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Home , Eden Hazard, Lucas Alario

Djokovic says players may skip US Open and start on clay Thursday, June 11, 2020 page 12 Lifelines for Hazard, Suarez as title race looks to forgotten stars

AFP Fitness questions Fixtures (all Qatar times) “He is better than we ex- (Live on BeIN Sports) pected,” Setien said on Sun- When La Liga stopped they day. “But the question is how Thursday were not expected to play any ready he is after so long out and Sevilla v Real Betis (11pm) part in the rest of the title race whether he is ready to start.” but when the season resumes Despite winning the Cla- Friday on Thursday, Eden Hazard sico on March 1, Madrid were Granada v Getafe (8.30pm), and Luis Suarez could be set in a slump before the hiatus, Valencia v Levante (11pm) to decide it. that 2-0 victory over Barcelona Hazard was looking be- their only win in five games. Saturday yond Real Madrid to the Eu- They lost the defensive Espanyol v Alaves (3pm), Celta ros after undergoing surgery steel that saw them go 21 Vigo v Villarreal (6pm), Leganes on his right foot in March matches unbeaten either side v Real Valladolid (8.30), Mallorca while some felt Suarez had of Christmas and a familiar v Barcelona (11pm) played his last game for Bar- bluntless, still lingering from celona after having a knee ’s depar- Sunday operation in January. ture, remains. Athletic Bilbao v Atletico Instead, both have been Hazard was supposed to Madrid (3pm), Real Madrid v thrown a lifeline, Suarez to help fill the creative void but Eibar (8.30), Real Scciedad v preserve his career at Barca 11 games over five and a half Osasuna (11pm) and Hazard to kickstart his weeks offers no room for rusti- with Madrid. ness and, unlike Suarez, this After Real Madrid paid is still a new team to him. Fif- €100 million ($108.4 mil- teen appearances in 10 months lion) to sign him from Chelsea hardly breeds familiarity. last year, fans sprinted out- Barca meanwhile need side the Santiago Bernabeu bodies as they have only to beat the queues for Haz- 19 fit senior players, which ard’s unveiling, and around leaves them surprisingly ill- 50,000 made it inside. equipped to capitalise on two However questions were extra substitutes. soon being asked about his The club sold back-ups in weight in pre-season, and January to raise funds for a he has struggled with injury striker that never arrived and all season. instead they were left to exploit Every time he has come La Liga’s emergency signing back, Hazard has needed time rule in February to poach Mar- to find form, initially lacking tin Braithwaite from Leganes. that burst of speed and change But Suarez brings expe- of direction that at his best, can rience and quality, not to leave a defender for dead. mention the best out of Li- But reports from Valde- onel Messi. Eden Hazard has endured a nightmare first season at Real Madrid but could make amends in the final bebas have been positive, In full flow, Messi could see 11 games. (AFP) with say- off Real Madrid but the Argen- ing on Sunday he had been tinian has had his own injury They play Atletico Ma- ing and Athletic ning knock-out tournaments surprised by the Belgian’s problems this season, the lat- drid at home too but have Bilbao but more important might even be well-suited to “rhythm” before adding a est a minor thigh complaint not lost to them at Camp could be how they take to their a 39-day sprint finish. note of caution. “We can’t that led to him missing three Nou in 14 years. new training ground home, the Zidane was close to the expect him to be on top form training sessions last week. Yet bubbling distrust of the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium, sack in September but almost without playing,” he said. Barcelona have a two- Barca board could resurface while renovation work contin- a year later, only one thing is Barca coach Quique point advantage and the at any moment and Madrid ues at the Bernabeu. certain. Nothing is the same. Setien has been similarly cir- marginally more favourable have the better head-to-head Madrid have Marco Asen- cumspect over Suarez, who is fixtures, particularly as the record, meaning they only sio fit again while Gareth Luis Suarez has been given the also not renowned for quick usually heated atmospheres at need to be level on points to be Bale has been the fittest of green light to return by Barcelona returns to sharpness after Sevilla and Alaves will be ne- crowned champions. anyone in training. Zinedi- after undergoing knee surgery in time away. gated by empty stands. They play away at high-fly- ne Zidane’s knack for win- January. (AFP)

Quick read Leverkusen end Saarbruecken’s Brazil pulls out of race to host 2023 Women’s World Cup Rio de Janeiro: The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced it is withdrawing from the German Cup fairytale race to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup because of belt-tightening implemented in response to the coronavirus pandemic, throwing its support behind Colombia instead. The CBF said the outbreak, which has hit Brazil especially hard, made it difficult to secure the AFP public and private funding and other commitments needed to mount a competitive bid. Berlin “Because of fiscal and economic austerity measures taken to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, (the Brazilian government) indicated it would not be advisable at this time Saarbruecken’s un- to sign the guarantees requested by FIFA,” the CBF said in a statement Monday. precedented German Cup Its withdrawal leaves Colombia, Japan and a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand in a run came to an end at the three-way race to host the tournament. FIFA is expected to announce the decision on June 25. semi-finals on Tuesday after South America has never hosted the tournament. The CBF said it believed a “single candi- a 3-0 defeat at the hands of dacy will increase South America’s chances.” outfit Bayer Lev- Brazil’s economy has taken a beating as the country has emerged as the latest epicenter in erkusen. the pandemic, with the World Bank forecasting a painful eight-percent recession this year. The The fourth-tier side, country has recorded 37,134 COVID-19 deaths so far. (AFP) whose last competitive match was in March, beat top-flight clubs Cologne and Fortuna Duesseldorf on their way to becoming the first team from that level to reach the last four of the cup. Saarbruecken coach Lukas Kwasniok had said a place in the July final at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium would be tantamount to the “rebirth of Jesus”, but there was no mira- cle on Tuesday. Leverkusen’s team celebrates winning the German Cup (DFB Pokal) semi-final against Saarbruecken They were comfortably on Tuesday. (AFP) dealt with by Leverkusen, who are chasing a spot in next sea- Both were set up by Ker- Leverkusen will now take son’s Champions League and em Demirbay, whose pass for on either Bayern Munich or were in the driving seat from Diaby’s opener in particular , who the get go at Saarbruecken’s highlighted the gulf in class We lost, that is bad for our face off at the Allianz Arena tiny, empty ground in south- between the two teams. state of mind most of all. It on Wednesday, in the final western Germany. The hosts never recov- bothered me that we on July 4. “We lost, that is bad for ered from those early blows, weren’t tough enough “I had no doubts, but you our state of mind most of and just before the hour have to respect Saarbrucken. all. It bothered me that we mark Leverkusen struck a Lukas Kwasniok My boys were focused, the weren’t tough enough,” said third, with Demirbay once game was over after the first Kwasniok told Sky. again the man to lay on the to beat Saarbruecken’s im- two goals.” said Leverkusen The away side were decisive pass for Bellarabi to pressive goalkeeper Daniel coach Peter Posz to Sky. quickly two ahead thanks to smash home. Batz, who saved five penalties “You don’t get many Essen’s German Ramona Petzelberger (right) celebrates scoring the opening goal during goals from and The defeat would have in his team’s quarter-final win chances to play in a final. You the women’s German Cup semi-final between Bayer Leverkusen and SGS Essen in Germany on Lucas Alario within the first been heavier had Paulinho not over Duesseldorf and made play a final to win it. That will Tuesday. Essen won 3-1. (AFP) 20 minutes. missed several good chances some good stops on Tuesday. be the next task.”