Football News | Football Gossips | Football Transfers | Football Saga | Football Rumours: 01/01/2010

Real look to end dismal record

Real Madrid will attempt to close the five-point gap on leaders Barcelona this weekend by achieving something they have not managed in almost two decades - beating Deportivo La Coruna at the Riazor.

Not since the 1991/92 season has a Madrid team returned from Depor with a maximum points haul, while the capital club have lost on each of their last six visits to the Galician outfit.

It is a dismal record and Madrid know they can ill afford another slip up on the road having taken just four points from their last four matches away from their Bernabeu fortress, where they have won all 10 games this season.

To make matters worse, Madrid are without Cristiano Ronaldo following his sending off against Malaga last week when his flailing elbow broke Denmark defender Patrick Mtiliga's nose and earned the Portugal international a straight red card.

The world's most expensive player has been given a two-match suspension and will not be able to face Depor.

Madrid reserve goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek said: "I think a two-game suspension is excessive, but I believe we can win without him. He is important, but we managed to win in Valencia without him."

Ronaldo is not the only player from both sides that will be absent.

For Madrid, the likes of Pepe, Gonzalo Higuain and Rafael van der Vaart are likely to be missing still, while fifth-placed Depor - who were knocked out of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals last night despite beating Sevilla 1-0 in the return leg - could be without half-a-dozen first teamers.

Among them is highly-rated wing-back Filipe Luis, who suffered a broken ankle during last week's win over Athletic Bilbao that is set to keep the Brazil international sidelined for the rest of the season.

With Madrid not playing Depor until late on Saturday night, champions Barca could once more build an eight-point gap as they travel to 10th-placed Sporting Gijon earlier in the evening.

Barca have won their last four competitive games, scoring 13 goals and conceding none in the process, while they have yet to lose in La Liga this season.

Despite that impressive form and Madrid's tough trip to Depor though, midfielder Xavi insists they should not get carried away.

He said: "There are a lot of points left and we'd like to increase the gap. There's a long way to go in the league and Real Madrid will fight to the end. We cannot relax but we are lucky that it's in our own hands."

Also on Saturday, Espanyol host Athletic.

The big match on Sunday sees third-placed Valencia travel to sixth-placed Sevilla.

Valencia are currently six points ahead of one of their main rivals for a Champions League berth, and they boasted the best away record in the division prior to their goalless draw at Tenerife last weekend.

Sevilla, meanwhile, have lost five of their last six competitive matches at their Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan home.

Malaga, having lost 2-0 at the Bernabeu last weekend, have their second successive trip to the capital when they go to inconsistent Atletico Madrid, while high-flying Getafe meet a Racing Santander side who also booked their spot in the Copa del Rey semi-finals along with Sevilla last night, knocking out Osasuna.

Wounded Osasuna now face a tricky match at Villarreal, while Almeria are at Real Valladolid and rock-bottom Xerez will attempt to avoid an eighth defeat in nine matches when they face fourth-placed Real Mallorca.

All three of the promoted sides are currently in the relegation zone, and the other two - Tenerife and Real Zaragoza - meet on the Canary Islands in Sunday's other game.

Bacary Sagna's agent claims Inter Milan could move for his client should Maicon leave to join Real Madrid.

Brazil international Maicon has long-since been linked with a move away from the San Siro, with Madrid and a host of Premier League clubs monitoring his situation in Italy.

Should Maicon seek pastures new at the end of the season then Inter could train their sights on Arsenal right-back Sagna, at least according to his agent.

France international Sagna has proved a real success in England since moving to Arsenal in 2007 from Auxerre.

Speculation in the past has intimated Inter boss Jose Mourinho is a fan of the 26-year-old and could make a raid on Arsenal should he ever require a right-back.

Sagna's agent, Christophe Mongai, claims Inter are very much aware of his player's capabilities.

"Sagna has attracted big interest from Inter Milan," he told Le Quotidien du Foot.

Fulham are on the brink of completing the loan signing of striker Stefano Okaka from Roma until the end of the season.

Okaka is undergoing a medical at Craven Cottage after negotiations over the 20-year-old were revived since a perceived lack of interest from the player and his club threatened to scupper the move.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson expects the Italy Under-21 international to be available after the transfer window closes on Monday.

"The deal is on. It was never really off but there have been a lot of problems to iron out," said Hodgson.

"At the moment he's finishing off a medical. Barring any problems with the medical I expect him to join us from Monday.

"He won't be in line to play against Aston Villa tomorrow as Roma want him available for their game on Sunday."

Okaka started both of this season's Europa League matches between the clubs and scored the winner at the Stadio Olimpico in early November.

"Okaka played against us and did well. He's also played for Italy Under-21s," said Hodgson.

"We've been monitoring him for a long time, before we were drawn against Roma in the Europa League. His name was well known to our scouting staff."

Fulham's scouting department have certainly been earning their keep with the sale of Chris Smalling to Manchester United trumping their scrutiny of Okaka.

Smalling made only a handful of first-team appearances for the Cottagers before the 20-year-old centre-back became the subject of a bidding war between United and Arsenal this week.

Sir Alex Ferguson's successful offer of £7million, rising to £10million on appearances, represented a staggering profit on a player who cost just £10,000 from non-league Maidstone 18 months ago.

Hodgson expects Smalling, who will remain at Fulham until the end of the season though is barred from playing in the rivals' clash at Old Trafford on March 14, to take the move in his stride.

"Chris is potentially a great player in the making. He can handle the step up to Manchester United," he said.

"The day he had to step into the breach with us was a big step and now he has the next step to take. Of course I think he can go on and win England honours.

"Sir Alex must think that as well as he wouldn't have made that offer and paid the money he has done unless he thought this player would go all the way.

"If you're in the Manchester United team and are winning trophies then you'll always be of interest to England."

Hodgson is dismayed by Fulham's current injury problems with first-team regulars Clint Dempsey, Andy Johnson, Paul Konchesky and John Pantsil missing for the visit of Villa.

"I'm disappointed our injury level has developed to quite the level it has," he said.

"It's the first time in my two years at the club that I've had a headache fielding a team I'm comfortable with.

"Our midfield is terrific but in defence and attack we've been hit really hard.

"Villa are a stable and strong team so this is not the best time to be playing them."

David Beckham believes he and his AC Milan team-mates can still win the title despite being nine points adrift of Serie A leaders Inter Milan.

The Rossoneri lost ground on their bitter rivals after last weekend's 2-0 defeat in the Milan derby, a result that ended a three-match winning streak for Leonardo's team.

Inter, meanwhile, maintained their unbeaten record at home this season.

"We are disappointed by the result but this can happen in football," said England midfielder Beckham.

"However, nothing is lost because there are still many games left to play.

"We can still believe in winning the scudetto. We just have to put that defeat behind us and focus on returning to winning ways on Sunday."

Milan host Livorno knowing a defeat could see in-form Roma leapfrog them into second in the standings.

Claudio Ranieri's side take on rock-bottom Siena at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday trailing Milan by two points.

Jose Mourinho's Inter make the journey to Parma without suspended duo Wesley Sneijder and Lucio, but bolstered by the return of striker Samuel Eto'o from the African Nations Cup.

Napoli are in fourth place and go into Saturday's game against Genoa riding a 14-match unbeaten run in Serie A, with their last defeat coming back on October 4 when they lost 2-1 at Roma.

Fifth-placed Palermo will be put to the test when they travel to the San Nicola to face a Bari side who have lost just once at home this season.

