The 2006 runners up France, were beaten into second place in their qualifying group by Serbia. They now play the Republic of Ireland, who are unbeaten under current boss Giovanni Trappattoni.

Trappattoni’s men won a lot of praise for their performances in a difficult group, that also included France’s World Cup conquerors, Italy. The Irish drew home and away against the holders and will be looking to take that good form into the World Cup play-off games.

The Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney said: “I’ve spoken to the manager, he’s quite relaxed about it.

“We don’t lose games on many goals, we don’t win games on many goals. I wouldn’t expect that pattern to change.”

France boss Raymond Domenech has come under almost relentless pressure since leading the nation to an early exit at Euro 2008 and defeat to the Republic could signal the end of his five year tenure. However, like Delaney, he too seems quietly confident.

“They’re a team who have not lost in qualifying, who drew with Italy in their last game after conceding a late goal.” said the 57 year old. “We know they’re tough, but so are we.”

Meanwhile, Christiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will be happy just to have reached the play-offs, after a slow start to the group stage, which included an embarrassing draw with Albania, very nearly put paid to any hopes of qualification and ruined their odds of winning the World Cup.

Under pressure boss Carlos Queiroz will have been hoping for an easier time in the play-offs but unfortunately for him, Portugal have been drawn against a highly talented Bosnia-Herzegovina side.

The Bosnians may well have qualified automatically had they not been drawn in a group alongside European champions Spain. Nevertheless, they will fancy their chances against a Portugal team that could be without their World Footballer of the Year, who was injured during a recent qualifier with Hungary.

Play-off draw in full:

Republic of Ireland v France

Portugal v Bosnia-Herzegovina

Greece v Ukraine

Russia v Slovenia

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Last season both Fulham and Bolton Wanderers looked destined to go down but they both put together what were frankly amazing runs and retained their Premier League status. With Newcastle and Middlesbrough facing each other on Monday night one of those sides could snatch a victory and start their push while the loser would be all but consigned to relegation. The only saving grace for these two troubled clubs is the equally poor form of Sunderland and Hull City, Sunderland are four points clear of safety with just one win in their last six games while Hull are a precarious three points above the drop zone and haven’t managed a win since March 4.

Hull City face Stoke on Saturday in a game that represents their best chance to move away from the drop zone. The game will take place at Hull’s KC Stadium and Stoke are a side who do not travel well, winning just once on the road so far this season. If Hull do fail to see off Stoke I would suggest that either Newcastle or Boro may just survive in their place but they also need to make sure they get enough points on the board to overtake the Tigers.

Newcastle’s woes have been deepened by the current problem with Joey Barton, who has been suspended by the club following his red-card in the 3-0 defeat to Liverpool last weekend. There are strong rumours to suggest a back-room bust up between Barton and manager Alan Shearer took place after the game and this is exactly the kind of distraction sides battling the drop don’t need, especially at this point in the season. Newcastle’s final three fixtures see them take on Middlesbrough and Fulham at home before a trip to Aston Villa on the last day of the season, I would suggest they need at least six points to survive but given the way both Sunderland and Hull are performing they may need just a win and a draw, though I’m not convinced they will even manage to get that.

Of the clubs in the mire it is Middlesbrough who have impressed me the most in their recent fixtures. They saw off Hull City 3-1 before a draw with Fulham, however Boro hammered Fulham and were only denied a win by an exceptional performance by Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer - ironically a former Boro player. They suffered defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Arsenal, though this is no disgrace but their remaining games are fairly tough. They face a trip to rivals Newcastle before a home game against Aston Villa and they end the season with a visit to West Ham’s Upton Park. Like Newcastle they probably need at least six points but they have a tough run-in and to be honest I doubt they’ll do it.

