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Ferguson upbeat despite injuries
Soccer/ Uefa Champions League Semi-final, first leg : There is something in Manchester United's DNA that means they never do things the easy way, and tonight's Champions League semi-final against Milan promises to test their powers of endurance to the limit. p

Gattuso central to Milan's cause
Daniel Taylor on Alex Ferguson's long-held admiration for the midfield duo Manchester United face tonight, the tigerish Gennaro Gattuso and playmaker Andrea Pirlo. p

Zayed puts in extra effort to seal victory
Setanta Cup Semi-final/ St Patrick's Athletic 0 Drogheda Utd 1: Having reckoned beforehand that this year's Setanta Cup was in need of a cracker, Paul Doolin watched his Drogheda United side win one at Richmond Park last night where an Eamon Zayed goal after 22 minutes of extra time was enough to earn the defending champions a place in this year's final. p

Experience may prove decisive
Uefa Champions League Semi-final, first leg: Jeremy Wilson talks to former Liverpool player Djimi Traore who looks at the various factors that might sway tomorrow night's clash. p
Biancheri eyes Arsenal role
News: Henri Biancheri, the man who helped Arsene Wenger sign Thierry Henry for Monaco, last night declared his candidacy to fill the vacant director of football position at Arsenal. p
Kenny's efforts are unlikely to go unnoticed
Emmet Malone On Soccer : The trouble with handing out man-of-the-match awards before the end of games is, as we all know, that in football things can change dramatically in a matter of seconds. p
Rovers apologise
Soccer Digest : Shamrock Rovers officials have apologised to Drogheda United defender Simon Webb for the taunts to which he was subjected on Friday night in relation to the death last year after a long illness of his wife Anneli, reports Emmet Malone . p

Donegal don't have time to enjoy it
After a fairly relentless four-month schedule - climaxing with Sunday's first National League win - you'd imagine the Donegal footballers could chill for a while and enjoy their hard-earned success. No chance - not with Armagh waiting in the long grass for their championship date in five weeks' time. p
GAA confident pitch will be ready in time
Players and managers weren't the only ones under pressure in recent weeks and the Croke Park pitch now also gets a breather. p

Physical chasm a cause for concern
Gerry Thornley On Rugby: Hasn't it been extraordinary how the fizz just went out of Irish rugby so suddenly this season? A salient warning, perhaps, as to what the future might hold. p
Ospreys believe they are still in title race
Celtic League : The result of tonight's match between the Ospreys and Llanelli in the Magners Celtic League at Stradey Park will be watched very closely by Michael Cheika's Leinster side. Cheika and his team face the Ospreys on Friday night in what both sides will consider a 10-point match. p

Newmill 'in great form'
Champion Chase preview : Newmill and Andrew McNamara are set to defend their Kerrygold Champion Chase title on day one of the €2.5 million Punchestown festival which in a new step to the track's 157-year history, will be officially launched this afternoon. p
Snowy Morning looks the pick
Rest of Punchestown preview : Ground conditions on the easy side of good are being predicted for today's Punchestown action which should be ideal for Snowy Morning's chances of going one better than at Cheltenham. p

Clarke looks to improve ranking with five in a row
Tour Scene News round-up : Sometimes, drastic circumstances require drastic measures; and Darren Clarke's freefall in the world rankings, to a current position of 69th, has led to an intensive upcoming tour schedule that will see him undertake a five-tournament stint in successive weeks, starting with this week's Spanish Open in Madrid. p
McGinley feels ready for new start
Some players have been busier than others on tour so far this season. For instance, Anton Haig and Simon Dyson have each played 14 times on the PGA European Tour while, in contrast, Paul McGinley will be making just his sixth appearance of the season when he forms part of a strong Irish challenge at this week's Spanish Open in Madrid. p
Shanghai surprise at the Asian Open
Caddie's Role : Although golf is not a brand new game in China you can still smell the paint drying on the sport in the People's Republic. p
Playing important roles in their sport
In Focus/ Women in golf: John O'Sullivan talks to four women who hold high profile positions in the game in this country. p
A round and about
Connor Morris : Hosts Tee Times programmes on Setanta Sports. p
The Short Game
Kilkenny Scratch Cup: The Kilkenny Scratch Cup, sponsored by Smithwicks, will take place on Sunday, May 13th. This is the 44th year of the 36-hole event and West Waterford's Mark Shanahan will be defending the title he won in such impressive style last year. p

Doherty struggles but O'Brien nicks tight one
Snooker/ World Championship : Crucible rookie Mark Allen showed no signs of nerves on his first outing at the World Championship yesterday afternoon as he opened up a 6-3 lead over Ken Doherty. p
Probe call puts Cork event in jeopardy
Equestrian Sport : Ireland's only eventing World Cup qualifier is in serious jeopardy after massive withdrawals from the cross-country phase at Ballindenisk in Co Cork on Sunday sparked calls for an investigation into the ground conditions. p
Great start for Ireland
Tennis/ Federation Cup : Ireland got off to a promising start when they came through the first of their Europe/Africa Zone Group III Federation Cup games against Montenegro in Mauritius yesterday. p

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