Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Wednesday
Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Wednesday:
SOCCER
Champions League (1945 unless stated)
Group A
CSKA Moscow v Benfica (1700)
FC Basel v Manchester United
Benfica face must-win game at CSKA
MOSCOW - Benfica face CSKA Moscow in a must-win match to stay in contention for a place in the last 16 in Group A while the Russians also need a victory and will hope other results go their way. (SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-CSK-SLB/ (PIX), expect by 1900 GMT/2 PM ET, by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber, 400 words)
United look for draw to qualify, Basel need win
BASEL - Manchester United need at least a draw to qualify for the last 16 while Basel will go through if they win and CSKA Moscow lose at home to Benfica due to the Swiss side's better head-to-head record versus the Russians. (SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-BAS-MUN/ (PIX), expect by 2145 GMT/4:45 PM ET, 400 words)
Group B
Anderlecht v Bayern Munich
Paris St Germain v Celtic
PSG aim for first place, Celtic target Europa League
PARIS - Paris St Germain will clinch top spot if they beat Celtic at the Parc des Princes and Bayern Munich do not win at Anderlecht, while the Glasgow club will seal a Europa League spot by bettering the Belgian side's result. (SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-PSG-CEL/ (PIX), expect by 2145 GMT/4:45 PM ET, 400 words)
Bayern target win to boost hopes of finishing first
BRUSSELS - Bayern Munich must win at Anderlecht to ensure they stay in contention to finish top while the Belgian side are battling with Celtic to come third and grab a Europa League place. (SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-ADL-BAY/ (PIX), expect by 2145 GMT/4:45 PM ET, 400 words)
Group C
Qarabag FK v Chelsea (1700)
Atletico Madrid v AS Roma
Atletico Madrid fighting for their lives against Roma
MADRID - Atletico Madrid could go out at the group stage for the first time since 2009 if they do not beat visiting Group C leaders AS Roma, who need at least a draw to seal a place in the last 16. (SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-ATM-ROM/ (PIX), expect by 2145 GMT/4:45 PM ET, by Rik Sharma, 400 words)
Chelsea target win to claim knockout stage spot
BAKU - Chelsea will qualify for the last 16 with a win at Qarabag, and a draw would be enough if Atletico do not beat Roma, while the hosts need a victory to boost their faint hopes of making the knockout stage. (SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-QAR-CHE/ (PIX), expect by 1900 GMT/2 PM ET, 400 words)
Group D
Sporting v Olympiakos Piraeus
Barca need draw at Juve to claim last 16 spot
TURIN - Barcelona need at least a draw at Juventus to clinch a place in round of 16 with a game to spare in Group D, while the Italians can qualify with a win or a draw if Sporting fail to beat Olympiakos Piraeus. (SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-JUV-FCB/ (PIX), expect by 2145 GMT/4:45 PM ET, by Brian Homewood, 400 words)
Sporting and Olympiakos desperate for victory
LISBON - Sporting host Olympiakos Piraeus with both sides in desperate need of a win to give themselves a chance of reaching the last 16. (SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-SLI-OLY/ (PIX), expect by 2145 GMT/4:45 PM ET, 400 words)
World Cup draw preview
We look at the 32 teams taking part in next year's World Cup in Russia ahead of the draw on Dec. 1 in Moscow and will move a factbox on the stadiums that will host the matches. (SOCCER-WORLDCUP/POTX-COUNTRY (TV), moving at 0001 GMT/8:01 PM ET, 400 words)
CRICKET
Australia's Marsh joins Warner under injury cloud
BRISBANE - Australia batsman Shaun Marsh has joined opener David Warner as an injury concern on the eve of the series-opening Ashes test against England. (CRICKET-ASHES-AUS/TEAM (UPDATE 3), moved, by Ian Ransom, 400 words)
England play Ball as fourth seamer for Ashes opener
BRISBANE - England paceman Jake Ball has beaten out Craig Overton to be the tourists' fourth seamer in the series-opening Ashes test against Australia starting on Thursday. (CRICKET-ASHES-ENG/TEAM (UPDATE 2, PIX, TV), by Ian Ransom, 400 words)
GOLF
Australian Open
Day, Spieth ready to resume rivalry at Australian Open
SYDNEY - Jason Day is desperate to add the Australian Open title to his career honour roll and would love nothing better than to do it after going swing-for-swing with Jordan Spieth in the final round this week. (GOLF-AUSTRALIA/, moved, by Nick Mulvenney, 400 words)
RUGBY UNION
Expectations mounting on Italy coach O'Shea
MILAN - The pressure is building on Italy coach Conor O'Shea as his team prepare to face former world champions South Africa in Padova on Saturday, a year after beating them in Florence. The Irishman talks to Reuters in an interview as Italy seek more consistent results to prove they are worth their place in the Six Nations competition. (RUGBY-UNION/ITA-OSHEA, moving by 1700 GMT, by Mark Bendeich, 400 words)
MOTOR RACING
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Bragging rights and prize money on the line in Abu Dhabi
LONDON - The season finale is mostly about bragging rights with both titles having already been decided. For some, such as Brazilian Felipe Massa, it is a farewell, but for Toro Rosso, Renault and Haas it is about millions of dollars in prize money. (MOTOR-F1-ABUDHABI/ (PREVIEW), moved, by Alan Baldwin, 400 words)
We have also moved statistics and a drivers' form sheet.
NBA
Warriors visit Thunder
The NBA champion Golden State Warriors will face off against Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder while in the Eastern Conference the Brooklyn Nets will face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in two of the 14 games on the National Basketball schedule. (BASKETBALL-NBA/HIGHLIGHTS, expect by 0600 GMT/1 AM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 800 words)
NHL
Penguins host Canucks
The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Vancouver Canucks while the Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning battle the Chicago Blackhawks in two of the 15 games on the National Hockey League schedule. (ICEHOCKEY-NHL/HIGHLIGHTS, expect by 0630 GMT/1:30 AM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 500 words)
NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS
Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (Expect by 0000 GMT/7 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 500 words) (Europe desk editor: Ken Ferris)