Hull need to make their next two games count as they face Manchester United at home on the last day of the season, despite home advantage I very much doubt they’ll get anything out of United and their home game against Stoke City followed by a trip to Bolton Wanderers are now critical ties for the Tigers. As I said ealier Stoke do not travel well and Hull should go into the game with some confidence, they’ll need to get at Stoke straight away and not allow themselves to be bullied by the physical nature of the Potters’ game. The trip to Bolton will not be an easy one but Hull boss Phil Brown should know all about Bolton having spent a number of years there as assistant manager, the Wanderers have been inconsistent all season but if  Hull can get the first goal it should set them in good stead - Bolton haven’t come back from a goal down to win a game all season.

Sunderland also have to travel to Bolton’s Reebok Stadium and they will be eager to repay the Wanderers who ran out 4-1 winners in the corresponding fixture in November. Bolton’s form of late hasn’t been great but then again neither has Sunderland’s and it wouldn’t surprise me if the game ended in a stalemate, as Bolton are still not mathematically safe themselves yet and will not want to lose to a team below them. They then face an away day at Portsmouth which is never an easy place to go before taking on Chelsea at the Stadium of Light on the final day of the campaign. I don’t hold out much hope of Sunderland picking up many points from these fixtures myself and their survival could hinge on whether any of the teams below them can actually put a run of results together and overtake them.

The relegation battle this season has offered little in terms of spectatcle.  In previous years teams have started to put runs together and push away from the bottom three but this just hasn’t been the case this year with no one seeming to even want to get out of the bottom three. If Hull and Sunderland do manage to get something out of this weekend’s fixtures it will put the pressure on Middlesbrough and Newcastle who will both desperately need to win when they meet on May 11. I’m an optimistic person in general and my great hope is that the game between Newcastle and Boro will indeed be a hard-fought game with both teams playing for their survival, if one side does manage to emerge victorious I would even suggest they might be the ones who beat the drop and upset the football odds by sending Hull City or Sunderland down in their place.

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With five games to go Barcelona’s lead has been cut to just four points and should Real emerge victorious at the weekend they will have closed the gap to a single point – so there is a lot riding on this encounter. Real have been on a fantastic run, they’ve won 17 of their last 18 games and will go into this full of confidence.

Barca have a Champions League semi-final to prepare for but should still throw everything into this game. They’ve been rocked by Rafael Marquez’s season ending injury which is a massive blow for the Catalans as he has been outstanding all season.

Not only does this game have a lot riding on it but there will be some of the world’s best talent on display. In Lionel Messi Barca have one of the world’s most exciting and skilful players but it is in midfield where Barca really shine. Andres Iniesta is, for me, the best midfielder in the world. He can score and create (he assisted three goals against Sevilla) as well as having excellent vision and passing ability. His partners in midfield Yaya Toure and Xavi are also top-quality and when those three are on song there is little the opposition can do to break down Barca’s lightning attacks.

Real Madrid may not be the team they once were but there is still plenty of quality in their side. For Real Madrid their key players will perhaps be Gonzalo Higuain and Raul, the two strikers. Raul has been at the top of his game for well over a decade now. Higuain is the perfect heir to Raul’s throne and has flourished alongside the Bernabeu favourite this season, it will be an interesting battle between the Madrid attack and a Barca defence minus Marquez.

Real have home advantage and the crowd will be well behind their team. In a way this is perfect preparation for Barca who face a daunting trip to Chelsea next Wednesday. I’m anticipating a high-tempo game with plenty of attacking football and hopefully plenty of goals. Both Iker Casillas in the Real goal and Victor Valdes between the posts for Barca are decent keepers and both are capable of pulling off a wonder save. I won’t risk making a football prediction concerning the winner, Real need the win more but Barca know if they take all three points the title will be all but theirs. One thing is for sure though – the game will provide a great spectacle and should not be missed!

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Perhaps the best thing about the game was Arsenal’s Russian maestro Andrei Arshavin. The former Zenit St Petersburg man was on fire and scored four exceptional goals. His speed on the counter and touch were sublime and in Arshavin Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger may just have acquired the player to change Arsenal’s fortunes next season.

This campaign has been a bit of a nothing season for the Gunners, unless they make the Champions League final of course. Their squad has been so decimated by injuries that Wenger has really had to put his faith in his youngsters and even against Liverpool there were a few faces who would get nowhere near the starting line-up if everyone was fit.

