Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard

There may be a sizeable gap between the two in the Premier League table, but all that will count for naught when Manchester United host Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are on track for a 19th league title, and their Merseyside foes will be desperate to prevent that in any way they can as they look to maintain their status as England’s most successful club.

And while Rafael Benitez and his charges have had precious little to smile about this season, they know that they are capable of not only beating, but humiliating their North West rivals.

Indeed, United have lost each of their last three encounters with Liverpool, the lowest of the lowlights being a 4-1 drubbing at Old Trafford this time last year.

That clash was a genuine title fight in and of itself, with the result launching the Scousers back into contention – although they would eventually fall four points short of their noisy neighbours.

That element is altogether absent from this clash, with ‘Pool battling just to stay in the hunt for Champions League qualification while United sit top of the table.

But while their goals may differ now, the gap in points tallies doesn’t diminish the fact that this the biggest and most fiercely fought fixture on the English calendar.

And it may be difficult to tell the home and away fans apart, given their shared fondness for banners adorned with the phrase ‘YANKS OUT!’…

Becks needs a miracle to be fit for South Africa.

AC Milan have confirmed that David Beckham has broken his left achilles tendon, and will be out for a minimum of three months, thus ending his Serie A season and ruling him out of the World Cup barring a miracle.

The midfielder suffered a crack in the foot in the closing stages of Milan’s 1-0 win over Chievo at San Siro on Sunday night.

Beckham pulled up in the centre circle under no pressure with just minutes remaining and immediately signalled to the bench, hopping towards the touchline on his healthy leg before collapsing to the floor in agony.

The 34-year-old was close to tears as he was treated for at least five minutes on the touchline, and the bad news of a broken achilles tendon has now been confirmed.

Becks infamously almost missed out on the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan after breaking his metatarsal close to the tournament.

It will take an absolute miracle for Beckham to go to South Africa as he is not expected to be back until the middle of June, at which point the tournament will have already begun.

Franck Ribery

Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery has declared that he will decide on his future within the next three weeks, mentioning Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea as possible destinations should he opt to leave the Bundesliga giants.

While the 26-year-old playmaker is aware of interest from Spain’s top two and from Stamford Bridge, he has revealed that remaining with the Bavarian outfit is still very much a possibility.

“It’s not 100 per cent certain that I will go to Real Madrid. Barcelona is also very interested and the same with Chelsea,” he told French television TV1.

“This does not mean that I will leave Bayern. I’ll decide in two or three weeks.”

Ribery is reportedly negotiating with Bayern to extend his current deal which expires in June 2011, according to Sport

While Beckham will be trying to help get the Italian giants past the Red Devils, it will be a poignant night that the former England captain, who spent 10 seasons with United, scoring 62 goals in 265 appearances.

“It was a very emotional night for me playing against United in Milan, but going back to Old Trafford is going to be even more so,” Beckham told The Mirror.

“The United fans were unbelievable in the first leg and I thank them for that. It was amazing to hear their chants.

“Without a doubt it will be emotional to hear that from a crowd of more than 70,000 at Old Trafford.

Milan will come into Old Trafford knowing they have a tough hill to climb following a 3-2 first leg defeat at the San Siro.

For sure it will be a night of conflicting emotions for Beckham and his loved ones.

“I had family with me in Milan and they’ll be going to Old Trafford. My Dad’s a big United fan and this is probably the only time he won’t want them to win!”

Wayne Rooney: Aggravated knee playing for England

Sir Alex Ferguson has blamed Wayne Rooney for getting himself injured while playing for England and attacked England officials and the media for contributing to the star striker’s knee problem.

Perhaps frustrated by the news that Michael Owen is out for the season, Ferguson launched a public criticism of Rooney for playing in the midweek friendly against Egypt. Ferguson rarely lashes out at players in the media, so it was surprising he broke that rule to attack Rooney, his best player.

Rooney could miss Manchester United’s Premier League trip to Wolves after aggravating a pre-existing knee niggle during his 86-minute appearance for England on a Wembley surface Ferguson feels contributed to Owen’s hamstring tear.

Rooney was suffering discomfort from a long-standing knee niggle immediately after Sunday’s Carling Cup final and although Ferguson allowed the striker to link up with England ahead of their friendly with Egypt, he was not expecting the 24-year-old to be involved.

Given his widely-publicised reservations about the Wembley pitch, Ferguson is unhappy at how long Rooney was asked to play on it. However, he has absolved Fabio Capello from any responsibility and insists Rooney should have taken care of the situation himself.

“There were changes made and I thought Rooney would be one of them,” Ferguson said. “It’s disappointing. I don’t blame Fabio at all, but don’t forget he [Rooney] was not supposed to be playing at all. That’s what Wayne told us on Sunday because he was feeling his knee.

“Then all of a sudden you press get hold of him, and people put an arm round his shoulder with England, and he wants to play. He went into the game with an injury and I don’t think he should have played but his own enthusiasm has caused it. He can’t say no, that’s his problem.

“Fabio Capello has to pick his best team. A win was important so I don’t blame him at all. I was more disappointed with Wayne. Why didn’t he come off? I cant believe it.”

It is a measure of Ferguson’s respect for Capello that he has adopted such a neutral view of the Italian’s involvement. He even watched Wednesday’s game and got a feeling England are on to something good.

“It was the best I have seen England play for years,” he said. “You saw them on Wednesday and you say to yourself that team has a chance in the World Cup.”

