Alex McLeish may spend only a fraction of the £40m promised to him by new Birmingham owner Carson Yeung for new players during the January transfer window.

Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke left behind a note before he was hit by a train and killed yesterday evening, police reportedly confirmed today.

Sam Allardyce has admitted having considered German striker Kevin Kuranyi as a possible replacement for Roque Santa Cruz.

Schalke 0 Manchester City 2

Germany coach Joachim Low has called three new faces into an experimental squad for his country's friendly match with England in Berlin next Wednesday.

Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack will remain as Germany captain after holding clear-the-air talks with coach Joachim Low.

CHELSEA midfielder Michael Ballack has told Germany coach Joachim Low he will have to consult with his club before they can meet for showdown talks.

All three Italian sides in action recorded impressive victories in the opening round of UEFA Cup group matches this evening.

Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has told Germany coach Joachim Low he will have to consult with his club before they can meet for showdown talks.

GERMAN coach Joachim Low has revealed Kevin Kuranyi will not play for the national team again as long as he is in charge.

Germany coach Joachim Low has revealed Kevin Kuranyi will not play for the national team again as long as he is in charge.

MICHAEL BALLACK admits he has let Germany down so far at Euro 2008 and is determined not to suffer the embarrassment of failing to reach the knockout stages to add to his end-of-season agony at Chelsea.

REAL MADRID fans were hoping to see their team crowned champions again last night when they met Athletic Bilbao in one of Spain’s traditional grudge games, but Villarreal in second place are still not prepared to throw in the towel despite being 10 points behind.

Barcelona 1 Schalke 0 (Barcelona win 2-0 on aggregate)

BARCELONA took a significant step towards the semi-finals of the Champions League with a hard-fought win over Schalke in Gelsenkirchen.

Schalke 0 Barcelona 1

SCHALKE captain Marcelo Bordon has questioned the commitment of his team-mates ahead of tonight’s Champions League last-16 clash at Porto.

GERMANY striker Kevin Kuranyi fired his side a step closer to a Champions League quarter-final berth as his early goal was enough to seal a 1-0 first-leg win over FC Porto last night.

Schalke 1 Porto 0

REAL MADRID captain Raul has been given the all-clear to play against Roma in tonight’s Champions League last-16 first leg encounter at the Stadio Olimpico.

Chelsea recalled Claude Makelele for their Champions League, Group B clash with Schalke in Gelsenkirchen.

Chelsea 2 Schalke 0

Wayne Bridge makes his first start of the season in Chelsea’s Champions League clash against Schalke at Stamford Bridge.

CZECH REPUBLIC booked their spot in next summer’s European Championships last night with a 3-0 victory over Germany in Munich.

THIS week we have been offered a glimpse as to how the other half live.

Jens Lehmann is being backed to regain the number one spot with Arsenal following a miserable start to the season.

OLIVER KAHN has renewed his rivalry with Jens Lehmann despite being retired from international football.

Rosenborg 0 Schalke 2

ENGLAND coach Steve McClaren has challenged Paul Robinson to be “tough enough” to withstand the criticism that has accompanied his miserable Wembley howler.

Goalkeeper Paul Robinson has lashed out at the Tottenham board for their treatment of coach Martin Jol after a nightmare England performance against Germany.

England 1 Germany 2

ITALY midfielder Daniele De Rossi scored a second-half penalty as Roma beat Internazionale to win the Supercoppa at the San Siro last night.

Germany 6 San Marino 0

GERMAN coach Joachim Low believes his country made a “giant stride” towards qualification for Euro 2008 with their impressive 2-1 away victory against Group D rivals, Czech Republic, on Saturday.

Germany held off a late rally by the Czech Republic to clinch a well-deserved victory in the battle of the Group D leaders in Prague.

The Dutch remain top in Group G despite being held to a goalless draw by Romania in Feyenoord's De Kuip stadium.

GERMAN captain Michael Ballack insisted yesterday his side are only thinking of victory over the Czech Republic in Prague this afternoon to stay top of Euro 2008 qualifying Group D.

REAL Madrid coach Fabio Capello praised David Beckham after the former England captain marked his return with a goal in a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad.

STAND-IN strikers Kevin Kuranyi and Mario Gomez led Germany to a 3-1 win over Switzerland in a friendly international last night, but there was bad news for Chelsea as Michael Ballack limped off injured a minute before the break.

Sevilla set up a date with Middlesbrough in Eindhoven next month in the final of the UEFA Cup after beating Schalke 1-0 in extra time at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Schalke 0 Sevilla 0

REAL MADRID qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League with two games to go last night when they beat Rosenborg Trondheim 2-0 in Group F.

FORMER Leeds and Newcastle United star Jonathan Woodgate put his nightmare start to his Real Madrid career behind him with a goal that sparked his side’s 4-1 comeback win against Rosenborg in their Champions League Group F game at the Bernabeu last night.

Bayern Munich’s 15-match winning streak in the Bundesliga came to an end today as they went down 2-0 at Hamburg, who themselves are unbeaten in 17 matches in all competitions this season.