after Napoli's 2-0 win at home to Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola's Bayern also went through as group winners, despite losing 3-2 at home to Manchester City on Tuesday, winning five of their six matches.

Schalke finished second in Group E after a 2-0 win at home to Swiss champions FC Basle, while Bayer Leverkusen were second in Group A behind Manchester United.

"It is very positive, especially in the way the sides went through," said Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp.

"It shows the quality that Germany can offer."

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League will be held at 1100 (GMT) in Nyon, Switzerland, on Monday.

In total, the German quartet have picked up €93.55 million in prize money.

Defending champions Bayern lead the way with €28.76 million for appearance and prize money followed by Dortmund with €24.85m, Leverkusen on €21.43m and Schalke €18.51m.

For winning last season's Champions League title, Bayern picked up €55.05m.

Commons calls on Celtic to splash out

Celtic midfielder Kris Commons believes the Scottish champions' failure to sign a top-class striker to replace Gary Hooper was the key to their Champions League exit.

The Scottish champions' miserable European campaign ended on a dispiriting note as Barcelona cruised to a 6-1 win at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.

That left Celtic bottom of Group H with three points and just three goals in their six matches.

Commons is convinced the main reason for Celtic's flop this term was the loss of last year's top scorer Hooper, who moved to Norwich in pre-season.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon tried to replace Hooper with cut-price deals for Teemu Pukki and Amido Balde, but it is Commons who is the most prolific this season with 12 goals.

Commons says the Parkhead club needed to splash out up to £10 million to replace Hooper and he told BBC Sport: "In a Celtic team you are looking for a striker to get you 20-30 goals. At the minute, we haven't quite got that.

"I know people are working hard on and off the field to try and get us the goals but replacing someone like Gary Hooper is going to cost you between £6 million and £10 million and at the minute we are not willing to spend that.

"Looking back at the first AC Milan game, we played really well over there and came away with nothing.

"That's kind of been the story of this campaign. We've not had a great deal of lady luck, we've not really performed to the levels we know we are capable of.

"We've been playing well in the league but not shown it in the Champions League. This is cut throat level football.

"We need to rebuild for next year because the target is to qualify for this competition again.

"We've got a lot of good characters and the manager wants to strengthen again with players that can take us to the next level because we have lost some big players.

Celtic fined for 'illicit' banners

Scottish champions Celtic have been fined €50 000 after "illicit" banners were displayed by fans during a Champions League match against AC Milan in Glasgow last month, the club said on Friday.

A group of fans held up banners depicting IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, who died in prison in 1981, and Scottish independence fighter William Wallace, prompting Europe's governing body Uefa to implement disciplinary proceedings for the non-sporting nature of the banners.

"Clearly it is extremely disappointing that the club must pay another sizeable penalty following the actions of a small minority, particularly given the previous assurances which were made to the club and the widespread understanding of the likely outcome of such actions," Celtic said in a statement on its website (www.celticfc.net) on Friday.

"Regrettably, due to previous charges being brought against the club, again following the actions of a small minority, the fines imposed by Uefa are increasing in scale.

"It goes without saying that such actions must stop now, before the club receives a competitive sanction or one which would affect our supporters attending European matches."

Uefa's code bans "the use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not fit for a sports event, particularly messages that are of a political, ideological, religious, offensive or provocative nature".

Celtic were fined in 2011 over a banner display during a Europa League tie against Udinese, and were also sanctioned after supporters set off fireworks during a Champions League qualifier against Cliftonville earlier this season.

Azeez happy to pound Germany

Experienced striker, Abu Azeez has expressed excitement that his three goals helped the Nigeria's Supersand Eagles notch up their first win at the 2013 Copa Lagos Beach soccer tournament with an impressive 7-1 triumph over Germany.

The Kwara United strongman was the hero on Friday as he grabbed the first hattrick at this year's championship while team captain, Isiaka Olawale, Ikechukwu Ibenegbu, Ogbonaya Okemmiri and Emeka Ogbonna all got a goal each to vanquished the Europeans.

Abu Azeez however revealed to supersport.com that the Germans were easy opponents as the result suggested, but claimed that they were decimated because the Sand Eagles wants to retain their diadem.

“Our first game yesterday (Friday) was the best I have seen as we captured the Germans from the beginning of the game to the end.

“They gave us a good fight, but they could not match our strength and force in the second and third period,” he told supersport.com

The prolific striker has now set up his sight on the second duel of his team against Asian foes, Lebanon on Saturday.

The Lebanese luckily defeated African Beach champions, Senegal 5-4 in the opening encounter on Friday.

“Absolutely we are going for a win against Lebanon which will help us win the title again and we will leave no stone unturned," Azeez stressed

The Supersand Eagles are tied with Lebanon on three points apiece but the Nigerians lead on superior goals difference.

P>Saturday's fixtures

Senegal v Germany - 3pm

Nigeria v Lebanon - 4:15pm

Time for Moses to step up

On June 30, Nigerian starlet, Victor Moses completed a loan move to 18-time English league champions, Liverpool from Chelsea.

