Why have been so poor in Europe this season?

Andrew Priestley: A lot of very good footballers ply their trade in the Premier League, but the world-class players are found in Spain & Germany.

Harry Partridge: Chelsea may be out but City and Arsenal are still in it (just). Let's wait and see what happens before condemning the Premier League.

Gary Sweeney: Face it the premier league is full of foreign average journeymen only there for the pay cheque.

Hawwa Katsina: In the past nine years six finals have had English Clubs. What are you talking about?

More please to #bbcsportsday

Good news for Watson then, but not so good for James Ward.

The British men's number two will not compete in the main draw at Indian Wells after losing in the final round of qualifying.

Image source, Getty Images

The world number 108 - who hot-footed it to California straight from GB's Davis Cup win over the USA - when he won that unbelievable five-setter - went down 6-3 6-1 to Germany's Mischa Zverev.

Heather Watson reached the BNP Paribas Open second round at Indian Wells with a nervy win over German Julia Goerges.

Image source, Getty Images

Watson won the first set and served for the match at 5-3 in the second but lost five games in a row as Georges took the second set and led the decider.

But the British number one rallied to win 6-4 5-7 6-3 and book a second-round meeting with 29th seed Camila Giorgi.

"I was definitely a bit nervous and it showed," said Watson, 22. "But I found the right way to finish the match."

Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter will miss Saturday's home game against Blackpool after an independent regulatory commission hearing found him guilty of improper conduct after their 3-1 loss at Brentford last month.

He has also been fined £2,000 for the incident relating to his "language and/or behaviour in or around the tunnel area".

Frank Keogh at Cheltenham
BBC Sport

"Action shifts from the Old Course at Cheltenham to the New Course for Thursday and Friday, with pretty quick ground on the cards.

"The official going on the hurdle course is Good; while on the chase course it is Good, Good to Soft in places, but rain is forecast after racing ahead of Gold Cup Day on Friday.

"Clerk of the course Simon Claissse says anything between 5mm and 12m could fall with the possibility of Good to Soft, or even Soft, ground for the week's big race."

Image source, Getty Images

Guardian, external: Germany forward Lukas Podolski, 29, has not ruled out returning to Arsenal once his loan spell at Inter Milan comes to an end.

A football match has been abandoned after just 58 seconds because of fog.

The game between title-chasing St Austell and mid-table Launceston in the South West Peninsula Premier League was called off.

Image source, Ollie Burt

"We only knew the game had kicked off because the whistle went," said Mike Sampson from the league. "We sat there, the linesman put his flag up and it took the referee 58 seconds to see him."

It was so bad, said Sampson, "I had to put my glasses on to eat my pasty".

The 150 people in the crowd at St Austell's Poltair Park were refunded the cost of match tickets.

Why have we been so poor in Europe this season?

Sam Payne: We used to play with so much pace and power. Now we try to beat Bayern or Barca at their own game with worse players.

TheGame: The Premier League has quality from top to bottom, always a challenge whereas other leagues don't [have] as much.

YourBoiKofi: Maybe they should give the teams more rest and time to prepare. Three games in eight days and you want to win a European cup.

Matt Curran: Can you say Celtic have underachieved in Europa League alongside Liverpool/Spurs? How much did they all spend in the summer?

More opinions please to #bbcsportsday

Image source, Getty Images

Fresh from his UK Open victory last weekend, world number one Michael van Gerwen continues his bid for a second Premier League title in Nottingham this evening.

The 25-year-old Dutchman faces 16-time world champion Phil Taylor in round six of the group stage, while Dave Chisnall, the current league leader, takes on former BDO world champion Stephen Bunting.

Image source, The Times

These morning papers can't be very pleasant to read for Chelsea fans. More on the Blues Champions League exit in The Times.

The match commander at Hillsborough has told the inquest into the disaster that the reason he did not admit lying about fans' behaviour on the day sooner was maybe because he was "in denial".

David Duckenfield admitted he lied about Liverpool fans forcing a gate open to enter the ground on Wednesday.

He did not know when he realised he had made "such grave mistakes", he said and added the inquests were the "first [opportunity] to apologise fully without fear of seeing anybody misrepresenting what I was saying".

Mr Duckenfield was in charge when a crush developed in terraced pens during a FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium on 15 April 1989.

