csconstantine.com

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The Champions League offers two mouthwatering first-leg ties in the last 16 on Wednesday as Inter Milan take on Bayern Munich in a repeat of last year’s final while Olympique Marseille host Manchester United.

Inter won that clash in Madrid 2-0 to complete a treble — and deny Bayern one—but the two teams go into the San Siro first leg in very different shape this season.

Both are still involved in their domestic cup competitions but retaining their league titles looks a long shot as Bayern are 13 points behind Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund and Inter trail AC Milan by five points.

Inter, however, are on something of an upward trajectory since Leonardo replaced Rafa Benitez as manager, though they will be without injured Argentine forward Diego Milito, scorer of both goals in last May’s final, for Wednesday’s game.

Manchester United, who beat Bayern to complete their famous treble in 1999, are well placed for another triple assault despite continually being told they are not playing well.

Four points clear in the Premier League and into the FA Cup quarter-finals—albeit after a laboured 1-0 win over minor league Crawley Town last Saturday—United are progressing, if not exactly marching, into the business end of the season.

They travel to the south of France buoyed by an impressive record on the road in the Champions League, having lost only two of their last 20 away matches and winning nine of their last 10.

Marseille are in the knockout stage for the first time since they won the inaugural Champions League title in 1993 but they will need something special to overcome a long injury list and upset Alex Ferguson’s seasoned campaigners.

(Editing Ken Ferris; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Labels: Again, Bayern, Inter, looks, Reuters, Treble

The 1-0 victory over Hamilton followed a midweek triumph at Aberdeen, with St Mirren and Celtic visiting Fir Park over the next eight days.

"Three points (against Hamilton) is huge," McCall told BBC Scotland.

"We've got to be as positive again on Wednesday night (against St Mirren) and get at them again."

Having had indifferent results at the start of his Motherwell reign, McCall's side are starting to find their form and are well in the mix for top six places.

"You take nothing for granted just because you're at home against a side below you, it showed (against Hamilton) just how difficult it can be," McCall said.

"Teams like Hamilton and St Mirren are fighting for their lives down at the bottom there and we've got an aim as well.

"The game on Wednesday comes and then Celtic come on Sunday so two home games to look forward to and St Mirren will be a big one again."

Of the win over Hamilton, McCall said: "I'm absolutely delighted. I thought we fully merited a victory.

"We knew what type of game it was going to be; always tough, even though Hamilton are at the bottom, they don't lose lots of goals.

"Their keeper's pulled off two or three excellent stops, our keeper's not had anything to do. I'm not saying the results wasn't in doubt but we fully merited a victory.

"Overall, if you look at chances and possession of the ball and everything, we were the most prominent side without a doubt."

Motherwell's winning goal came from the penalty spot, John Sutton converting after he was pulled down in the box by Martin Canning.

"My first reaction was that Sutty had rolled the boy and the boy clawed him to the ground," added McCall.

"From where I was I thought it was a penalty, Sutty says it was definitely a penalty kick.

"We're pleased that he stepped up and slotted it in the corner. I was confident in Sutty and delighted for him to take that."

Labels: continue, looks, McCall, Motherwell, Sport, Stuart, winning

CRAWLEY, England (AP)—They both are nicknamed the Red Devils and both have fiery Scotsmen as their managers. That’s where the similarities end between Manchester United and Crawley Town.

The gulf between the clubs could hardly be bigger ahead of their meeting Saturday in the FA Cup’s fifth round, a game billed as among the biggest mismatches in the competition’s history.

United, a world power with three European titles and famous players such as Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs, has a four-point lead in the Premier League as it tries for a record 19th English title.

Crawley has never played above the fifth tier of English soccer and, until this year, struggled to attract crowds of more than 500 to its non-league matches.

The tiny southeast club would become a household name if it wins Saturday at Old Trafford.

“It’s a dream come true for the club,” Crawley chairman Victor Marley told The Associated Press. “The opportunity to perform in front of 75,000 people is something that every player, every manager aspires to do. It’s also a fantastic moment for the people of Crawley, to go and see their team play the future champions of England. It’s what any non-league club would ever have wished or hoped for.”

Crawley became only the sixth non-league team since the end of World War II — and the first in 17 years—to reach this stage in the FA Cup after beating league clubs Swindon, Derby and Torquay.

It stands to receive “in excess of 1 million pounds ($1.6 million),” according to Marley, in gate receipts, television revenue and other add-ons from the United match.

The club was about to fold in 2006 under the tenure of brothers Chas and Azwar Majeed, then was rescued by a group of local businessmen.

Debts of more than 1 million pounds were wiped clear and new investors pumped more cash into Crawley to help build a squad of relative quality and depth, costing a reported 500,000 pounds ($800,000).

Crawley is now second in its division of the Football Conference, on track for promotion to League 2 next season—and league status for the first time since it was formed in 1896.

Crawley’s manager is Steve Evans, who hails from Glasgow, Scotland, and is known for having a short temper—just like Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

Gone are the days when non-league giant killers had a construction worker at left back and a mechanic in central midfield. Unlike most other clubs at its level, Crawley has a roster of professional players, many with extensive league experience.

Players such as Argentine midfielder Sergio Torres, brought in from third-tier side Peterborough, and prolific lower-level forwards Richard Brodie and Matt Tubbs were signed for a combined fee of 270,000 pounds ($434,000) by Evans, helping improve the average attendance at 5,000-capacity Broadfield Stadium by 75 percent to about 2,000 this season.

“We have new investment in and that’s enabled the manager to purchase the players that have pushed us to the forefront,” Marley said. “But you can spend money and still not win the league, as has been seen in the past with other clubs.”

Labels: Crawley, little, looks, United, upset

Chris Ashton wants England to move on from their demolition of Italy and work hard to secure Six Nations glory this season.

The 23-year-old was the star of an excellent England display at Twickenham on Saturday as his four tries helped Martin Johnson's men record a 59-13 victory over the Azzurri.
The Northampton flyer scored twice in each half, while Mark Cueto, Mike Tindall, Danny Care and James Haskell also touched down as England cemented their place at the top of the table.
Ashton has now bagged six tries in the first two matches of the tournament after scoring a brace as the English opened their account with a 26-19 victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium last weekend.
Many pundits believe that England have their best chance of winning the Six Nations since they last lifted the trophy in 2003 with the way that the fixture list has been kind to them, as they play France and Scotland at home over the next few weeks.
But Ashton refuses to look too far ahead and feels that hard work and not personal accolades is the way to achieve success.
"It (breaking records) wasn't something I tried to do," he said. "I'm just glad to be in the team and I hope we carry on winning in the Six Nations. I'm glad Mark Cueto got his try as well.
"We know that (talk about winning the Grand Slam will increase) but we've just got to keep on practising as hard as we can and keep on doing our best."

Labels: Ashton, Clubcall, future, looks