For Arsenal to challenge for the title next season I still think they need one or two new faces though. A centre-half is a must in my opinion, Kolo Toure is pure class as is William Gallas but from what I’ve seen of Gallas sometimes his inclusion is detrimental to the team. Gallas needs to be sold and another world-class defender is needed to replace him. Another top midfielder or centre-forward could also improve the Gunners’ chances but I think they’ll be a lot closer to the title than they have been this season.

If you think about Arsenal’s best eleven it truly is a force to be reckoned with. If Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Diaby, Fabregas, Arshavin, Van Persie, Eduardo and Adebayor lined up every week there would be few teams who could stand up to the test. I’ve not even mentioned Walcott, Rosicky etc in that line up but rarely have Arsenal been able to field their best side this season. Instead they’ve had to play Bendtner, Gibbs, Denilson etc and as good a prospect as these players are they shouldn’t be getting in the Arsenal first team just yet. I wouldn’t use my next football bet to back them to take the title next season but one thing is for sure – they’ll mount a far better challenge during the next campaign.

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The Bahrain Grand prix is one of exciting venue for Formula one and it has been providing exciting races of F1 championship since 2004. This race is taken place first time at Bahrain International Circuit on 4th April 2004 and it has some importance in history of Formula One because it was first Formula one grand prix which is started at Middle East. This is sponsored by Gulf Air and provide basis to organize this event at Bahrain and become first Middle East Grand Prix circuit for formula one. Bahrain is honored to host the competition as there are many other contenders who wish to host this particular event like Egypt and United Arab Emirates.

This event is placed at on third place in calendar of Formula one races and also awarded as Best Organized Grand Prix by FIA which is quite a great achievement for this circuit. The Live Formula one will be witnessed on 26th April 2009 and fans of F1 racing will enjoy 57 Laps race with 5.412 km long Circuit length. The distance of this Sakhir formula one Bahrain international circuit is 308.24 km in all and best lap record on this circuit is 1:30.25 by legendary F1 champion driver M Schumacher in 2004.

The first ever formula one result for Bahrain Grand Prix in 2004 had won by Michael Schumacher who is world champion at that time and this circuit provide you real time pleasure of walking near pit and talk to team of drivers and feels like part of this spectacular event. This circuit provide you breathtaking race of 22 cars whose roars of 300 km/h speed throttle at 19000 rpm and what you can expect more with your favorite drivers battle for championship at your desired constructors.

Filipe Massa won Bahrain grand prix in 2008 last year and both Ferrari drivers took first two podium positions. Kimi Raikkonen was other Ferrari driver managed to win second position at last year Grand prix of Bahrain. Robert Kubica was on third position with his team BMW Sauber and Nick Heidfeld is at fourth position with same team. Fernando Alonso who is former driver’s champion failing to make any impact last year with 10th position and looking to conquer this year Bahrain grand prix.

Jenson Button is holding number one position his year with 15 points and made his impact in formula one with better start than ever. Rubens Barrichello is at second place with 10 points and both are in team of Brawn-Mercedes. Jarno Trulli and timo Glock are at 3rd, 4th position respectively and both are belong to Toyota team. Both Ferrari drivers, kimi Raikkonen and Filipe Massa failed to get any points this year. Lewis Hamilton just got 1 point and placed at tenth position on driver championship which is not a convincing result for formula one driver champion. All these drivers are fighting for Bahrain Formula one Grand prix to make their position better on table.

The Bahrain Grand Prix formula one action started when people will watch practice session at Friday 24 April and formula one livescore can be witnessed at 26th of April. The qualifying round will be start at 14:00 on 25th April and people will be desperate to know who going to start from top of grid. The formula one Bahrain grand prix will be family entertainment base motor racing event and formula one live will be available at Scorespro.com for crazy fans of motor sport racing.

