AC Milan not scared of in-form Wayne Rooney - Flamini

AC Milan star Mathieu Flamini says his side will not make special plans for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney in Tuesday's Champions League tie.

Rooney has been in inspired form this season but former Arsenal midfielder Flamini said Milan can cope with him.

"Fear is not the word. Of course we have to be careful because we know he is a great player who can score at any time," Flamini told BBC Sport.

"There are no special plans for Rooney, just to concentrate and be strong."

Rooney has scored 24 goals for club and country this season, turning in a series of superb performances along the way as United battle to hold on to their Premier League crown and reach a third consecutive Champions League final.

However, Flamini, who played against Rooney several times during his time in England's top flight with the Gunners, said Milan coach Leonardo would not make the mistake of underestimating United's other attacking talents.

"We have to focus on him but also on the rest of the team because Manchester United attack with many players," he added.

But United manager Sir Alex Ferguson could not speak highly enough of Rooney's contribution this season and believes the England striker is in the best form of his already impressive career.

"We build up heroes very quickly," stated Ferguson.

"We are peculiar because the players, like David Beckham, who come through the ranks are always viewed as better than those you buy.

"But Rooney is also regarded as that kind of player. Although he came from Everton, the fans will always look at him as one of the players who has grown up with us.

"He has been fantastic this season and, without doubt, his form this season has brought him to the high point of his career.

Midfielder Flamini joined Milan from Arsenal in 2008

"World class is a misused term but with Rooney you have to say he is getting to the point where he is now one of the best players in the world."

Milan are currently third in Serie A after an indifferent recent spell of form, although they do come into the game off the back of a 3-2 win over Udinese.

Flamini said the huge amount of experience in Milan's squad - with the likes of Beckham, Clarence Seedorf and Alessandro Nesta all well into their 30s - meant that the stature of the game would not be an issue for his side.

"I prefer to say that we have a lot of experience in the team rather than we are too old," commented Flamini.

"The Champions League is completely different: Milan have won it so many times and it's a special tournament for us.

"When you're young and want to become a football player, you dream of playing in these types of games.

"We have a lot of experience and players who know how to deal with this kind of game."

For all the attacking talents set to be on show at the San Siro on Tuesday and the return leg at Old Trafford on 10 March, Flamini expects the tie to be a tight affair.

"We are two very ambitious teams who want to go through," he added.

"I think the most important thing is to be very strong defensively and not concede any goals. We know we can score and one goal, I'm sure, will do it.

"You have to win the battle in the middle, especially in big games."

Premier League ponders play-offs for Champions League

The top four teams in England have been the same for four seaso

The Premier League is considering a proposal to introduce a play-off for the fourth Champions League place.

The top four currently enter the tournament but the new idea would mean the teams from fourth to seventh playing in a mini-knockout competition.

BBC sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar said the Premier League has been presented with "a number of ideas for altering the competition's format".

But there will be no changes for three years as the next TV deal is in place.

Farquhar added: "Any changes would need the agreement of 14 of the 20 clubs. But the League says there are many options and nothing has been de

The move is widely thought to be seen as a way of increasing competition in the Premier League because Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have filled the top four positions in five out of the past six seasons.

The proposal was raised at a meeting of all 20 clubs on 4 February and will be considered again when they next meet in April.

The top four in the Premier League is the same so far this season, although Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa are putting concerted pressure on Liverpool, who are fourth.

Two years ago the Premier League was widely condemned for a proposal to play a 39th game of the domestic season in Asia.

The Football Association, the sport's world governing body Fifa and European body Uefa all rejected the idea and the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) condemned the proposal as being motivated by money, dubbing it Gam£ 39

cided."

Man City 1 - 1 Stoke

Ricardo Fuller's header earned Stoke a deserved replay in their FA Cup fifth round tie with Manchester City.

The home side started well and took the lead when Ryan Shawcross's error allowed Shaun Wright-Phillips to tap in after he had lobbed Thomas Sorensen.

But Roberto Mancini's men had faded badly by the time Fuller rose to nod Rory Delap's throw-in past Shay Given.

Manchester City piled forward late on but Sorensen ensured the draw when he kept out Gareth Barry's header.

That late urgency could not disguise the fact that this was another lacklustre display by Manchester City, and their erratic form under Mancini continues.

They clearly missed the industry of in-form top-scorer Carlos Tevez, who has been allowed to return to Argentina for family reasons.

One of the few positives they can from the game was the performance of Wayne Bridge, caught up in the scandal that led to John Terry being stripped of the England captaincy and again in the spotlight thanks to Ashley Cole's injury in midweek - which means Bridge could start alongside his former Chelsea team-mate Terry in next month's friendly with Egypt.