Image source, AFP

France head coach Philippe Saint-Andre has reshuffled his team big-time, making eight changes, and reverting to his preferred half-back pairing of Sebastien Tillous-Borde and Camille Lopez for Sunday's Six Nations game against Italy.

The pair started all three November tests but Tillous-Borde missed the first two Six Nations games through injury before starting on the bench for the third.

Scrum-half Morgan Parra, centres Remi Lamerat and Wesley Fofana as well as wing Sofiane Guitoune have all been ruled out.

Full-back Brice Dulin is replaced by Scott Spedding while wing Noa Nakaitaci and number eight Loann Goujon have been handed their first start for Les Bleus while centre Maxime Mermoz will make his first appearance in this year's championship.

Why are British clubs performing so poorly in Europe?

Opoku-Appiah Manu: British media making mediocre players look like world beaters. A great dose of realism needed.

Laurie Armitt: The league's best players are exported and replaced by imports that are cast-offs.

Lewis Malone: Chelsea lost to a better team on away goals. You can't win it all, I'd hardly call that a struggle.

Jay: It's one poor season. It happens. Get over it.

True to a point Jay, although Chelsea aside, last season wasn't great either.

Keep your views coming on Twitter at #bbcsportsday

Fifa has expelled Zimbabwe from qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after they failed to pay their national team coach.

Fifa's disciplinary committee says it took the action "as a result of the non-payment of an outstanding debt" by Zimbabwe's football federation to Brazilian coach Jose Claudinei Georgini, nicknamed Valinhos, who managed the national team from January to November 2008.

They payments were not made, despite a grace period.

Image source, Reuters

Today's big race at the Cheltenham Festival is the World Hurdle (15:20 GMT) with Saphir Du Rheu and Zarkandar hoping to give trainer Paul Nicholls more success in the race which his star stayer Big Buck's won four times.

Nicholls had that winning feeling again on Wednesday in the Queen Mother Champion Chase with Dodging Bullets - you can read all about that win on the BBC Sport website and the rest of the day's action and also look ahead to Thursday's action.

And a reminder that 5 Live's coverage starts from 13:00.

Daniel Ricciardo says Red Bull have confidence, reliability and "a plan" to beat the Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the new Formula One season, starting with Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

Mercedes won the constructors' championship last season and although Red Bull were runners-up they were still nearly 300 points behind.

Image source, Getty Images

But Ricciardo said: "If you look back on last year for sure we're in a better position this year.

"We're going to Australia with a lot more confidence and reliability and we've actually got a plan for Sunday - whereas last year it was a case of putting the car on the track and hoping to see the chequered flag."

More from West Ham manager Sam Allardyce who knows that the Gunners will pose a tough challenge to his side on Saturday.

"Facing Arsenal is more difficult at their own place," he says. "On the day at our ground there was not much between the two teams. They have a few weaknesses but if we can expose them and take our chances... It is down to how well we perform on the day.

"They have adapted to change the way they play to win football matches. We must take our chances and defend strongly.

"Our lack of goalscoring power is a worry. Not having alternatives to use is concerning going into the last 10 games."

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis has signed a contract extension with the club until the end of the 2015/16 campaign.

The 34-year-old Argentine international has made 30 appearances this season in all competitions.

"Manchester City is a club with a lot of ambition. We want to grow every year," he said. "When you get to hold a trophy, it's the best feeling for any player.

"I want to say that I will fight for this club and for my team-mates until the end of my contract. I will fight to try and win titles."

Image source, AP

Big Sam also says that striker Enner Valencia could miss the game at the Emirates after a domestic accident.

"Enner has had an accident at home and has cut his big toe quite severely on a broken cup. It has been stitched," he said.

"We're not sure if he will be considered for this game. It was a freak accident."

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes his side are feeling the benefit from not having a game last weekend as they prepare to take on Arsenal on Saturday.

"Hopefully the little bit of rest physically and mentally will help us win more games in the last ten," Big Sam told his pre-match news conference.

"I've been doing it for ten years and the stats say we should have a break as it reduces the risk of injuries in the New Year.

"We've gone to Arsenal a couple of times and got in front, but unfortunately the leads haven't lasted very long. All we can hope is that we produce the level of performance we did against Chelsea and hope that is good enough."