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Fed cup is known as competitive tournament on level of Davis Cup and especially came into existence with vision of boosting grand women tennis tournament. Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman was master mind of this idea of tennis tournament for women but her idea was rejected and she turns his attentions to Wightman Cup between two tennis crazy nations, United Kingdom and United States. Her idea was soon rematerialize by Australian Davis cup captains wife Nell Hopman with combine effort of Mary Hardwick which brings International Tennis federation in to support the idea. The Fed cup has reached to semi finals and Tennis livescores of this tournament is long awaited by tennis fans around the globe.

Federation cup was started in 1963 which played with criteria of team championship in special venues but its structure of this cup was changed in 1995 and its name was changed to Fed cup which provide grounds for women to play for their country. What you expect more than tennis matches between one of top rank women players who played at top tennis tournament at places like Parque Ferial Juan Carlos in Spain and flinders park Melbourne. The semi final stage of this year event has reached and people are desperate to know the tennis results for this particular season.

In this popular grand tennis event player like Steffi Graff and Martine Navratilova known as legends in tennis played in with their full dedication for their countries. It’s not fair if we miss William sisters and kim Clijsters widely entertainment the audience with their extra ordinary game of tennis. In start it was dominated by USA that is known as tennis loving nation and they are place at number four position but now a day’s Russia is on top with more than 37000 points on ITF world ranking. Spain has produced one of finest player in history of tennis and they are placed at 6th position of ITF ranking and statistics shows that Spain and USA didn’t won Fed Cup from 1998 and 2000 respectively.

Russia emerged as big tennis loving nation who won 4 titles in last eight years and runner up in 2001 makes them dominant force in fed cup. Russia in this decade won consecutive Fed Cup in 2004 and 2005 by beating France twice with same score of 3-2. Russia once again won consecutive Fed cup in 2007, 2008 against Italy and Spain with clean sweeping score of 3-0 and 4-0 respectively.

Italy will face Russia on 25/26 April at Italy in which Sara Errani, Roberto Vinci, Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone will be leading Italy against Russia. In Russian Camp Vera Zvonareva and Svetlana Kuznetsova will be named for Russian squad in semi finals with Nadia Petrova also successful to gain place in squad. Russia beaten Italy in 2007 and they never lost to Italy in Fed Cup and tennis livescore of semi finals between these nations will be interesting encounter which will be witnessed by millions people around the globe.

Czech Republic will face USA in other Semi finals at their home surface in Brno and other Play offs in world group 1 and world group 2 will be played same day in which Spain is facing Serbia and France will face Slovak republic. In other game Germany is playing against China in third play off with breath taking match between Argentina and Ukraine with live tennis scores of these matches will be shown on Scorespro.com which is ultimate sports site.

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Starting from defending champions Manchester United who are in good touch this season despite of losing couple of Domestic league matches they are focused on wining UEFA champions league once again. Manchester United played in first leg of their quarter final against FC Porto on 7th April where these two clubs managed to draw with 2-2 and the deciding second leg will be held on 15th where people will see soccer live scores of that quarter final and know the semi finalist of champion league. Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils are playing with Porto and avoided one of favorites and Heavy weights of European soccer nations like Barcelona and Bayern Munich. FC Porto under former coach Jose Mourinho managed to beat Old Trafford side in 2004 when Porto’s triumph card Costinha late score took them ahead.

Arsenal one of influential club of Europe and domestic champions are facing Villarreal in second quarter finals where people refreshed the memory of 2006 semi final where Arsenal won 1-0 and advanced to next level. Villarreal side scored in 10th minute of opening game at home and Arsenal equalizing at 66th minute with Adebayor. Match was ended in 1-1 draw and second leg of quarter final will be held on 15th April at Emirates Stadium at 19:45 UK.

Chelsea who is finalist of last season will up against Liverpool who is former UEFA champion, also mentioning at this point these two clubs are also chasing their Domestic league titles till end of season. Liverpool beat Chelsea in 2005 semi finals when majestic Goal of Luis Garcia of Liverpool sacked the ambitious team of Jose Mourinho. Chelsea has already beaten Liverpool in first leg of quarter final with 3-1 where Ivanovic scoring twice with precious goal of Didier Drogba took them to convincing victory. The only goal scored by Fernando Torres in opening 6 minutes of game. Interesting battle between these two Champion league rivals in second leg will be watched on 14th April at 19:45 UK.