England coach Fabio Capello was at Eastlands to check on Bridge and the left-back showed he is sharp enough after his recent two-month lay-off, even if doubts over his relationship with Terry will remain.

Most of Bridge's best moments came when he was going forward, and he played a big part in Manchester City's bright start that saw them take the game to Stoke in the first few minutes and send some dangerous crosses into the area.

Stoke, in contrast, started slowly and did not help their cause when they gifted the home side the lead after 10 minutes.

Shaun Wright-Phillips lobbed Thomas Sorensen after beating the Stoke goalkeeper to Stephen Ireland's chipped through-ball but Shawcross should still have cleared comfortably.

Instead, the defender missed the ball and compounded his error by nodding the ball into the path of Wright-Phillips while grounded to hand him an easy tap-in.

Things got even worse for the Potters soon after when Matthew Etherington, also hoping to impress Capello after some impressive recent displays, fell awkwardly while challenging Bridge and was stretchered off with suspected medial ligament damage.

Not for the first time or last time, Stoke boss Tony Pulis was forced to reshuffle his side but they responded by first stifling their hosts and then pushing for an equaliser.

They threatened for the first time when Tuncay crossed to the back post and Liam Lawrence, on for Etherington, saw his fierce volley blocked by Bridge.

Tuncay also sent a swerving shot flashing wide of Shay Given's post before half-time and, if anything, the home side were hanging on by the break.

Stoke continued to have most of the initiative after the restart and got their reward on 57 minutes when Delap - on after the unfortunate Lawrence sustained a knee injury - flung a trademark throw into the box and Fuller headed powerfully into the bottom corner of the net.

Even that failed to rouse Manchester City from their slumber and it was only in the final few minutes that they looked like grabbing a winner.

It took a great save from Sorensen to tip over Barry's header after he met a whipped Wright-Phillips cross from the right.

Roque Santa-Cruz also found space to latch on to fellow substitute Patrick Vieira's ball over the top but Shawcross got back to hack away his shot, which seemed to be heading wide anyhow, and Stoke survived.

It means the two teams will meet again twice in the next fortnight at the Britannia Stadium, with Tuesday's Premier League game followed by a Cup replay the following week.

Saints upset Colts in Super Bowl

The New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl with a surprise 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Miami.

Drew Brees hit a record-equalling 32 passes for 288 yards, with touchdowns to Pierre Thomas and Jeremy Shockey.

And cornerback Tracy Porter returned an interception from Colts quarterback Peyton Manning 74 yards for another score to seal victory.

They were soon up by 10 points, after kicker Matt Stover, the oldest player in Super Bowl history at 42 years and 11 days, hit a 38-yard field goal and Manning found receiver Pierre Garcon for a touchdown after a withering 96-yard drive.

But the Saints hit back with 13 unanswered points, 23-year-old Hartley slotting kicks of 46 and 44 yards before half-time as New Orleans dominated the second quarter.

Coach Sean Payton then wrenched the initiative with an audacious gamble for a short kick-off to start the second half.

Sights & sounds of the Super Bowl (UK users only)

New Orleans came out with the ball from the ensuing melee and Brees - voted the game's Most Valuable Player three years after he was allowed to leave his old team San Diego as a free agent - hit Pierre Thomas for the go-ahead score.

Denied the ball for 70 minutes, including a lengthy half-time that included a performance by The Who, Indianapolis looked sharp as they drove for a touchdown on the ground from Joseph Addai.

But veteran Stover could not match Hartley's exploits, fading wide left with an attempt from 51 yards early in the fourth quarter.

New Orleans went up by seven with the score by tight end Shockey, followed up by a two-point conversion from Brees to Lance Moore.

Porter's 74-yard interception touchdown (UK users only)

And Porter secured the victory by punishing a poor decision by Manning, who tried to force a throw to favourite target Reggie Wayne in the face of heavy pressure.

Manning, who grew up in New Orleans as the son of former Saints quarterback Archie Manning, left the field disconsolate after tasting Super Bowl defeat for the first time in his storied career.

It was an emotional victory for the Saints, a team who went 20 years before recording their first winning season and a further 23 before appearing in this, their first NFL title game.

The team's resurgence has been seen as a mirror of the rebuilding of the city of New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"We just believed in ourselves," said Brees. "We knew we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us."

As he lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy, New Orleans owner Tom Benson said: "Not only the city but the whole state of Louisiana is back and this shows the whole world."

Indianapolis, who won the NFL title in Miami just three years ago, went into the game as favourites.