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Mid-Day Ticker: Cold weather threatens European slate, Bornstein plays & more

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Frigid temperatures and snowstorms across Europe are starting to take their toll on the soccer schedule.

Saturday's anticipated match between Roma and Inter Milan has already been postponed because of snow blanketing Rome. The Cesena-Catania match has also been called off, and that is in addition to four midweek Serie A games having to be rescheduled because of the snow.

One game that was not cancelled this week in Italy, the Inter Milan-Palermo bout on Wednesday, finished in a wild 4-4 draw.

Temperatures have dipped into the negative (celsius) across Europe, and it is not out of the realm of possibility that even more matches throughout the continent fall victim to Mother Nature.

Here are a few more stories to keep your day rolling:

BORNSTEIN PLAYS 90 IN LIBERTADORES

For the second straight week, Jonathan Bornstein got another run out for Tigres UANL in the Copa Libertadores.

Playing in a midfield role on a team comprised mostly of reserves, Bornstein went the distance in Tigres UANL's 2-2 draw with Chilean side Union Espanola in Thursday night's preliminary round match. Unfortunately for Bornstein and Tigres, the home draw was not enough to overturn a 1-0 loss in the first leg of their preliminary round tie, and his side was eliminated from the competition.

After not appearing once during the Mexican Apertura season, Bornstein has two appearances to his name during the current season, and he has been a regular on the matchday roster for league play during Tigres' Clausura campaign.

REAM'S BOLTON DEBUT PUSHED BACK

Bolton takes on Norwich City this weekend in a match that could have featured two U.S.-eligible centerbacks in Tim Ream and Zak Whitbread. The only problem is that Ream won't be part of Bolton's squad for the match.

The former New York Red Bulls defender is due to arrive in England Friday night, according to Bolton's official website, meaning that his debut for the club will be pushed back by at least another game.

"We all accepted that Gary (Cahill) would move on and we looked to maximize the situation and reinvest the money," Bolton manager Owen Coyle said on the club's site. "We have bought youth and players who will continue to get better and whose value will appreciate. As for Saturday, Tim will fly back later today so he will miss out."

The next match that Ream will be eligible for is a week from Saturday, when Bolton hosts Wigan Athletic at Reebok Stadium.

SUAREZ' SUSPENSION COMES TO AN END

Liverpool will receive a massive boost to their front line with the return of Luis Suarez to the lineup.

The Uruguayan striker has completed serving his eight-game suspension, and he'll be available for selection for Liverpool's crucial game against Tottenham on Monday.

Suarez was handed the ban from the FA after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra during an incident in October. His last match was on Dec. 26, when he started Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Blackburn. The Reds did pretty well without him, going 5-2-2 in all competitions (2-2-1 in league play) in the matches he missed.

The club remains in contention for a spot in Europe, sitting a point behind Newcastle for fifth place and a spot in the Europa League and four points behind Chelsea for fourth place and a spot in the UEFA Champions League.

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With all of the postponements and cold weather in Europe, do you still with MLS changed its schedule to the European format? What do you make of Bornstein getting more playing time with Tigres? Disappointed Ream won't be playing this weekend? How big of an impact do you think Suarez' return can have on Liverpool?

Share your thoughts below.

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