Barcelona faced Bayern Munich side at Estadio Camp Nou and thrashing them with 4-0 win where Lionel Messi scoring twice in 9th and 38th minute with Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry also succeed to put their name on score sheet. Bayern Munich failed to dominate in away game and failed to score and found themselves in tough conditions. The second leg of quarter final between these two soccer crazy nations will be witnessed on 14th April at 19:45.

Manchester United and FC Porto will decide in Portugal who will play in semi final against Villarreal or Arsenal because these two also Drawn in their first leg match. Barcelona crushed Bayern Munich side with 4-0 and they are not seen to be lost with such a great margin and most likely they will be on their way to semi final against Chelsea who has won their first leg match against Liverpool 3-1. The exciting UEFA quarter final action of second leg will be witnessed on scorespro.com and soccer results of these matches are exclusively available for people around the globe.

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The Spanish left hander has a love affair with the clay courts, with him losing only to the Swiss masterpiece in Roger Federer, and with the Roland Garros to take place in May; the Australian Open, Wimbledon and four times French Open champion would like to continue his clay court season with dominance.

The stylish lefthander, who boosts 21-2 this season and is fresh from his victory in World Tour Masters 1000 in Indians Wells, would be gunning to his fifth straight title on his home turf. The 22 year old sensation became the first player to clinch four consecutive titles in Barcelona in it’s over half a century period.

The tournament will embrace some of the best in the sport with French sensations in last year’s Australian Open runner-up Jo Wilfred Tsonga (World no.11), Gael Monfils(World no.9) and Richard Gasquet(World no.24)hoping to ready themselves for their home grand slam. The tournament, considered as one of the most attractive in the world will also include Argentine superstar David Nalbandian, Olympic gold medalist Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka along with Russian Igor Andreev (World no.23) and Sweden World no 26, Robin Soderling and their tennis results for this championship will be interesting to watch.

The defending champion has an excellent record here with 21-1, with him losing only to the former champion and compatriot Alex Corretja during 2003, will also have Nikolay Davydenko and compatriot David Ferrer, who would be looking to go one better in the tournament this time after losing in three sets last year, to come across to, if he has to fulfill his dream to return with yet another crown on the road.

The court has the history of producing some of the best players in the world. Some have already forced into the top ten players’ rankings. Nadal’s appearance in this year’s edition makes him the eighth World no. 1 to have made to the lucrative event. The live score of tennis matches for Nadal can be seen on this particular event which people are waiting from long time.

The battle begins on the 20thof this month up till 27thbetween a total of 56 singles and 24 doubles players for an illustrious amount of euro 1,995,000 and as many as 500 ATP points up for grabs
The draws include 43 of the best Spanish players, who are considered among the clay court players on the planet.

Former Spanish star and grand slam winner will begin his term as the head of the organization of the historic event. The draws for the 57th edition was rounded off with the some of the best players from the last year’s edition and the half a dozen of ‘wild card’ entries. You can watch tennis live scores at Scorespro.com which provide you enormous service of sports from around the world.

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Rugby union is always excited to watch and their breath taking games are watched by millions of people around the globe. Rugby union is providing another breath taking encounter this month in shape of EDF Energy Cup final. This EDF final is result of Knock out competition of 12 Guinness Premiership sides and all Welsh regions are involved in it. The livescore of rugby matches are worth to watch and EDF Energy cup finals is long awaited by rugby lovers worldwide.

Cardiff Blues managed to reach finals of EDF energy cup by beating Northampton saints with score of 11-5 and Northampton Saints former National Trophy winner of EDF energy lost their chance to reach final of EDF cup. The match between Cardiff blues and Northampton Saints took place at Ricoh Arena in Coventry which witnessed a watchful semi final between these two rugby loving teams. The rugby results of EDF Energy cup is long awaited by fans of participating teams and people are waiting for final of this competition on 18th April.

