Rooney could be fit to face Sunderland

Manchester United have been handed a huge double fitness boost ahead of their trip to Sunderland after Sir Alex Ferguson revealed that Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand could return for the crucial match. The pair have both been suffering from groin injuries - Rooney having aggravated the problem in training last week on top of the ankle injury he picked up during the second leg of the Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich, while Ferdinand suffered his at Blackburn earlier this month.

With victory at the Stadium of Light potentially decisive in the Premier League title race, Sir Alex Ferguson is anxious to have the pair available.

And both will train this morning ahead of a likely return against Steve Bruce's men, who have only lost twice on home soil this season.

Ferguson ready for this week

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson heads into unchartered territory on Saturday, when he faces a Manchester City side with something to play for in the derby.

The backdrop to this season's pivotal clash could hardly seem gloomier for United. Out of the Champions League and four points adrift of league leaders Chelsea with just four matches remaining, Ferguson might ordinarily have had a job raising spirits around Old Trafford.

But it is not just the sight of Wayne Rooney testing out the ankle injury that looks to have eased sufficiently for him to return, nor the presence of Owen Hargreaves in Ferguson's squad for the first time since September 2008, nor even Paul Scholes signing a one-year contract extension, that has brought a sense of focus back to United minds.

It is the knowledge that City, the team they have laughed at for so long, are just five wins away from joining them in the Champions League next season.

Real Madrid Runs After Barcelona

Almeria 1-2 Real Madrid


Real Madrid cut Barcelona's lead at the summit back to three points after recovering from an early deficit to defeat mid-table Almeria tonight.

Madrid, seeking an immediate response to their demoralising 2-0 home defeat to Barca in 'El Clasico' last weekend, created chance after chance but were made to sweat before recording their seventh successive away win.

Almeria shocked their big-spending visitors by taking a 14th-minute lead through Albert Crusat, but a fine Cristiano Ronaldo goal drew Madrid level nine minutes later and Rafael van der Vaart secured the victory in the 69th minute.

Wayne Rooney, Top Scorer

After an injury for a few weeks, Wayne Rooney still keeps his top in the list of Top Scorer in Barclays Premier League. By 34th week, Rooney scored 26 goals for Manchester United, followed closely by Didier Drogba who score 25 goals for Chelsea. This week, Manchester United is having a trip to the City of Manchester Stadium, while Chelsea is also away from home to visit Tottenham Hotspur.

Both strikers are competing with each other in the top list. Manchester United needs WIN to gain its position on the top, competing with Chelsea. Chelsea requires WIN to keep its number 1 in the list for this season. Therefore, Rooney and Drogba are playing an important role for their own club. But, who will stand at the highest position this week?

World Cup 2010

April 16, 2010

South Africa has been abuzz with thousands of fans queuing across the country in a bid to get their hands on tickets for this summer's World Cup as the final sales phase opened.

FIFA announced last week that 500,000 unsold tickets would be made available in a first-ever over-the-counter drive, and the response in the host nation has been emphatic, as more than 53,000 were sold in the first eight hours across 11 ticketing centres and hundreds of branches of First National Bank, while 23 matches - including the opening game, the two semi-finals and final - sold out.