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* Gignac and Remy could be doubtful for United game

* Lucho Gonzalez and Remy goals seal victory

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By Mark Meadows

PARIS, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Olympique Marseille beat St Etienne 2-1 on Saturday but their preparations for the midweek Champions League clash with Manchester United were hit by injuries to forwards Andre-Pierre Gignac and Loic Remy.

The win sent Didier Deschamps’s side up to second in Ligue 1, three points behind leaders Lille who visit Montpellier on Sunday (1600 GMT).

Lucho Gonzalez finally broke the deadlock for the frustrated champions on 68 minutes when he slotted in Gignac’s pull back and Remy netted the second 10 minutes later from close range.

Christophe Landrin grabbed a goal back for Les Verts in stoppage time.

France striker Gignac, who scored twice in last weekend’s 2-1 win at Sochaux, hobbled off on 74 minutes and the grimace on his face suggested he could be doubtful for Wednesday’s last-16 first leg at home to United.

Remy followed him down the tunnel with what appeared to be an ankle knock soon after scoring his goal.

A third forward, Brandao, was substituted midway through the second half and media reports said he may also be injured.

St Etienne, beaten 4-1 by Olympique Lyon last weekend, had started the brighter at the Stade Velodrome with Gabriel Heinze almost scoring an own goal before the visitors had the ball in the net on 13 minutes only to be thwarted by the offside flag.

Marseille then had two shots cleared off the line straight after each other before finding the breakthrough.

MONACO LOSE

Lyon, who take on Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, are third in the table after defeating AS Nancy 4-0 on Friday but could be overtaken on Sunday when Stade Rennes and Paris St Germain travel to Toulouse and Nice respectively.

Monaco’s hopes of a revival after last Saturday’s win over FC Lorient proved shortlived as they lost 2-0 at Stade Brest to remain third from bottom and in the relegation zone.

Racing Lens are a place below them after a 3-2 home defeat by Sochaux which featured a red card apiece.

Auxerre, in 16th position, and bottom side AC Arles-Avignon did nothing to ease their drop fears by sharing a 1-1 draw while Caen were held 2-2 at home by Valenciennes.

Girondins Bordeaux were playing at Lorient at 2000 GMT with the pressure still on coach Jean Tigana given the 2009 champions’s mid-table malaise.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Agences de presses

Labels: Before, clash, injured, Marseille, Reuters, United

{ • Non-league side play league leaders in FA Cup on Saturday
• 'We know it will be tough, but we can dream of winning'

Sachin Nakrani The Guardian, Friday 18 February 2011 It's not quite Old Trafford, but Broadfield Stadium is home to Crawley Town, who are second in the Blue Square Premier League and are pictured before their departure for Manchester. Photograph: Eamonn McCabe for the Guardian

The Crawley Town manager, Steve Evans, has somewhat undermined his insistence that his team will go into their FA Cup fifth-round tie against Manchester United on Saturday with the serious intention of winning by taking them on a visitors' tour of Old Trafford.

Players and staff took in the sights and sounds of United's stadium on Thursday, shortly after arriving in Manchester. That Crawley, who sit second in the Blue Square Premier League, should prepare for their first game against Sir Alex Ferguson's men with a tourist excursion will only strengthen the belief that they are not genuinely geared up to cause what would arguably be the greatest FA Cup shock of all time.

However, Evans was adamant that the Sussex-based club are focused on testing the 11-times winners of the competition. "We are one of the teams that could go and get a positive result [against Manchester United]," said Evans, who took over at Crawley in May 2007. "We know it's going to be a tough afternoon, but we can dream of winning."

Crawley, who are 35-1 to overcome United, beat Derby County and Torquay United en route to becoming only the sixth non-league side to reach the FA Cup fifth round since the second world war.

Agences de presses

Labels: Before, Crawley, enjoy, Guardian, Manchester, Trafford, United

Since a lot of people are involved in physical exercises, it is imperative that the importance of warming up before any strenuous activity should be discussed. Many have repeatedly ignored going through the warm up stage before working out, not knowing the consequences in doing so.

Why warm up? Several changes takes place in the body once physical activity is initiated. A person's respiratory rate, blood flow, and oxygen and nutrient levels delivered to the cells increases. The rate of increase should be regulated in a steady pace to prepare the body for the physical stress that exercise will demand. If one foregoes this priming procedure, the body will function less efficiently and the workout will produce less quality results. Warming up preps up the nervous system, heightens mental awareness and alertness, and loosens up joints and muscles to make them less prone to injuries. Warm ups jump starts the fluid located in the joints, minimizing the risk for wear and tear of the muscles. It gives the heart a suitable period to adjust and pump up blood and nutrients into muscles.

This is vital for older people, since they have tissues that are less supple; they have joints with less fluid, and weaker hearts. Sudden exercise can produce heart attacks to older people.

How does a person warm up properly? Initially, it can be done in any procedure that enables the heart to beat faster. One can simply walk and jog, or if a cardiovascular equipment is available, such as rowing machine or a bicycle, it can be utilized. Start at a gentle pace, and then slowly increase the pace until heart beat rate increases and the body temperature rises. It important to note that the pace should be in accordance to one's current fitness level, where the activity will leave the person energized and not exhausted.

After working up a light sweat (suggested time is 3-5 minutes, longer if the person is working out in a cold environment) one should do dynamic stretching. Stretching helps in developing overall flexibility, particularly in the spine, shoulder, and hip areas. The kind of stretching depends on the type of activity a person plans to engage to. For instance, if one is about to play sports, the recommended kind of stretching would be the ones that mimics the movements that will be done in the court or field. If one is about to do martial arts, light sparring can be done in the quarter of the normal speed, or just simply do the movements in slow motion. Be certain that the major muscles groups are stretched for 8 seconds minimum. It is necessary to remember to keep feet moving or do leg exercises whenever the upper body is stretched to keep prevent blood from pooling in the legs. Remember, one should only do stretching if the muscles are already warmed up. Do not bounce while stretching. It leads to a contraction that can result in muscle tear or pull.

For weight-lifters, this is what should be done after the initial warm up. Load the bar with about 50-60% of the heaviest weight to be done for the session and perform the number of repetitions that will be done for the heavy sets. For the second set, the weight will be increased to 80%, then eventually to 90%, decreasing to 2-3 repetitions. Afterwards, rest for about 30 seconds, then repeat the steps. After this warm up, one can now proceed to the heavy lifting for the day. The advantage of doing the procedure is that the heavy sets will feel less daunting and can now be performed with considerably less stress.

After warming up and proceeding to the main workout, it is equally important to cool down. When a person suddenly stops exercising or lifting weights, blood gathers in the muscle and oxygen is blocked. When this happens, a person runs the risk of having a heart attack. So cooling down should have the same importance as warming up.

Exercise is good for the health. Everyone is encouraged to pump it up, just remember to remember all the necessary precautions not only to maximize the workout, but also to stay safe and healthy.

Labels: Before, Exercise, Importance, Warming