Gerrard sidelined for qualifier

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will miss Tuesday’s crucial Champions League tie against Toulouse at Anfield and there is already a doubt over his involvement with England for two vital Euro 2008 qualifiers next month.

The hairline fracture of a toe which caused him to miss last week’s international friendly with Germany and the 2-0 Premier League victory at Sunderland on Saturday has ruled Gerrard out of the third qualifying round second leg against the French.

Gerrard sustained the injury when Liverpool won 1-0 in France almost a fortnight ago but played against Chelsea five days later with a pain-killing injection.

Klinsmann tipped for leading role in LA

Come on, what Galaxy really need is at least 3 good players who will partner Beckham and Donovan upfront. It is just heartbreaking and sometimes vexing to watch Galaxy play. The players look so lethargic and seems to be playing without concern. Klinsmann can bring a change but i don’t see anything positive happening if Galaxy fail to bring in better players.

Klinsmann tipped for leading role in LA

Jürgen Klinsmann could be about to take over as the head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy after Frank Yallop, the incumbent, admitted to feeling the strain of managing a losing team under an increased media glare since the signing of David Beckham.

The Galaxy have only three wins in 17 games this season and their hopes of reaching the Major League Soccer (MLS) play-offs are dwindling after the 3-0 defeat on Thursday by Chivas USA, the Latino team who share their stadium, the Home Depot Centre.

Beckham’s contributions have been restricted by injury, but the hype surrounding the former England captain has been undiminished, especially since his recall to the national team.

Barcelona dismiss Ronaldinho link to Chelsea

Barcelona have rubbished speculation linking Chelsea with an audacious move for Brazilian star Ronaldinho.

Sport director Txiki Berguiristain shrugged off rumours that Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich held two meetings with Ronaldinho’s brother and adviser in a bid to persuade the Barcelona star to join the Blues in the Premier League.

Berguiristain insists that Ronaldinho, who has three years left on his current contract, is staying at the Nou Camp.

Berguiristain told Catalunya Radio: ‘We do not want to sell him. Ronaldinho is our player and I am totally convinced that he will remain at the club.

Celtic put trio on transfer list

Celtic have made Kenny Miller, Maciej Zurawski and Thomas Gravesen available for transfer, BBC Sport understands. Miller, 27, has struggled to find the net consistently since joining the SPL champions from Wolves last July.

English Premier League clubs Fulham, Everton, Manchester City and Derby could move for the player before the transfer window closes on Friday.

Celtic will also listen to offers for Polish striker Zurawski and Danish midfielder Gravesen.

Former Rangers striker Miller has scored eight competitive goals in 23 appearances for Gordon Strachan’s side.

Milan brush aside Genoa

Inter Milan began their Serie A title defence with a 1-1 home draw with Udinese on Sunday after an Ivan Cordoba own goal in injury time, while AC Milan won 3-0 at promoted Genoa helped by Kaka’s brace.

Inter took an early lead through midfielder Dejan Stankovic after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s clever pass but goalkeeper Julio Cesar was sent off for handball outside the box on 57 minutes and the champions were unable to hold out.

Milan taught Genoa a lesson on their return to the top flight after a 12-year absence with Massimo Ambrosini’s powerful header and Kaka’s cool finish and penalty giving the European champions an easy victory.

Fiorentina had an equally comfortable 3-1 home win over Tuscan rivals Empoli to show they could still be a force this term despite striker Luca Toni leaving for Bayern Munich.

Sir Alex sees an end to United’s injury ills

Sir Alex Ferguson is finally starting to see an end to Manchester United’s massive injury problems.

Including suspended winger Cristiano Ronaldo, Ferguson was without eight members of his senior squad for yesterday’s 1-0 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford.

Some of his absentees, notably Park Ji-sung and Ben Foster, will not be seen again until the new year after major knee surgery, while Wayne Rooney is out for a couple of months after fracturing his foot in the opening game against Reading.

However, Ronaldo has just one more game of his three-match suspension to serve, while both Louis Saha and Anderson should be involved next Saturday when Roy Keane returns to his old stamping ground as manager of Sunderland.

Man Utd is not getting Berbatov

Berbatov impressed in Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford

Dimitar Berbatov has confirmed he is staying at Tottenham, ending recent speculation about his future. The 26-year-old Bulgarian’s agent Emil Dantchev has revealed renewed interest in his player from Manchester United.

But the Spurs striker insisted: “I chose to join Tottenham last season, now I’m staying at the club through my own free will. At least for now.

“There has been a lot of speculation but all I can say is the club’s board have decided to raise my salary.”