It was a move very few saw coming as Moses had been an impressive performer for the Blues in their pre-season campaign.

However, Moses was spotting a Red jersey on transfer deadline day and he hit the ground running for the Anfield club as he netted on his debut against Swansea on September 16.

A handful of impressive performances followed but the Nigerian winger has flattered to deceive since then failing to add to his solitary league strike against the Swans at the Liberty Stadium.

He was subsequently dropped from the first-team with the Reds boss, Brendan Rodgers preferring to put his trust on more consistent performers.

Rodgers may have to backtrack on his stance though with recent injuries to star man, Daniel Sturridge and inspirational captain, Steven Gerrard.

Rodgers knows the importance of Gerrard to his team but will now be forced to shuffle his pack.

“Steven is, as reported, probably going to be out up to about four weeks or so," Rodgers told Liverpool's official website.

"So he'll go through an extensive treatment programme over the next numbers of weeks and hopefully we can get him back that little bit sooner.

"But certainly at this stage, it was a four to six-week injury and we'll see how we look with that," he said.

Gerrard is now ruled out for a minimum of four weeks and will sit out clashes against Tottenham, Cardiff, Manchester City, Chelsea, Hull and Stoke, as well as the FA Cup third-round clash against either Oldham or Mansfield.

Moses is now expected to get his chance but he must step up his game and grab his chance and ease the pressure on Uruguayan firebrand, Luis Suarez.

The 23-year-old, who has made six starts and four substitute appearances for Liverpool this season, will be keen to step up to the plate and add to his paltry goals return and improve on his all-round displays beginning with Sunday’s trip to White Hart Lane.

Mackay hails Odemwingie.

Saturday, December 14, is a big day for Nigerian striker, Peter Odemwingie.

The out-of-favour Super Eagles striker will face his former club, West Bromwich Albion for the first time since he departed the club in the summer as the Barclays English Premier League enters match day 16.

The signs are ominous that Odemwingie will be selected to start against the Baggies as the Cardiff City boss, Malky Mackay is a man full of respect for his Nigerian charge.

Mackay has described Odemwingie as "a joy to work with" ahead of Saturday's game.

Odemwingie spent three seasons with the Baggies but his time there is best remembered for a controversial incident in which the striker drove to QPR on the January deadline day in a bid to secure a move, only for the deal to fall through.

While the incident has portrayed the Nigeria international as a troublemaker in some quarters, Mackay has only positive things to say about Odemwingie.

"There was a lot of press around Peter concerning that January, in terms of his on-off transfer to QPR," said the Cardiff boss during his pre-match conference on Friday.

Mackay admitted that Odemwingie suffered a lot as a result of the fiasco but believes the former Lokomotiv Moscow striker was grossly misunderstood.

"He obviously took a lot of stick over that, but I can only speak about the lad that I know.

"I phoned up certain people who played with him and coached him and managed him and they were glowing.

"If they hadn't been, that would have given me cause for concern.

"The boy I have met and I have here is articulate, he speaks four or five different languages, he is intelligent, he has smiled since the day he arrived here and he is very polite too.

"He is a talented footballer and definitely wants to do well for us. He has been a joy to work with and he wants to do the best he can for the club, so it has been a really good one for us.

"We did our homework on him and had he not been the right kind of person, I wouldn't have brought him in," said Mackay.

Odemwingie made his Nigeria debut in 2002 and has been capped 55 times for the Super Eagles.

Falconets urged to thump Tunisia

Nasarawa Amazons coach, Obi Ogbala has charged the Falconets to go for comprehensive victory against their Tunisian opponents in Saturday's second round first leg fixture of the 2014 Fifa Under-20 Women's World Cup qualifying match at the Abuja National Stadium.

The Nigerian campaigners were ruthless against West African foes, Sierra Leone hitting the side 16-0 on aggregate in the first round while Tunisia humbled North African neighbours, Morocco 8-1 on aggregate to pave the way for the weekend clash.

The reverse fixture is expected to hold in Tunis in a fortnight while the winners will have be a game away towards qualifying for the biennial global football fiesta holding in Canada.

Ogbala said though the North African challengers do not command intimidating profile in the game in Africa he however insisted that the Falconets should not underrate the side or allow any opportunity to win massively slip off their hands.

"The Falconets should approach the encounter as if there won't be a second leg in Tunisia by winning the tie convincingly so as to make the reverse fixture more or less a mere formality.

"They should erase the memory of the whitewash of the Sierra Leoneans from their minds and focus at achieving another massive win, score as many goals as possible.

"The Tunisians have demonstrated their capacity to score goals against Morocco so the Falconets shouldn't postpone any opportunity to roundly kill off the side right there in Abuja.

"I'm certain the side have quality not only to unsettle the Tunisians in both legs but to go ahead to pick the World Cup ticket for Nigeria.

"But the attack must be up and doing to convert every chance at goal, they should be clinical at goal," said Ogbala who guided his wards to second finish at the 2013 Women's Federation Cup competition to supersport.com.

The Falconets ended as semifinalists at the 2012 Fifa Under-20 Women's World Cup in Japan

'Barca ready to ambush Villarreal'

Leaders Barcelona need to reproduce the free-flowing tactics that allowed them to crush Celtic in the Champions League when they face a tricky La Liga outing against Villarreal this weekend, coach Gerardo Martino said.

The Catalan side shrugged off a recent dip in form, during which they were beaten by Ajax and Athletic Bilbao, with an inspired display to beat Celtic 6-1 on Wednesday.

After securing top spot in their Champions League group, they will be keen to preserve their No 1 status in La Liga, where they lead Atletico Madrid on goal difference.

"We need to keep playing like we did against Celtic and I think if we do that then we have a good chance of getting to the final of all the competitions this season," Martino told a news conference ahead of the match against fifth-placed Villarreal.

Villarreal returned to the top flight this season and have impressed with the quality of their football led by former-Barca player Giovani dos Santos in attack.

"They play the same way home and away. They have very strong players in all areas of the pitch," said Martino. "All games are tests and mistakes are expensive especially against a side like Villarreal who are strong."

Barca's form has been hit by the absence of Lionel Messi, Victor Valdes and Dani Alves but the list of those out injured has eased.

"We have to go bit by bit with players coming back and the last was Cristian Tello and now Cesc Fabregas is also available (after suspension)," said Martino, who is in his first season at the Nou Camp.

"It is important that the players return and get used to playing in their positions. I can learn more about them by watching them not just on the pitch but also in training and how they work.

"I didn't play (Andres) Iniesta against Celtic because he wasn't quite 100 percent but he could have come on if necessary. Now he is in a better condition to face Villarreal. Alves is almost ready and just needs a couple more training sessions.

Barca sponsor logo to go inside jerseys

Barcelona have signed a sponsorship deal with American semiconductor chip maker Intel, whose lmay never be seen despite being on the Spanish league champion's jerseys.

Barcelona said the four-year deal - worth a reported €25 million - will see 'Intel Inside' placed on the inside front of the team's jersey, which means it may be seen only when a player lifts his shirt over his head in celebration.

The Catalan club calls the unorthodox deal "a pioneering initiative in the world of sports advertising."

The club said the deal will see Intel provide Barcelona players and coaches with company devices and look to improve research, training, and performance using the multinational company's technology.

Ancelotti plays down Falcao link

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has played down reports linking the club with Monaco's Radamel Falcao, saying he did not think the striker was right for his side.

The 27-year-old is sidelined with a thigh injury, but speculation has mounted in recent weeks that he may be on his way out of the Ligue 1 club, despite joining from Atletico Madrid in the close season for a €60 million transfer fee.

"He is a great player but at the moment we are very happy with the strikers that we have as they are scoring a lot of goals," Ancelotti said about reports linking Real with a January move for the Colombia international, who has scored nine goals in 14 league outings but has not played since November 24.

"I don't think at the moment Falcao would be the right player for us."

Real, who play Osasuna on Saturday, have recovered from a slow start to the season to move within three points of La Liga leaders Barcelona, who lead Atletico on goal difference.

They have won their past five league matches, scoring 24 goals in the process, and rounded off a comfortable Champions League group stage campaign with a 2-0 victory at FC Copenhagen midweek, a match which saw Cristiano Ronaldo return from injury.

Ancelotti remains without Sami Khedira, Raphael Varane and Fabio Coentrao, but the Italian said he did not plan on rotating his team against Osasuna, who sit in 16th position, one point out of the relegation zone.

"I won't be changing the side much as the players have recovered well from the Copenhagen game. It is now going to be a difficult match where we will have to give our best if we want to win," he told a news conference.

"We have 90 minutes to score, we must not obsess about scoring early on. Osasuna played very well against Barcelona and are an organised team so we need to be concentrated.

Barral double gives Levante win

David Barral came off the bench to score two headers and give Levante a 2-1 win at home over Elche on Friday, ending their four-game losing streak in the Spanish league.

Levante, who had lost five straight including a Copa del Rey game, fell behind at their Ciutat de Valencia stadium when Ionut Sapanura opened the scoring for Elche in the 26th minute.

But Barral replaced injured striker Baba Diawara in the 34th and four minutes later leveled by expertly nodding in Nabil El Zhar's cross.

Levante pressed Elche into their area in the second half and Pedro Rios picked out Barral for another headed goal in the 80th-minute.

It was Levante's first victory since October 26. Both sides remained in the middle of the standings.

Mourinho calm over Terry, Lampard, Cole

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says he is not worried that club stalwarts John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole are all approaching the end of their contracts.

All key figures during Mourinho's first spell at the club between 2004 and 2007, the English trio will be out of contract when the season ends.

Although they are yet to agree new deals, Mourinho says that the issue will be addressed in due course.

"It's a situation that doesn't worry me, doesn't worry the club and, I think, doesn't worry the players," Mourinho said, ahead of his side's Premier League home game with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

"Their desire to play for this club, nobody has doubts about it. We want them to feel free to express and to enjoy these last years of their careers.

"Everything is very calm (and) at the end of the season, probably before that, the club will sit with them, the offer will be on the table."

