Fulham will contribute big-time to one of the worst weeks in Alex Ferguson's long reign at Manchester United if they complete a premier league double over the troubled champions at Loftus Road today.
The fact that it is French striker Louis Saha's return to his old club following an acrimonious transfer merely adds piquancy to a fixture with new significance following United's European defeat by Porto.
A Fulham victory would also boost the London club's confidence for their FA Cup quarterfinal at Old Trafford on March 6.
United could be looking at the end of two roads, retaining the title and progressing in the Champions League, if they lose to Fulham, who upset them 3-1 in October.
League leaders Arsenal pulled seven points clear of their arch-rivals last weekend when the champions were held 1-1 at home by relegation candidates Leeds United.
United's defensive frailties in the absence of suspended Rio Ferdinand and injured Mikael Silvestre were further exposed by Porto who beat them 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League first knockout round tie.
To make matters worse, United will be without England right back Gary Neville, a stand-in central defender on Wednesday, who is suspended.
United captain Roy Keane, sent off against Porto, could drop back to bolster the defense such are the problems facing Ferguson, whose decision not to sign a defender in the January transfer window looks increasingly like a serious error.
Fulham's fans will be looking forward to giving a hot reception to Saha, a favorite who angered them with his switch of allegiance when they were strong contenders for England's fourth Champions League berth.
The London club are now ninth, six points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United following a slump in which they have taken only one point from three premier league games.
United can mask their defensive problems if Saha and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who have scored 34 goals between this season, are on song but they failed to sparkle in Oporto.
Saha was substituted and has now gone two games without scoring after finding the net three times in his first two matches for the club and earning his first France cap, which also yielded a goal.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB