Sports FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016 Leverkusen ready to prove worth without Hernandez BERLIN; Bayer Leverkusen must prove they can keep winning without their injured striker Javier Hernandez when they meet pow- erhouse Borussia Dortmund on Sunday. The Mexico international has been a sensation since joining this season from Manchester United, grabbing 13 goals in the league and scoring a total of 22 times in 26 matches in all competitions so far. But a muscle injury in their German Cup quarter-final loss to Werder Bremen last week put the 27-year-old out of action just as Leverkusen were on a good run of form. They have gone six league games without defeat, having lost just once in their last nine Bundesliga matches. Hernandez, who has a contract to 2018, was missed in Leverkusen’s 2-1 win over promoted Darmstadt 98 on Saturday. The team had to struggle back from a down with help from an own goal and a 77th minute winner. But his absence will be felt even more keenly against their sec- ond-placed visitors. Leverkusen, who trail Dortmund by 13 points, have won none of their last eight home games against the Ruhr valley club. Dortmund have their own goal-scoring machine in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with the Gabon international having netted 20 times in the league and Dortmund enjoying the joint-best attack along with ROME: Real ’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (C) celebrates with Real Madrid’s defender leaders Bayern Munich. and Real Madrid’s French coach Zinedine Zidane after scoring during the UEFA Champions “We have shown that we can keep winning without Javier,” Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt said. “The team has improved in the League football match AS Roma vs Real Madrid. —AFP past weeks. I don’t even know if we should say it out loud that we are third in the Bundesliga.” The club has not given a firm timeframe for how long Hernandez will Zidane keeps cool be absent, but Schmidt has said that he hopes it will only be a couple of weeks. With speculation of a possible return to England’s Premier League at the end of the season despite his contract, Leverkusen are eager to finish in the top four to secure a Champions League spot for next season and keep Hernandez. The problem is they must do this with- as Real march on out his goals, at least for now. “If we qualify for the Champions League then we have very good chances that he will stay with us,” said club CEO ROME: Zinedine Zidane won’t admit it yet, but 10-time win- began leaving their seats five minutes from the finish when Michael Schade. “As things stand now we do not want to sell any player.” ners Real Madrid remain on course for a sixth consecutive Jese flashed a shot across several defenders to beat Szczesny “We are, however, a commercial enterprise and there are limits. If there Champions League semi-final appearance after a clinical 2-0 low at his far post. The victory gives Real a huge advantage are huge offers then we will look into them,” he said. Dortmund, with win at Roma in the first leg of their last 16 tie on Wednesday. ahead of the return leg at their Santiago Bernabeu home in three wins out of four matches since the winter break have tightened World Cup winner Zidane won the competition as a player three weeks time. But Zidane, who replaced sacked Rafael their hold on second spot and are eight points behind leaders Bayern, with Real in 2002 and as assistant to former Benitez last month, said there is a long way to go until the May who host Darmstadt on Saturday. Fourth-placed Hertha Berlin, on 35 when the ‘Galacticos’ claimed their record 10th European Cup 28 final in Milan. points along with Leverkusen, take on VfL Wolfsburg. —Reuters or ‘Decima’ in 2014. On the night he made his debut as a head coach in the ‘Stats don’t count’ competition, the Frenchman who ended his career by being “May 28 is still a long way off. We still have to think about sent off for headbutting Italian Marco Materazzi in the final of the second leg and take it one game at a time,” he told media the 2006 World Cup, was left rejoicing with his players on the after the game. Despite statistics suggesting Real have a 100 touchlines as they underlined their status as co-favourites percent chance to go through to the last eight after a 2-0 first alongside Bayern Munich and holders Barcelona. leg win, Zidane added: “Statistics don’t count, especially when After weathering a frustrating first half in which an inspired there’s still another 90 minutes to play.” Roma side failed to finish off a series of promising attacks, As Zidane rejoiced, Roma handler Luciano Spalletti was left Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock on 57 minutes when he wishing he could have turned back time. The Italian was in ran on to Marcelo’s chip to beat Wojciech Szczesny with a shot charge at Roma in 2008 when the Giallorossi beat Real 2-1 that deflected off right-back Alessandro Florenzi. It was the twice in succession in the last 16 on their way to a quarter-final Portuguese forward’s 12th goal in seven Champions League defeat to Manchester United. But despite dominating for long games this term and lifted huge pressure off the shoulders off spells, Roma ultimately came up short in the final third of the Zidane. pitch. “Everyone expects Ronaldo to score, and he fulfilled expec- Spalletti hit the nail on the head when he said: “You give a tations,” said Zidane. To their credit, Roma dug deep in a bid player like Ronaldo an inch, and he takes a mile.” He added: to claim a share of the spoils and were unlucky not to earn a “The difference is in the fact that when you give players of DARMSTADT: Leverkusen’s players celebrate penalty when Florenzi went down under the studs-up chal- Real’s quality an opening, they seize on it. We just didn’t put Leverkusen’s midfielder Julian Brandt (front) scor- lenge of Dani Carvajal. Even after that decision, the hosts bat- our chances away, and that’s the thing I’m most sorry about.” ing the 2-1 during the German first division tled throughout a dominant late spell inspired by Egyptian The 50,000-plus crowd was a huge improvement on Roma’s Bundesliga football match SV Darmstadt 98 vs Bayer winger Mohamed Salah, only to come up short. usual attendences which have been hit by fans staying away 04 Leverkusen. —AFP It was inspiring stuff, but dozens of the 55,612 home crowd to protest at new stringent security measures. —AFP Depleted Man City face Chelsea in FA Cup clash

LONDON: The lure of reaching the Champions Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur, in their come on March 9. League quarter-finals for the first time will last two matches. “But at this moment... the Hiddink had led Chelsea on a 12-match weigh heavily on Manuel Pellegrini’s mind as chance to try and get to the Champions unbeaten run since taking over from the Manchester City and Chelsea prepare for a League quarter-final for the first time, I think sacked Jose Mourinho in December but that heavyweight FA Cup fifth-round clash on it’s a case where we are going to prioritise.” streak ended on Tuesday when he was forced Sunday. With City flying to Ukraine to face While both teams will line up at Stamford to reshuffle his back four for the PSG clash Dynamo Kiev just 24 hours after Sunday’s Bridge on the back of defeats, Chelsea are no after captain John Terry was ruled out with a showdown with Chelsea, the FA Cup tie could doubt aware that the Cup presents their best hamstring injury. Asked if Terry would return not have come at a worse time for Pellegrini, chance of ending the season with a trophy. for the City game on Sunday, Hiddink said who is reluctant to field his strongest side. Hovering in the bottom half of the Premier “Difficult.” Holders Arsenal will take on second “I think it (the FA Cup) is a serious competi- League is bad enough but a 2-1 defeat at Paris tier Hull City on Saturday as they try to take tion and not a competition you can throw St Germain on Tuesday has left Chelsea in another step towards becoming the first club away,” said the Chilean, whose side were beat- danger of going out of the Champions League since Blackburn Rovers in 1886 to win the FA en at home by the Premier League’s top two, at the last 16 stage-with the second leg to Cup three years in a row. —Reuters