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One-time Newcastle great Alan Shearer failed to keep the club in the Premier League after it lost 1-0 to Aston Villa on Sunday and was relegated along with West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough.

On a tense final day of the league campaign, Sunderland and Hull managed to stay up despite losing.

Hull lost 1-0 at home to newly crowned champion Manchester United, which rested most of its stars ahead of Wednesdays Champions League final against Barcelona, and Sunderland tumbled 3-2 at home to third-place Chelsea.

Middlesbrough needed a big victory at West Ham to stand any chance of survival, but lost 2-1 and finished tied on points with West Brom, which already was assured of being relegated despite a 0-0 draw at Blackburn.

West Brom and Middlesbrough finished with 32 points, Newcastle had 34, Hull 35 and Sunderland 36.

Newcastle has not won the league since 1927, but began the season with high hopes under Kevin Keegan. He quit after disputes with the owner, and Shearer, a local-born former England captain who scored a Premier League record 260 goals, took over for the last eight games, winning only one.

I cant say we were unlucky in the season. We went down because we werent good enough over 38 games, said Shearer, who scored 206 league and cup goals for Newcastle. Big changes have to be made at the football club.

In Sundays other games, Arsenal outplayed Stoke 4-1, Liverpool beat Tottenham 3-1, Everton won 2-0 at Fulham, Manchester City edged Bolton 1-0, and Wigan beat Portsmouth 1-0.

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MILAN - Francesco Tottis late free kick ruined Paolo Maldinis last home match for AC Milan, lifting AS Roma to a 3-2 victory at San Siro.

Now 40, Maldini has been playing for Milan in the top flight of Italian soccer since he was 16. He has won seven Italian league titles and five European Cups with the club.

He will make his farewell when Milan goes to Fiorentina in the last round of games next weekend. The loss left Milan in second 10 points behind Inter Milan, which has already been crowned champion for the fourth season in a row.

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MADRID - Runner-up Real Madrid continued its disappointing end to the Spanish league season with a 3-1 loss to Mallorca in its final home game.

Gonzalo Higuain opened the scoring for the home team with his 21st goal of the season, only for Juan Arango, Cleber Santana and Alhassane Keita to reply for Mallorca and inflict Madrids fourth straight defeat.

With one game remaining, champion Barcelona has a league record tally of 86 points. Madrid has 78, Sevilla 67 and Atletico Madrid 64.

On Saturday, Barcelona lost 1-0 to lowly Osasuna. Barca plays Manchester United in the Champions League final on Wednesday.

Sevilla ensured a third-place finish by beating Deportivo La Coruna 1-0, while Recreativo Huelva and Numancia became the first teams to be relegated after each lost 1-0 to Racing Santander and Getafe, respectively.

Other results were: Athletic Bilbao 1, Atletico Madrid 4; Villarreal 3, Valencia 1; Valladolid 1, Sporting Gijon 2; Almeria 0, Espanyol 3; and Malaga 1, Real Betis 1.

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GLASGOW, Scotland - Rangers won the Scottish league title with a 3-0 victory at Dundee United, preventing Celtic from winning its fourth straight title.

Goals by Kyle Lafferty, Pedro Mendes and Kris Boyd in the first 52 minutes gave Walter Smiths team its first league title since 2005 with 86 points. It now hopes to complete the double by beating Falkirk in the Scottish Cup on May 30.

Celtic, which was held to a 0-0 draw at home by third-place Hearts, finished four points behind.

Dundee Uniteds loss means it slipped to fifth and missed out to Aberdeen for a Europa League spot next season. Aberdeen beat Hibernian 2-1 and finished ahead of Dundee United on goal differential.

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ATHENS, Greece - Panathinaikos beat PAOK 4-1 in the Greek league playoffs for European competition to move closer to a place in the Champions League qualifiers.

Giorgos Karagounis, Brazilian defender Gabriel, Dimitris Salpingidis and Antonis Petropoulos scored for Panathinaikos, while Ilias Anastasakos notched PAOKs consolation goal.

The win, combined with a 0-0 draw for AEK at Larissa, brought Panathinaikos closer to winning the four-team playoffs and gaining a berth in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League. Two other teams will play in the second-tier Europa League.

After five rounds, Panathinaikos leads with 15 points, followed by AEK with 12, PAOK with six and Larissa with one. Based on their regular-season standings, PAOK began the six-game playoffs with a bonus of three points, Panathinaikos with two, AEK with one and Larissa with no points.

Panathinaikos plays AEK and Larissa travels to PAOK in the last round next Sunday.