The game of Northampton Saints is no doubt entertaining and worth to watch but they missed a penalty with fly half Barry Everitt and they fail to dominate semi final and lost to Blues. They played superbly throughout but fail to convert chances into more points and lost their ambition with convincing victory of Cardiff blues. Northampton Saint’s director was disappointed with their team’s performance and according to him that was fantastic games and not worth to lose it like that.

Jim Mallinder expressed in his views that the game shouldn’t worth to lose and he is grieved and disappointed. Jim Mallinder said they played well and deserve to win but in semi finals and last stages of game it’s all about taking advantage of opportunities and availing chance they have but they fail to take chances and lack of luck that day. He is proud of his team from their performance who really done well in recent years.

Cardiff will face Gloucester on 18 April 2009 at Twickenham Stadium in London and rugby live score for this match will be witnessed by millions of people around the globe. Gloucester had reached final of EDF cup by beating Ospreys with 17-0 and dominated toward convincing victory. Ospreys were runner up in 2007 and thrashed by Gloucester side with three penalties and a drop goal and lost semi finals of cup and surrender their quest to win trophy this year.

Cardiff Blues are playing superbly in competition with unbeaten run of five matches and Gloucester is at 2nd place in Guinness Premiership will fight for this triumph of EDF cup. EDF Energy cup final will be played at Twickenham Stadium on 18th April at 14:30 BST and rugby livescores for this match will be exclusively available at Scorespro.com which is ultimate in providing best rugby union action for rugby fans and people who like to watch exciting rugby matches.

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Shakhtar Donetsk faced Marseille which is won by Shakhtar side 2-0 and Marseille that is one of top club faced humiliating defeat. Ukrainian side are well on their way to last four of this competition when Tomas Hubschman provide them opening goal with Rodrigues Jadson doubling their advantage over Marseille and convincing win in first leg took them on track of semifinals of UEFA cup. The inform shakhtar side has already dominated Tottenham and CSKA Moscow in last round and Marseille side was also inform by winning six consecutive wins and their performance in Ligue 1 is un doubtful. The last encounter between these two teams will be on 16th April and people can witness exciting game of football from this fixture.

Hamburg side was successful in Germany as they beat Manchester city in their first leg quarter final match. Hamburg SV has gained advantage in their home game at HSH Nordbank Arena in Germany with 2 goal cushion for next leg of quarter final in England. Mark Hughes side makes impressive start with fabulous goal of Stephen Ireland but Hamburg manage to get victory over Manchester city. Stephen Ireland scored in opening 35 second of match which is shocker for home crowed and pin drop silence made them stunned with unexpected quick goal. Joris Mathijsen scored in response after 9 minutes and give hope to home crowed to fight back and win this match with 3-1 as Piotr Trochowski scored on penalty at 64th minute. Jose Paolo Guerrero add insult to injury with third goal hitting their net with final result remain same in next 10 minutes until end of match.

Werder Bremen scored 3 goals in first leg against Udinese and dominates their side and strengthens their position for second leg match. Udinese who manage to score just once and beaten by German giants with huge margin at Weserstadion in Germany. Werder Bremen side is hoping to step into semi finals and soccer result for their first leg witnessed 3 goals and Diego netted twice with Hugo Almeida. The Udinese side get important goal in away match at last moments of match in shape of Fabio Qualiarella. Udinese side must get their rhythm back for their second leg on 16th April and soccer livescore for this match will be decider for semi final spot for UEFA cup.

Paris Saint-Germain side manage to Draw against Dynamo Kiev and it is most likely to watch Dynamo side in their way to Semi finals and goal less draw at away for Dynamo side is impressive so they are hoping to get advantage on their home game in second leg of quarter final of UEFA cup at 16th April. You can watch live soccer score of UEFA cup second leg quarter final at scorespro.com which is ultimate in providing best European soccer action for fans.

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