Barcelona avoided any mishaps as they set out on the defense of their Spanish Cup title with a 3-0 first leg win away to lower league Alaves on Tuesday.

Despite resting several star names David Villa, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas were on target to continue the Catalan giants majestic start to the campaign which has seen them only drop points in La Liga with their draw in the El Clasico with Real Madrid.

Struggling AC Milan hit back from two goals down to salvage a point at Palermo in a 2-2 draw on Tuesday but failed to reassure their fans that their mediocre start to the season is behind them.

Once again they had young striker Stephan El Shaarawy to thank, just as they did in their 1-0 win over Genoa at the weekend, as the 20-year-old snatched a point with a rasping strike 10 minutes from the end which left home goalkeeper Samir Ujkani no chance.

Ferrari team chief Stefano Domenicali admitted that title-chasing Spaniard Fernando Alonso does not have the fastest car as he urged a concerted push for victory in the season's final three Formula One races.

Speaking after Sebastian Vettel's fourth consecutive win in Sunday's Indian Grand Prix Domenicali said there was no point "crying about Red Bull's car" and that Ferrari had to play to their strengths to close the 13-point gap in the drivers' standings.

Alex Ferguson has wished referee Lee Mason "good luck" in Wednesday's League Cup tie between Manchester United and Chelsea, just three days after their fiery Stamford Bridge clash ended in controversy.

The fall-out from United's thrilling victory on Sunday is set to continue beyond Wednesday's game, when the Premier League's top two will meet for the second time in a week.

Steven de Jongh has stepped down from his role as Team Sky's sporting director after admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs during his career, the British team announced on Monday.

"Steven de Jongh has left Team Sky following three seasons as sports director," read a statement from Team Sky.

French defender Philippe Mexes will start AC Milan's Serie A league match away to Palermo on Tuesday after being snubbed at the weekend for a much-needed 1-0 win over Genoa after arriving late for training.

Milan, last season's runners-up, are experiencing one of their worst ever starts to the campaign and currently sit 11th, 15 points behind leaders and champions Juventus.

New York City Marathon organizers said Monday they expect the race on Sunday to go ahead with little impact from Hurricane Sandy, which was bearing down on the region on Monday.

"We're extraordinarily lucky the marathon is not today," New York Road Runners President Mary Wittenberg said in a conference call, adding that organizers "have time on our side" in making adjustments to competitors' travel plans and in any clean-up to the course that may be necessary.

Fresh from hitting his 300th career goal in a weekend swamping of Rayo Vallecano, Barcelona icon Lionel Messi heads a 23-strong shortlist for a fourth FIFA/France Football Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball) award.

National team captains and head coaches plus international media representatives selected by the French magazine will determine who wins the accolade, with Argentina's Messi favorite to land the award again at a presentation on January 7.

Red Bull need three "perfect" race weekends to ensure a third straight drivers' and constructors' world championship double after Sebastian Vettel's victory in India, says team chief Christian Horner.

Germany's Vettel, winner of the title in 2010 and 2011, cruised to his fourth consecutive victory on Sunday, leading the Indian Grand Prix from start to finish in a dominant display.

Chelsea have made a formal complaint about the language, reportedly racial, allegedly used by referee Mark Clattenburg to two of their players during the controversial 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United.

The dramatic development, which came after a stormy top of the table clash at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, will add fire to Wednesday evening when the two sides meet again in London in the League Cup.