Juventus will look to stop the rot when they host Lazio on Sunday.

Ciro Ferrara's side have lost five of their last six games in Serie A and slipped to sixth in the standings.

Fortunately for Juve, Lazio also have their share of problems.

The Romans have not won on their travels since a 2-1 victory at Chievo on August 30 and lie just two points clear of the drop zone heading into the clash in Turin.

Fiorentina will be desperate to avoid their third straight defeat when they make the trip to Sardinia to face in-form Cagliari.

The Viola lie ninth in the table, one point behind their next opponents.

A defeat at Catania on Sunday would see Udinese drop into the relegation zone for the first time this season.

The Friuli outfit currently holds the last position of safety but they are only one point clear of Sunday's rivals.

Sampdoria look to build on last weekend's 3-2 win at Udinese when they take on Atalanta in Genoa.

Their triumph in Friuli marked their first win in 2010 for Luigi Del Neri's side.

Chievo and Bologna will battle it out in Verona with both teams looking to pull further away from the relegation zone.

Roma striker Luca Toni is hoping his two-goal display against Genoa on Sunday caught the eye of Italy coach Marcello Lippi.

The 32-year-old, on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the season, notched his first goals since his return to Serie A football in the 3-0 win.

Toni made the move to Roma at the start of this month following a difficult spell in the Bundesliga, where a lack of playing time has damaged his chances of making Italy's World Cup squad.

But the striker is hopeful Sunday's performance will have gone some way to remedying that.

"Lippi knows what I'm capable of in the national side and I've already had many happy moments wearing that shirt," he told reporters. "I know the better I do at Roma the more chances I will have to join the national side.

"Right now, what's important for me is to score many goals to put Roma ahead."

The result against Genoa marked Roma's third win in four games and extended the Giallorossi's unbeaten run to 10 matches.

Their next league match is at Juventus, who are also battling for a place in the Champions League, and Toni is hopeful his team can produce another winning performance.

"We are happy and the better we do, the more enthusiastic we are," he added. "We'll have to play Juve now and we hope it will be a great match."

Ronaldinho netted a hat-trick as AC Milan eased to a 4-0 victory over bottom club Siena and cut Inter Milan's lead at the top of Serie A to six points.

The Brazil playmaker struck a first-half penalty, a second-half header and a long-range shot late on after Marco Borriello had hit the Rossoneri's second.

Siena's efforts to kick-start a dismal season were undermined by the 10th-minute dismissal of goalkeeper Gianluca Curci, which led to Ronaldinho's opening spot-kick as Leonardo's side cut Inter's lead after their 2-2 draw at Bari on Saturday.

Luca Toni bagged his first goals since returning to Italy as Roma beat Genoa 3-0.

Toni scored his first since joining the Eternal City outfit on loan from Bayern Munich this month on the stroke of half-time after team-mate Simone Perrotta had put Roma ahead in the 17th minute.

And Toni put the game beyond Genoa's reach on the hour mark.

The outcome allowed Roma to leapfrog Juventus into third in the standings after the Turin giants lost 1-0 at Chievo.

Gennaro Sardo's stunning first-half strike proved to be the only goal of the game as Juve turned in a performance lacking energy and confidence which comes on the back of a 3-0 hammering at the hands of AC Milan in their last league outing.

The Juventus board have voiced their confidence in coach Ciro Ferrara, and Wednesday's 3-0 Coppa Italia win over Napoli had boosted morale, but he is likely to come under scrutiny once again following an awful display in Verona.

Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis saved a penalty to help his team maintain their unbeaten home run this season with a 0-0 stalemate against Palermo.

De Sanctis parried away Fabrizio Miccoli's 22nd minute attempt after Rinaudo had brought down Edison Cavani inside the area.

The result left Napoli in fourth position in the standings, just one point behind third-place Roma.

Meanwhile, Palermo have now gone six games without a loss.

Lazio's unbeaten start to 2010 came to a shuddering halt at Atalanta as their woeful away form resurfaced with a 3-0 defeat in Bergamo.

The Biancoceleste have only managed to collect five points on their travels since a 2-1 win at Chievo on August 30 and they were second-best throughout against a side which started the day second-from-bottom.

The result was never in doubt after Cristiano Doni's double inside the opening nine minutes put them in total control and it was no surprise when Simone Padoin added a third 10 minutes before the break.

First-half goals from Henry Gimenez and Marco Di Vaio earned Bologna a valuable 2-1 away win at Fiorentina.

Gimenez put the visitors ahead after 28 minutes and Di Vaio added a second on the stroke of half-time.

Adrian Mutu pulled a goal back six minutes into the second half but Fiorentina could not find a second and Bologna secured a fifth win of the season.

Sampdoria's winless run was extended to seven games in all competitions after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Catania in an uninspiring clash.

The home side, whose last Serie A victory was back in November, fell behind to a superb Cristian Llama free-kick but star striker Giampaolo Pazzini won and then converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time to give the hosts a share of the spoils.

It was a well-earned point for Catania but not enough to take them out of the relegation zone.

Neither Parma nor Udinese were able to put an end to their dismal runs of form as they recorded the only goalless draw in Serie A on Sunday.

Parma played for an hour with only 10 men after Daniele Galloppa was sent off while Nicola Amoruso had a penalty saved midway through the first half, but neither side managed to find the back of the net in front of just 15,000 fans at the Stadio Tardini.

The result leaves Udinese hovering above the bottom three and sees Parma lose further ground on the clubs challenging for a place in Europe next season.

On Saturday, table-toppers Inter battled back from two goals down to secure a point at Bari.

Two penalties in three minutes just after the hour looked to have set Bari on their way to a famous victory over Jose Mourinho's champions.

But Goran Pandev halved the deficit after 69 minutes and then another spot-kick, this time converted by Diego Milito, clinched a 2-2 draw for the Nerazzurri.

In Saturday's other game, Cagliari climbed to sixth with a 3-0 triumph over Livorno.

Goals from Joaquin Larrivey early in each half and a 64th-minute strike from substitute Jeda gave the Sardinians their fifth home win of the season.

Ronaldinho netted a hat-trick as AC Milan eased to a 4-0 victory over Serie A bottom club Siena at the San Siro.

The Brazil playmaker struck a first-half penalty, a second-half header and a long-range shot late on after Marco Borriello had hit the Rossoneri's second.

Siena's efforts to kick-start a dismal season were undermined by the 10th-minute dismissal of goalkeeper Gianluca Curci, which led to Ronaldinho's opening spot-kick as Leonardo's side cut the deficit to six points after Inter's 2-2 draw at Bari.

Only one week ago Curci and his team-mates performed heroics in the same stadium until Siena were undone by two late goals as Inter grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat.

Siena were threatening to inflict Inter's first home league loss for 30 matches before Wesley Sneijder equalised two minutes from time and Walter Samuel struck a stoppage-time winner.

Inter's city and Serie A title rivals AC Milan had no such trouble.

But the efforts of Leonardo's side were severely boosted by the dismissal of Curci with 80 minutes still to play.

There was a warning shot to the visitors after three minutes as Alessandro Nesta's right-wing cross found Ronaldinho, who, with his back to goal, controlled the ball with his chest before acrobatically firing over.

Milan were firmly in control when Borriello won a penalty, capitalising on poor communication from Goncalo Brandao to race through one-on-one with Curci, who chopped down the Milan striker.

