Champions Boca off to winning start in Argentina

Boca Juniors weathered a whirlwind start from Olimpo to open the defence of their Argentine league title with a 2-0 home win and extended their unbeaten run to 30 matches. Olimpo attacked from kickoff and goalkeeper Agustin Orion had to go down sharply at his left-hand post to push away a shot from Martin Rolle and prevent Boca from going behind inside half a minute. Urged on by a packed Bombonera bedecked in their blue and yellow colours, Boca found their feet after the opening 10-minute onslaught during which they were mostly forced into their own half. Captain Juan Roman Riquelme was involved when Boca broke the deadlock four minutes from halftime. His chipped centre from the left edge of the box was headed down into the middle by winger Pablo Mouche, who looked marginally offside, for striker Dario Cvitanich to blast home. Boca, who won the Apertura title by a 12 point margin from their closest challengers in the first half of the season, went further ahead when Riquelme delivered a well-weighted pass to Mouche, who found the net at the second attempt in the 66th minute.

Will Guardiola renew Barca contract?

Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said Friday he is confident that coach Pep Guardiola will prolong his contract with the Spanish and European champions beyond the end of the current season. Guardiola prefers to renew his deal with the club on an annual basis and as the season has progressed without him commiting his future to the Catalan side, speculation has mounted that he may leave in June. “The conditions are favourable for Pep to renew,” Zubizarreta said during an interview with Catalan radio station RAC1, adding he had no list of possible candidates should Guardiola decide to leave. Guardiola waited until February 8 last year before inking a new one-year deal. The 41-year-old has been coach of Barcelona since 2008, during which time he has led the Catalan club to 13 major honours, including three La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns.

Roo double, Blues woe, heroic Henry

A late goal from Luis Suarez, public enemy No. 1 at Old Trafford, could not stop Manchester United earning a 2-1 victory over Liverpool that sent them back to the top of the Premier League table.

In the battle for the final Champions League spot, a triumphant Arsenal side made significant ground on fourth-placed Chelsea, who were conquered by Everton.

The strained atmosphere prior to kick-off inManchester United's clash with Liverpoolwas heightened when Suarez appeared to spurn Patrice Evra's offer of a handshake, causing Evra to snatch at the arm of the player who last year was found guilty of racially abusing him. The match failed to live up to those fireworks in the early stages, with the best chance of the opening period falling to Paul Scholes, who headed straight at Pepe Reina when unmarked six yards out.

Suarez was heavily involved in flashpoint seconds before half-time, beating Evra before being foiled by a fine saving tackle from Rio Ferdinand just as he was about to race through on David de Gea's goal. During the interval, Sky Sports suggested both sets of players were involved in an altercation in the tunnel that required the intervention of police and stewards.

United took the game away from Liverpool with a two-goal blitz before the 50th minute. Both came from Wayne Rooney; the first from close range after Jordan Henderson inadvertently headed Giggs' corner into his path, and the second when he netted from Antonio Valencia's pass following Jay Spearing's mistake.

It was Suarez who injected some fresh intrigue into the game with ten minutes remaining, stabbing in from six yards after Rio Ferdinand had failed to deal with a delivery into the penalty box. Glen Johnson forced De Gea into an acrobatic save in injury time, but United held on to leapfrog Manchester City - a result that provoked joyous scenes of celebration from Evra, whose decision to revel in close proximity to Suarez riled several Liverpool players at full-time.

In a week that has seen owner Roman Abramovich keeping a close eye on training sessions, the pressure increased on boss Andre Villas-Boas as Chelsea slumped to a 2-0 loss at Everton. Steven Pienaar grabbed the first, slipping past Branislav Ivanovic, taking the ball on his chest and walloping it into the roof of the net. Denis Stracqualursi's first Premier League goal put the seal on the victory, as his shot snuck in at the near post, with Petr Cech culpable.

Tottenham stay five points off the summit after they blitzed Newcastle 5-0 at White Hart Lane. Spurs scored four times in 34 first-half minutes as Harry Redknapp further enhanced his claims to the vacant England post.

It took four minutes for the breakthrough to arrive as Newcastle went to sleep at the back post to allow Benoit Assou-Ekotto to convert Emmanuel Adebayor's low cross. Adebayor was the provider for the second goal too, centering for Louis Saha to volley home on his first Tottenham start.

