Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday, Jan 15
Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday - - - - SOCCER King's Cup (1900 unless stated) Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (1900) Elche v Barcelona (2100) Atletico poised to eliminate holders Real MADRID - Atletico Madrid will attempt to protect a 2-0 advantage over holders Real from last week's first leg, with record winners Barcelona, who have a 5-0 lead ahead of their second leg at Elche, the likely opponents in the quarter-finals. (SOCCER-SPAIN/CUP (PIX) expect by 2100 GMT/4 PM ET, 400 words) - - Italian Cup (last 16) Juventus start Coppa Italia campaign Juventus enter the fray in the Coppa Italia with a round-of-sixteen tie at home to Verona. (SOCCER-ITALY/COPPA, expect by 2200 GMT/5 PM ET, 200 words) - - French League Cup quarter-finals Copy on merit - - Asian Cup, Australia (to 31) Group C Asian Cup last eight SYDNEY - Iran stormed into the Asian Cup quarter-finals on a wave of passionate support with a 1-0 win over Qatar in their second Group C match at Stadium Australia. (SOCCER-ASIA/M14 (PIX), moved, by Nick Mulvenney, 400 words) - - UAE score after 14 seconds, beat Bahrain 2-1 CANBERRA - Ali Ahmed Mabkhout needed just 14 seconds to put the United Arab Emirates ahead as they went on to beat Bahrain 2-1 on Thursday and secure a rare Asian Cup quarter-finals appearance.(PIX), moved, by Tim Wimborne, 400 words) - - Africa Nations Cup warm-up match Ivory Coast v Sweden, Abu Dhabi (1730) Copy on merit - - Road to Russia World Cup begins in South Beach MIAMI - The first formal steps on the road to the 2018 World Cup in Russia begin when the draw is made for the first two rounds of preliminary qualifying from the CONCACAF region which covers nations in North and Central America and the Caribbean. (SOCCER-WORLD/CONCACAF-DRAW, expect by 0200 GMT/10 PM ET, by Simon Evans, 400 words) - - - - GOLF No need to change Kapalua's elite formula, says tournament director LOS ANGELES - For almost two decades, the PGA Tour's opening event of the year has been held on the picturesque Hawaiian island of Maui with a winners-only field, an elite aspect tournament director Nancy Cross wants to retain. The absence in recent seasons of top drawcards such as Tiger Woods and reigning world number one Rory McIlroy has led to calls for a change to the qualification process but Cross is happy with the status quo. (GOLF-PGA/KAPALUA (FEATURE, PIX), expect by 2300 GMT/6 PM ET, by Mark Lamport-Stokes, 600 words) - - PGA Tour: Sony Open, Honolulu, Hawaii (to 18) Holder Walker to launch bid for fourth PGA Tour win American Jimmy Walker, beaten in a playoff for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua on Monday, launches his title defence and his bid for a fourth PGA Tour title in Thursday's opening round at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. Australian world number eight Jason Day and 11th-ranekd American Matt Kuchar are also in the field. (GOLF-PGA/, expect end-of-day lead by 0600 GMT/1 AM ET, 400 words) - - European Tour: Abu Dhabi Championship, UAE (to 18) McIlroy mounts late birdie surge in Abu Dhabi opener ABU DHABI - Rory McIlroy overcame a slow start to shoot a five-under 67 in the opening round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Thursday, three strokes behind leader Martin Kaymer. (GOLF-EUROPEAN/, update moving shortly, by Matt Smith, 400 words) - - - - CRICKET New Zealand v Sri Lanka, second ODI, Hamilton McCullum blasts ton but run outs hamper NZ Captain Brendon McCullum blasted his fifth one-day international century as New Zealand scored 248 all out against Sri Lanka in the second game of their seven match series on a good batting pitch at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Thursday. (CRICKET-ZEALAND/, moved, 400 words) - - - - TENNIS ATP: Auckland Open, New Zealand (to 17) ATP/WTA: Sydney International, Australia (to 17) WTA: Hobart International, Australia (to 18) Copy on merit on above tournaments - - - - MOTOR RACING Dakar Rally (to 17) Copy on merit - - - - BASKETBALL BELGRADE - Euroleague holders Maccabi Tel Aviv are at home to Barcelona in the competition's match of the week while eight time winners Real Madrid visit surprise package Alba Berlin (BASKETBALL-EUROLEAGUE/WRAPUP, expect by 2300 GMT/6 PM ET, by Zoran Milosavljevic, 400 words) - - - - NFL Packers visit defending champion Seahawks in NFC title game We look ahead to the National Football Conference championship game where the Green Bay Packers visit a Seattle Seahawks team that is one win away from becoming the first team in 10 seasons to reach the Super Bowl in back-to-back years. (NFL-PLAYOFFS/NFC, expect by 2200 GMT/5 PM ET, by Simon Evans, 400 words) - - Patriots get set for clash with Colts in AFC championship We preview the American Football Conference championship game where the Indianapolis Colts will be prohibitive underdogs when they visit a New England Patriots team that is one win away from a record-equalling eighth Super Bowl appearance. (NFL-PLAYOFFS/AFC, expect by 2230 GMT/5:30 PM ET, by Larry Fine, 400 words) - - - - NBA Rockets sets for clash with Durant's Thunder The Houston Rockets will try to close the gap on the Eastern Conference-leading Golden State Warriors when they host reigning league MVP Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in one of the three games on the National Basketball Association schedule. (NBA-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0430 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 600 words) - - - - NHL Streaking Blues play host to Red Wings The St. Louis Blues will try to extend the league's longest active win streak to six games when they host the Detroit Red Wings in one of the 10 games on the National Hockey League schedule. (NHL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0430 GMT/11:30 PM 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 0101 GMT/8:01 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - (Europe desk editor: Justin Palmer)