Results from the 37th round of Spains first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Saturdays Games

Villarreal 3, Valencia 1

Barcelona 0, Osasuna 1

Sevilla 1, Deportivo La Coruna 0

Getafe 1, Numancia 0

Recreativo Huelva 0, Racing Santander 1

Valladolid 1, Sporting Gijon 2

Malaga 1, Real Betis 1

Almeria 0, Espanyol 3

Athletic Bilbao 1, Atletico Madrid 4

Sundays Game

Real Madrid 1, Mallorca 3

Sunday, May 31

Mallorca vs. Villarreal

Osasuna vs. Real Madrid

Deportivo La Coruna vs. Barcelona

Numancia vs. Sevilla

Racing Santander vs. Getafe

Sporting Gijon vs. Recreativo Huelva

Real Betis vs. Valladolid

Espanyol vs. Malaga

Atletico Madrid vs. Almeria

Valencia vs. Athletic Bilbao

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Portuguese Football Results

Results from the 30th round of the Portuguese first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Saturdays Games

Leixoes 1, Maritimo 0

Guimaraes 3, Academica 2

Naval 2, Setubal 2

Rio Ave 2, Amadora 1

Pacos Ferreira 1, Trofense 0

Benfica 3, Belenenses 1

Sundays Games

Sporting 3, Nacional 1

Porto 1, Braga 1

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Norwegian Football Results

Results from the Norwegian first division (home teams listed first).

Sundays Games

Odd Grenland 2, Fredrikstad 0

Lillestrom 2, Sandefjord 1

Tromso 1, Lyn 0

Start 4, Bodo Glimt 0

Valerenga 1, Stromsgodset 0

Rosenborg 1, Viking 0

Mondays Game

Alesund vs. Stabaek

Thursdays Game

Brann vs. Molde

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Danish Football Results

Results Sunday from the Danish first division (home teams listed first).

Horsens 2, Nordsjalland 3

Aarhus 1, Brondby 0

Randers 3, Vejle 2

Midtjylland 1, Odense 1

Aalborg 1, SonderjyskE 1

Esbjerg 0, FC Copenhagen 1

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English Football Results

Results Sunday in English football (home teams listed first).

Premier League

Arsenal 4, Stoke 1

Aston Villa 1, Newcastle 0

Blackburn 0, West Bromwich Albion 0

Fulham 0, Everton 2

Hull 0, Manchester United 1

Liverpool 3, Tottenham 1

Manchester City 1, Bolton 0

Sunderland 2, Chelsea 3

West Ham 2, Middlesbrough 1

Wigan 1, Portsmouth 0

League One Playoff

Final

At Wembley

Millwall 2, Scunthorpe 3

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Italian Football Results

Results in the Serie A, the Italian first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Sunday, May 24

Atalanta 2, Palermo 2

Cagliari 2, Inter Milan 1

Catania 3, Napoli 1

Chievo Verona 0, Bologna 0

Lecce 1, Fiorentina 1

AC Milan 2, AS Roma 3

Sampdoria 2, Udinese 2

Siena 0, Juventus 3

Torino 2, Genoa 3

Sunday, May 31

Bologna vs. Catania

Fiorentina vs. AC Milan

Genoa vs. Lecce

Inter Milan vs. Atalanta

Juventus vs. Lazio

Napoli vs. Chievo Verona

Palermo vs. Sampdoria

Reggina vs. Siena

AS Roma vs. Torino

Udinese vs. Cagliari

—-
Scottish Football Results

Results Sunday in Scottish football (home teams listed first).

Premier League

Aberdeen 2, Hibernian 1

Dundee United 0, Rangers 3

Celtic 0, Hearts 0

Bordeaux and Marseille both won on Saturday to set up a decisive final round of the French league next week, with Bordeaux leading Marseille by three points at the top.

Bordeaux survived some nervy moments to beat Monaco 1-0 at home thanks to Marouane Chamakhs 13th goal of the season, while Marseille won 2-1 at Nancy on a deflected strike from Laurent Bonnart and a goal from Brazilian striker Brandao.

The win took Bordeaux to 77 points from 37 matches, while Marseille has 74 points.

Bordeaux set a new French record with its 10th straight league win.

The lads are in the process of doing something exceptional, coach Laurent Blanc said. We cant do any better than that. They deserve their place in history.

But Marseille can still win the title if it wins its final match at home against Rennes next week and Bordeaux loses at Caen, which needs to win to avoid relegation.