Club captain Terry, 33, and 35-year-old midfielder Lampard have both featured regularly since Mourinho returned to Chelsea from Real Madrid in June, but left-back Cole, 32, has been supplanted by Cesar Azpilicueta in recent weeks.

Lampard became Chelsea's record goalscorer last season, but Mourinho says that he came close to leaving the club for American side the Los Angeles Galaxy before penning a one-year contract extension.

"Probably last season was more complicated," Mourinho said.

"John was not playing, Lampard was almost signing a contract with LA Galaxy and he was not also feeling important in the team.

"In this moment the situation is very, very clear. They trust the club, we trust the players. And, for sure, without conflict, the best decision for us and for them will be taken.

West Ham co-owner reveals Carroll regrets

West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan said on Saturday that the club would not have signed striker Andy Carroll if they had known the full extent of his injury problems.

The England striker, 24, joined West Ham from Liverpool for a club-record fee of £15 million ($24.4 million, 17.8 million euros) in June, after a successful loan spell at Upton Park last season.

However, he has not played for the club this season after sustaining a double fracture in his right foot and then injuring his heel.

The former Newcastle United striker is not expected to return to fitness for another three weeks and Sam Allardyce's side have struggled for goals in his absence, scoring only 13 in 15 league games.

"Had we known he would be out for this long, we would not have signed him," Sullivan told BBC television programme Football Focus.

"We are not a rich enough club to deal with that. You know any player can get injured, but we can't buy a player knowing he is going to be out for half the season.

"When we signed him we were assured by the medical staff that the very, very latest he would be back was September 1. That would have meant he would only miss two league games."

However, Sullivan added: "If you ask me the same question at the end of the season, I hope I will be able to give you a different answer and say, 'Yes, it was the right decision to sign Andy Carroll.'

"He is a fantastic player and on his day he is unplayable. We love him and that is why we signed him. He is desperate to come back; he is sweating blood in training.

City slickers hit Arsenal for six

Manchester City exposed the first cracks in Arsenal's title challenge, beating the Premier League leaders 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium as their attacking talents cut loose in another free-scoring home display on Saturday.

City's stylish showmen sealed their eighth consecutive home league success by out-punching Arsenal, whose previously watertight defence was prised open at will by the hosts' marauding all-out attack.

It was the third time this season that City scored six or more, after they dished out similarly crushing blows to Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City, and cut Arsenal's lead at the top of the table to three points.

The win also put down a light blue marker in a now-congested title race that could have turned decisively in Arsenal's favour had they managed to conjure a win.

"At times the tempo was frightening," City captain Vincent Kompany told BT Sport.

"We looked to be in control of the game for most of it. There were no standout individual performances but collectively we've done incredibly well.

"I don't know so much about messages. The biggest message is if we beat Fulham next.

"It is a real fortress here."

City, whose early opener from Sergio Aguero was cancelled out by Theo Walcott, opened up a two-goal lead with Alvaro Negredo and Fernandinho efforts either side of halftime.

Arsenal briefly rallied with a superb second from Walcott, but David Silva restored the two-goal lead from close range and Fernandinho poked home his second to maintain City's 100 percent home league record.

Even Per Mertesacker's late consolation for Arsenal was trumped by City as Yaya Toure stroked in a stoppage time penalty.

Chelsea, who dropped to fourth, host Crystal Palace later on Saturday when victory would leave them two points behind Arsenal. Third-placed Liverpool, also five points behind Arsenal, visit sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.Manchester City exposed the first cracks in Arsenal's title challenge, beating the Premier League leaders 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium as their attacking talents cut loose in another free-scoring home display on Saturday.

City's stylish showmen sealed their eighth consecutive home league success by out-punching Arsenal, whose previously watertight defence was prised open at will by the hosts' marauding all-out attack.

It was the third time this season that City scored six or more, after they dished out similarly crushing blows to Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City, and cut Arsenal's lead at the top of the table to three points.

The win also put down a light blue marker in a now-congested title race that could have turned decisively in Arsenal's favour had they managed to conjure a win.

"At times the tempo was frightening," City captain Vincent Kompany told BT Sport.

"We looked to be in control of the game for most of it. There were no standout individual performances but collectively we've done incredibly well.

"I don't know so much about messages. The biggest message is if we beat Fulham next.

"It is a real fortress here."

City, whose early opener from Sergio Aguero was cancelled out by Theo Walcott, opened up a two-goal lead with Alvaro Negredo and Fernandinho efforts either side of halftime.

Arsenal briefly rallied with a superb second from Walcott, but David Silva restored the two-goal lead from close range and Fernandinho poked home his second to maintain City's 100 percent home league record.

Even Per Mertesacker's late consolation for Arsenal was trumped by City as Yaya Toure stroked in a stoppage time penalty.

Chelsea, who dropped to fourth, host Crystal Palace later on Saturday when victory would leave them two points behind Arsenal. Third-placed Liverpool, also five points behind Arsenal, visit sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

City hit Arsenal for six, Chelsea win

Manchester City exposed the first cracks in Arsenal's title challenge, beating the Premier League leaders 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium as their attacking talents cut loose in another free-scoring home display on Saturday.

