Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/401761
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2014 Sport 23 Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday WEATHER: Partly cloudy, locally rather cloudy at times and with the possibility of some isolated showers in the evening VISIBILITY: Good WIND: West Northwest force 4 to 5 locally force 5 to 6 gradually increasing to force 7 to 8 locally gale force 8 SEA: Moderate becoming very rough SEA TEMP: 25 ° A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 White to play and mate in four moves A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Last week's solution Sudoku rules are extremely easy: Fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in each row, column and 9x9 box. FAIR 25 º C / 20 º C UV INDEX: 5 Today's Weather Chess Sudoku Pursuits OPINION Across 1. Exhibitionist (4-3) 4. Glitter (7) 8. Correspondence assistants (11) 12. Grant temporary use of (4) 13. Double (4) 14. Hand operated implements (5) 15. Acquire (6) 17. Hot tempered (5) 22. Starchy food grain (4) 23. State in the NW United States (5) 24. Bird of peace (4) 25. Hard to please (5) 28. Procession (6) 30. Pertaining to the pope (5) 32. Smack (4) 34. Animal hunted for food (4) 35. Worthy of respect (11) 38. Petting (7) 39. Move forward (7) Down 1. Motionless (5) 2. Undesirable plant (4) 3. Evergreen tree (3) 5. For each (3) 6. Regretted (4) 7. Staff (9) 8. Rebuff (4) 9. English public school (4) 10. Skilfully (4) 11. Free from doubt (4) 14. Shy (5) 16. Forest (5) 18. Republic in S Asia (5) 19. Artisan (9) 20. Craze (3) 21. Ethical (5) 26. Celestial body (4) 27. Loch (4) 28. Gone by (4) 29. Venture (4) 31. Recurring series (5) 33. Peep (4) 34. Entreaty (4) 36. Writing instrument (3) 37. Help (3) Qd6 Be2+ Kxe2 Ne8 Qf8 Nd5 Rxe8# TONIGHT'S mouthwatering match sees the winners of La Decima face the team who won it five times, as they like reminding us so often. Anfield opens its doors to Europe's biggest club and the stage is set for another of those memorable Champions League nights in one of England's most his- torical football grounds. The reality of the situation is how- ever that there is never a good time to face Real Madrid, at home or away. They boast a squad capable of beating the world and are scoring for fun in La Liga, while Liverpool look as stable as a calf trying to walk for its first time. Their 3-2 away win at QPR will have hardly filled the fans with confidence, however any Souser will tell you: Eu- ropean nights are special and that Kop roof is set to be raised tonight. Despite the intimidating opponents they face, there is good news for Liv- erpool fans. Gareth Bale looks set to miss the clash, queue a huge sigh of relief from all the reds defenders, and Real Madrid's next fixture see them face Barcelona in the Classico, and though they are defending a 100% record in Europe so far, Carlo Ance- lotti's men might have one eye on the weekend. Brendan Rodgers knows his oppo- nents are glittering with talent and do not only have Cristiano Ronaldo to worry about. His form this season has been unbelievable, with a 71 year old Spanish record in his sights as he has already scored 15 goals in the open- ing eight games. It looks like he can score from anywhere and I am sure he would dearly love to score against an old club rival from his playing days in England. The Liverpool squad has not looked great this season. A leaky defence saw them ship 12 goals in eight games and with no signs of improvement at QPR one can only guess the scoreline to- night. European nights might seem to come from a different world in Anfield but so do their opponents tonight and I am fancying another win for Real Madrid. I am very curious about how Liver- pool will line up and slightly concerned about their over usage of Raheem Sterling, whose England campaign blasted open the doors of debate for club and country. Regarded by many, including myself, as being one of the best youngsters in Europe, the 19 year old has become integral to Liverpool's attacking tactics and cannot seem to get a rest due to his endless energy and sheer power on the ball. He is one to watch tonight for Real Madrid and often emerges with some credit when Liverpool fail to hit heights. His attacking mind has made him a key for England too, with Roy Hodg- son a keen admirer of the Liverpud- lian. A tired Sterling was forced to start the Estonia game from the bench after revealing to his manager that he was feeling tired. Stupidly, somehow manager Roy Hodgson saw fit to re- veal Sterling's confession and as the English media so often do, went out of hands. Labels of primadonna got thrown around as people do forget that the boy is only human after all. At the tender age of 19, Sterling's stats are very impressive and can only draw comparison with the likes of Chelsea's Hazard and Manchester City's Silva. Sterling has clocked a total of 39.7 miles so far this season, only 1.4 less than Eden Hazard, and of those 39.7 miles, 404 metres have been sprints, the highest rate by a country mile in England so far (or 1,186 metres to be precise). All that came in his opening seven games and well if he is not feeling the lag after all that, then I do not know who will. All that maths makes me as dizzy as a defender trying to win the ball off him, but you get the picture: he is one of the Premier League's top per- formers and will certainly be a hand- ful for Madrid tonight. The over usage of a talented young- ster in the UK has always been the Achilles heel of the education system. Kids like Sterling can burn out very easily and often peak early as Michael Owen did at Anfield. The expecta- tions sky rocket and suddenly from just being a product of the youth sys- tem last season, Sterling has become an integral part of Rodger's plans – so important he even played 120 min- utes in the Carling Cup second round against Middlesbrough. Roy Hodgson has the right to pick any players he feels can win games for England and Rodgers can never complain about this – the only thing he can do is ensure that he is rested in those games where perhaps Liv- erpool's squad can win without him – the Middlesbrough game being the perfect example. Mark Strijbosch A Real bad time to face Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo