The Sports Matrix: Wednesday 13 April 2011

Tevez to undergo injury scan today

Carlos Tevez will have a scan on his hamstring injury today which will dictate whether he plays a part in Saturday’s FA Cup semifinal. The City medical team predict a two-week absence from the injury sustained inMonday’s 3-0 defeat at Anfield. MORE

Low demand for rugby at Reebok

Sale’s game with London Irish was moved to the Reebok Stadium for a bigger crowd. But the Sale chief executive, Mick Hogan, admitted the attendance would not be as high as they hoped: “We don’t think we’ll pull in the crowd we’d hoped for originally.” MORE

Murray aims for good start on clay

Andy Murray plays in the Monte Carlo Masters today. The Scot’s form is poor: since the Australian Open semi-finals he has played four games and not won a set. His last two defeats were to players outside the top 100. MORE

QPR extend lead over second place

Queens Park Rangers moved back to 10 points clear of second place in the Championship with a 1-0 win at Barnsley, thanks to Adel Taarabt’s goal. Cardiff returned to second spot, winning at Sheffield United while Swansea and Norwich could only draw. MORE

Redgraves raise genetics riddle

The Boat Race win by Steve Redgrave’s daughter, Natalie, raises the issue of the role genetics play in success. “I think it’s a combination,” she said. “You can have the genes, the build, everything, but without hard work you’re not going to get anywhere.” MORE

Spurs win ‘would take a miracle’

Harry Redknapp was honest about Spurs’ chances of reversing a 4-0 deficit against Real Madrid tonight: “We know it would take a miracle, but miracles can happen. As long as we give our best shot and everything we have, I can’t ask for any more.” MORE

Broad to return in time for first Test

Stuart Broad hopes to return to County Championship cricket on 4 May in Nottinghamshire’s game against Yorkshire. “Then I can get some Championship wickets before the first Test,” he said. England play Sri Lanka in Cardiff starting on 26 May. MORE

Schalke close to semi-final place

Schalke host Internazionale in the quarter-final second leg tonight, with a 5-2 lead from San Siro. “If someone had told us before the match that we would beat Inter by three goals,” said new coach Ralf Rangnick, “we would have declared him mad.” MORE

Major winners meet at Wentworth

The four current holders of golf’s Majors will compete at next month’s PGA Championship, it has been announced. Masters champion Charl Schwartzel will be joined by Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell at Wentworth. MORE

Opinion: James Lawton

Roman Abramovich might, rather than sacking Carlo Ancelotti, consider the option of continuity, understanding and respecting professionals who know the game. That policy continues to work for Manchester United. MORE

United storm into the semi-finals

A virtuoso display by Ryan Giggs, who set up goals for Javier Hernandez and Park Ji-sung, gave Manchester United a 2-1 second leg win over Chelsea and a place in the semi-finals. Chelsea started the game the brighter, as they needed to given their 1-0 deficit from last week’s Stamford Bridge leg. Their best chance fell to Frank Lampard, who shot meekly at Edwin van der Sar. United scored first, though, as they did in the first leg. Wayne Rooney played an excellent crossfield pass to Giggs, who exchanged passes with John O’Shea before crossing low to the far post where Hernandez tapped in. Carlo Ancelotti replaced Fernando Torres with Didier Drogba at the interval, but, with 21 minutes left, Ramires was sent off for a second booking. Seven minutes later Drogba scored, but Park converted another Giggs cross less than a minute later to confirm United’s safe passage to the next round and put another Wembley final on the horizon. MORE

Messi helps Barça through to semis

Barcelona reached the semi-finals for the fourth consecutive year with a 1-0 win in Shakhtar Donetsk. They went to Ukraine with a 5-1 lead from the first leg and Lionel Messi’s goal just before half-time confirmed their progress to the competition’s final four. MORE

Elzaam fancied for for Free Handicap

Elzaam looks a good bet in today’s Free Handicap at Newmarket, where Midsummer Sun, a halfbrother to Midday and stablemate of Frankel, makes his debut for trainer Henry Cecil this afternoon on the opening day of the Craven meeting. MORE