City's stylish showmen sealed their eighth consecutive home league success by out-punching Arsenal, whose lead at the top of the table was cut to two points after Chelsea snuck a 2-1 win at home to Crystal Palace.

Everton also kept their noses in the title-race trough with a 4-1 win at home to Fulham moving them fourth, while at the bottom of the table West Ham United and Sunderland played out a 0-0 draw that was little use to either side.

Cardiff City beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0, while Newcastle United and Southampton drew 1-1.

Arsenal's previously watertight defence was prised open at will by the hosts' marauding all-out attack.

It was the third time this season that City scored six or more, after they dished out similarly crushing blows to Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City and moved them to third within three points of the leaders.

The win also put down a light blue marker in a now-congested title race that could have turned decisively in Arsenal's favour had they managed to conjure a win.

"At times the tempo was frightening," City captain Vincent Kompany told BT Sport.

"We looked to be in control of the game for most of it. There were no standout individual performances but collectively we've done incredibly well.

"It is a real fortress here."

City, whose early opener from Sergio Aguero was cancelled out by Theo Walcott, opened up a two-goal lead with Alvaro Negredo and Fernandinho efforts either side of halftime.

Arsenal briefly rallied with a superb second from Walcott, but David Silva restored the two-goal lead from close range and Fernandinho poked home his second to maintain City's 100 percent home league record.

Even Per Mertesacker's late consolation for Arsenal was trumped by City as Yaya Toure stroked in a stoppage time penalty.

Fifth-placed Liverpool can move back into second if they beat sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Akpala knocking on Keshi’s door

Striker Joseph Akpala raised many an eyebrow when he was selected into the Nigeria team that represented Africa at the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup in Brazil.

This was because the 27-year-old had played just one league game for German club, Werder Bremen in the 2012/13 Bundesliga season.

He was ignored by head coach, Stephen Keshi in Nigeria’s opening game of the tournament against Tahiti but came on for the final 17 minutes of the second preliminary game against Uruguay on June 20.

Four days later, he had a chance to impress against world champions, Spain at the Estádio Governador Plácido Aderaldo Castelo, Fortaleza.

He failed to shine in Nigeria’s 0-3 defeat despite being given the nod by Keshi to start the game and was eventually substituted after 71 minutes with unheralded Kano Pillars striker, Gambo Mohammed taking his place.

The forward seems to have picked up the pieces and has been doing impressive things at Turkish Süper Lig club, Karabukspor where he has scored three league goals this season.

He netted the winner on Sunday against Kayserispor in atrocious conditions as he controlled brilliantly with his chest to leave a defender for dead before dispatching expertly past Gokhan Degirmenci.

He had scored earlier this season in the league against Akhisar Belediye and Galatasaray to add to his double in the Turkish Cup against Manavgat Evrensekispor on October 30.

Keshi exclusively told supersport.com in November that he will be looking at Nigerian players all over the world as he looks to select the strongest possible side for the 2014 Fifa World Cup finals.

“Nobody is certain to go to the World Cup yet. Even my captain, Vincent will be dropped if he’s not giving me what I want. I will be looking at all players wherever they may be playing. If they are better than the ones I have now, I will bring them in,” he said.

Akpala’s return to form and more importantly, consistency after the winter break may yet again spark off another shock recall for the languid forward.

Enyeama emerges from the shadows

In 2002, when Vincent Enyeama was handed a starting place in the Super Eagles' goal against England at the Fifa World Cup in Japan and South Korea, it turned out to be the start of good tidings to come for Nigeria's number one more than a decade later.

Enyeama pulled off a one-handed save off a Paul Scholes' screamer in that game to ensure Nigeria's Super Eagles finish goalless against the Three Lions of England in Osaka, Japan.

From manning the goal for his hometown club, Ibom Stars, Enyeama rose to become the number one at Enyimba and even helped them to back-to-back titles in the Caf Champions League in 2003 and 2004. He also won a hat-trick of Nigerian league titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003 with the Aba club.

But all of that counted for nothing as he could only attract interest from Israeli modest outfit, Bnei Yehuda. Enyeama went on to establish himself in Israel and spent seven years there playing for Bnei Yehuda and Hapoel Tel Aviv before Lille OSC came calling in 2011.

Already, Enyeama had put up an eye-catching performance at the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa and even earned plaudits from Argentine superstar, Lionel Messi, who termed the goalkeeper's display against his team as "phenomenal."

In spite of being linked with top English and European clubs, it was Lille that turned in the direction of Enyeama and snapped him up. The goalkeeper's first season at Lille was a nightmare as he did not feature in a Ligue 1 game but made one appearance against Inter Milan in the Uefa Champions League under then coach Rudi Garcia who preferred Mickael Landreau as first-choice.

Enyeama then went on loan to Maccabi Tel Aviv for a season and returned to Lille at the start of this term to work with Rene Girard, who picked the Nigerian as his first-choice ahead of Steeve Elana.

The 31-year-old custodian has responded in fine form to being handed the number one role at the Great Danes by keeping 11 clean sheets in Ligue 1 games this term and missing Gaetan Huard's all-time French top flight record by just 114 minutes.