We wanted to take the title race to the last week and were still around, Marseille coach Eric Gerets said. Were not favorites but we are still in it. The French league will have an amazing finale thanks to Marseille.

Gerets was counting on Caen thwarting Bordeauxs party plans.

Caen will play to win and to save its skin, Gerets said. It is a quite exceptional end to the season.

Monaco missed several chances against a lackluster Bordeaux, which defended for most of the match after Chamakhs 38th-minute goal, where he rose to head in a dipping cross from Yoann Gourcuff.

I dont think we deserved to lose, Monaco coach Ricardo said.

At Nancy, Brandao headed in Mamadou Niangs cross after just five minutes, but the goal was ruled offside, even though television replays showed the forward was nearly one meter behind Nancys defender when Niangs cross came in.

At Bordeaux, the visitor pushed forward in the closing stages and goalkeeper Ulrich Rame had to make a smart save in the closing stages to deny Monaco a point.

Elsewhere, seven-time defending champion Lyon beat Caen 3-1 at home to ensure a third-place finish and a slot in the Champions League qualifying round with 70 points. Juninho got his 100th career goal for Lyon, while Sidney Govou and Karim Benzema completed the win.

In other results, it was: Auxerre 1, Saint-Etienne 0; Le Havre 0, Lille 1; Le Mans 1, Grenoble 1; Nice 0, Toulouse 2; Rennes 3, Lorient 1; Sochaux 2, Nantes 1; and Valenciennes 2, Paris Saint-Germain 1.

At Lyon, Juninho scored from the penalty spot in the 34th after he was fouled controlling a pass from Benzema, who earlier had a goal ruled out for offside. Juninho is expected to leave the club at the end of the season and was given a long standing ovation when he was substituted near the end.

In the race for a Europa Cup place, Toulouse leapfrogged PSG into fourth place on goals difference, with both teams on 63 points; Rennes and Lille are close behind with 61 each.

PSG took the lead in the 11th minute when Mateja Kezman turned in Ludovic Giulys cross, but Valenciennes bounced back on second-half goals from Johan Audel and Gregory Pujol. Valenciennes coach Antoine Kombouare is expected to join PSG.

Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac notched both goals to improve his league-leading tally to 24.

Gignac got his first in the 13th minute when he broke down the right and his cross was poorly cleared, allowing him to collect the loose ball and finish the move he started with a low strike.

The second in the 31st was brilliant as he deftly collected a high ball down the left side, cut inside his marker without breaking stride and slotted in a low shot inside the near post.

At the bottom of the table, Le Havre was already relegated with 25 points, while Nantes was all but relegated with 34, and Saint-Etienne dropped into the relegation zone with 37.

Caen also had 37 and led Saint-Etienne on goal difference. Saint-Etienne hosts Valenciennes next weekend.

Sochaux took a big step toward survival and moved up to 15th place with 39 points, while Le Mans had the same total and was one place behind in 16th.

Turkey striker Mevlut Erding headed in a low pass from the left to give Sochaux the lead in the 35th, and defender Rabiu Afolabi made it 2-0 shortly before halftime to send Nantes closer to the second division. Mamadou Bagayoko gave Nantes some hope when he scored a penalty early in the second half, but the club has a vastly inferior goal difference to Caen.

Of course its finished, veteran Nantes midfielder Frederic Da Rocha said.

Wolfsburg won its first Bundesliga title when it beat Werder Bremen 5-1 in the final round Saturday.

Felix Magaths team finished the season with 69 points, two ahead of last years champion, Bayern Munich, which edged Stuttgart 2-1. Magath, who has also won two titles with Bayern, is leaving to coach Schalke next season.

At the start of the season, I really didnt think we had a chance of winning the title, Magath said after getting drenched in champagne by his players. But I knew we had a good team and we played well and deserved the title.

Bayerns consolation prize will be to join Wolfsburg in the Champions League next season. Stuttgart, which finished third with 64 points, will have to qualify.

Hertha Berlin, which lost 4-0 at relegated Karlsruhe, finished fourth with 63 points and will join Hamburger SV in the Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup. Hamburg won 3-2 at Eintracht Frankfurt to finish fifth with 61 points.

Karlsruhe and Arminia Bielefeld were demoted, while Energie Cottbus will go into a relegation playoff against the third-place team from the second division, still to be determined.

Grafite, Wolfsburgs Brazilian striker, scored twice against Werder to finish with a league-high 28 goals. Edin Dzeko added one for a total of 26.

With 54 goals between them, Grafite and Dzeko set a new Bundesliga record. Gerd Mueller and Hoeness twice combined for 53 goals for Bayern in the early 1970s.

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MADRID - Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola received a red card near the end of the new Spanish league champions 1-0 loss to lowly Osasuna.

Guardiola, who will lead Barcelona into Wednesdays Champions League final, was sent off after protesting the 81st-minute ejection of substitute Marc Muniesa, leading an annoyed crowd at Camp Nou to wave white handkerchiefs at referee Antonio Rubinos Perez.

Osasuna applauded a second-string Barcelona onto the field then notched the games only goal in the 26th minute when Walter Pandiani headed in midfielder Jaroslav Plasils corner kick.

Barcelonas loss was its second straight since it won the league and Copa del Rey titles, while Osasunas win kept alive its hopes of remaining in the topflight.

In other games, Sevilla ensured a third-place finish by beating Deportivo 1-0, while Recreativo Huelva and Numancia became the first teams to be relegated after each losing 1-0 to Racing Santander and Getafe respectively.

Also, it was: Athletic Bilbao 1, Atletico Madrid 4; Villarreal 3, Valencia 1; Valladolid 1, Sporting Gijon 2; Almeria 0, Espanyol 3; and Malaga 1, Real Betis 1.

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LISBON, Portugal - Trofense and Belenenses were relegated from the Portuguese league after suffering defeats in final-round games.

Last-place Trofense lost 1-0 at Pacos Ferreira, while No. 15 Belenenses went down 3-1 at Benfica. The results allowed the other two relegation-threatened teams, Rio Ave and Setubal, to survive.

Trofense, promoted last season, saw its hopes of avoiding a swift return to the second division thwarted when William scored in the 75th minute for Pacos Ferreira.

Belenenses ended an 11-year stay in the top division despite a third-minute goal at Benfica by its captain Silas. The home team then replied through goals by Oscar Cardozo in the 21st, Filipe Bastos in the 63rd and substitute Pedro Mantorras in injury time.

Rio Ave escaped losing its first-division place after one season with a 2-1 win over Amadora, while Setubal drew 2-2 at Naval.

Trofense and Belenenses will be replaced in next seasons league by second-division champion Olhanense and either Santa Clara or Leiria.

In other games, sixth-place Leixoes edged Maritimo 1-0, while Guimaraes downed Academica 3-2.

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PARIS - Bordeaux and Marseille both won to set up a decisive final round of the French league next week, with Bordeaux leading Marseille by three points.

Bordeaux survived some nervy moments to beat Monaco 1-0 at home thanks to Marouane Chamakhs 13th goal of the season, while Marseille won 2-1 at Nancy on a deflected strike from Laurent Bonnart and a goal from Brazilian striker Brandao.

The win took Bordeaux to 77 points from 37 matches, while Marseille has 74 points.

Bordeaux set a new French record with its 10th straight league win.

The lads are in the process of doing something exceptional, coach Laurent Blanc said. We cant do any better than that. They deserve their place in history.

But Marseille can still win the title if it wins its final match at home against Rennes next week and Bordeaux loses at Caen, which needs to win to avoid relegation.

Elsewhere, seven-time defending champion Lyon beat Caen 3-1 at home to ensure a third-place finish and a slot in the Champions League qualifying round with 70 points. Juninho got his 100th career goal for Lyon, while Sidney Govou and Karim Benzema completed the win.

In other results, it was: Auxerre 1, Saint-Etienne 0; Le Havre 0, Lille 1; Le Mans 1, Grenoble 1; Nice 0, Toulouse 2; Rennes 3, Lorient 1; Sochaux 2, Nantes 1; and Valenciennes 2, Paris Saint-Germain 1.

Results from the 30th round of the Portuguese first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Saturdays Games

Leixoes 1, Maritimo 0

Guimaraes 3, Academica 2

Naval 2, Setubal 2

Rio Ave 2, Amadora 1

Pacos Ferreira 1, Trofense 0

Benfica 3, Belenenses 1

Sundays Games

Sporting vs. Nacional

Porto vs. Braga

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French Football Results

Results from the 37th round of the French first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Saturdays Games

Auxerre 1, Saint-Etienne 0

Bordeaux 1, Monaco 0

Le Havre 0, Lille 1

Le Mans 1, Grenoble 1

Lyon 3, Caen 1

Nancy 1, Marseille 2

Nice 0, Toulouse 2

Rennes 3, Lorient 1

Sochaux 2, Nantes 1

Valenciennes 2, Paris Saint-Germain 1

—-
Spanish Football Results

Results from the 37th round of Spains first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Saturdays Games

