Relieved Bayern get Zurich in qualifiers

Bayern Munich, whose Allianz arena will stage this year's Champions League final, breathed a sigh of relief when they were drawn against modest FC Zurich in the final qualifying round on Friday. CL qualifying draw

Bayern Munich, whose Allianz arena will stage this year's Champions League final, breathed a sigh of relief when they were drawn against modest FC Zurich in the final qualifying round on Friday.

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Arsenal will face Serie A outfit Udinese, a draw which looks tough on paper but may not be so tricky in reality against a club who have sold their two most important players and will not have played a competitive match beforehand. Four-times European champions Bayern and Arsenal were spared the long trip to Russia to face Rubin Kazan, a task which fell to France's Olympique Lyon.

Media row set to disrupt Premiership

London: A deepening row between English soccer leagues and the country's news agencies is threatening to disrupt coverage of the new season after key talks over media rights broke down. The row is centred around how quickly photographers can publish photos when at a game and how online commentary can be handled.

Spain call up Thiago for Italy friendly
Madrid: Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has called up Barcelona's promising midfielder Thiago Alcantara into his 22-man squad for next Wednesday's friendly against Italy in Bari.