Barcelona have defensive worries ahead of Tuesday's Champions League showdown with Arsenal which midfielder Seydou Keita has described as crucial for their season.

Keita scored the only goal as Barcelona kept up the pressure at the top of La Liga with a 1-0 win over Zaragoza at the weekend and now they turn their attention to Europe where they must overturn a 2-1 defeat at the Emirates to progress to the quarter-finals.

Lebanese Basketball team Al-Riyadi seeks to move on to the Final round of West Asia basketball league when they meet Iranian team Mehram today at 6pm in Saeb Salam Hall.

Al-Riyadi is heading into the game with high spirits, despite the absence of their injured star Jean Abdel Nour.

Kenny Dalglish has urged Liverpool to use the momentum from their impressive 3-1 win over Manchester United to spark a successful end to the season.

Dalglish was able to savor the best result of his second spell in charge at Anfield on Sunday as Dirk Kuyt's hat-trick put United to the sword in convincing fashion.

Serena Williams' absence from tennis could stretch to almost a year after two new health scares — a blood clot in her lungs followed by a hematoma — have added to her injury woes.

Her agents confirmed Wednesday that Williams was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism last week and later needed treatment for a hematoma. The 13-time Grand Slam champion hasn't played an official match since winning Wimbledon last July because of a foot injury she sustained not on the court but at a restaurant.

The Turkish town of Mersin has been chosen to host the 2013 Mediterranean Games after Greece was stripped of the event because of financial problems.

The International Committee of Mediterranean Games says Mersin was elected ahead of Tarragona, Spain; and Tripoli, Libya. All three cities stepped up as alternatives after Greece lost the hosting rights in January.

The cancelled Bahrain Grand Prix could be rescheduled to take place later this year but any decision must be taken before the Formula One season starts, Bernie Ecclestone said Tuesday.

Ecclestone told www.formula1.com in an interview that the Bahrain race -- which had been due to take place on March 13 -- could be staged later this year if organizers requested it.

Iran have protested against the already controversial logo of the 2012 Olympic Games, saying the emblem is racist and spells the word "Zion," the ILNA news agency reported on Monday.

The jagged, multi-colored emblem, which reportedly cost 400,000 pounds (nearly 650,000 dollars) features four bold numerals representing 2012, with the signature Olympic Rings emblazoned within the digit zero.

Al Jefferson scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter Friday as Utah defeated Indiana 95-84 for their first NBA victory since longtime coach Jerry Sloan stepped down.

Paul Millsap added 23 points and a season-high 18 rebounds for Utah, who had dropped four straight since interim coach Tyrone Corbin took over after Sloan's abrupt departure.

Manchester United's American owners insisted the club was not for sale on Friday, following recent speculation of a mammoth offer from the Qatar Royal family.

In a statement released alongside the club's second quarter financial results, the Glazer family said they remained "fully committed" to the long-term future of the English Premier League giants.

Malaysia's Sepang Formula One event is losing traction, according to the circuit's boss who admitted the shabby stadium and tropical temperatures have caused ticket sales to plunge.

The Malaysian event has also been outshone by neighboring Singapore, which offers not just adrenaline-packed night racing on a street circuit, but teams it with live entertainment by big-name performers like Beyonce.