ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:WAYNE ROONEY will discover if he is banned from Manchester United's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City within a matter of hours of going on to the pitch to face Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
Rooney has accepted the Football Association in England’s charge of using insulting words when he swore into a pitch-side camera after scoring his hat-trick goal against West Ham on Saturday, but the striker has launched an appeal against the severity of the two-match ban.
That will be heard at Wembley today by a three-man commission, with United submitting a written report explaining why they feel the punishment is unreasonable and the verdict may not be made public today.
The club hopes the ban will be reduced so it takes in only one game, against Fulham on Saturday.
There is a chance the ban could be extended to a third match if the appeal is deemed as frivolous, but that is considered unlikely on the basis there is no precedent to which United’s legal team could refer.
Rooney has the backing of the Professional Footballers’ Association, which described the charge as “unprecedented” and, if upheld, leading to a “dangerous precedent”.
Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, also appears to believe Rooney has been treated unjustly.
“Obviously the behaviour is not good but when you score a goal. In Italy, nothing happens if a player shouts into a camera. Here, a two-game ban. They are very strong here.”
Chelsea appear to have no new injury concerns for tonight’s showdown. The Blues trained yesterday morning at their Cobham headquarters, with all their senior players taking part in the session.
That included David Luiz, who is cup-tied in the Champions League, and is set to be replaced by Branislav Ivanovic for the Stamford Bridge meeting.
But the big question will be who starts up front, with Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou vying for what has recently been two berths.
If body language is anything to go by, Torres looks set for a recall.
Manager Ancelotti spent the opening few minutes of training engaged in discussion and friendly banter with the misfiring Spaniard, even pretending to throttle and punch him.
Drogba staked his claim to partner Torres by scoring the equaliser in Saturday’s Premier League draw at Stoke, ending his own long goal drought.
However, the duo have failed to forge an understanding on the field on the rare occasions they have been partnered, while Nicolas Anelka has been scintillating in the Champions League this season.
Kalou, meanwhile, is arguably in the best overall form of the quartet. Although, with all four strikers netting just three goals between them in the last two months, that is not saying much.
Yossi Benayoun and Alex both trained but Ancelotti has already said the duo are unlikely to play a part tonight as they continue to build up fitness following long-term lay-offs.
Midfielder Frank Lampard last night insisted revenge for their defeat by United in the 2008 final in Moscow was the furthest thing from his mind.
“When you play for a long period of time, as I have here, you see the ups and downs. You collect them,” said the 32 year old, who will be playing his 500th match for the club tonight.
“You don’t any feel thoughts of revenge or anything against anyone. You understand you can’t always be successful and win.”
Guardian Service
SOCCER ROUND-UP
English League One: Bristol Rovers 1 Bournemouth 0; Dag Red 0 Peterborough 2; Leyton Orient 2 Plymouth 0; Notts County 1 Rochdale 2; Sheff Wed 4 Tranmere 0; Southampton 2 Charlton 0.
League Two: Accrington Stanley 3 Southend 1; Burton Albion 1 Northampton 1; Hereford 0 Wycombe 0; Macclesfield 0 Bradford 1.
Scottish Premier League: St Johnstone 0 Rangers 2 (Lafferty, Naismith).
First Division: Cowdenbeath 2 Ross County 1; Morton 2 Stirling 0.
Second Division: Brechin 1 Airdrie Utd 2; Forfar 3 Ayr 2.
Third Division: Clyde 1 Montrose 1.
TONIGHT'S FIXTURES
(7.45 unless stated)
UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final First Leg: Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk; Chelsea v Man Utd.
Scottish Premier League: Celtic v Hibernian; Motherwell v Dundee Utd; St Mirren v Aberdeen.