Ronaldinho sent substitute goalkeeper Gianluca Pegolo the wrong way from the resulting spot-kick.

The two-time FIFA World Player of the Year was in supreme form and soon after crossed the ball for Borriello, who could only head weakly at Pegolo.

But Borriello made amends after 28 minutes, meeting Andrea Pirlo's cross with a left-foot acrobatic effort which found the back of the net.

Ronaldinho dribbled at the Siena defence early in the second period before an attempted lob which Pegolo saved.

Pegolo was again in action, denying Borriello after more fine work from Ronaldinho, who called the Siena goalkeeper into action soon after.

But Milan netted their third after 72 minutes when Ronaldinho met a corner and headed past Pegolo.

A pin-point cross from David Beckham was well controlled by Ronaldinho, who attempted a shot from a fine angle and missed the target by millimetres.

Siena had an opportunity to score nine minutes from time when Massimo Maccarone crossed for Emanuele Calaio, who was denied by Dida.

The rebound dropped for Albin Ekdal, but Dida again saved.

There was still time for Ronaldinho to complete his hat-trick and the forward did so in emphatic fashion.

Ronaldinho drilled a powerful left-foot shot into the top corner, leaving Pegolo with no chance.

Juventus deputy director Roberto Bettega gave coach Ciro Ferrara a vote of confidence after their 1-0 defeat at Chievo.

The result in Verona marked Juve's fourth league loss in five games and dropped the struggling Bianconeri 13 points behind league leaders Inter Milan.

Bettega said to Italian TV station Rai: "Besides our injury woes, the team is struggling to adapt to the way in which our opponents approach the game.

"AC Milan came out of a crisis (this season) by trusting the players and the coach.

"We will try to do the same without returning to the (transfer) market, considering that we have big players.

"These are games that you lose as a team not as an individual."

Under-pressure Ferrara was left disappointed with his team's lacklustre performance.

"It's a negative period for us," he said. "I don't want to find excuses or alibis.

"We went down by one goal and we lacked a great reaction.

"We didn't create any goalscoring chances and hence we lost another game and this is painful."

Juve have given away four goals while failing to find the back of the net in their last two games.

Ferrara believes his team are struggling in every department.

He said: "I think our problems are a mix of physical and mental and perhaps we have a bit of fear."

Despite his team's poor run of form, Ferrara is confident his job is safe for the time being.

"If the problem is the coach the club will come and tell me,"

Ferrara said.

"So far, I have not been told directly anything in that respect."

Next up for Juventus is in-form Roma in Turin on Saturday night.

Barcelona stretched their lead at the top of the Primera Division to five points as they beat Sevilla 4-0 to take advantage of a slip by Real Madrid.

Barca could not get past a stubborn Sevilla defence in the first half at the Nou Camp, but the floodgates opened after Julien Escude's own goal broke the deadlock five minutes into the second period.

Substitute Pedro added the second after 70 minutes, before Lionel Messi netted in the 85th and 90th minutes to notch his 100th and 101st goals for the club.

Earlier, Fernando Llorente's header had proved the difference as Athletic Bilbao pulled off a shock 1-0 win over Madrid.

Spain striker Llorente nodded home from a corner after just two minutes and the home team, who were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time when Carlos Gurpegi was sent off for a second bookable offence, held on.

Valencia closed to within three points of Real Madrid at the top with an entertaining 4-1 win over 10-man local rivals Villarreal at the Mestalla on Sunday night.

Ever Banega opened the scoring early on and David Villa doubled the lead from the penalty spot, with Kiko earning a red card for a foul on the striker.

David Silva made it three 11 minutes after the break and, although a defensive mix-up led to Nilmar reducing the deficit, Villa deservedly capped the performance with his second.

Real Mallorca made it nine home wins out of nine and climbed into the Champions League places with a 2-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.

Mallorca, who have also won both of their Copa del Rey games at their Ono Estadi fortress this term, took the points thanks to two goals in seven minutes just after the break through Mario Suarez and Gonzalo Castro.

The victory means Mallorca, who started the day one place and one point behind fourth-placed Depor, swap positions with the Galician side.

Atletico Madrid continued their fine start to 2010 with an entertaining 3-2 victory over Sporting Gijon at the Vicente Calderon.

Diego Forlan put Atletico ahead early on and although Sporting drew level through Diego Camacho's 34th-minute penalty, the Rojiblancos took the spoils thanks to second-half goals from Paulo Assuncao and youngster Ibrahima Balde.

Sporting set up a tense last few minutes when Luis Moran reduced the deficit to 3-2 in injury-time after Atletico had missed a host of chances to kill the match off, but the home side held on for a deserved win.

Racing Santander were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Valladolid after squandering a host of opportunities at El Sardinero.

Despite dominating proceedings from the first whistle, the hosts fell behind in the 18th minute through Pablo Pinillos' own-goal.

Racing deservedly drew level after the break thanks to a deft finish by Sergio Canales, but could not find a way past Valladolid keeper Justo Villar to wrap up the three points as the visitors bounced back from their 4-0 thrashing at home to Atletico Madrid last weekend.

Malaga climbed out of the relegation zone and gained a degree of revenge for their midweek Copa del Rey humiliation against Getafe by snatching a late winner when the two met at La Rosaleda.

Substitute Nabil Baha struck the only goal of the game with six minutes to go as Malaga finally made the most of their numerical advantage having played against 10 men from the 31st minute, when the visitors had Derek Boateng sent off.

The victory means Malaga leave the bottom three for the first time since the start of October, and it also helped them avenge Thursday's 5-1 mauling by the same opponents in the second leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie.

Henok Goitom's second-half equaliser earned 10-man Almeria a point from a 1-1 draw at home to fellow strugglers Tenerife.

Juanlu Hens had given the visitors, who knew victory would take them above their opponents, the lead less than two minutes in but Goitom deservedly levelled for the hosts, who had Pablo Piatti sent off for two yellow cards, on the hour mark.

Basement sides Real Zaragoza and Xerez failed to gain a much-needed win as they played out a goalless draw at La Romareda.

The visitors would have been the happier of the two sides after being forced to play the final 36 minutes with 10 men after the sending-off of Victor Sanchez for a lunge on Pereira Eliseu.

New signing Eliseu missed a wonderful chance to secure the three points, and make himself a hero among Zaragoza's fans, but he somehow managed to blaze wildly over the bar when just six yards out.

On Saturday, Juanfran Torres and Walter Pandiani scored in the first 10 minutes as Osasuna beat Espanyol 2-0.

Kevin Kuranyi's goal early in the second half was enough for Schalke to beat Nurnberg 1-0 at home and continue their strong run.

Kuranyi scored the only goal of the game in the 48th minute and the Schalke defence ensured that was all they needed to run out victorious.

Felix Magath's team clinched their fourth straight win and fifth in the last six games to return to second place in the Bundesliga with 37 points, one behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

In-form Borussia Dortmund made it five straight wins with a topsy-turvy 3-2 victory against Cologne having looked like they had thrown the three points away.

Mats Hummel opened the scoring in the 28th minute and doubled Dortmund's lead in first-half injury time.

That remained the score going into the final 10 minutes of the Bundesliga clash and Kevin McKenna's 82nd-minute strike looked nothing more than a consolation.

Youssef Mohamad then equalised with two minutes left only for Kevin Grosskreutz to pop up in injury time and seal the victory for his side.

Leverkusen beat Mainz 4-2 on Saturday to ensure Bayern Munich's stay at the top was a short one.

