The Premier League leaders will be without Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic and Mikael Silvestre for their Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan.
European champions Barcelona will quickly renew acquaintances with their former striker Samuel Eto'o when they begin the defence of their trophy at Inter Milan in their opening Champions League match next month. The draw also brought together AC Milan and nine-time European champions Real Madrid in another mouthwatering Italian versus Spanish clash with Brazil forward Kaka facing his old club at his new Bernabeu home on Matchday Three.
European champions Barcelona will face Inter Milan, Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine and Russian newcomers Rubin Kazan when they open the defence of their crown following the draw for the Champions League group phase on Thursday.
Portugal kick off their Euro 2020 campaign against Hungary on Tuesday at Ferenc Puskas Stadium.
Debutants Malaga have toppled European giants AC Milan and Porto on their way to the Champions League quarter-finals and have another former winner in their sights when they host Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
AS Roma took a big step forward in their drive for a surprise Serie A title on Sunday when they beat relegation-threatened visitors Atalanta 2-1 to take the top spot from champions Inter Milan.
Italy suffered a serious blow ahead of next month's World Cup when midfielder Riccardo Montolivo broke his leg during a warm-up game against Ireland at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Another Lionel Messi hat-trick lit up the Champions League yet again as Barcelona and AC Milan qualified for the last 16 with time to spare on Tuesday although it is APOEL Nicosia who are fast becoming the talk of the group stages.
AC Milan midfielder David Beckham returns to Old Trafford for the first time in seven years on Wednesday and fully expects to face Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.
Carlo Ancelotti must steer AC Milan into the Champions League to ensure he is still their coach next season, chief executive Adriano Galliani said on Tuesday.
Inter Milan striker Adriano has escaped a possible two-game ban after scoring the opener with his arm in Sunday's 2-1 win over AC Milan.
Arsenal named a strong side captained by Mesut Ozil while Real had Bale on the bench and Eden Hazard, wearing the number 50 shirt, starting alongside fellow new signing Luka Jovic in attack.
Inter Milan landed a massive blow in the Serie A title tussle on Sunday, going nine points clear when they beat AC Milan 2-0 in a high voltage derby which they finished with nine men.
Former England soccer captain David Beckham was banned from driving for six months on Thursday after admitting using his mobile phone while driving.
AC Milan and Brazil playmaker Kaka was awarded the 2007 Ballon d'Or on Sunday.
Celtic winger James Forrest scored a dramatic stoppage time winner to secure his club a Champions League group stage place on Wednesday alongside AC Milan, Real Sociedad, Zenit St Petersburg and Czech champions Viktoria Plzen.
Claudio Marchisio blew open the Serie A title race when his superb goal gave 10-man Juventus a 2-1 win over leaders Inter Milan in an enthralling game on Saturday.
Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko of AC Milan was named European Footballer of the Year on Monday.
Nine-times winners Real Madrid will play Manchester United in the last 16 of the Champions League after the draw was made at UEFA's headquarters in Switzerland on Thursday.
Ludovic Giuly's goal earned the Spanish giants a 1-0 win over AC Milan in their semi-final first leg at the San Siro stadium.
Real Madrid playmaker Kaka expects a friendly reception when he returns to AC Milan for their Champions League encounter on Wednesday but the Brazilian is not making any predictions about the score.
Real Madrid striker Raul equalled Gerd Mueller's record of 66 goals in the three main European club competitions when he scored against AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Chelsea, Valencia and Lazio shook things up in England, Spain and Italy by climbing to the top of their respective leagues.
A two-goal burst from striker Diego Milito gave Serie A champions Inter Milan an unconvincing 2-1 win at Cagliari on Sunday when AC Milan also struggled to beat Bologna 1-0.
Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and AC Milan suffered painful Champions League defeats on Wednesday which complicated their chances of progressing from an increasingly intriguing group stage.
Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho lived up to his reputation as a difficult man to please by saying his side could have played even better in their 4-0 demolition of AC Milan on Saturday.
West Bromwich Albion and France's Nicolas Anelka has been consistently in the news for all the wrong reasons. On Tuesday he was charged by the FA for celebrating a goal with a 'quenelle' salute, widely known as an anti-Semitic gesture. Following the episode, Rediff.com follows the Frenchman's brushes with trouble.
Arsenal are willing to talk to AC Milan about striker Emmanuel Adebayor, the Italian club's chief executive Adriano Galliani said.
David Beckham was ushered away by security guards after he confronted fans who provided an ugly reception for his return to the Los Angeles Galaxy home ground for a friendly against AC Milan on Sunday. Beckham was playing at home for the first time since he returned to the Galaxy after he controversially extended his loan spell with Milan into the first half of the Major League Soccer season.
Giacomo Bonaventura's free kick earned Milan a 1-0 win over Pescara to move them into the top three of Serie A on Sunday.
Lionel Messi is set to join Paris St Germain after Barcelona were forced to let their Argentine talisman go as they could not afford to give him a new contract under La Liga's salary limit rules.
Francesco Totti's free-kick gave AS Roma a thrilling 3-2 win at AC Milan on Sunday to seal the final Europa League spot and ruin Paolo Maldini's last home appearance before retirement.
Serie A champions Inter Milan are holding talks to sign Genoa's Argentina striker Diego Milito, coach Jose Mourinho said Sunday.
Kaka netted a hat-trick to help AC Milan keep their Champions League qualification hopes alive with a 5-1 win over relegation-threatened Reggina on Sunday.
Paris St Germain sports director Leonardo asked his Sky Italia presenter partner Anna Billo to marry him live on air after Friday's Champions League quarter-final draw.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances