Nyon, Switzerland - European football boss Michel Platini said that the utmost will be done not to make Liverpool play a Champions League match on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy.

Platini said in a UEFA statement issued on Monday that he sympathises with Liverpool and that UEFA will take the April 15, 1989, tragedy into account when the dates for the quarter-final pairings are decided.

Munich - Bayern Munich and Germany striker Miroslav Klose will be sidelined for up to two months over an ankle injury, Munich's general manager Uli Hoeness told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily on Monday.

The paper, on its website, quoted Hoeness as saying that Klose was due to undergo surgery later Monday "and will then miss six to eight weeks."

Klose will not only miss upcoming Bundesliga matches but also Munich's European Champions League quarter-finals and two World Cup qualifiers for Germany.

Sunderland, England - West Ham United and Sheffield United released a joint statement on Monday confirming they have reached a settlement in the Carlos Tevez affair.

Sheffield United were relegated in 2007 and sought compensation from West Ham, who just avoided the drop and fielded the Argentina striker despite contravening the Premier League's rules on third-party ownership.

Rome - AC Milan's 5-2 win over Siena and the 300th goal from Filippo Inzaghi have been overshadowed by a season-ending injury of goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.

Abbiati, 32, collided with team mate Giuseppe Favalli at the weekend during Sunday's Serie A game in the Tuscany town, suffering a blow to his knee.

The exact nature of the injury was to be determined in medical examinations. The club fears Abbiati ruptured ligaments as he became the latest man in Milan's list of long-term absentees.

Melbourne, Mar 16 : Swimming sensation Stephanie Rice has revealed that she turned to Ian Thorpe for advice on how to deal with her rapid rise to stardom.

Rice won millions of hearts following her triumph at last year''s Beijing Games but such was the scrutiny on the young Queenslander that every aspect of her life post-Olympics became news from partying to constant speculation about boyfriends.

London, Mar. 16 : After reving up the title race last night, Chelsea's coach Guus Hiddink reckons he can take on Manchester United following the latter's loss to Liverpool the top of his handlebars.

"When you are in the driver's seat and someone else is coming, you can get a little bit nervous. If it was just four points it would be very close, but they have that game in hand. But it's clear that after Saturday's unexpected result the tension has come back in the League," The Sun quoted Hiddink, as saying.