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Fulham manager Martin Jol would be happy to offer midfielder Steve Sidwell a new two-year deal in response to his current form. Sidwell, 30, has played every minute of Fulham's Premier League campaign, scoring twice in his eight matches. The former Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder, who is out of contract at the end of the season, scored an outstanding goal in Fulham's 4-1 win over Crystal Palace on Monday. And Jol says he is ready to discard club policy - which sees Fulham rarely offer deals longer than one year to players over 30 - to keep Sidwell at the club. "Of course you feel a bit worried after the game (when he plays like that)," Jol said. "They all come back and instead of one-year deals they want three years you know and this is probably no different. "For me Sidwell can stay for two years, for example. We are talking to him and offered him a one-year deal but who knows what will happen." Jol's men travel to Southampton on Saturday...

Schalke will look to inflict a third consecutive Ruhr derby defeat on Borussia Dortmund when they host their local rivals on Saturday. Jens Keller's men welcome Dortmund to the Veltins Arena knowing victory could see them move into the top four as they look to recover from a difficult start to the campaign. And the hosts should take confidence from their performances last season, when they took maximum points from both their encounters with Jurgen Klopp's charges. However, Schalke were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, and go into the game with a number of injury concerns. Attacking midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng (knee) is a doubt, while striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and midfielder Marco Hoger (both knee) are unavailable, along with winger Jefferson Farfan (groin). Midfielder Anthony Annan and forward Chinedu Obasi, who are lacking match fitness, are also on the sidelines. Dortmund are in superb form going into the contest, having lost just two...

The French Football Federation have opted not to suspend Patrice Evra from the national team for comments made about members of the media. The Manchester United defender was summoned to explain his actions by the FFF after describing 1998 FIFA World Cup winner Bixente Lizarazu and three other commentators as "tramps" in a television interview forTF1following France's 3-0 win in their World Cup qualifier against Finland earlier this month. The pundits had criticised Evra for reportedly giving an impromptu team-talk during the interval of France's 4-2 win over Belarus in September. However, the FFF have elected not to punish the 32-year-old, citing the regret shown by Evra as a key factor in their decision. The left-back is now free to play in France's two-legged World Cup play-off with Ukraine next month, after they finished second behind Spain in UEFA qualifying Group I. A statement on the FFF website read: "After hearing his explanations, and seeing the...

A five-run blitz has led the Detroit Tigers to a 7-3 win over the Boston Red Sox in game four of the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Torii Hunter's two-run double was the pick of the hits in the second inning as Detroit built a 5-0 lead, while Tigers centre-fielder Austin Jackson finished with a run, two hits and two RBIs from two at-bats, as his team levelled the ALCS at 2-2 in MLB. Detroit added two more runs in the fourth inning to lead 7-0 and although Boston reduced the deficit in the last four innings, the Tigers held on for victory at home. Jackson earned a walk in the second inning to help the Tigers open the scoring as Victor Martinez walked across home plate. Hits from Jose Iglesias, Hunter and Miguel Cabrera saw Detroit move five runs clear by the end of the second inning. In the fourth inning, Jackson's hit sent Omar Infante home, while Cabrera's single soon after ensured Detroit's centre-fielder scored himself. Detroit will also host game ...

Andres Iniesta will always have a special place in the hearts of Spanish soccer fans for scoring the dramatic extra-time goal that secured the Iberian nation's first world title in South Africa in 2010. The pale, shy lad from the Manchegan village of Fuentealbilla, now 29, has returned to where it all began this week as Spain play their final World Cup 2014 Group I qualifier against Georgia in the nearby city of Albacete on Tuesday. It is not just Iniesta's home town and the place where his career began but was also the venue for his national team debut, a 0-0 draw against Russia in May 2006, and he has gone on to represent his country 91 times, scoring 11 goals. Spain need a solitary point to secure their place at the finals in Brazil next year and the stage is set for Iniesta to make another vital contribution to their stunning success since he became an integral part of the team. Coach Vicente del Bosque has already said the Barcelona playmaker will be in the starting li...

Harry Kewell is bracing for plenty of verbal sparring from his former team-mates during Saturday's A-League derby in Melbourne. As he prepares to wear the Heart captain's armband for the first time at Etihad Stadium, Kewell is convinced he can make an immediate impact on his A-League return. "I don't think there's going to be friendly banter, I think it's going to be fiery and I think that's what everyone is looking forward to," Kewell said. "Sometimes a little brother steps up and knocks that killer punch." The former Leeds United, Liverpool and Galatasaray man admits he failed to fire for Victory early in the 2011-12 season, though he improved late in that campaign, before quitting the club. The 35-year-old has played just three club games for Qatar club Al-Gharafa since, but has benefitted from an extended pre-season at Heart - having arrived 71 days earlier than his last stint in the Victorian capital. "Yes I agree, as long as ...