Bayern beat Hoffenheim 2-0 on Friday night to go to the summit for the first time since May 2008, but the writing was on the wall for them as Leverkusen recovered from going a goal down to lead 3-1 by the half-hour mark.

Tim Hoogland put the visitors into a surprise lead after eight minutes, but Leverkusen hit back with goals from Michal Kadlec (15), Tranquillo Barnetta (19) and Toni Kroos (30).

Niko Bungert pulled one back for Mainz after 67 minutes but Eren Derdiyok settled home nerves with a fourth two minutes from time.

Hamburg kept pace with the leaders with a 2-0 victory at home over Freiburg.

Marcell Jansen opened the scoring in the seventh minute and Mladen Petric made it 2-0 after 55 minutes.

Basement boys Hertha Berlin picked up only their second victory of the season by completing the double over Hannover with a 3-0 victory to end a 16-match winless streak.

Lukasz Piszczek and Raffael netted within three minutes to make it 2-0 after 33 minutes, with Theofanis Gekas rounding off the scoring 10 minutes from time.

The result would have been even worse for the home side had Florian Fromlowitz not saved a late Cicero penalty.

Stuttgart moved out of the relegation zone thanks to a 3-1 victory over champions Wolfsburg.

Roberto Hilbert put the Swabians ahead in the 28th minute and they seemed to be cruising when Pavel Pogrebnyak added a second in the 58th minute.

Edin Dzeko reduced the arrears in the 65th minute and the Wolves missed a hatful of chances to level before Timo Gebhardt sealed the win in the 87th minute.

Bochum earned a vital victory in their fight against relegation as they held on for 2-1 victory at Borussia Monchengladbach.

Stanislav Sestak gave Bochum the lead in the 12th minute and Zlatko Dedic doubled their advantage nine minutes before the break.

Fabian Backer pulled a goal back for the home side in the 80th minute, but they could not find equaliser.

Marco Russ' 57th-minute goal was enough to give Eintracht Frankfurt a 1-0 victory as Frankfurt completed the double over Werder Bremen for the first time since the 1989/90 season.

An 80th-minute equaliser from Benoit Cheyrou saw Marseille hold Ligue 1 leaders Bordeaux to a 1-1 draw at Stade Chaban Delmas on Sunday night.

Marouane Chamakh gave the hosts the lead on the stroke of half-time but they were reduced to 10 men on the hour mark when Marc Planus saw red for a bad tackle.

And Marseille capitalised on their numerical advantage with Cheyrou's late strike.

The result moved Bordeaux seven points clear of Lille at the top of the table while Marseille climbed to fourth, above Lyon, Monaco and Auxerre on goal difference.

In-form Lille made it seven wins in a row in all competitions after a convincing 3-1 success at home to Paris St Germain on Saturday.

Ludovic Obraniak put Lille ahead after just five minutes and he crossed for Florent Belmont to head home the second goal on 52 minutes.

Franck Beria headed the third goal in the 68th minute after Yohan Cabaye had helped on a corner before Mevlut Erding headed a late consolation for PSG.

The result leaves Lille seven points behind Bordeaux, while Montpellier are a further two points adrift after a 1-0 home victory over Nice.

Souleymane Camara scored the only goal from close range on 58 minutes, while Montpellier came close to a second when Emir Spahic struck the crossbar.

Lyon are 11 points off top spot after scoring twice in the final 11 minutes to claim a 2-0 away success over Nancy.

Cris turned home a corner from close range to finally break the deadlock on 79 minutes before Maxime Gonalons made certain of the points with four minutes to go.

St Etienne hung on to record an important 2-1 success away to Grenoble, who have now won just once in 20 league matches this season.

Loic Perrin gave St Etienne the lead just after the half-hour mark and Emmanuel Riviere doubled the advantage five minutes before half-time.

A Cedric Varrault own goal immediately brought Grenoble back into the game and the hosts almost snatched an equaliser when Sandy Paillot was denied by the woodwork in the second half.

Thwarted

Auxerre's bid to make inroads into Bordeaux's lead at the top was thwarted after a 0-0 draw at home to second-from-bottom Boulogne.

Lorient produced an impressive performance on their travels after a 3-0 win over lowly Le Mans, with Laurent Koscielny scoring after 22 minutes.

Olivier Monterrubio's free-kick made it 2-0 just before the interval and he added another goal early in the second period from Arnaud Le Lan's cross.

Nene struck twice in the final six minutes as Monaco battled for a 2-0 win over Sochaux at Stade Louis II.

Stephane Dalmat hit the post midway through the second half for Sochaux before Nene netted on 84 minutes and again in stoppage-time.

Franck Tabanou helped himself to a brace as Toulouse won 3-1 at Valenciennes to move level on points with their opponents.

Tabanou opened the scoring from Andre-Pierre Gignac's pass on 16 minutes before Johan Audel headed home Rudy Mater's free-kick to equalise a minute before half-time.

Carlos Sanchez then hit the bar for Valenciennes before Mohamed Fofana responded likewise for the visitors.

Toulouse went back in front on 84 minutes when Tabanou was again set up by Gignac to score and Moussa Sissoko then added a third three minutes later.

Rennes and Lens played out a 1-1 draw, with Moussa Sow nodding in Rod Fanni's cross to put the hosts ahead on 55 minutes.

Kevin Monnet-Paquet's close-range finish 10 minutes later earned a point for Lens, who had Alaeddine Yahia sent off late on.

Thierry Henry will face FIFA's disciplinary committee on Monday over his infamous handball against the Republic of Ireland.

The French striker's case will come before FIFA after it was referred to disciplinary chiefs by the world governing body's executive committee last month.

Henry's handball in the run-up to William Gallas' decisive goal in the World Cup qualifying play-off for France led to FIFA agreeing to have another look at video evidence, as well as considering whether to take action against the 32-year-old former Arsenal player.

The outcome is uncertain however - Henry's defence will argue that FIFA's disciplinary code does not give the committee the ability to punish such incidents. Under current rules, only the illegal use of a hand to prevent a goal being scored is covered in relation to possible sanctions.

It may be therefore that the Barcelona striker escapes with a warning or a fine rather than a ban which would rule him out for one of more matches in the World Cup finals in South Africa this summer.

The Football Association of Ireland were infuriated by the goal and demanded a replay, even suggesting they should be allowed to go to the World Cup as a 33rd team.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has shrugged off speculation linking coach Pep Guardiola with a move to Manchester United and insisted he is "convinced" the Spaniard will sign a new deal to stay at the Nou Camp.

Guardiola, who turned 39 on Monday, has been linked in reports with a move to Old Trafford as Sir Alex Ferguson's eventual replacement after making a phenomenally successful start to his coaching career with the Catalan giants.

Barcelona won six trophies under Guardiola last season, including a Champions League victory over United in Rome, and stretched their advantage over Real Madrid at the top of the Primera Division to five points with a 4-0 weekend win over Sevilla.

Guardiola's contract expires at the end of the current season which has led to growing concern that he may leave.

But Laporta is convinced the coach will turn his back on a possible future in the Premier League and continue to guide Barcelona to success.

Laporta said: "We cannot avoid the speculation as he is the best coach in the world and many clubs will be interested.

"We know that and Manchester United are just one club who I am sure are watching his future. But he has a long way to go with Barcelona.

"Because of his characteristics we expect him to continue to write the pages of history of this football club.