Despite missing out on an individual record, the Nigerian goalkeeper has once again announced himself as a man to reckon with in one of Europe's finest leagues, according to Super Eagles goalkeeping trainer, Ike Shorunmu.

"Vincent for me has always been a top goalkeeper. We were in the same camp at the 2002 World Cup and I was impressed with him and his professionalism towards the game. And I'm not surprised he has gone on to become our finest goalkeeper.

"His recent achievement at his club in France is also a statement to the fact that Vincent has joined the class of top goalkeepers in the world. Not conceding in 11 matches is no small feat by any standards especially in a tough league like the French Ligue 1.

"We are happy that we have such a top goalkeeper in our team as we prepare for the World Cup next year and his professionalism and form has rubbed off on the other goalkeepers in the team as we've seen in our recent matches," said Shorunmu to supersport.com.

On losing the opportunity to become the record holder of most clean sheets in the Ligue 1, Enyeama believes losing is "part of life" and remains unfazed.

But he emphasized that Lille will have to work as a team to achieve greater things.

"Quite honestly, I've never had this notion of the record in my head. It does not bother me at all. I'm having fun. Whether I concede a goal or not, it's okay.

"It's part of life. Football is fun and we must take it that way. We could have scored too.

"As long as we remain united, there are no worries. I don't care about any kind of invincibility. The important thing is to work collectively," said Enyeama to L'Equipe.

Enyeama now called Jesus by his teammates at Lille for his heroics in goal which has helped the club to be in the top three in this season's Ligue 1 campaign.

In the past years, Arsenal, Bolton Wanderers and Bundesliga club, Wolfsburg were linked to showing interest in the Nigerian goalkeeper but none of them signed him up.

With Enyeama hogging headlines for his performance between September and December which saw him being named Player of the month for October in Ligue 1, Lille quickly moved to keep the 31-year-old in the north of France by extending his contract till 2017 to stave off possible suitors.

Definitely, Lille goalkeeper has now put himself up as a possible target by big European money spenders despite having his stay at the Ligue 1 club extended by three more years.

The next seven months will be massive in Enyeama's career as he seeks to help Lille and Nigeria in the Ligue 1 and Fifa World Cup respectively.

Ladipo recounts horror in Sudan

President of the Nigeria Football Supporters’ Club, Rafiu Ladipo has revealed that he was almost killed in Omdurman when Nigeria beat Sudan 4-0 in a Fifa World Cup qualifying game in 2001.

Ladipo was among the Nigerian supporters at the Al Hilal Stadium on July 1 when the Super Eagles virtually sealed their place at the 2002 Fifa World Cup finals with an emphatic victory over the hosts but he said the memorable victory came at a huge price on a personal level.

“I was almost killed in Sudan because of my love for the Super Eagles. I was beaten up with horse whips and had blood all over my body. There have been times in Ghana when members of the supporters club will suffer machete cuts on our faces and bodies and our members will be admitted into hospitals,” Ladipo exclusively told supersport.com.

He then stated that things are now better with supporters around the world better educated on how to treat rival supporters.

“The formations of football supporters clubs in various countries have seen our fortunes improve.

“There are still isolated cases of violence here and there but generally, things have improved," he said.

Ladipo concluded by promising that the Nigerian supporters club - one of the most vibrant and easily recognizable in the world - will be in Brazil to cheer the Super Eagles at the 2014 Fifa World Cup finals.

Olaitan living the dream at Olympiakos

On June 30, 2013 a precocious starry-eyed Nigerian youngster, Michael Olaitan sealed a move to 40-time Greek champions, Olympiakos CFP from the Football League in Greece on a free transfer.

Olaitan had first come under the spotlight with several heart-warming displays for Nigeria’s Under-20 team, the Flying Eagles at the 2013 Toulon Youth Festival and the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Turkey.

The 20-year-old took some time to assert himself at the Thrylos but is now a fan favourite at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki.

He hit his second league goal of the season on December 7 in Olympiakos’ 2-0 win over Asteras Tripolis.

The midfielder had bagged his first league goal of the season six days earlier against Ergotelis to underline his status as a man in a rich vein of form.

He did not score on Tuesday but put in a commanding display for all 90 minutes he was on the pitch as he helped Olympiakos beat Anderlecht 3-1 to seal their place in the round of 16 of the Uefa Champions League.

He thus became the second Nigerian - after John Obi Mikel of Chelsea - assured of participation in the knockout stage of the most glamorous club competition in the world.

Olaitan is fast maturing in his game as a midfielder and weighs in with his fair share of goals.

He has scored four times this season in all competitions with two recorded in the Cup against Fokikos on September 25 and against the same club in the reverse fixture on October 30.

John Obuh coached the youngster at under-20 level and believes the former Veria man can only improve in the coming days.

“The young man is a very disciplined footballer. That is one of the first things I noticed about him when we worked together. He is always willing to learn,” Obuh told supersport.com.

Olympiakos could draw sides like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid in the next round of the Champions League and Olaitan who has now nailed down a regular first-team spot in Jose “Michel” Campo’s squad will continue his development at the highest level of the game at pace.

