It would be no surprise if Martin O'Neill was sick of the sight of Manchester United but the Aston Villa manager has every reason to believe his side can finally end a frustrating run of failure against Sir Alex Ferguson's team.
The two clubs meet in the third round of the FA Cup today having faced each other at this stage of the competition three times in the previous six seasons with United triumphing on each occasion.
But with Villa playing as well as they have done for years -- and United having stuttered unconvincingly through a difficult festive program -- a repeat victory for Ferguson's side at Villa Park may prove difficult.
The United manager's decision to criticize the Old Trafford crowd for the lack of atmosphere during the New Year's Day victory over Birmingham may have distracted from his players' lackluster recent form.
But with Argentine play-maker Carlos Tevez missing with a bruised ankle, Ferguson will be forced to look elsewhere for inspiration if his side are to retain hope of improving on last season's run when they were defeated by Chelsea in the final.
Wayne Rooney's return after a two-game absence should at least compensate for the loss of Tevez, but with Villa having moved to sixth in the Premier League on the back of a five-game unbeaten run, United's passage into the fourth round is far from assured.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
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