"We would like to solve this question mark over his future as soon as possible and we are convinced that he will sign but we must respect his decision to wait.

"We are convinced that he will sign a new contract and that he will sign soon but we cannot force him into a decision.

"We must be patient and wait.

"On Sunday we talked about his birthday. I sent him a card with my congratulations but we will see what happens."

Hull have completed the signing of Amr Zaki on loan until the end of the season, subject to the Egyptian receiving a work permit.

Zaki, who scored 11 Barclays Premier League goals in a loan spell with Wigan last season, joins the Tigers from Egyptian side Zamalek.

Hull boss Phil Brown will be looking for him to have a similar impact at the KC Stadium as he looks to guide his side out of the drop zone.

A statement on Hull's official website: "We are pleased to confirm the loan signing of Amr Zaki from Zamalek FC.

"The player has signed a loan agreement until the end of the season to join Hull City AFC.

"As is the case with all non-EU transfers, there are work permit and other red tape issues still to be confirmed, but we are expecting the player to return to England and join Hull City on Friday this week.

"The playing contracts are signed and confirmed, however the final details must be undertaken before the loan can commence."

Stoke have pulled out of a deal to sign veteran Portsmouth goalkeeper David James on loan for the rest of the season.

James had been lined up for a move to the Britannia Stadium as manager Tony Pulis sought to increase competition for places in his squad.

Pulis was hoping to wrap up the deal in time for the 39-year-old to be available to face his former club Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime.

However, the switch was not finalised before Friday's noon deadline, prompting Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes to confirm the deal is now off.

The transfer to Stoke was viewed as an ideal move for all parties with James looking to impress enough to guarantee his place in the England squad for the World Cup in South Africa.

The keeper has made just one first-team appearance in the past two months due to injury, while his departure from Fratton Park would also have helped to ease Pompey's financial troubles.

And Pulis was keen to add James to his squad due to rumours concerning the future of Stoke's current No.1 Thomas Sorensen.

The Denmark international has been linked with German giants Bayern Munich and Pulis was wary about being left with Steve Simonsen as his only senior keeper.

Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie later revealed the deal collapsed over a disagreement between the two clubs over wages.

Storrie claims the Potters were looking to pay only part of James' wages and were expecting cash-strapped Pompey to make up the rest.

Storrie told Sky Sports News: "As far as I am concerned, if a fellow Premier League side want to take a Premier League player, then pay his wages. Why bother even ringing if they are not going to pay his wages?

"They wanted to pay part of his wages, an appearance fee and some more money if they stay in the Premier League."

And Storrie claimed there was also another issue that made the deal unacceptable.

He added: "They only wanted to do that until the end of the season, where generally if you take a loan of a Premier League player, you pay it until June 30, the end of his contract period.

"I don't think we were being unreasonable. When we want to sign players on loan from the Premier League we have to pay them until June 30.

"I made it abundantly that even if we had wanted to let David go, which had not yet been defined, it wasn't worth us going down that line until there was an offer on the table that was reasonably acceptable."

New Liverpool midfielder Maxi Rodriguez has pledged to "put himself on the line" to help lift his new team-mates out of their current slump.

The Argentina international joined from Atletico Madrid in midweek on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

He is a welcome addition to the club's attacking ranks at a time when they have just lost trio Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun to injury for a number of weeks.

Liverpool are having their worst season for several years, with Wednesday's FA Cup exit to Reading following an early end to their Champions League campaign and a significant drop off the pace in the Barclays Premier League.

However, Rodriguez said he considered the long-term picture when he decided to leave Spain.

"If you decide to come to a club you don't look at recent form and whether results are going for or against you," said Rodriguez, who is in the squad for tomorrow's must-win match at Stoke.

"They are a great club with great tradition and you don't change your mind on something like that because of a short period of results.

"The important thing is to come here with that desire to win, work hard, make the team even more competitive and first of all try to win my place in the side.

"By hard work we will turn things around. I will be putting in lots of hard work, putting myself on the line for my team and team-mates because that is important."

Rodriguez said he had spoken to Torres, a former Atletico team-mate, and Mascherano, his national team captain, about the difficulties facing the club.

"It wouldn't be the start everyone had dreamed of but the thing about it is all the players are convinced we can turn things around," added the 29-year-old.

"The main thing is to have a strong belief and mentality. In football you can get a bad start or a bad run in the middle of the season but the important thing is to stop concentrating on the negatives and think positively.

"They are convinced as much as I am that it can be turned around and with a couple of victories you can get the confidence back and results will improve."

Rodriguez said he did not feel the absence of Torres, Gerrard and Benayoun placed additional expectation on him.

"I don't see it as any added pressure on me because although they may be considered the backbone of the side I don't play in the same role as them," he said.

"It is up to me and the rest of the squad, working as a block of players, to make up for their absence and work hard and see that as an incentive to deliver results."

Manager Rafael Benitez is confident his new recruit can have a positive influence on the team.

"Maxi is a player who understands the game. He has quality. He's not a proper winger who'll pass players and dribble all the time but he can pass the ball and get in good positions," said the Spaniard.

"He can give to us more competition on the right side but he can play in three positions - right winger, second striker or left winger."

Sampdoria have signed goalkeeper Marco Storari on loan from AC Milan until the end of the season.

The 33-year-old is hungry for playing time having started only seven times for Milan this term and looks set to play against Catania on Sunday.

Samp coach Luigi Del Neri had requested his club acquire a goalkeeper to replace the injured Luca Castellazzi.

Castellazzi sustained ligament damage in his left knee during last weekend's 1-0 defeat to Napoli and will be sidelined for at least two months.

Real Madrid midfielder Guti seems closer to leaving the Bernabeu after admitting he would love to experience life in another country - with Italy top of his wishlist.

Guti has had a troubled season with the Spanish giants and, before last weekend's game against Real Mallorca, had not played for over two months amid reports of a bust-up with coach Manuel Pellegrini.

Both coach and player have always insisted his absence was down to injury and Guti slammed journalists who suggested otherwise during a tense press conference earlier this week.

The 33-year-old has spent his entire career at Madrid after coming through their youth academy but admits that now could be time for a change.

"I would like to end my contract at Real Madrid but it is also true that I would love to be able to play for another team," Guti told Canal+.

"To be able to enjoy another culture, to be able to enjoy another life, other team-mates, another league."

Barclays Premier League outfits Tottenham and Bolton have been linked with the Spain international, whose contract is up at the end of the season.

Inter Milan are also interested and, when asked about the Italian giants, Guti did not hide his enthusiasm.

"I would go there with open arms," he added. "It is a great club.

"I have great friends there, Samuel Eto'o and Wesley Sneijder.

"I think it's a team that can aspire to everything. The truth is that it is one of my best options, if it could be real.

"It is true that I've had a very nice time at Real Madrid, that Madrid is a city where I wanted to live all my life, and now I want to leave Madrid.

"It's like a contradiction, but I want to be able to get out of Madrid, to be able to be in another country, in another city and to be able to enjoy other things."

Werder Bremen have completed the signing of Tunisia international Aymen Abdennour on loan from Etoile Sportive du Sahel until the end of the season.

The Bundesliga side have also secured themselves an option on the defender, allowing them to sign him permanently at the end of the loan spell.

Abdennour, who has spent the last week on trial in Bremen, has flown to Frankfurt with his new team-mates and could make his debut in Saturday's Bundesliga clash with Eintracht Frankfurt, just as long as Bremen receive international clearance in time.