Villarreal 3, Valencia 1

Barcelona 0, Osasuna 1

Sevilla 1, Deportivo La Coruna 0

Getafe 1, Numancia 0

Recreativo Huelva 0, Racing Santander 1

Valladolid 1, Sporting Gijon 2

Malaga 1, Real Betis 1

Almeria 0, Espanyol 3

Athletic Bilbao 1, Atletico Madrid 4

Sundays Game

Real Madrid vs. Mallorca

Sunday, May 31

Mallorca vs. Villarreal

Osasuna vs. Real Madrid

Deportivo La Coruna vs. Barcelona

Numancia vs. Sevilla

Racing Santander vs. Getafe

Sporting Gijon vs. Recreativo Huelva

Real Betis vs. Valladolid

Espanyol vs. Malaga

Atletico Madrid vs. Almeria

Valencia vs. Athletic Bilbao

Fans attending the Champions League final in Rome will have to show a photo ID along with their ticket to get into the stadium as part of increased Italian security measures.

Rome is readying a massive security operation as it tries to silence critics who, fearing violence, campaigned to have club soccers most prestigious event moved to another city. Violence has plagued recent Champions League matches involving local team AS Roma and English clubs.

The Olympic Stadium will accommodate some 67,000 fans during the final between Manchester United and Barcelona on Wednesday, while many more thousands are expected to flood Rome, some without a ticket.

Security officials said they have been monitoring ticket sales, together with the British and Spanish police and European soccer authorities, to prevent false copies, scalping and fans ending up in the wrong section of the stadium.

Each fan will have to show both an ID and a ticket - actually a card that must be read by electronic machines at the stadiums gates. If the name appearing on the machine display doesnt match the one on the ID, the person will be denied entry, said Roberto Massucci, director of the Interior Ministrys body in charge of public order for sporting events.

The name on the ticket can be changed up to 48 hours before the game, when the card must be activated, Massucci said Thursday.

It is the first time a Champions League final employs this system, which was tested on a sample of fans during the Italian Cup final at the Olympic Stadium earlier this month.

A delegation of British and Spanish police - numbering 15 each - will arrive in the capital Monday to coordinate with the Italians, Massucci said. Some will be in plainclothes and will mingle with the fans, the others will be scattered across the city.

An alcohol ban is expected to be in place in the hours before and after the game, which kicks off at 8:45 p.m local time.

This week, the British governments Foreign and Commonwealth Office urged United fans to stay away from certain parts of the Italian capital to avoid mishaps with local troublemakers.

Two of the most famous names in football, Manchester United and Barcelona, have underachieved in Europes biggest club competition with a paltry five titles between them in its 54-year history.

That total only equals the five won by Liverpool and is two behind AC Milan and four behind Real Madrid.

Thats not good enough for clubs which featured players such as Bobby Charlton, George Best and David Beckham, Hristo Stoichkov, Romario and Ronaldo, and coaching greats Matt Busby and Johan Cruyff.

What makes it even more embarrassing for two powerhouse teams considered the best in the world is that they have reached only a combined eight finals before this year, United winning all three of its appearances and Barca two out of five.

Compare that with Madrids 12 finals, Milans 11, Liverpools, Bayern Munichs, Benficas and Juventus seven and six for Dutch club Ajax.

Now that they meet in the Champions League final for the first time, they hope to put on a classic in Rome on Wednesday to make up for past failures.

When we get a game that paints the real story of football then we are all lifted. Barcelona and Manchester United can do that, says United manager Alex Ferguson, who is chasing his 26th trophy in 23 seasons with the Red Devils.

The players we both have suggests it will be a great final. I hope it lives up to it.

A little like a long-awaited heavyweight title fight between the defending champion and the popular No. 1 contender, Man United and Barca face each other at Olympic Stadium.

The potential lineups show each has formidable punching power while United has the better defense because Barca has been hit by suspensions.

Ferguson can choose from Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez in attack. If Thierry Henry overcomes a knee injury, he will team up with Lionel Messi and Samuel Etoo in a Barcelona lineup which has scored more than 100 league goals this season.

Winner of its third English Premier League title in a row and 11th in 17 seasons, United goes to Rome chasing its fourth European club crown.

Ferguson has said repeatedly that United should have won the title more times, including during his 23-year spell at the club, which is owned by American investor Malcolm Glazer and his sons. A fourth title would put the team alongside Bayern Munich and Ajax.

