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Wenger confident there'll be no regrets
SOCCER CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: LAST 16, SECOND LEG AC Milan (0) v
Arsenal (0) ARSENE WENGER has called upon his young Arsenal
team to prove they are on course to becoming "a great side" at the
San Siro this evening, urging his players to ensure they leave
Italy with no regrets. p
Stade target O'Callaghan as contract talks stall
RUGBY NEWS BOTH STADE Français and Gloucester
are believed to have made lucrative offers to the Lions, Ireland
and Munster lock Donncha O'Callaghan as his negotiations with the
IRFU over a new contract - the current one expires at the end of
this season - have dragged on for several months. p
Rule 11 will not need amending, says Duffy
GAELIC GAMES NEWS ROUND-UP PÁRAIC DUFFY, the GAA director general, has strongly indicated that the question of amending Rule 11, governing the association's amateur status, will not arise in the context of the players' awards scheme debate at next month's annual congress. p
Soccer
Home comforts give United nice edge
Manchester Utd (1) v Lyon (1) THE PRIORITY for Manchester United tonight will be to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League but Alex Ferguson's men will also have an added incentive when Lyon visit Old Trafford. pStrachan can see funny side of the task ahead
Barcelona (3) v Celtic (2) GORDON STRACHAN is hoping his players will be inspired rather than overawed by the prospect of playing Barcelona at the Camp Nou tonight. Trailing 3-2 from the first leg in Glasgow 13 days ago, Celtic are, by the manager's admission, facing a climb "almost as high as Mount Everest" as they try to become the first Scottish club to progress to the last eight of the Champions League. pOptimistic Chelsea appeal
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS CHELSEA ARE optimistic that the red card and three-game suspension Frank Lampard picked up at West Ham United on Saturday will be rescinded at a meeting of an English FA Regulatory Commission today after the referee, Peter Walton, privately admitted to making an error in sending off the midfielder. pMoyes contract talks imminent
SOCCER NEWS ROUND-UP EVERTON HAVE confirmed contract talks with manager David Moyes will begin soon. Moyes, who celebrates six years at the Goodison Park helm next week, indicated after Sunday's 3-1 defeat of Portsmouth he expected discussions to take place in the near future. p
Trimble not making too many waves
SIX NATIONS NEWS IN LATE January the Irish rugby team booked into the Killiney Castle Hotel in south Dublin. By the time they check out of their rooms for good, it will be close to the middle of March with just England left to play in the final match of the Six Nations Championship. pFullback pair still a cause for concern
IRISH COACH, Eddie O'Sullivan, is still uncertain if he can call on his two first-choice fullbacks, Geordan Murphy and Girvan Dempsey for Ireland's game against Wales in Croke Park on Saturday. pTalent left to wither as Union blocks movement
Union inflexibility and provincial self-interest are hindering player movement and the development of young Irish talent, writes Gerry Thorn ley pRUGBY DIGEST
Other rugby stories in brief p
Masters content on county and club front
EVENTS OF the past few weeks have presumably left James Masters in a state of contentment. Yesterday he was in Dublin to receive his AIB award as player of the championship in Munster club football, having eight days previously been part of the Nemo Rangers side that turned on a fine display to beat Ballina and reach the All-Ireland final. pGarda back in Sigerson Cup
COMHAIRLE ARDOIDEACHAIS (CAO), the governing body of the higher-education competitions, is considering asking the GAA's Management Committee for clarification after yesterday's announcement that the Central Appeals Committee (CAC) had reinstated the Garda College into this season's Sigerson Cup. pGaelic Games Digest
Other Gaelic Games stories in brief p
Els ready to make a challenge
IN THE universe away from that occupied by Tiger Woods, the earth spins at a slower pace. If Ernie Els has taken longer than anticipated to reach the stage where he can again be viewed as a creditable challenger to Woods, the deduction to be made after his victory in the Honda Classic on Sunday is that the South African is finally getting closer to his desired destination. pDodging the wildlife and the dodgy nightlife
CADDIE'S ROLE By all means shoot the birdies and the eagles but don't bludgeon the egrets or the herons when you go golfing down Florida way, writes Colin Byrne pSHORT GAME
Other golf stories in brief p
Lombard's return reignites debate
ATHLETICS WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS ATHLETICS IRELAND may have been spared the indignity of having to select Cathal Lombard for the World Cross Country championships, but his return after a two-year drugs ban has reignited the debate over the way self-confessed drug cheats can walk back into their sport. pMurray defeats Federer
TENNIS NEWS ANDY MURRAY confirmed his ability to compete against the best players after his three-set victory over world number one Roger Federer in the first round of the Dubai Open yesterday. p
