Against Sampdoria Before Juve Showdown
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Friday 43 Sports Friday, February 21, 2020 Inter seek to ‘bounce back’ against Sampdoria before Juve showdown MILAN: Antonio Conte warned Inter Milan need a win against SPAL before their Champi- “Right now the most important thing is that need to bounce back from recent setbacks ons League last 16, first leg trip to French club we get back to playing the way we were before, against Sampdoria tomorrow to keep pace with Lyon. But despite their low ranking SPAL have without adding any sort of pressure. “We must leading duo Juventus and Lazio, before their shocked both Lazio and Atalanta this season. regain our swagger and believe.” Hellas Verona, clash with the Serie A champions in Turin next Sarri could rest goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in sixth, occupy the final Europa League berth, week. Inter dropped from first to third, three before their European game allowing veteran four points behind the side from the capital and points behind champions Juventus, after losing Gianluigi Buffon to line out for a record 648 equal on 35 points with Parma and AC Milan. 2-1 to second-placed Lazio last weekend, fol- Serie A games. Napoli travel to Brescia before Verona host Cagliari, who have lost momentum lowing an Italian Cup defeat to Napoli. “It was a hosting Barcelona in the Champions League and slipped to 11th, after a ten-match winless run painful result,” said Conte of the loss in Rome’s next week in their Stadio San Paolo. Gennaro going back to early December. AC Milan travel Stadio Olimpico. “We’ve now got back up with Gattuso’s side have moved up to ninth, two to 13th-placed Fiorentina, as Torino, just below the desire to bounce back and move forward.” points off the Europa League berths, after three the Tuscans, host Parma trying to avoid a sixth Claudio Ranieri’s Sampdoria are 17th, just one wins in their last four games. consecutive defeat. point above the relegation zone, and lost the re- In the race for Champions League places, Former Eintracht Frankfurt forward Ante verse fixture in Genoa 3-1 in September. Atalanta are fourth, six points ahead of Roma, Rebic has burst through with six goals in AC Juventus can open up a six-point gap on with the side from Bergamo hosting Sassuolo on Milan’s last seven games in all competitions. The Conte’s side with a win at rock bottom SPAL, a high after their stunning 4-1 European win 21-year-old joined the seven-time European before hosting Inter in their Allianz Stadium on over Valencia. Roma, in fifth, have earned just champions on loan last September, but has only March 1. Lazio are just one point behind Juven- four points from seven games, and desperately played 13 games, and scored for the first time tus as they chase their first Scudetto since 2000, need a result at home against lowly Lecce. “Not with a brace against Udinese on January 9. The and can push their unbeaten run to 20 games at many people think we can qualify (for the Cham- arrival of his childhood idol Zlatan Ibrahimovic third-from-bottom Genoa. Maurizio Sarri’s Ju- pions League) via the league but we still believe last month has boosted confidence in the team, Juventus’ Italian coach Maurizio Sarri ventus have lost their last two away matches and it’s possible,” said coach Paulo Fonseca. said the Croatian international.—AFP MotoGP world champ Marquez extends Honda contract till 2024 PARIS: MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez cess together and I am very happy to continue has extended his contract with Honda until the being part of the Honda family.” Since joining end of 2024, the Japanese team announced yes- Honda after winning the Moto2 championship in terday. “Honda Racing Corporation are de- 2013 Marquez has won six of the last seven Mo- lighted to announce six-time MotoGP world toGP world titles. champion Marc Marquez has signed a four-year All told, he has won 56 Grand Prix, with extension of his contract and will continue to Honda. He signed the contract extension months race with the factory team until at least Decem- after his younger brother Alex joined the team, ber 2024,” the team said in a statement. as reigning Moto2 champion, replacing Jorge Marquez, 27, said he was “proud” to remain Lorenzo. The Marquez brothers will join the rest with the team who gave him his start in the sport. of the grid in Qatar next week for the final pre- “Honda gave me the opportunity to arrive in the season test ahead of the first race of the new MotoGP class with a factory bike in 2013,” he season at Qatar’s Losail International circuit on Ron Jans said. “Since the first year we have achieved suc- March 8.— AFP Cincinnati manager Jans resigns Same again as world champion after MLS investigates ‘racism’ Hamilton sets test pace NEW YORK: Dutchman Ron Jans has resigned connected with FC Cincinnati feels valued, re- his position as manager of MLS side FC Cincin- spected and trusted. MONTMELO: World champion Lewis Hamil- best at 0.399sec off the pace while Red Bull’s nati in the wake of a league investigation into an “Racial and cultural diversity is a major part ton hammered out an early season warning to Max Verstappen was fourth at 0.540 after put- alleged racist remark, the club announced. Jans of what makes the game of soccer so special, and his rivals on Wednesday when he set the fastest ting in 168 laps, the most of any driver. “It’s been departs only 12 days before the team opens its we place the highest priority on respecting every time on the opening day of pre-season testing a good day. It’s always important to do as many 2020 campaign March 1 at the New York Red person involved in our game. This includes ab- at Barcelona. Hamilton, who will attempt to laps as possible and today was a really good ex- Bulls. FC Cincinnati said the 61-year-old former solutely everyone associated with our club, from equal Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of ample of how you should do it, so I’m very manager of such Dutch clubs as Groningen and our locker room and front office, all the way seven world titles this year, clocked a best time happy,” said Verstappen, who was third behind Zwolle was leaving as an MLS investigation was through to our fans.” of 1min 16.976sec off a total of 94 laps. He was the Mercedes pair in the 2019 world champi- progressing after an MLS Players Association Jans, who stepped away from his coaching the only driver at a chilly Montmelo to duck onship. For Ferrari, Charles Leclerc replaced complaint of “extremely inappropriate com- duties on Friday, went 1-5 with four drawn last under 1min 17sec. four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel for ments.” “As Major League Soccer’s investigation year for FC Cincinnati after taking over the Worryingly for the rest of the field, Mercedes opening day duties after the German fell ill and unfolded and some themes emerged, Ron of- team last August following the firing of Alan teammate Valtteri Bottas was second fastest in returned to the team hotel. Leclerc was down in fered his resignation and we agreed that it was Koch as manager last May. Yoann Damet, who 1min 17.313sec. “It’s been a good day and a really 11th place, more than 1.3sec behind Hamilton. “I the best course of action for everyone involved served as an interim manager last year before good start for all of us, considering we had a got a call at 6:45am this morning while I was still with FC Cincinnati,” club president Jeff Berding Jans was hired, will again serve as an interim long break,” said Hamilton. “So to come back in bed,” revealed Leclerc, who was fourth in the said in a statement. “We place the utmost impor- head coach while FC Cincinnati general man- and clock in over 170 laps just shows how hard 2019 standings. “It was a little last minute but tance on a strong culture within our club, begin- ager Gerard Nijkamp conducts a global search everyone has been working over the winter.” that didn’t change much, even if the mechanics ning in our locker room, and that every person for a new coach.—AFP Sergio Perez, in a Racing Point, was fourth had to change some settings.— AFP .