Saha drove home right-footed on 20 minutes for a 3-0 Spurs lead, and Niko Kranjcar increased Newcastle's misery when lashing home a rebound before half-time. Adebayor bagged the goal he fully deserved with a classy volley midway through the second period, and Spurs could have had several more but for some wayward finishing.

Thierry Henry, playing in what is likely to be his final competitive game in England, grabbed an injury-time winner as Arsenal beat Sunderland 2-1. Sunderland forged ahead when Per Mertesacker got himself in a tangle and tripped over his own feet, which let James McClean through on goal to fire past Wojciech Szczesny - only for Aaron Ramsey to equalise with a shot that rebounded off both posts before rolling over the line. Then Henry, who returns to New York Red Bulls next week at the end of his loan spell, had the final say by volleying in Andrey Arshavin's cross.

Blackburn leapfrogged QPR - and climbed out of the relegation zone in the process - with a 3-2 victory at Ewood Park. On his return from suspension, Yakubu conjured an inventive finish to get the hosts off the mark, while Steven Nzonzi and Junior Hoilett, who crashed home a fine volley, also got their names onto the scoresheet. Jamie Mackie tried in vain to get the Hoops back in it by bagging a brace.

Bottom side Wigan gave their survival chances a timely boost with a 2-1 success that leaves opponents Bolton deep in the relegation mire. Wigan, who were good value for the victory, were grateful for goals from Gary Caldwell and James McArthur, either side of Mark Davies' screamer of an equaliser.

Stoke suffered their fourth-successive Premier League loss as they fell to a 2-1 reverse against Fulham at Craven Cottage. Debutant Pavel Pogrebnyak notched the hosts' first, controlling John Arne Riise's cross before finishing past Thomas Sorensen, then Sorensen was the unfortunate recipient of an "OG" next to his name when Clint Dempsey's shot hit his back and ricocheted into the net. Ryan Shawcross was on target for the Potters, but it was too little, too late.

Swansea lost at home for just the second time in the league this season, with Norwichrunning out 3-2 victors at the Liberty Stadium. Swansea striker Danny Graham began and ended the scoring, while Holt notched a brace for the Canaries, and Anthony Pilkington was also on target.

Awais Zia ready for Pakistan chance

The route from Chakwal in northern Pakistan to the UAE will mark the start of Awais Zia's journey into international cricket. Called into Pakistan's Twenty20 squad to play England, Zia is expected to bring some flair and power hitting to the top of the order - and the nerves are already mixing with excitement.

"A new journey has started and I am a bit nervous," Zia, who was travelling between Multan and his home village of Bhown, told ESPNcricinfo. "I used to believe that it's not easy to be selected for the international team in Pakistan. It's a long journey but ultimately all the hard work has paid off and now another chapter of my career has started. I am excited and privileged to hold his opportunity because I am the one who is selected from millions playing cricket in the country. "

Although he made his first-class debut in 2007, it was only last season that Zia caught the Pakistan selectors' attention, with a series of impressive, televised performances for Rawalpindi Rams in the Faysal Bank T20. Zia, 25, served further notice of his promise by scoring 353 runs - with two hundreds, off 44 and 52 balls respectively - at an average of more than 70 for Pakistan in the SAARC Twenty20 Cup, an Under-25s competition in the Maldives, towards the end of 2011. He was the Man of the Tournament.

"I knew that the only way to catch the selectors' attention was to make a big impact and T20 cricket served my purpose, mainly because matches are broadcast on television," Zia said. "Obviously they are calling me a Twenty20 specialist, maybe because most of my T20 games I played in Pakistan were televised but not the first-class games. But that isn't in my focus - I've been given a big platform to establish myself."

Zia said he had not talked with the selectors about his prospects but that the Rawalpindi coach Sabhi Azhar and team-mate Sohail Tanvir had been pushing him to take his chance.

"I know what exactly I have to do now," Zia said. "What I wanted was a single chance and I am terribly lucky to get a chance to play against a team like England. I am positive about it as I am young, energetic and have plenty of time to serve the country."

