By Tim Stannard 

1) Two wounded beasts set for damaging double-header in Copa

Normally, the heartless Sports Burst has very little pity to hand out to moaning little big clubs, with their big players and their big squads.

However, there is a modicum of empathy – not a lot, though - for both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona at the moment. Both teams are under fire for not being all that hot these days, but both are now facing their ninth match in the space of a month on Wednesday, due to the incredibly condensed nature of the Copa del Rey. That is bound to leave the batteries a little run down.

The pair will be going head-to-head in two literally bruising battles in the Copa semifinals. Diego Simeone’s biggest concern - aside from the MSN and all that – is how the team will react to a bad match at the weekend against Alaves.

For Luis Enrique, deep down, it is the smooth functioning of a midfield that is missing both Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta. "It's not the time to talk about who we don't have. We have to try and help the ones that we do have to play as well as they can,” said Enrique ahead of the Vicente Calderon clash, urging support for Andres Gomes even before he has badly kicked a ball.

Coverage begins of this whopper of a contest live on beIN SPORTS from 2:30PM ET / 11:30AM PT with full highlights on the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT.

2) Manchester duet looking to close down on title race

Elsewhere in England, a former Barcelona boss will be hoping to take advantage of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham all dropping Premier League points on Tuesday. Manchester City are away at West Ham, a team that is looking for three wins on the bounce and enjoying a Dmitri Payet stress-free world.

In the EPL’s other two games, Manchester United are home to Hull whilst Stoke takes on Everton, another clash between two former Barcelona players in the shape of Mark Hughes and Ronald Koeman.

Meanwhile, in the Championship Newcastle United will be hoping to return to the top of the table with a victory over QPR. And that’s a game you can see live on beIN SPORTS CONNECT from 2:30PM ET / 11:30AM PT. All highlights can be found in one snug spot on the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT.

3) Egypt hope to return to AFCON glory days

A huge couple of days of AFCON football awaits starting with Wednesday’s semifinal clash between Egypt and Burkina Faso. Hector Cuper's Egypt, the seven times champions, are finally making their way back into the Africa spotlight after several years of political disruption impacting the national team, but are going into the final-four clash unbeaten.

Burkina Faso are the surprise package so far and are looking to grab a place in the final to play either Cameroon or Ghana. Coverage begins live on beIN CONNECT from 1:45ET / 10:45AM.

4) Ivanovic seals late zip to Zenit

TRANSFER NEWS! STILL! Most windows are closed but Russia’s is still flapping away in the breeze. And it’s another Chelsea departure with Branislav Ivanovic heading to Zenit St Petersburg after a nine-year stint at Stamford Bridge.

And Championship outfit, Sheffield Wednesday, have just been given approval for their $13m deal for striker, Jordan Rhodes, who leaves from Middlesbrough after not doing a great deal with just six EPL appearances. Tune into the XTRA from 7PM ET / 4PM for a breakdown of the biggest transfer deals of the winter window.

5) Bolt reveals that lost medal already returned

Usain Bolt is in philosophical mood – the only mood possible really – down under in Australia arriving in the country ahead of an event.

The Jamaican was stripped of one of his nine gold medals due to a teammate, Nestor Carter, failing a retrospective drugs test nine years after the Beijing Olympics for the sprint relay. “Initially (I was) disappointed, of course. But in life, things happen. I'm not sad... I'm just waiting to see what's going to happen.”

WHAT IS SPORTS BURST?

The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. SB is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.