The Detroit Tigers have defeated the Oakland Athletics 3-0 to reach MLB's American League Championship Series. Detroit's lead-off pitcher Justin Verlander struck out 10 Oakland batters and conceded just two hits as the Tigers capped off a comeback from 2-1 down in the series to wrap up the AL Division Series (ALDS) on Thursday. Joaquin Benoit closed the match for Detroit conceding just one hit in the ninth inning as the Tigers advanced at the Athletics' expense. Oakland had edged ahead in the ALDS when they won game three 6-3 but succumbed to Detroit after the Tigers claimed game four 8-6 and then triumphed on the road at O.co Coliseum on the back of Verlander's performance on the mound. A two-run homer from Miguel Cabrera in the fourth inning and Omar Infante's hit in the sixth, which sent Victor Martinez home, saw the Tigers triumph and sent them into the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. Detroit's win saw them become the first team since the New York Yank...

Brandon Marshall has made two touchdown catches as the Chicago Bears blitzed the New York Giants 27-21 in the NFL. Marshall finished Thursday's game with nine receives for 87 yards, while he got on the end of two Jay Cutler passes in the second quarter as the Bears streaked away from the Giants before half-time. The victory took Chicago above the Detroit Lions to the top of the NFC North with a 4-2 record, while the Giants' terrible season continued as they were handed their sixth defeat in as many games. New York's quarterback Eli Manning threw three interceptions and was sacked once in a poor game for the 32-year-old. Manning threw interceptions on the Giants' opening two drives of the game, with Chicago cornerback Tim Jennings returning the second one 48 yards for the first touchdown of the match. Chicago led 7-0 but the Giants were level at the first break after a four-yard burst by Brandon Jacobs with three minutes 48 seconds remaining in the quarter. A 17-7 ...

The Anaheim Ducks thrashed the New York Rangers 6-0 to move into second position in the Western Conference's Pacific Division in the NHL. Jakob Silfverberg scored twice for the Ducks as they earned their third victory of the NHL season to move above the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in the Pacific, just two points behind leaders the San Jose Sharks. Anaheim scored three times in both the first and second periods at home on Thursday as the Rangers were never in the contest. Ryan Getzlaf, Silfverberg and Daniel Winnik scored in the opening period to see the Ducks lead 3-0 at the first break. Less than two minutes into the second period, Silfverberg made it 4-0 before goals from Saku Koivu and Dustin Penner wrapped up the win. Anaheim rose to six points, ahead of Calgary and Vancouver, while San Jose lead with eight points after four wins from as many games. The Sharks claimed their fourth win on Thursday as they overcame the Canucks 4-1, while the Colorado Avalanche cont...

South Africa captain Jean De Villiers has claimed their game plan will not change, as they seek a bonus-point win over New Zealand on Saturday. The Springboks can secure the Rugby Championship trophy with victory against New Zealand at Ellis Park in Johannesburg but must also earn a bonus point by scoring four tries and deny the visitors from doing the same. The South Africans have a fond relationship with the venue, having clinched the 1995 World Cup there, and De Villiers said even though it was 18 years ago, the Springboks will use that moment for inspiration. "It's going to be massive," De Villiers said on Friday. "South Africa versus New Zealand is always big and I think with the history of the two teams playing at Ellis Park, 1995 being a great example, it just makes for an even bigger game. "So the guys are really looking forward to it." On South Africa's need to cross four times and denying the All Blacks the same leisure, De Villiers said...

Peyton and Eli Manning will square off for the third time in their careers when the Denver Broncos travel to the New York Giants on Sunday. The sibling quarterbacks have three Super Bowl championships between them, with Eli winning two titles (2008 and 2012) to older brother Peyton's sole win in 2007. However, it is Peyton who has won the previous two meetings, and he should be full of confidence after throwing for seven touchdowns in Denver's 49-27 win over Baltimore. The San Francisco 49ers will be out for revenge when they take the trip north to meet NFC West foes, the Seattle Seahawks. Last season's Super Bowl runners-up were beaten 42-13 in the penultimate game of the regular season at CenturyLink field in December. San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh will look for quarterback Colin Kaepernick to replicate his career-best 412-yard showing that guided his side to a 34-28 win over the Green Bay Packers last week as they seek payback. The Packers will look to atone for...

Referee Bill Leavy has admitted a mistake that lead to the San Francisco 49ers gaining an advantage over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Packers linebacker Clay Matthews was called up for a late hit on 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, with San Francisco tackle Joe Staley also flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in an ensuing melee. The third-down play had seen Kaepernick scramble for touch, two yards short of a first down, and should have been given as a fourth, likely to see the punting team come out. However, the on-field officials brought play back for a repeat down at third and 6, erroneously, with Kaepernick finding Anquan Boldin for a 10-yard score in the very next play. Kaepernick and Boldin starred for the 49ers as they went on to record a 34-28 victory, but Leavy admitted afterwards that one of their key plays should not have been made possible. "On the play where the quarterback (Kaepernick) went out of bounds and was hit late out of bounds, and then there was a...