Zia, marked down as an explosive opener, hopes to "cross" Shahid Afridi in the field and combine fast scoring with the temperament to play longer innings. "I am not comparing myself to Afridi in powerful hitting as he is so good at it," Zia said. "But my focus always is to play powerful and longer innings. I love to spend time on pitch and hit runs off every ball. I am fortunate to get a chance on pitches like in the UAE, and England are a top side to play against."

The Pakistan selectors have been searching for a long-term opener in the T20 side and they may have found their man in Zia.

"This guy is confident with the bat," selector Azhar Khan told ESPNcricinfo. "I am labelling him a T20 specialist. I know he's got temperament for the big cricket as well but now he has to prove himself to see how far he can go. Selecting a young player is always tough and a risk, but we took a lot of time to select him. He was sent to Maldives for a tryout and he came up as the best batsman of the tournament so we had to pick him up."

"The transition process in the team never stops, it's an ongoing process but we don't want to disturb the consistency of the team as well. We always look for a space to test players, as we are deprived from hosting international teams, and bilateral series, both at the top and the domestic level, are on hold. So most of our players remained untested."

Aaqib Javed in contention for UAE coach job

Aaqib Javed , the former Pakistan fast bowler, has been shortlisted for the job of UAE coach, the Emirates Cricket Board chief-executive Dilawar Mani has said. There has been no official response from Aaqib, who has been appointed Pakistan's bowling coach, or from the PCB.

The current UAE coach, Kabir Khan, is set to return to his position as Afghanistan coach, and Aaqib is one of the people the Emirates Cricket Board is looking at to replace him. "Some 30 coaches had applied for the job; Aqib wasn't the only applicant," Dilawar Mani told ESPNcricinfo. "Out of those 30 we personally approached a couple of coaches including Aaqib Javed, but nothing is finalised yet nor has he agreed on any deal with us."

Mani said the board understood that Aaqib held a position with the Pakistan team. "It's a very sensitive case as the fact is that he is still holding a post with the Pakistan team," Mani said. "But Aaqib was a wonderful cricketer and is a proven coach, and it would be great if we are able to hire him."

Aaqib has been involved in coaching for a decade now, having started at the Lahore Regional Academy and then moved on to stints as Pakistan Under-19 coach and head coach at the National Cricket Academy. He has been involved with the national team on-and-off since 2009, as bowling coach and assistant coach. His was one of the names that emerged as a candidate for the role of Pakistan coach when Waqar Younis stepped down last year, but that looks improbable now.

England stars escape injury in accident

Four members of the England ODI squad in the United Arab Emirates were fortunate to escape injury when the taxi in which they were travelling was involved in an incident.

Stuart Broad, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen and Monty Panesar were travelling at around 100kph when the taxi's bonnet suddenly flew up and into the car's windscreen, obscuring the driver's vision.

The driver was able to stop the car safely, however and the players were able to take a full part in training on Saturday evening.

There was some irony in the timing of the incident. The England team management recently declined an invite from officials at Yas Marina Circuit, the venue of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, for the team to be taken around the circuit at speed in Formula One style cars. ECB officials felt such an event was outside the terms of the squad's insurance cover.

The squad trained under the lights of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, the venue of Monday's opening ODI against Pakistan. Although Jos Buttler batted in the nets, his involvement in Monday's game is looking increasingly unlikely. Buttler required stitches in the webbing of his left hand, after sustaining an injury in Sri Lanka while on England Lions duty. Those stitches remain in place and the injury was due to be inspected by a doctor on Sunday morning.

Ravi Bopara, the 26-year-old Essex batsman, who was excluded for all three Tests, is the most likely beneficiary of Buttler's mishap. Bopara has impressed in the nets and also offers the option of his medium-pace bowling. Alex Hales, the Nottinghamshire batsman who was part of the Lions team, has remained with the senior squad as he is part of the forthcoming Twenty20 unit, but he was not considered for ODI selection.

Kevin Pietersen looked far from his best during the net session and was particularly troubled by the spin of Monty Panesar, Danny Briggs and the former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, who is now England's spin bowling coach. Panesar has remained with the squad in recognition of the frailties against slow bowling that were startlingly evident in a 3-0 Test whitewash against Pakistan.

