Soccer
It’s a huge night of Champions League football for Manchester United this evening as they face Wolfsburg with their premier European competition lives on the line. Were PSV Eindhoven to beat CSKA Moscow in the group’s other game, United would have to pick up three points at the Volkswagen Arena in order to progress to the last 16.
If they are to do so it will be with a threadbare squad as Wayne Rooney misses out with an ankle injury while Morgan Schneiderlin suffered a hip strain in Saturday's 0-0 draw with West Ham. A number of young players have been called in to fill the squad - including Nick Powell who has played once in three years for United.
Louis van Gaal will also be wary of avoiding a similar fate to Alex Ferguson's side 10 years ago.
On that day in 2005 United lost out to Benfica at the Estadio da Luz to crash out of the Champions League group stages.
Manchester City are also in action this evening - they face Borussia Monchengladbach at home as they look to secure top spot in Group D.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini has denied that his side struggle without Vincent Kompany – the captain missing tonight's game with a calf problem.
Sergio Aguero also misses out while Yaya Toure is fit for the visit of the Germans.
In the Premier League last night Romelu Lukaku rescued a point for Everton at Goodison Park after Scott Dann had put Crystal Palace ahead.
Everton hit the woodwork twice and will feel hard done by not to have picked up all three points.
In the FA Cup third round draw Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool received, what should be, favourable ties.
Liverpool will travel to League Two Exeter, United will host Sheffield United while Chelsea will play the winner of Leyton Orient and Scunthorpe.
In domestic news PFAI general secretary Stephen McGuinness says the organisation's efforts to help players returning from Britain are being hampered by a lack of available information about those players.
Rugby
The IRFU want Ian Madigan to join Munster next season, presuming they can keep him in the country by offering a similarly lucrative deal to that put on the table by teams such as Bristol, Harlequins and - The Irish Times can confirm - Bordeaux-Begles and Montpellier.
Madigan, who is out of contract with Leinster this summer, is awaiting a formal offer from the union’s high performance director David Nucifora after Bristol tabled €500,000 a season for the place-kicking outhalf-cum-inside centre.
In his column this week Gerry Thornley writes of how the Irish provinces desperately need Champions Cup wins this weekend to avoid the the stark prospect of Irish rugby not having a representative in the knockout stages for the first time since 1997/'98 - fully 18 seasons ago.
“This week will tell us much about this Munster squad. Apparently, 20,000 or so tickets have been sold so far for Saturday night’s game. The 7.45 kick-off on a Saturday night in December isn’t helpful. Nor would any more inclement weather, and nor is Munster’s recent form. But if ever the men in red needed the Red Army, it is now, and if ever they needed something to get the old Thomond roar going, it is next Saturday night.”
In other news, Ben Te'o looks certain to leave Leinster this summer. Offers from French and British clubs are understood to be in the region of double the salary the New Zealander is currently on.
GAA
Dublin CEO John Costello has reacted negatively to the proposal put forward by Pádraic Duffy to abolish the under-21 football championship. Costello says that the move would not be supported by players or the public and that it would curtail the Sigerson Cup.
“You are an elite young player, just turned 20, and hoping to stake a claim sooner or later for inclusion on your county’s senior football squad. You have an either/or choice: play for your county at under-21 level, or play for your college in the Sigerson Cup … but you can’t do both,” Costello said.
In hurling, Conal Keaney is considering retiring from inter-county hurling. Speaking to The Irish Times Second Captains podcast, the former dual player said he would be considering his options within the next fortnight.
Racing
At the Horse Racing Ireland Awards last night it was a dead heat in the Horse of the Year stakes as Don Cossack and Faugheen shared the award.
It was the first time in the 13-year history of the awards that voters were unable to split the pair, who carry the respective colours of two of the sport’s most high profile owners, American businessman, Rich Ricci, and Ryanair boss, Michael O’Leary.
Golf
A stellar year for Irish golf was capped last night at the 27th Excellence in Sports Awards when Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington both received outstanding achievement awards while Christy O'Connor Jnr won the Golf Digest Lifetime Achievement Award.
What to watch out for
Soccer: Manchester United take on Wolfsburg in their crucial Champions League group stage encounter. TV3 from 7.30pm and BT Sports Europe from 7pm.
Manchester City welcome Borussia Monchengladbach to Eastlands in their final Group D game. BT Sport 2 from 7pm and Setanta from 7.30pm.
The other Champions League games taking place this evening are PSG v Shaktar Donetsk, Real Madrid v Malmo, PSV v CSKA, Benfica v Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray v Astana and Sevilla v Juventus. All kick off at 7.45pm and are available on the red button on BT Sport Europe.