"We have signed a very talented player in Aymen Abdennour," said Bremen's director of sport Klaus Allofs.

"Despite his age, he already has a substantial amount of experience.

"We have watched him play for the Tunisian youth selections as well as in training recently and we believe that he has the potential to strengthen us."

Abdennour is looking forward to the challenge of earning a full-time contract with the Bundesliga club and wants to convince them that they have done the right thing in giving him a chance.

"I really wanted to come to Werder because it is a big and famous club in a strong league," he said.

"I feel ready for this step and I will do all I can to be successful. I know that a lot of faith is being placed in me and would like to justify that as quickly as possible."

Abdennour has been capped three times by the Tunisia national team and is currently captain of the under-21s.

Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier claims that if Mancini does not sign by Sunday the deal is off.

The French giants have been pursuing the versatile Brazil international for the past fortnight and agreed a deal in principle with Inter Milan on Wednesday night to sign him until the end of the season.

Mancini has yet to put pen to paper on a deal at the Stade Velodrome, with Manchester City and AC Milan also said to be interested in the 29-year-old, and Dassier has now laid down an ultimatum.

"It shouldn't be too long now," he told L'Equipe. "We sent off the last documents asked for by his agent yesterday at midday.

"We have decided to wait for his response until Sunday. After, it will be too late."

Mancini joined Inter from Roma in 2008 but is desperate for playing time after making just six league appearances all season.

Chelsea are interested in signing Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko, according to the player's Italian agent.

Dzeko has been tipped to leave the Bundesliga side in the summer, with AC Milan believed to be leading the race for his signature.

The Bosnia international helped Wolfsburg claim the German title last season and has also been linked with Arsenal and both Manchester clubs.

Milan came close to securing his services last summer but could not agree terms on the deal, with a San Siro switch expected to be completed at the end of the current campaign.

But Dzeko's Italian agent Silvano Martina has warned Leonardo's side that they could face stiff competition from Premier League leaders Chelsea.

Martina told calciomercato.it: "I can confirm that Milan really likes the player. At the time in Italy they are the club which showed most interest.

"But attention must be paid to Chelsea as the Blues are following Dzeko."

Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain will be absent for nearly a month, the Primera Division side have confirmed.

Higuain has been in outstanding form this season and put in another impressive performance at the weekend, scoring one goal and setting up the other as Madrid beat Mallorca 2-0.

The 22-year-old played the full 90 minutes on Sunday night but tests on Tuesday revealed he has sustained a left foot injury that will sideline him for around three weeks.

Higuain's injury comes as a big blow to Madrid, with the youngster having scored 11 goals in his last 10 matches.

It should see more playing time given to Karim Benzema, who has admitted to feeling somewhat frustrated with his current role as substitute at the Spanish giants.

Having already been knocked out of the Copa del Rey before Christmas, Madrid only have three more games in January, facing Athletic Bilbao and Deportivo La Coruna away, as well as hosting Malaga.

Madrid, who will also be without injured midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, are two points behind leaders Barcelona at the top of the Primera Division standings.

Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona to a 5-0 win at Tenerife on Sunday night as the Catalan giants ended the weekend as they started it; holding a two-point lead at the top of the Primera Division.

Real Madrid briefly led the way after beating Real Mallorca 2-0 earlier in the evening but Barca swept back to the summit after brushing aside Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Messi's contribution was a wonderful hat-trick - the third goal an impudent chip from the edge of the area.

Carles Puyol also got on the scoresheet with home defender Ezequiel Luna adding a late fifth with an unfortunate prod past his own goalkeeper.

Madrid had greater difficulty with the snow in the capital than they did with a toothless Mallorca side.

But despite the wintry conditions, Manuel Pellegrini's men strolled to victory with goals from Gonzalo Higuain - a sublime 25-yard curling effort - and Esteban Granero.

Valencia strengthened their hold on third position with a comfortable 3-1 win at rock-bottom Xerez on Sunday afternoon.

The hosts, who have now accumulated just seven points from 17 games, threatened a surprise when Carlos Calvo cancelled out Juan Mata's opener.

But Valencia upped their game to outplay their valiant, if limited, opponents.

David Silva restored their lead and a fine solo effort from Carlos Marchena settled matters.

Deportivo La Coruna gave their Champions League aspirations a boost as they moved back into the top four with a narrow 1-0 victory at home to 10-man Osasuna.

Juan Rodriguez eventually gave Miguel Angel Lotina's men the lead four minutes after the break, but Deportivo were unable to extend their lead, even after Osasuna had Javad Nekounam sent off halfway through the second period for bringing down Andres Guardado.

Sporting Gijon ended a dismal recent run with a narrow 1-0 defeat of Getafe.

Diego Castro put Sporting Gijon in front after 39 minutes and the strike proved to be the winner.

Getafe's Daniel Cata Diaz hit the post with a header after 57 minutes but it was the closest the visitors came as they suffered just a second loss in their last seven league games.

Espanyol returned to winning ways thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 win at home to struggling Real Zaragoza in the Primera Division on Sunday evening.

The win sees the Barcelona-based side move five points clear of the relegation zone after 17 rounds.

Espanyol took the lead through Joan Verdu after 13 minutes, but were pegged back by Javier Arizmendi's leveller shortly before the break.

However, Mauricio Pochettino's side looked the most likely and Fernando Marques grabbed the winner from close-range with just under 20 minutes remaining.

Malaga stretched their unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions but remain in the relegation zone after a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao.

La Rosaleda have not been defeated since the start of November but a failure to close out victories means they are still battling the drop.

Fernando Llorente was responsible for earning Bilbao a share of the spoils, earning and scoring a late penalty after Weligton's opening goal at the start of the second half.

On Saturday evening Atletico Madrid produced the perfect reaction to their humiliating midweek cup defeat with an impressive 4-0 victory at Valladolid.

Atletico went down 3-0 at Second Division Recreativo Huelva in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night and have been hugely criticised for that result, despite playing most of the match with 10 men.

Coach Quique Sanchez Flores was furious with his team and said he will look for a new group of players that will not let him down.

But there was no time to change too much before this match, just three days later.

Atletico looked a completely different side, though, and took control of the match within half an hour, thanks to goals from Jose Manuel Jurado and Diego Forlan, before Jose Antonio Reyes wrapped up a fine win with a third 13 minutes into the second half and substitute Sergio Aguero added a fourth at the death.

Sevilla slipped up at home for the fourth time in a row in the Primera Liga as Manolo Jimenez's men fell to an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Racing Santander.

Young striker Sergio Canales was the hero for a revitalised Racing, hitting both goals as the Cantabrians secured a fourth win in five games under new coach Miguel Angel Portugal.

But it was another disappointment for Sevilla, who had picked up just two points from their last three home league matches and were unable to get back into this one, despite Ndri Romaric's strike on the hour.

The locals rallied late on, but were unable to find an equaliser and saw their fading championship hopes all but extinguished following another miserable evening.

Villarreal missed the chance to record their sixth successive home win in La Liga after being held 1-1 by Almeria, who have now taken four points in two games under new coach Juan Manuel Lillo.

Villarreal took the lead just before half-time through record-signing Nilmar, but the Yellow Submarine were pegged back midway through the second half when Almeria drew level with a Miguel Angel Corona penalty.

That spot-kick was awarded when Ivan Marcano was adjudged to have dragged down Henok Goitom in the area, and to complete a miserable night for the Villarreal centre-back he was also sent-off late on for a second bookable offence.

Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara will be going into Wednesday's Coppa Italia clash against Napoli looking over his shoulder with Russia coach Guus Hiddink being linked with the Bianconeri hot seat.

The Turin giants have lost three of their last four games in Serie A and were also knocked out of the Champions League short of the last 16 to leave Ferrara on shaky ground.

According to the Russian media, Hiddink has been told by the Russian Federation he is free to guide a club and the Dutchman has reportedly been spotted in Turin.

"I don't feel as though my job is at risk," said Ferrara after Sunday's 3-0 defeat to AC Milan.

"Of course, I am very disappointed just as everyone else is.

"But as I have said before and I reiterate, I will not leave this ship.

"I am instead very focused on what we must do in order to change this negative trend.

"On Wednesday we face Napoli in the Coppa Italia and we have to get back to work and look ahead."

Napoli's new signing from Liverpool, Andrea Dossena, could make his debut in that game.

The winner of the clash in Turin will face Inter Milan in the quarter-finals.

Nine-time Coppa Italia winners Roma go into Tuesday's clash against Serie B side Triestina at the Stadio Olimpico still without injured captain Francesco Totti.

Totti has been sidelined with a knee injury since December while Roma coach Claudio Ranieri will rest new signing Luca Toni in view of Sunday's match against Genoa.

AC Milan entertain Lega Pro Prima Division A outfit Novara on Wednesday in buoyant mood following their 3-0 triumph at Juventus at the weekend.

Genoa will be hoping to make it two wins in a row against Catania on Wednesday having beaten the Sicilian minnows 2-0 in the league on Sunday.

On Thursday, Udinese take on Lega Pro Prima Division A side Lumezzane desperate to return to winning ways.

The Friuli outfit have lost five of their last seven matches in Serie A and look for their first win since Giovanni De Biasi replaced Pasquale Marino at the helm last month.

Later that day, Fiorentina take on Chievo while defending champions Lazio host Palermo.

Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara claims he is not worried about losing his job despite the team's continued struggles.

The Turin club suffered a 3-0 home defeat to AC Milan on Sunday - their third loss in four Serie A games.

Title hopefuls before the season, the Bianconeri are now in third place and 12 points adrift of league leaders Inter Milan.

Ferrara said: "I don't feel as though my job is at risk. I am instead very focused on what we must do in order to change this negative trend.

"I will accept any decision but as I have said before and I reiterate, I will not leave this ship. It's a very difficult time for us."

Juventus have given away nine goals in their last four games and Ferrara understands the fans' frustration.

He added: "It is us that have to change things around although right now, we are all hit by sadness.

"I just want to recreate the spirit that there was at the start of the season."

AC Milan kept up the pressure on Serie A table-toppers and city rivals Inter Milan with a 3-0 win away to Juventus - a result which turns the heat firmly on home coach Ciro Ferrara.

Alessandro Nesta put Milan ahead in the 29th minute with Ronaldinho adding a second in the 72nd minute as Juve struggled to produce a performance that would ease the calls for Ferrara's head.

Another goal from Ronaldinho two minutes from time came amid protests from the home fans, who shrouded the field with smoke by burning any item possible, and sealed the win for Milan - now eight points behind Inter with a game in hand.

Napoli remain firmly in the hunt for Champions League football after substitute German Denis came off the bench to score the winner against Sampdoria on Sunday.

Denis headed home after 71 minutes to move Napoli on to 33 points and right into contention for a place in next year's elite European competition.

Sampdoria put up a strong fight but they could not find the goals necessary to prevent Napoli extending their unbeaten run to 12 games.

Substitute Jose Castillo struck the winning goal for Fiorentina as the Viola came from behind against Bari to prevail 2-1 and climb to sixth.

Castillo struck the winner in the 74th minute but he was shown a red card 10 minutes from time, with Bari's Sergio Almiron already dismissed for two bookings.

Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu had earlier cancelled out Paulo Barreto's 25th minute opener.

Genoa claimed a routine 2-0 win over 10-man Catania at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

The home side struggled to get into the game until Giuseppe Bellusci was sent off for the visitors in the 28th minute.

Genoa went ahead through Giandomenico Mesto in the 36th minute with Giuseppe Sculli sealing their win in the 71st minute before Catania coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was also sent to the stands.

Palermo extended their unbeaten Serie A run to five games with a narrow 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Atalanta.

Edinson Cavani netted the only goal from the penalty spot after he was brought down by Leonardo Talamonti.

The visitors finished the contest with 10 men as Gyorgy Garics was sent off in second-half stoppage time for a second bookable offence.

Udinese halted a worrying run of defeats but could not claim all three Serie A points as Lazio held on for a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Friuli.

Gianni De Biasi's side went into the game having lost five of their last six games following their midweek defeat by Bari and got off to another miserable start as Sergio Floccari put Lazio ahead after 16 minutes.

But Antonio Di Natale's free-kick levelled matters 11 minutes later and neither side could find a winner in an absorbing, even game.

Alessandro Matri struck the winner as Cagliari ended the rot on the road by edging strugglers Bologna 1-0 at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.

Matri's strike in the 66th minute was enough to see the Sardinian outfit record their first win on their travels since October 29.

Livorno eased their fears of relegation with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Parma at the Stadio Armando Picchi.

Francesco Tavano gave the home side the lead midway through the first period and veteran forward Cristiano Lucarelli doubled their advantage 17 minutes into the second half.

Blerim Dzemaili pulled one back for Parma six minutes later but Livorno held on as Francesco Guidolin's side ran out of steam.

On Saturday night Wesley Sneijder and Walter Samuel scored late goals as defending champions Inter Milan twice came from behind to claim a thrilling 4-3 victory over Siena in the top-versus-bottom clash at the San Siro.

Massimo Maccarone's swerving effort fired Siena into an 18th-minute lead, but Inter were level six minutes later when Sneijder found Diego Milito who drilled in.

Sneijder curled in a second from a 36th-minute free-kick but Siena responded immediately as Albin Ekdal ghosted in at the back post to drill in a leveller.

Maccarone scored his second after 65 minutes but Sneijder scored his second free-kick after 88 minutes and Samuel hit a stoppage-time winner as Inter and Jose Mourinho's long unbeaten home records remained intact.

Siena had Cribari sent off as their frustrations boiled over after the final whistle.

Meanwhile a first-minute goal from Daniele De Rossi was enough to give 10-man Roma a 1-0 victory over Chievo which moves them up to fourth in the table.

Rossi headed in from a corner to give the hosts the lead at the Stadio Olimpico, but they had goalkeeper Doni sent off after he handled the ball outside the area after coming out as Elvis Abbruscato charged through on goal.

Chievo were unable to make the most of their numerical advantage and Abbruscato and Luca Ariati wasted chances as the Giallorossi secured the win.

Atletico Madrid produced the perfect reaction to their humiliating midweek cup defeat with an impressive 4-0 victory at Valladolid on Saturday evening.

Atletico went down 3-0 at Second Division Recreativo Huelva in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night and have been hugely criticised for that result, despite playing most of the match with 10 men.

Coach Quique Sanchez Flores was furious with his team and said he will look for a new group of players that will not let him down.

But there was no time to change too much before this match, just three days later.

Atletico looked a completely different side, though, and took control of the match within half an hour, thanks to goals from Jose Manuel Jurado and Diego Forlan, before Jose Antonio Reyes wrapped up a fine win with a third 13 minutes into the second half and substitute Sergio Aguero added a fourth at the death.

