HAMILTON SENDS OUT WARNING TO KIMI

Lewis Hamilton showed Kimi Raikkonen he will push the Ferrari all the way in the Australian Grand Prix this weekend after the McLaren driver headed this afternoon's second practice run.

Raikkonen had topped the timesheets in this morning's 90-minute session with a lap of one minute 26.461 seconds and although Hamilton's effort was just under one hundredth of a second slower than his Finnish rival, it provided further belief the duo will be the main contenders for the 2008 drivers' crown.

Hamilton set the early pace with a time of

1.27.742 secs at the start of the second run before Mark Webber put his Red Bull at the head of the field.

The Australian improved his mark to 1:27:614 and led the way for the majority of the session before Hamilton bettered that by almost a second with minutes remaining, posting a lap of 1:26.559 as all teams took the opportunity to put plenty of laps under their belts ahead of the season-opener at Albert Park this weekend.

Webber eventually finished second, encouraging signs for his home Grand Prix after finishing fifth in the morning outing as Red Bull showed they are set for a competitive weekend.

Felipe Massa was third but over a second off the pace while Hamilton's new team-mate Heikki Kovalainen finished fourth.

David Coulthard improved on his 13th place in the first session to post an effort of 1:28.037 and claim fifth in the other Red Bull, while Raikkonen was sixth, well off the pace of his morning mark.

Jarno Trulli finished seventh in the Toyota and the Williams of Nico Rosberg rounded out the top eight.

Jenson Button again finished 11th but over half a second up on his morning time, while Anthony Davidson finished dead last in the troubled Super Aguri, which only completed eight laps after an equally difficult first run.

Earlier, Raikkonen had looked impressive as the Ferrari led the way in this morning's first practice.

The Finn yesterday played down his favourite's tag but his time of one minute 26.461 seconds was nearly half a second quicker than the Hamilton's McLaren.

Hamilton had led for a healthy portion of the 90-minute session as the cars took to the track for the first time in the 2008 season, setting a time of one minute 27.085secs.

But Raikkonen bettered his title rival's time with just over two minutes remaining before taking a further four tenths of a second off his mark.

Times
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:26.559 33 laps
02 M. Webber Red Bull 1:27.473 27 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:27.640 29 laps
04 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:27.683 29 laps
05 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:28.037 26 laps
06 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:28.208 28 laps
07 J. Trulli Toyota 1:28.292 22 laps
08 N. Rosberg Williams 1:28.352 31 laps
09 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:28.469 32 laps
10 T. Glock Toyota 1:28.582 28 laps
11 J. Button Honda 1:28.632 30 laps
12 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:28.731 33 laps
13 F. Alonso Renault 1:28.779 37 laps
14 R. Barrichello Honda 1:28.849 28 laps
15 R. Kubica BMW 1:28.860 35 laps
16 K. Nakajima Williams 1:29.077 33 laps
17 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:29.161 32 laps
18 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:29.193 40 laps
19 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:29.518 14 laps
20 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:29.605 11 laps
21 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:30.663 16 laps
22 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:31.527 8 laps

GIGGS HAILS 'BRILLIANT' RONALDO

Ryan Giggs has likened Cristiano Ronaldo's remarkable scoring sequence this season for Manchester United to that of a "a brilliant centre forward", never mind a winger.

And Portugal international Ronaldo has the chance to improve on his 30-goal tally on Saturday when title-chasers United face struggling Derby at Pride Park.

Giggs said: "Cristiano's form, not just this season but the last two, has been unbelievable.

"To top that off his goalscoring record is one of a brilliant centre forward.

"Hopefully his form and goalscoring form will continue. It is great to have it.

"We have always had a good mix of players at this club who can score.

"Cristiano's all-round game has been brilliant. He attracts two or three players most of the time and that makes space for others."

Giggs could return to the side after a four-match absence as United look to recover from the FA Cup defeat by Portsmouth last weekend.

But the former Wales captain knows there is no need to rush back because of the strength of the squad.

He said: "We had only 11 or 12 players to choose from this time last season, so sometimes you had to play with little niggles.

"But it is completely different this year as we have a lot of players fit.

"We have two players for every positions, so if you have a small injury or are a bit tired the manager can change things around."

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson could, meanwhile, hand goalkeeper Ben Foster his debut as Edwin van der Sar has a groin problem and Tomasz Kuszczak is suspended.

United Face Roma

United have been drawn against AS Roma in the Champions League quarter finals.

It's a familiar face for the Reds. It's the second time this season that United have been paired with the Italians, and the second time in two seasons that the Giallorossi stand in Sir Alex Ferguson's way at the quarter final stage.

The United boss will be pleased that his side are away in the first leg on Tuesday 1 April, with Luciano Spalletti bringing his side to Old Trafford a week later for the return leg Wednesday 9 April.

The draw for the semi finals was also made in Nyon on Friday. Should United past Roma, the Reds will again be away in the first leg of the last four, against either Schalke or Barcelona. The first leg of that semi final will be played on Wednesday 23 April, the return leg on Tuesday 29 April.

It means United avoid the potential to face Premier League opposition before the final in Moscow, while the winner of Arsenal and Liverpool's all-English quarter final will face either Fenerbahce or Chelsea.

Full Draw
Arsenal v Liverpool
Roma v Manchester United
Schalke v Barcelona
Fenerbahce v Chelsea

United v Roma

Past Record
AS Roma 1-1 United (Group F)
United 1-0 AS Roma (Group F)
United 7-1 AS Roma (CL Q/F 2)
AS Roma 2-1 United (CL Q/F 1)

Roma's Key Man
Francesco Totti
The talisman, captain and inspirational force behind the team. Didn't register in any of the four games in the past two seasons, but he is a major threat.

Foster handed Reds debut

Ben Foster will face Derby on Saturday as injury to Edwin van der Sar and a one-match suspension for Tomasz Kuszczak force Sir Alex Ferguson into giving the promising young goalkeeper his Reds debut ahead of schedule.

Van der Sar has failed to recover from a groin strain picked up in the FA Cup defeat to Portsmouth, while Kuszczak's red card in the clash sees him sit out the trip to Pride Park.

Foster, who had been tipped to go out on loan for the rest of the season, made a successsful return to action last week for the Reserves having spent the last eight months on the sidelines recovering from knee ligament damage.

"Edwin misses the game, so it's a debut for Ben Foster," said Sir Alex. "I had planned to send him out on loan. But Edwin is injured and Tomasz Kuszczak is suspended.

"Having been out for the best part of a year and with only one reserves game behind him, it's a big challenge for Ben. But I have no fears. He will be OK. What encourages me is that he has got fantastic presence, speed and agility.

"His rehabilitation went completely as planned and he's been in full training for about a month so there are no question marks over his fitness. What we can't tell is how match sharp he is. He's only had one game. But his assets give me confidence he'll do well."

It has taken the 24-year-old almost three years to get a shot at his United debut. After arriving at Old Trafford in the summer of 2005 from Stoke City, he was immediately farmed out to Watford for two seasons. He excelled there, eventually earning his first England cap.

Foster's lengthy loan spell away from the club and his subsequent injury.