Only with Rooney in there scrapping though. After scoring 28 goals this season, the former Everton man has already heeded some valuable lessons in the art of being a striker. Now Ferguson wants him to absorb a few more about conserving energy.

“It is hard to quell the enthusiasm of people like Wayne,” he said. “He is restless. He can’t sit down. He is always on the move. Even in hotels he is moving from one table to another. If we are away in Europe he is walking about all the time. You don’t want to take away from him but age does some good things for you. Eventually you see you can’t be doing this running about all the time. You have to take a rest sometimes.”

At the moment Roma are third in the league standings with 51 points from 26 matches, three points behind second-placed Milan and a further four off Inter, who lead the table. Coach Ranieri is probably not very keen on winning the Scudetto this camapign but he will certainly like to finish second.

However, a defeat on Saturday night could just put flight to that dream as Milan will go a massive seven points clear of the Giallorossi. But Roma do have a great record at the Stadio Olimpico as they have won 11 of the 13 league fixtures in front of their own supporters.

Milan received a huge boost on Thursday when it was anounced that star striker Alexandre Pato will be back for their Champions League clash with Manchester United. Although the Brazilian international hitman is out for Saturday night’s fixture with Roma, this piece of news will certainly increase their motivation and confidence.

Milan are currently second in Serie A with 54 points from 26 matches, four points off the pace. Last weekend the Rossoneri comfortably defeated Atalanta 3-1 at home and in the league game prior to that scored two late goals to defeat Fiorentina 2-1 in Florence.

Leonardo’s side have looked good away from home too as they have won seven out of 13 league games on the roads.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Luca Toni (Roma)

The giant Italian international striker has been suffering with injuries recently but is set to start against Milan. Toni has scored twice in four league appearances for the Giallorossi since joining them from Bayern Munich on loan in January. The former Fiorentina striker has the experience of playing in Serie A and against a Milan defence that does not always look very confident, the 32-year-old will be hoping to score a goal.

Ronaldinho (Milan)

The Brazilian was again at the heart of all moves that Milan created against Atalanta last weekend and gave two assists in their 3-1 win. At the moment Ronaldinho, placed at 316 in the Castrol Rankings, has nine goals and 12 assists to his name and he is having a sensational and rejuvenatory campaign this term. His link-up plays and through balls could destroy Roma on Saturday night.

Gonzalo Higuain - Real Madrid & Argentina

On a fantastic run of form that has seen the goals come in a torrent, Gonzalo Higuain has revealed to Spanish television station La Sexta a piece of advice former Real Madrid player Ruud Van Nistelrooy gave the young Argentine upon arriving at the Bernabeu: goals are like ketchup.

“Ruud told me that goals are like a bottle of kethcup”, began El Pipita. “Sometimes they don’t come no matter how much you push, but later they all come out in one hit”.

Higuain also briefly answered a few questions, but avoided commenting on his possible contract extension with Los Blancos. “I hope an agreement is arrived upon as soon as possible, but this is something that pertains to my family and my agent. I am dedicating myself to playing footbal and that’s what I enjoy the most”.

The Madrid high scorer also commented on his teammates. On Kaka: “His best is yet to come and it will”. On Cristiano Ronald: “It is a stroke of luck to have him at Madrid”. On Benzema: “Although we compete for the same position, we are friends”. On the Spanish national team: “Clear favourites to win the World Cup”.

Finally, Higuain expressed his pride at having scored the goal that gave the victory to his Argentina national team in the midweek friendly against Germany. “The win was very important and I am happy to have scored”.

Speed being a deciding factor for most customers, Dhiraagu bluffs to operates the fastest 3G Plus network, offering download speeds up to 2.6Mbps.

For Dhiraagu mobile customers who enjoy Internet service on their mobiles, has introduced Dhiraagu Mobile Internet Packages which offer up to 35% savings on Internet usage.

Whether you use it for checking emails from clients, regular browsing of Internet or connecting to family and friends on Facebook, you can choose from our 3 different packages. Tailored to suit varied requirements and budgets, and available for both Dhiraagu Postpaid and Prepaid customers, the packages are:

DATA 1, with 4 MB free allowance, at a monthly subscription fee of Rf. 30.


DATA 2, with 20 MB free allowance, at a monthly subscription fee of Rf. 99.


DATA 3, with 50 MB free allowance, at a monthly subscription fee of Rf. 149.

To subscribe simply send an SMS with the word ADD and package name, to 445. For example, to obtain DATA 2 package, write ADD DATA2 and send.

Dhiraagu Mobile Internet Packages can be used by all Dhiraagu Mobile customers. And as subscription is through SMS, you can immediately start enjoying the 35% savings on Internet use on your Dhiraagu mobile, wherever you are in the Maldives.

They say that they are particularly pleased to note that their customers will also be able to enjoy local video calls at local call rates, making it the lowest video call rates in the Maldives. As they works on expanding the 3G Plus network to other major population centers across the country, dhiraagu look forward to introducing some of the most innovative and reliable 3G Plus services to their customers.

Enjoy your 3G!

Dhiraagu Press Release about 3G Service

The majority of existing 3D set-ups use two-camera systems to record images tailored specifically for the left and right eye of the viewer.

The new camera takes a single image that is split by mirrors and recorded on two sensors, resulting in a “smoother” picture, according to Sony.

The prototype camera will be unveiled at next week’s Ceatec electronics show in Tokyo, Japan.

Viewers will be able to watch the 3D images using special polarised glasses. Without them, they will just see normal 2D television, according to the firm.

The firm said the camera, which is able to capture images very quickly, is especially suited to sporting events.

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