Omonigho set to join Dolphins

Nembe City midfielder, Dafe Omonigho has agreed personal terms with Dolphins and is expected to complete the move soon.

Omonigho has been training with the Port Harcourt club since November.

He confirmed to supersport.com that a deal has been struck in principle with the three-time Nigeria champions.

"I'm happy with the way things have progressed since I came here, as we have agreed personal terms," he said.

"There is a lot of quality here and the coaches have gone about their work in the most professional manner.

"I look forward to playing for the club next season."

Omonigho joins former teammate, Jonathan Zikiye and ABS midfielder, Evbuomwan Stone, at the club as Stanley Eguma looks to improve his squad in a bid to make the continental spots.

He has previously played for First Bank, Gateway FC and Enugu Rangers and Bayelsa United.

Ambrose endures poor night in UCL

Celtic manager, Neil Lennon took the time to lay into his players following Wednesday’s Uefa Champions League defeat to FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona won 6-1 with several of the Celtic players displaying poor performances on the night.

The nadir arguably came from Nigerian defender, Efe Ambrose whose lax play gifted the Catalans three of the six goals scored on the night.

Ambrose’s first error was made on nine minutes when he was turned inside out by Alexis Sanchez on the left before the ball was prodded home by Gerard Pique for Barca’s opening goal.

The Nigerian was also culpable for the Catalans’ second goal on 39 minutes as Brazilian superstar, Neymar bamboozled him with some outrageous skills before speeding ahead of him like a Ferrari past a Fiat and squaring for Pedro Rodriguez who planted home in glee.

The former Kaduna United man’s poor night was completed in the second half when he was again embarrassed by Neymar who easily dribbled past him to complete his hat-trick on 58 minutes.

Lennon was hopping mad in the dugout and made his feelings known after the game.

“Most of my players were poor and displayed nervousness from the start. Only two or three of my boys played up to the level they are capable of. It’s disappointing for the club. I feel sorry for the fans. The players let themselves and the fans down tonight,” Lennon told Skysports news.< /p>

Celtic finished bottom of Group H with just three points from six matches.

Stars chase Cecafa glory

Hosts Kenya go in search of their first Cecafa triumph since 2002 when they host Sudan in this year’s final at Nyayo National Stadium on Thursday live on SuperSport.

Harambee Stars have reached the final twice in the last four years only to fail at the final hurdle and will hope to make it third time lucky infront of their home fans.

That the match will be played on the day that Kenya marks 50 years of independence will further add to the sense of occasion for the home side.

After a slow start, they have improved game by game conceding just the one goal throughout the tourney.

To make the current finals, Kenya had to trounce Zanzibar, South Sudan and Ethiopia, to emerge tops in Group A, having won twice and drawn once.

They then eliminated Rwanda in the quarterfinals before going on to hand Tanzania a 1-0 defeat in the semi-finals.

Coach Adel Amrouche will hope to have Jacob Keli available after the KCB striker missed the semifinal with an injury. Allan Wanga will again lead the line with Francis Kahata handed the creative duties.

They face a Sudan side that has impressed especially when beating Zambia 2-1 in the semifinal in Mombasa.

In Ibrahim Salah, the Falcons have the tourney’s best striker and he could pose serious questions for Kenya’s defence.

They emerged top of Group C, winning all three of their matches, against Eritrea, Rwanda and Uganda. In the quarterfinals, they met Ethiopia, who they sent packing with a 2-0 beating, before proceeding to win 2-1 over Zambia in the semifinals.

Kenya have won the cup five times before, in 1975, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 2002 while Sudan have bagged it three times, in 1980, 2006 and 2007.

Probable line-ups

Kenya: Duncan Ochieng, Aboud Omar, James Situma, Jockins Atudo, David Owino, Francis Kahata, Peter Opiyo, Teddy Akumu, Edwin Lavatsa, Allan Wanga, Clifton Miheso

Sudan: Abdelrahman Ali, Bashir Hamoda, Elsiddig Ismail, Ali Maki, Mohamed Malik, Amier Kamal, Nadir Eltayeb, Eltahir Elhag, Faris Abadalla, Mohammed Tahir, Salah Ibrahim

Real red-faced after Cup draw

Real Madrid were held to an embarrassing 0-0 draw at third-tier Olimpic de Xativa in Saturday's King's Cup last 32, first leg as they came down to earth with a bump after a series of big wins.

The world's richest club by income were missing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Xabi Alonso but a team packed with internationals still failed to see off lowly opponents at their tiny stadium near Valencia.

The Olimpic players, who compete in a regional division one level below Real's B team, worked tirelessly on the artificial pitch and their illustrious visitors barely managed a shot on target.

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti, whose side had scored 18 goals in their last four outings, spent most of the match furiously chewing gum and shaking his head on the sidelines.

Even the introduction of France striker Karim Benzema and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric in the second half failed to provide the spark to break down a dogged home defence.

The final whistle prompted celebrations among the several thousand incredulous home fans crammed into the modest arena.

Real host Olimpic at the Bernabeu in the return on December 18.

Sevilla boss resigns following jail sentence

Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido resigned his post on Monday after being sentenced to seven years in prison for embezzlement and breaching the course of justice last week.

A lawyer by trade, Del Nido was accused of charging the local authority in Marbella millions of euros for work that was either unnecessary or never even carried out between 1999 and 2003.

The 56-year-old was first sentenced to seven-and-a-half years for the crimes by a provincial court in Malaga back in 2011.

And his appeal to the Supreme Court only succeeded in reducing that sentence by six months.

"The day I hoped would never come has arrived. I am leaving with profound sadness," he said at a press conference attended by the first-team squad.

"I have always considered myself as innocent of the crimes, but I made a mistake.

"I apologise to the shareholders for having been sentenced as president of Sevilla football club."

However, Del Nido signalled his intent to continue his legal fight.

"There are many mechanisms open to avoid going to prison and I will exhaust every legal path to do so.

"I hope to make my appeals as a free man, but if I have to enter prison I will do so with strength and dignity."

Del Nido has been in charge of the Andalusian club since 2002 and oversaw one of the most successful spells in its history as it won back-to-back Uefa Cups in 2006 and 2007.

Real news conference disrupted

Real Madrid's news conference before Tuesday's Champions League match at FC Copenhagen was briefly disrupted on Monday when a Greenpeace anti-Gazprom poster was lowered on a screen behind coach Carlo Ancelotti.

The poster, which read "Save the Arctic" and "Show Gazprom the red card" and featured the logo of the environmental protest group, appeared shortly after the news conference in the Danish capital began and was quickly removed by an official.

Gazprom are one of the sponsors of Europe's elite club competition and the poster blocked out the state-owned Russian oil giant's logo on the set behind Ancelotti, who appeared bemused by the incident along with Real defender Pepe.

Copenhagen could face a stiff Uefa sanction over the protest.

Swiss club Basle were fined €30,000 by European soccer's governing body after Greenpeace activists interrupted their Champions League match against Schalke 04 in October with a protest against Gazprom.

Play was halted for around five minutes when four people wearing orange boiler suits and helmets descended on ropes dropped from the stadium roof and waved banners reading "Gazprom, don't foul the Arctic".

Uefa said Basle had been fined for "insufficient organisation".

Russian courts last month granted bail to nine jailed Greenpeace activists, part of a group of 30 facing trial over a protest against Arctic oil drilling.

They are charged with hooliganism after some tried to scale an oil platform in the Pechora Sea, Russia's first offshore rig in the Arctic.

Greenpeace believes drilling for oil there threatens the region's pristine environment, while the Russian government says development and shipping there are important to the nation's economy and security.

Spain choose Caju as WCup base

Spain have chosen Atletico Paranaense's Caju training centre in the south of Brazil as their base for next year's World Cup as they prepare to retain the trophy they won in South Africa.

"Caju in Curitiba will be the headquarters at the World Cup," said a Spanish federation spokesperson.

Mild temperatures at the Alfredo Gottardi Centre, known locally as Caju, attracted Spain to Curitiba even though they have to play matches in heat and humidity, including their opening game against the Netherlands in Salvador on June 13.

They will also face Chile and Australia in Group B.

The facilities at Caju include eight full-size football pitches, a thermal swimming pool and gym.

Spain, who won the World Cup for the first time in 2010 by beating the Dutch, were well beaten by hosts Brazil in this year's Confederations Cup final.

The experience of playing in the country warned them off choosing a base in the north with higher temperatures.

As well as lifting the World Cup, Spain have also won the last two European Championship titles in 2008 and 2012.

Bayern travel to Hamburg in Cup

Holders Bayern Munich will travel to Hamburg SV in the German Cup quarterfinals in one of three all-Bundesliga clashes which emerged from the draw on Sunday.

The 2012 winners, Borussia Dortmund, are also away at Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim host VfL Wolfsburg in the ties to be played on February 11 or 12.

Bayer Leverkusen fared better, being picked to face Kaiserslautern, the only lower-tier club left in the competition.

Bayern, who won the treble last season, have yet to lose in the German league, Cup or the Champions League this season.

Pep laughs off Neuer to City reports

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola has laughed off reports Manchester City have tabled a €48 million for Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash.

Bayern host Manchester City at Munich's Allianz Arena with the Premier League side needing to win at least 3-0 to knock the hosts from first place in Group D with both sides already through to the knock-out stages.

Guardiola has said he is deadly serious about the Bavarians' intentions of beating City to become only the sixth team in Champions League history to emerge from the group stages with a 100 per cent record from the six games.

But the Spaniard laughed off British media reports that City have tabled a huge bid for Neuer, the rock in the Bayern defence which has leaked just nine goals in 20 Bundesliga and Champions League games this season.

"No chance," said Guardiola succinctly with Neuer under contract until June 2016.

City coach Manuel Pellegrini is set to start Joe Hart, who has struggled for form this season, against Bayern after the England goalkeeper was left out of Saturday's 1-1 draw at Southampton with Costel Pantilimon prefered.