The Sports Matrix: Wednesday 13 April 2011
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Your support makes all the difference.Tevez to undergo injury scan today
Carlos Tevez will have a scan on his hamstring injury today which will dictate whether he plays a part in Saturday’s FA Cup semifinal. The City medical team predict a two-week absence from the injury sustained inMonday’s 3-0 defeat at Anfield. MORE
Low demand for rugby at Reebok
Sale’s game with London Irish was moved to the Reebok Stadium for a bigger crowd. But the Sale chief executive, Mick Hogan, admitted the attendance would not be as high as they hoped: “We don’t think we’ll pull in the crowd we’d hoped for originally.” MORE
Murray aims for good start on clay
Andy Murray plays in the Monte Carlo Masters today. The Scot’s form is poor: since the Australian Open semi-finals he has played four games and not won a set. His last two defeats were to players outside the top 100. MORE
QPR extend lead over second place
Queens Park Rangers moved back to 10 points clear of second place in the Championship with a 1-0 win at Barnsley, thanks to Adel Taarabt’s goal. Cardiff returned to second spot, winning at Sheffield United while Swansea and Norwich could only draw. MORE
Redgraves raise genetics riddle
The Boat Race win by Steve Redgrave’s daughter, Natalie, raises the issue of the role genetics play in success. “I think it’s a combination,” she said. “You can have the genes, the build, everything, but without hard work you’re not going to get anywhere.” MORE
Spurs win ‘would take a miracle’
Harry Redknapp was honest about Spurs’ chances of reversing a 4-0 deficit against Real Madrid tonight: “We know it would take a miracle, but miracles can happen. As long as we give our best shot and everything we have, I can’t ask for any more.” MORE
Broad to return in time for first Test
Stuart Broad hopes to return to County Championship cricket on 4 May in Nottinghamshire’s game against Yorkshire. “Then I can get some Championship wickets before the first Test,” he said. England play Sri Lanka in Cardiff starting on 26 May. MORE
Schalke close to semi-final place
Schalke host Internazionale in the quarter-final second leg tonight, with a 5-2 lead from San Siro. “If someone had told us before the match that we would beat Inter by three goals,” said new coach Ralf Rangnick, “we would have declared him mad.” MORE
Major winners meet at Wentworth
The four current holders of golf’s Majors will compete at next month’s PGA Championship, it has been announced. Masters champion Charl Schwartzel will be joined by Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell at Wentworth. MORE
Opinion: James Lawton
Roman Abramovich might, rather than sacking Carlo Ancelotti, consider the option of continuity, understanding and respecting professionals who know the game. That policy continues to work for Manchester United. MORE
United storm into the semi-finals
A virtuoso display by Ryan Giggs, who set up goals for Javier Hernandez and Park Ji-sung, gave Manchester United a 2-1 second leg win over Chelsea and a place in the semi-finals. Chelsea started the game the brighter, as they needed to given their 1-0 deficit from last week’s Stamford Bridge leg. Their best chance fell to Frank Lampard, who shot meekly at Edwin van der Sar. United scored first, though, as they did in the first leg. Wayne Rooney played an excellent crossfield pass to Giggs, who exchanged passes with John O’Shea before crossing low to the far post where Hernandez tapped in. Carlo Ancelotti replaced Fernando Torres with Didier Drogba at the interval, but, with 21 minutes left, Ramires was sent off for a second booking. Seven minutes later Drogba scored, but Park converted another Giggs cross less than a minute later to confirm United’s safe passage to the next round and put another Wembley final on the horizon. MORE
Messi helps Barça through to semis
Barcelona reached the semi-finals for the fourth consecutive year with a 1-0 win in Shakhtar Donetsk. They went to Ukraine with a 5-1 lead from the first leg and Lionel Messi’s goal just before half-time confirmed their progress to the competition’s final four. MORE
Elzaam fancied for for Free Handicap
Elzaam looks a good bet in today’s Free Handicap at Newmarket, where Midsummer Sun, a halfbrother to Midday and stablemate of Frankel, makes his debut for trainer Henry Cecil this afternoon on the opening day of the Craven meeting. MORE
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