Rome - Aged 36 and with a 17-year career behind him, Juventus Turin veteran Pavel Nedved can't wait to take to the pitch Saturday for a Serie A showdown at Inter Milan.

Juve come to the Giuseppe Meazza stadium off five straight league wins, which have pushed them within three points of the leading champions after a dithering start to the season.

The Turin side also boosted their morale by securing the knockout stage of the Champions League with two defeats of Spanish giants Real Madrid.

"I'm glad to meet Inter now because we are in form," the Czech midfielder Nedved said.

Hamburg - Indifferent Bayern Munich have Bundesliga history on their side when they host Energie Cottbus while the omens are not good for TSG Hoffenheim.

Munich have won all five previous home games against the bottom side Cottbus and hope to complete the half dozen on Saturday after throwing away a 2-0 lead for the third time this season in a 2-2 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach last weekend.

Hoffenheim, meanwhile, travel to Cologne for a meeting of promoted sides. Cologne were the only team to beat Hoffenheim twice last season in the second division.

Leaders Bayer Leverkusen are also not assured of winning at Arminia Bielefeld, having beaten them only once in their last seven league dates and last won there in 1999.

London - Chelsea and Liverpool will each be looking to maintain momentum this weekend as they continue their tit-for-tat battle at the top of the English Premier League.

Eight points clear of Manchester United in third and ahead of Liverpool on goal difference, Chelsea host struggling Newcastle United while Liverpool entertain Fulham at Anfield.

Chelsea have won seven out of seven away from home, but they have struggled slightly at Stamford Bridge, finding it harder to break teams down who come simply to defend.

They will be without the suspended Didier Drogba against Newcastle on Saturday, but that should not hamper them too much as Nicolas Anelka, who has scored eight goals in his past five games, will again lead the line.

Melbourne, November 20 : Rumours are rife that a picture of golden girl Stephanie Rice in this month’s Inside Sport magazine was digitally treated to trim down her post-Olympic figure.

The journal, however, claims that artificial treatment was not used for giving Rice a slim figure in the picture.

Graem Sims, the magazine’s editor, said that the image was only manipulated to "make her skintone look consistent", not to artificially trim down Rice’s post-Olympic frame.

"There was not much (air-brushing) to it, we didn''t really need to, she''s such a stunning girl," the Daily Telegraph quoted Sims as saying.

Dubai, Nov. 20 : Cricket players across the world today united for ICC Diversity Day and celebrated the unique social qualities of the sport.

This is the second annual ICC Diversity Day which highlights cricket as a game with a diverse history and a genuine social significance that goes way beyond its laws and regulations.

Cricket is a global phenomenon that brings people together in a spirit of passionate competition and mutual respect. The ICC is keen to celebrate cricket’s rich diversity, something which facilitates the coming together of people from many countries, cultures and social backgrounds and can foster greater harmony and understanding within the community.

Los Angeles - The Detroit Pistons are the NBA's latest streak busters.

Allen Iverson scored 23 points, Rasheed Wallace had 21 with 15 rebounds, and the Pistons rallied to cool off the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers' eight-game winning streak, 96-89 on Wednesday night.

After handing the Kobe Bryant-led LA Lakers their first loss of the season, 106-95 out west on the night of November 14, the Pistons returned home and claimed their second scalp by sending the LeBron James-led Cavaliers to their first defeat since the start of the month.