Sevilla slipped up at home for the fourth time in a row in the Primera Liga as Manolo Jimenez's men fell to an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Racing Santander.

Young striker Sergio Canales was the hero for a revitalised Racing, hitting both goals as the Cantabrians secured a fourth win in five games under new coach Miguel Angel Portugal.

But it was another disappointment for Sevilla, who had picked up just two points from their last three home league matches and were unable to get back into this one, despite Ndri Romaric's strike on the hour.

The locals rallied late on, but were unable to find an equaliser and saw their fading championship hopes all but extinguished following another miserable evening.

Villarreal missed the chance to record their sixth successive home win in La Liga after being held 1-1 by Almeria, who have now taken four points in two games under new coach Juan Manuel Lillo.

Villarreal took the lead just before half-time through record-signing Nilmar, but the Yellow Submarine were pegged back midway through the second half when Almeria drew level with a Miguel Angel Corona penalty.

That spot-kick was awarded when Ivan Marcano was adjudged to have dragged down Henok Goitom in the area, and to complete a miserable night for the Villarreal centre-back he was also sent-off late on for a second bookable offence.

Wesley Sneijder and Walter Samuel scored late goals as defending champions Inter Milan twice came from behind to claim a thrilling 4-3 Serie A victory over Siena in the top-versus-bottom clash at the San Siro on Saturday night.

Massimo Maccarone's swerving effort fired Siena into an 18th-minute lead, but Inter were level six minutes later when Sneijder found Diego Milito who drilled in.

Sneijder curled in a second from a 36th-minute free-kick but Siena responded immediately as Albin Ekdal ghosted in at the back post to drill in a leveller.

Maccarone scored his second after 65 minutes but Sneijder scored his second free-kick after 88 minutes and Samuel hit a stoppage-time winner as Inter and Jose Mourinho's long unbeaten home records remained intact.

Siena had Cribari sent off as their frustrations boiled over after the final whistle.

Meanwhile a first-minute goal from Daniele De Rossi was enough to give 10-man Roma a 1-0 victory over Chievo which moves them up to fourth in the table.

Rossi headed in from a corner to give the hosts the lead at the Stadio Olimpico, but they had goalkeeper Doni sent off after he handled the ball outside the area after coming out as Elvis Abbruscato charged through on goal.

Chievo were unable to make the most of their numerical advantage and Abbruscato and Luca Ariati wasted chances as the Giallorossi secured the win.

Monaco were forced to endure a penalty shoot-out as they narrowly avoided a last-32 exit against Ligue 2 Tours in the Coupe de France.

The match finished goalless after 90 minutes and extra time could not separate the sides. The first six spot-kicks were all successful but Monaco goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier then denied Olivier Giroud and Karim Saidi, meaning Eidur Gudjohnsen's strike proved decisive.

Ligue 2 Vannes also staved off an upset on penalties against Troyes of the National Division after a 1-1 extra-time draw.

Eric Marester had put Troyes ahead 10 minutes into the extra period, only for Laurent Herve to equalise with two minutes remaining and take the match to spot-kicks.

Amateur side Vesoul, of the fourth-tier CFA, upset Ligue 2 Laval 2-1 after extra time. Ulrich Le Pen gave Laval the lead (37) but Alain Etame levelled shortly after the hour mark and grabbed a winner in the second half of extra time.

Paulo Machado's 12th-minute goal was enough for Toulouse to see off another CFA outfit, Les Herbiers, 1-0.

Anthony Le Tallec scored the only goal as Le Mans saw off Valenciennes in the day's only all-Ligue 1 tie to beat the weather.

That left Valenciennes as the only top-flight outfit eliminated as Bordeaux, Rennes, Boulogne and Lyon made progressed safely.

Lyon won 3-1 at Strasbourg as Bafetimbi Gomis opened the scoring and Michel Bastos struck either side of Nicolas Fauvergue's goal for the hosts.

Boulogne racked up the goals in a 4-1 win at Seclin. Anthony Lecointe and Laurent Agouazi put them 2-0 up before Samuel Barril responded, but Johan Ramare's penalty and Alexandre Cuvillier's late goal rounded off the win.

Wendell's penalty saw Bordeaux past Rodez Aveyron 1-0 and Rennes beat Ligue 2 Caen 2-0 with goals from Jimmy Briand and Ismael Bangoura.

Ajaccio beat Cannes 3-0 thanks to Ludovic Guerriero, Julien Viale and Jean Pierazzi, while the weather claimed the remaining seven ties, with seven Ligue 1 sides affected.

Lille's away game against Colmar, Lens' clash at Compiegne and Sochaux's trip to Saint Louis Neuweg were called off, along with two all-Ligue 1 clashes - Grenoble v Montpellier and St Etienne v Lorient.

Pontivy v Brest and St-Ouen L'Aumone v Sedan were the other matches lost.

Roberto Mancini believes up to six clubs are capable of lifting the Premier League trophy this year.

Only three clubs - Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal - have managed it since 1995 and only the first two were tipped to achieve glory this term.

But in a season of shocks, predictions have been thrown out of the window and Mancini's Manchester City side take on Blackburn at Eastlands on Monday knowing a place in the top four could blow open the entire title race.

Certainly Mancini views the English championship as being far more open than Italy, where he was in charge of Inter Milan for the first three of what look certain to become five straight Serie A triumphs this term.

"There are five or six clubs that can win the Premier League," said Mancini.

"It is more competitive because there are many top players in England. And, of course, Manchester City are a top club."

So much has happened at Eastlands recently, and so diversionary has been the icy weather that has enveloped the region that it seems far longer than three weeks since Mancini was confirmed as Mark Hughes' successor.

Although Mancini has brought an admirable sense of stability to a club that appeared on the brink of chaos when Hughes was sacked, it was perhaps no surprise that he should turn to Patrick Vieira, someone he knows so well having worked together for two years at Inter, as his first signing.

"Patrick can help me," admitted Mancini.

"He knows me and my methods. His mentality is most important for the team.

"We needed a tall player like him in midfield. He can also score goals with his head, so it is really good to have him."

And, as Mancini joked, Vieira also speaks better English than his manager, which may be an advantage at certain times when a different voice is required in the dressing room.

Not that Vieira is being lined up as skipper.

Despite initial reservations, Kolo Toure seems set to keep that job, although the central defender - and Vieira's former Arsenal team-mate - is currently away at the African Nations Cup.

"I don't think he will be captain," said Mancini.

"We have many important players. Patrick is another one.

"It is more use for us that he plays well. He can improve our performance in all the games."

A calf injury picked up in his final game for Inter makes Vieira a doubt for the Blackburn game.

However, it will only be a brief delay as, rather than being a peripheral figure as some suggested, Mancini clearly views Vieira as being an integral member of his new-look City side.

"I see him as a regular player in the side," said Mancini.

"Patrick won a lot of trophies with Arsenal, Juventus and Inter.

"He must continue that at City because that attitude needs to go through to the other players here."

City officials are optimistic that extensive efforts to clear roads and access routes to Eastlands will prove successful on Monday after the impossibility of trying to do the same job for the Carling Cup semi-final with Manchester United last week.

Shaun Wright-Phillips is hopeful of recovering from an ankle injury in time to feature against Sam Allardyce's men, while Carlos Tevez, Craig Bellamy and Gareth Barry should all start after beginning last weekend's FA Cup defeat of Middlesbrough on the bench.

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