It was also interesting to note that Dr Mark Bawden, the England team psychologist, had rejoined the squad. Bawden flew home on the eve of the second Test but, perhaps understandably given England's struggles since, the decision was made that he should be recalled.

Tim Bresnan is also back with the squad. Bresnan was forced to fly home before the first Test when it became clear that his right elbow required more treatment following surgery at the start of December. He returned towards the end of the Test series and played his first game for three months on Friday when he was part of the England side that brushed aside the Lions.

Bresnan admitted he was still searching for rhythm, but said he was back up to full pace with the ball and was only wearing padding on his elbow to ensure there was no unnecessary damage should he scrape it in fielding practice.

"It's been a long road back to fitness but I'm available for selection now," Bresnan said. "It's tough watching when you're injured and it was hard to watch the lads trying so hard in the Test series, but things not going their way. It's no fun sitting on the sidelines watching them lose.

"The spirit is still good. They are as strong and together as a team as ever. You win as a team and lose as a team. We're all in the same boat, but now we just have to paddle a little harder.

"We have some fresh faces in this side, but with fresh faces you also have a bit of inexperience so the more they play international cricket, they more they will learn and start churning out performances. They are a talented bunch."

Pakistan, who defeated Afghanistan in an ODI on Friday night, cancelled their training session on Sunday and gave the players a day off. The victory was Pakistan's seventh in succession in ODI cricket and their 13th in 14 ODIs. England, by contrast, have lost five in succession and 14 of their last 20 played outside the UK.

Osasuna stuns Barcelona 3-2

Barcelona’s reign as Spanish League champions was put in jeopardy on Saturday by a 3-2 meltdown at lively Osasuna.

The shock defeat leaves the world champions seven points behind runaway leaders Real Madrid, who will go 10 points clear if they manage to beat fourth-placed Levante at home on Sunday.

It was Barca’s second league defeat. They have dropped 16 points on their travels this season. They looked tired mentally and physically, as a result of their cup exertions on Wednesday against Valencia.

In freezing Pamplona, Serbian striker Dejan Lekic took advantage of Barca’s lethargy to give Osasuna a 2-0 lead by half-time.

Alexis Sanchez pulled a goal back for the visitors straight after the interval, only for Raul Garcia to make it 3-1 for Osasuna. Young winger Cristian Tello pulled a second goal back for Barca, but Osasuna managed to hold on despite a late, weary assault from the champions.

Earlier on Saturday, Atletico Madrid could only manage a 0-0 draw at lowly Racing Santander.

Atletico dominated from start to finish in chilly Santander, with the hosts content to sit back and play on the break. Time and again, Radamel Falcao and company were foiled by Santander keeper Tono, who turned in a stellar display.

Atletico have not lost since Diego Simeone took over as coach at Christmas, and have not conceded a single goal in six games. They are now one point behind fifth-placed Espanyol but one ahead of Athletic Bilbao.

Robin van Persie joins Arsene Wenger to ridicule Barcelona, Real Madrid link

Arsenal's Robin van Persie has joined his manager Arsene Wenger in ridiculing suggestions that he could move to Real Madrid or Barcelona.

The Premier League's leading goalscorer has been in superb form for the past 18 months and his name has frequently been linked with the La Liga giants, with Spanish newspaper Marca this week claiming the Dutchman could be Madrid-bound.

Van Persie was quoted as saying: 'I am grateful to hear about the interest of a club as important as Real Madrid. It's logical that players desire to play for them.'

When quizzed about the alleged comments, Wenger refused to be drawn in and asked people to direct any questions towards his striker.

However, Van Persie appeared to put the rumour to bed on Twitter, stating: 'Contrary to reports in Spain I have NEVER spoken to Marca newspaper and never gave any interview. Enjoy your day.'

It is not the first time the Spanish media has antagonised Wenger, with newspaper campaigns previously firing transfer speculation regarding Cesc Fabregas and Jose Antonio Reyes – both of whom went on to leave the north London club.

'In Spain they are very creative, they've created another story. They don't care,' the Arsenal manager added.

Wenger's attention will now turn to more pressing matters, with his side travelling to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland this afternoon, before a testing trip to the San Siro to face AC Milan in the Champions League second round on Wednesday.