Barham takes Austrian Open lead

Cesc Fabregas Arsenal captain could be out of action for up to three weeks after his injured hamstring in Tuesday’s Champions League defeat by Braga said manager Arsène Wenger.

Fabregas was in the 69th Minutes of the 2-0 loss to Portugal with his team-mate Emmanuel Eboue also suffering a knee injury and replaced.

“Eboue will be for a while and we will assess Fabregas have tomorrow (Wednesday),” Wenger told the club’s website after the game.

“There could be two to three weeks. It is very disappointing because I had a hesitation to play him (Fabregas) began before the game. I took the game and it was backfiring on us.”

Arsenal face Aston Villa in the Premier League clash on Saturday and Wigan Athletic in the Premier League quarter-final on Tuesday.
Reuters

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Manager Nigel Clough believes six more wins will guarantee Derby’s Championship status.The Rams have been without several key players for much of the season and that has left them languishing towards the bottom end of the table. Clough named an unchanged side for the first time against Newcastle in midweek.
Taking 10 points from the last 15 available has moved Derby up to 15th in the table but they remain just four points above the relegation zone.
Clough said: “We`re starting to see the benefit of having most of our best players available at the same time but there’s a long way to go.
“It’s like the season is starting here for us and we’ve got 16 important league games to come and we’ve got to win six of them. We think 18 points will make us safe and the priority is to get there as soon as we can.”

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Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Ashley Cole will undergo surgery on his broken ankle on Friday.Cole will be out of action for approximately three months after fracturing his left ankle in Wednesday’s Premier League match against Everton.
The England left-back limped off the pitch in the second half after picking up the injury in a challenge with Landon Donovan.
Ancelotti said: “We are very disappointed because he is a very important player. Now we have to do our best to get him recovered quickly.”
Yuri Zhirkov and Paulo Ferreira are considered the favourites to stand in for Cole, while former club-mate Wayne Bridge is among the contenders to come in to the England team.
Cole faces a fight to regain his fitness in time for this summer’s World Cup, with England opening their campaign in South Africa on June 12 with a match against the United States.
England manager Fabio Capello said: “It is bad news about Ashley. He’s a really important player. As a left defender he is very good and dangerous going forward. I hope it won’t be too tough for him.”

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Coventry have signed Freddie Sears on loan from West Ham until the end of the season.The up-and-coming England U21 international arrives with a promising reputation having first signalled his arrival on the professional scene with the winning goal on his debut for the Hammers to secure a late 2-1 win over Blackburn in March 2008.
He has gone on to make 25 Premier League appearances for the London club and spent the first half of this season on loan at Crystal Palace, where he failed to find the net in 18 games.
Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola was keen for him to get more match practice under his belt and his name has been linked with a host of Championship clubs.
Coventry manager Chris Coleman, who has been operating with just two strikers following Leon Best`s deadline-day switch to Newcastle, has made his move.

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Defender Alex Pearce has committed his future to Reading by signing a new contract which will keep him at Madejski Stadium until the summer of 2013.The Royals were keen to keep the highly-rated 21-year-old, whose contract was due to expire in the summer. He follows fellow Academy graduates Gylfi Sigurdsson and Simon Church in signing a new deal.
Director of football Nick Hammond said: “I’m delighted we’ve reached an agreement on this new contract for Alex. He has become an integral part of our squad with his performances on the pitch and also shown great maturity for a young man.
“Securing the young talent at the football club is key to our long-term future. We have signed a number of players to new contracts recently and that is vital for what we want to achieve as a club.
“They are young men who are still finding their way in the game but the experience they are gaining at this time will be invaluable for their futures.”
Pearce said: “It feels good to get it sorted and know I’m staying here for the foreseeable future. It’s a fantastic club with high ambitions and I’m very pleased to be a part of it.”

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