Theres the opportunity for us to put ourselves among the pantheon of teams who have won the competition four times and that would be fantastic for us, he said.

Theres a strong chance Man United would have won it more times if it hadnt been for the Munich air crash in 1958.

Uniteds players were flying home from a European Cup match in Belgrade when, on a stopover in Munich, the plan crashed on takeoff in heavy snow. Eight members of the team, known as the Busby Babes after its injured manager, died.

At the time, United was considered strong enough to challenge defending champion Real Madrid. But the backup players could not make up for those who died and Madrid went on to win five titles in a row.

Barcelona, which is after its third European Cup title, was one of Madrids biggest rivals in those days, winning back-to-back Spanish titles in 1959 and 60. A losing finalist to Benfica in 1961, it stayed in Madrids shadow in the European Cup.

Throughout the years, both clubs have been synonymous with positive play, playing before huge crowds and attracting big stars. United plays to sellout crowds at its 76,000-seat Old Trafford and Barcelona gets up to 98,700 at Camp Nou.

While Uniteds defenders will have to deal with the dribbling skills of Barcas Argentina star Messi, he fears what Ronaldo could do to his team.

Theyre a great team, Manchester. If you go through the whole squad, youd be hard pushed to know which player to choose if you had to pick just one. But clearly you have to start with Cristiano, a great forward who can gambetea with speed and east, Messi said, using a colloquial South American term for dribbling with feints and swerves.

And he has a great medium-range shot. Were conscious that in Rome we cant give him time to think or get a shot in from distance. Hes a great footballer.

Ferguson, who arrived at Old Trafford in October 1986 after being hugely successful in his native Scotland with Aberdeen, has led Man United to 25 titles since 1990.

At about the time that run started, a young midfielder was starting out at Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola began his career at Camp Nou that year and went on to become one of the most respected midfielders in European football, helping Barca win its first European Cup title in 1992, before it became known as the Champions League.

After a spell as reserve team coach, Guardiola took over after the club fired Frank Rijkaard and, in his first season in charge, has already taken the club to the Spanish league title.

While Ronaldo vs. Messi and Rooney vs. Henry might be two of the biggest matchups on the field, Ferguson vs. Guardiola - their first head-to-head as coaches - will be just as significant.

One of them will take a step up the ladder of European champions, while the other will have to wait another year.

Results from the 10th round of the Norwegian first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Tuesdays Game

Sandefjord 2, Rosenborg 2

Thursdays Games

Molde 1, Tromso 1

Start 1, Odd Grenland 1

Fredrikstad 2, Brann 4

Viking 2, Stabaek 2

Bodo Glimt 3, Aalesund 0

Stromsgodset 1, Lillestrom 2

Lyn 4, Valerenga 4

Barcelona v Man Utd
Weds 27th May Live on ITV/RTE

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has the unequivocal support of the board and is staying at the Premier League club despite speculation of a move to Real Madrid, chief executive Ivan Gazidis said Thursday.

Gazidis told The Associated Press that Wenger is expected to see his contract through for at least the two remaining seasons.

He is clearly staying, Gazidis said. Weve said that, he said that. He has the full support, unequivocal support of our board.

Gazidis added he would like to see the Frenchman stay after his contract expires in 2011.

Weve consistently said we would like him to remain involved with the club as long as he has the drive and the ambition to want to do that, he said.

Gazidis said the club has not changed the terms of Wengers contract in light of speculation swirling about a possible move to Madrid, saying theres no additional incentive that he needs.

It does not surprise me that clubs like Real Madrid would be interested in Arsene Wenger, he said. He would be the most in-demand manager internationally in the game.

Gazidis spoke before he and Arsenal defender Gael Clichy unveiled a new soccer school in the Gulf emirate in partnership with club sponsor Emirates airline.

British media have reported that Wenger, who has been at Arsenal for 12 years, is considering leaving for Real Madrid after some fans criticized him at a meeting last week and because of a limited transfer budget.

Wenger sparked the speculation over the weekend by saying coaching Real Madrid would be obviously interesting.

Florentino Perez announced his candidacy last week to become Madrid president for a second time in the clubs elections in the offseason. He reportedly tried to sign Wenger during his first stint and has been linked again with the Arsenal manager.

Some Arsenal fans have become increasingly frustrated after a fourth consecutive season without a trophy and Wengers reliance on young players.

However, Gazidis said he believes the veteran manager has the clear support of the majority of our fans.

Arsenal will finish in fourth place this season in the Premier League, meaning the Gunners will have to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League.