Sports44 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015

German League Preview Dortmund in fight for survival against Freiburg BERLIN: Last season’s Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund could never have imagined that tomorrow’s league clash against strugglers Freiburg will be key in their battle to avoid relegation. But even the former European champions’ most hardcore fans woke up to the danger ahead when Dortmund lost 1-0 to visitors Augsburg on Wednesday to stay firmly in last place after their 11th loss in 19 games. They are now anchored in 18th spot on 16 points with Freiburg two ahead in 15th and if they are not to lose touch with the other relega- tion-threatened teams then they have to land their first win of the year. Since the season restart last week, Dortmund, champions in 2011 and 2012 as well as Champions League finalists in 2013, have managed just one point from their two games so far, continuing their disastrous season. “We keep making mistakes and we need to stop that instantly,” coach Juergen Klopp said. “We are fitter than in the first half of the season but we need to show a reac- tion against Freiburg. “We have to go there and show that we still operate as one unit.” Klopp will not have AC Milan’s coach Filippo Inzaghi Kevin Grosskreutz at his disposal after the Germany international picked up a thigh muscle injury on Wednesday. With fans’ patience quickly running out and some Dortmund players rushing to them after the ‘Europe or bust’ for defeat to talk to them, Klopp knows he needs results, and he needs them now. “What should the people do?” he said after his team was jeered off the pitch. “The fans are disappointed and angry. Some of them fear for the future Milan coach Inzaghi of the club. This is fully understandable.” At the other end of the table, Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich may still be eight points clear at the top ROME: It has been a mixed season for AC been added to an increasing injury list. beating Inter Milan with a late goal from but are also yet to win this year. There is no talk of any Milan’s rookie coach Filippo Inzaghi and Resurgent Napoli are third and only four Gonzalo Higuain. Sampdoria, still crisis at Bayern, who travel to lowly VfB Stuttgart, but his future at the club is likely to depend points behind Roma, having won three seething from Sunday’s 5-1 thrashing at Pep Guardiola’s team has so far failed to convince, on his ability to steer them into a games in a row. Rafa Benitez’s side, who Torino, face dangerous Sassuolo (Sunday slumping to their first league loss at VfL Wolfsburg last European qualifying spot. Milan, who host mid-table Udinese on Sunday 1400), while fourth-place Lazio play on week and drawing 1-1 at home against Schalke on face an ominous trip to play leaders (1400), booked a place in the domestic Monday (1945) against Genoa at the Tuesday. “We have been improving since the 4-1 at Juventus tomorrow, are eighth in cup semi-finals on Wednesday, after Stadio Olimpico. —Reuters Wolfsburg,” Bayern midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger after a campaign containing numerous said. “But now we will go to Stuttgart to win.” Second- highs such as home wins against Lazio placed Wolfsburg will keep up their hunt of Bayern with and Napoli and a scoreless draw at sec- Villa and Hull facing more new club-record signing Andre Schurrle in the squad ond placed Roma. against Hoffenheim. —Reuters Yet there have also been several low misery from Chelsea, City points including three losses in four games after the Christmas break, which LONDON: Things might well get a lot worse before they get any better for relega- has left them on 29 points five adrift of tion-threatened Aston Villa and Hull City who face title-chasing Chelsea and Sampdoria, who occupy fifth place and Manchester City in the tomorrow. Villa, who host leaders Chelsea, the final certain Europa League qualify- were accused of being “gutless” by former Villa striker Stan Collymore when they ing spot. If Inzaghi wants to hold on to were beaten 5-0 at Arsenal on Sunday, an unwanted club record sixth successive his job he has to find a way to make it league game without a goal. They have only scored 11 times in the league all sea- into the top five both owner Silvio son, and after being second in September are now 16th, three points above the Berlusconi and chief executive Adriano relegation zone and in danger of going down for the first time in 27 years. Galliani have implied in recent days. “We Manager Paul Lambert was given the full support of American owner Randy are hoping that Pippo (Inzaghi) will con- Lerner last week, but an unlikely win over Chelsea would do more to help get the tinue to mature,” Berlusconi told fans off his back. Similarly, a shock victory over City would be a huge boost for reporters at the inauguration of Sergio Hull boss Steve Bruce, whose team are in an even worse position than Villa-in the Mattarella as Italy’s new president on bottom three with two wins in 16 games and no goals or points from their last Tuesday. three. They were crushed 3-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday and unless they The manager most likely to replace improve soon, their second season back in the top flight could well be their last Inzaghi should he fail is Fiorentina boss for a while. Vincenzo Montella, whose teams have It would be a major upset if the top two did not collect three points each after produced the kind of attacking football sharing the spoils in a drab 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday that left that Berlusconi has always cherished. A Chelsea, on 53 points, five clear of City. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho added Milan victory at Juventus would certainly Colombian winger to his squad for 26 million pounds ($39.6 mil- boost the team’s morale for the remain- lion) from Fiorentina on transfer deadline day and he could feature tomorrow. der of the Serie A campaign. The two City’s major new acquisition, striker Wilfried Bony, is on African Nations Cup duty sides traded blows in September until with Ivory Coast but even without him City look too strong for a fragile Hull side Carlos Tevez was able to break the dead- seemingly bound for the drop. lock in the 71st minute to hand victory to Tomorrow’s program gets underway at lunchtime when Tottenham Hotspur, DORTMUND: Augsburg’s midfielder Markus who are sixth, face arch-rivals Arsenal, who are one place and two points above Feulner (right) and Dortmund’s Italian striker the champions of the last three seasons. A win for Milan would also be a fillip for them in the north London derby at White Hart Lane. Everton host Liverpool in Ciro Immobile vie for the ball during the the Merseyside derby with the visitors seeking a fourth successive league win to German first division Bundesliga football match second place AS Roma, who visit Cagliari on Sunday (1400) and are seven points keep in the hunt for a Champions League spot after battling into the FA Cup fifth Borussia Dortmund vs FC Augsburg in the adrift after four straight draws in Serie A. round with a last-gasp 2-1 win at second tier Bolton Wanderers. Everton need a Signal Iduna Park stadium in Dortmund, west- Rudi Garcia’s Roma were eliminated in win to distance themselves from the battle at the bottom. Third-placed ern Germany on February 4, 2015. Augsburg the Italian Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday Manchester United on Sunday visit West Ham United where Wayne Rooney won 0-1. —AFP in a 2-0 defeat to Fiorentina since when scored one of the goals of the season from the halfway line last March. —Reuters recently-signed forward Victor Ibarbo has