Reuters Sports Schedule at 0600 GMT on Wednesday, Feb 1
Reuters sports schedule at 0600 GMT on Wednesday (times GMT): SOCCER Premier League West Ham United v Manchester City (1945) Manchester United v Hull City (2000) Stoke City v Everton (2000) Man City, United in action as top-four battle intensifies LONDON - Manchester City visit West Ham United, where they won 5-0 in the FA Cup, while Manchester United host Hull City, who they got past last week to reach the League Cup final, as the battle for a top-four finish intensifies. (SOCCER-ENGLAND/ expect by 2230 GMT/5:30 PM ET, by Toby Davis, 600 words) African Nations Cup finals (to 5) Burkina Faso v Egypt (1900) First semi-final pits Burkina Faso against Egypt LIBREVILLE - Burkina Faso chase a second Nations Cup final appearance while semi-final opponents Egypt, who have yet to concede a goal in Gabon, are on course to extend their record title haul as the teams meet at Stade l'Amitie in the first semi-final. (SOCCER-NATIONS-BFA-EGY/ (PIX), expect by 2100 GMT/4 PM ET, by Mark Gleeson, 400 words) King's Cup semi-final, first leg Atletico Madrid v Barcelona (2000) Barca, Atletico fight it out for final berth Ten-time King's Cup winners Atletico Madrid host holders Barcelona in a semi-final first leg at the Vicente Calderón in one of Diego Simeone's side's last opportunities to salvage a disappointing domestic campaign. (SOCCER-SPAIN-CUP-FCB-ATM/), expect by 2200 GMT/5 PM ET, by Richard Martin, 400 words) Happy homecoming key to rebirth of Iago Aspas A misfit at Liverpool and Sevilla, Iago Aspas is in the best form of his career after rejoining his boyhood club Celta Vigo, who are aiming to reach the King's Cup final for the first time in 16 years with Alaves in their way. (SOCCER-SPAIN-CLV/ASPAS (PIX), expect by 1200 GMT/7 AM ET, by Richard Martin, 400 words) Cup run latest sign of Alaves' rise from the ashes Alaves, beaten 5-4 by Liverpool in a thrilling 2001 UEFA Cup final, are on the march again after more than a decade in the wilderness as they bid to reach their first King's Cup final when they face Celta Vigo on Thursday. (SOCCER-SPAIN-ALV/ (PIX), expect by 1600 GMT/11 AM ET, by Richard Martin, 400 words) NFL Roger Goodell delivers state-of-the-league address HOUSTON - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell delivers his annual state of the league address which is likely to include questions about the Oakland Raiders' potential move to Las Vegas, the league's turbulent television ratings and further expansion into global markets. (NFL-SUPERBOWL-GOODELL/ (PIX, TV), expect by 2100 GMT/4 PM ET, by Steve Keating, 450 words) Garoppolo doing new impression as Pats prepare for Falcons HOUSTON - At the start of the season New England Patriots Jimmy Garoppolo was the man in the spotlight doing his best impersonation of Tom Brady. At the Super Bowl this week Garoppolo is back in the shadows doing his best impersonation of Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan while Brady will lead New England against the Falcons on Sunday. Such is the life of an NFL backup quarterback leading man one day, understudy the next. (NFL-SUPERBOWL-PATRIOTS/GAROPPOLO (PIX) expect by 1900 GMT/2:00 PM ET, by Steve Keating, 450 words) CRICKET India v England, 3rd T20, Bengaluru Chance for England to end tour on high with T20 series win BENGALURU - England lost the test and one-day international series in India but have a chance to end the tour on a high with a win in the third and final Twenty20 match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The three-match series is tied at 1-1. (CRICKET-INDIA/(PIX), expect by 1800 GMT/1 PM ET, 350 words) South Africa v Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI, Durban Sri Lanka need an answer to South Africa's firepower DURBAN - South Africa cruised to an eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first one-day international on Saturday, their 10th home win in a row in the 50-over format, and are tipped to go 2-0 up in the five-match series at Kingsmead on Wednesday. (CRICKET-SAFRICA/, expect from 2000 GMT/3 PM ET, 300 words) RUGBY Six Nations provides six-week Lions trial LONDON - The Six Nations' coaches are doing all they can to deny it, and France have an expecially strong case, but for rugby aficionados around the world this year's championship will double up as a high-octane trial for the British and Irish Lions. (RUGBY UNION-NATIONS/ (PREVIEW, PIX), moving at 0200 GMT/9 AM ET, by Mitch Phillips, 680 words) NBA Cavs battle T'Wolves, Warriors face Hornets LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers try to pad their slim lead atop the Eastern Conference when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves while the league-leading Golden State Warriors put their three-game win streak on the line versus the visiting Charlotte Hornets in two of the 12 games on the National Basketball Association schedule. (BASKETBALL-NBA-HIGHLIGHTS/, expect by 0630 GMT/1:30 AM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 800 words) NHL West-leading Wild try to douse Flames The Western Conference-leading Minnesota Wild visit the Calgary Flames, Alex Ovechkin's Washington Capitals host the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche visit the Los Angeles Kings in the three games on the National Hockey League schedule. (ICEHOCKEY-NHL-HIGHLIGHTS/, expect by 0630 GMT/1:30 AM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 800 words) NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (Expect by 0100 GMT/8 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 500 words) (Asia desk editor: Peter Rutherford)
