Two of Italy’s struggling teams will hope to break out in a big way when Siena hosts Napoli in a Coppa Italia semifinal game at Stadio Comunale Artemio Franchi in Siena. Siena has won just once in their last five matches along with two losses and two draws. Napoli has also just won once along with three losses and a draw. This is the first leg of a two-legged semi final with the next game being played in Napoli on March 21. The winner will face either AC Milan or Juventus in the final.

Napoli has beaten Siena twice, lost once and drawn two against them in their past five meetings. Siena has won just once in their last six home games while Napoli has won just once in their past six overall. N

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The Queen Mother Champion Chase is one of the finest and most prestigious races to be staged during the Cheltenham Festival. Two mile steeple-chasing on the Cotswold’s undulations is a real test of the equine – twelve fences must be jumped with precision at a scorching gallop meaning there is no room for error.

He was a little before my time, but the great Badsworth Boy is the only horse to win the Queen Mother three times. Master Minded was cruelly denied this feat in 2010, by the Gods, when Cheltenham’s racing turf was deemed too quick for the dual winner and he finished out of the frame. Quick

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New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions Sat. Aug. 27, 2011 8 p.m. EST

The New England Patriots are one of the few teams in the league that made moves in the offseason to drastically improve their squad on both sides of the football. Coming into this NFL regular season, the consensus was that the Patriots were legitimate Super Bowl title contenders once again, but the addition of two Pro Bowlers has made them that much better moving forward.

With the addition of Pro Bowl wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, superstar quarterback Tom Brady will now have that downfield threat back in his offensive arsenal which will terrify opposing defenses this season.

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Wednesday’s Champions League win at Udinese will have done wonders for the confidence of Arsenal’s youngsters and the result has certainly lifted a little of the pressure on Arsene Wenger after a troubled start to the campaign which has only yielded one point from two Premier League games. The Gunners manager said earlier this week that his squad thrive in the face of adversity but they will need all of their resolve for the trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.

Arsenal are still without a sizeable portion of their first team squad due to injury, suspension and, in the case of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy, desertion for pastures new. So

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Nicky Henderson has been fined £3,500 by the British Horseracing Authority over the failed post-race test of Heather Royal.

He faced three charges resulting from the positive urine sample given by Heather Royal after a bumper at Huntingdon on February 10.

The five-year-old mare tested positive for the banned substance dexamethasone after finishing sixth when sent off the 5-4 favourite.

It was a result which led subsequently to Binocular’s withdrawal from the Stan James Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival – he had been receiving treatment for a rash with the same drug and was likely to also test positive were he to run.

The disciplinary panel accepted an admission from Henderson that he was in breach of the rule over positive drug test finding and imposed upon him a fine of £2,000. H

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