SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2016

Spurs great Mabbutt recalls derby day fury

LONDON: It is almost 20 years since Gary Mabbutt Double, and joined the club from his home-town played in a , but the former team Bristol Rovers in August 1982. Tottenham Hotspur captain’s feelings about the He would go on to make 619 appearances for rivalry burn as intensely as ever. Spurs across a 16-year career, “When the fixtures came out, you always looked spending 11 years as captain and tasting glory in the to see when the games were,” Mabbutt told AFP this 1984 UEFA Cup and 1991 FA Cup. week, ahead of Tottenham’s trip to Arsenal in the Peering through the coach window en route to Premier League tomorrow. Highbury for his first derby, a 2-0 defeat in December “I loved playing against Arsenal. It was exciting, it 1982, Mabbutt was taken aback by the “hostile” was exhilarating and it was a game you just had to reception from goading home fans. win. “No matter what happened throughout the rest His second derby proved more pleasurable, Spurs of the season-if the team were doing terribly, but romping to a 5-0 win, but a 21-year-old Mabbutt you beat Arsenal, the fans would forgive you. spent the hours beforehand fretting about the sud- “Lots of families are split, lots of workplaces. A lot den disappearance of the Afghan hound he owned of my friends are Arsenal supporters, so there was with his girlfriend. “Literally about five minutes always a lot of banter surrounding the games. “I’ve before kick-off, my girlfriend calls: she’d found the LONDON: Former Tottenham Hotspur player got friends who are Tottenham fans who refuse to dog,” Mabbutt recalls. “I went out and we beat them Gary Mabbutt gives an interview to an AFP jour- have anything red in their house. They refuse to have 5-0, so it was a fantastic day.” nalist outside Wembley Stadium ahead of a red car or let their wives wear a red dress.” Signed as a central midfielder, Mabbutt became a Tottenham’s Champions League match against Mabbutt was born in August 1961, three months centre-back of sufficient accomplishment that he Bayer Leverkusen in London. — AFP after Tottenham’s fabled First Division and FA Cup won 16 England caps, scoring once.— AFP Daunting Sevilla trip awaits defeated Barca

MADRID: Barcelona face a huge task to night in front of an empty stadium on bounce back from defeat at the hands of Wednesday as they spurned a two-goal Match on TV old boss Pep Guardiola’s Manchester lead to draw 3-3 away at Legia Warsaw. City in midweek when the Spanish The match was played behind closed (Local Timing) champions travel to high-flying Sevilla doors due to violence and racist chanti- today. Barca trail La Liga leaders Real ng from Legia fans. ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Madrid by two points with Sevilla, who Yet, only Mateo Kovacic’s equaliser Man City v Middlesbrough 18:00 beIN SPORTS 2 HD have won their last seven home games, five minutes from time allowed Madrid West Ham v Stoke City 18:00 just a point further adrift. “We are com- to extend their unbeaten run to 27 beIN SPORTS 8 HD ing into the game well,” said Sevilla games, and coach Zinedine Zidane Burnley v Crystal Palace 18:00 GELSENKIRCHEN: Schalke’s Cameroonian midfielder Eric coach Jorge Sampaoli after his side once again criticised his side’s lack of beIN SPORTS 7 HD Maxim Choupo-Moting (R) takes a tumble after a run in moved to the brink of qualifying for the intensity. Bournemouth v Sunderland 18:00 with Krasnodar’s Russian goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk Champions League last 16 with a 4-0 “We lacked intensity, desire and beIN SPORTS 4 HD during the UEFA Europa League group I football match Chelsea FC v Everton 20:30 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb. movement,” said the Frenchman. “At beIN SPORTS 2 HD between FC Schalke 04 and FC Krasnodar in “I don’t think losing will affect times you can have these odd games Gelsenkirchen, western Germany on Thursday. — AFP Barcelona. If we don’t have a perfect and we’ve got to be patient. The good SPANISH LEAGUE evening it will be a very difficult thing is that we didn’t lose and we’re Granada v Deportivo 15:00 encounter.” now focusing on our next game.” Madrid beIN SPORTS 3 HD Real Sociedad v Atletico 18:15 Leicester trio take on On top of their Champions League could be boosted by the return of Luka beIN SPORTS 3 HD defeat in Manchester, Barca have Modric for the first time in a month after Osasuna v Deportivo Alaves 20:30 Messi, Ronaldo for award sneaked past Valencia and Granada in he underwent surgery on a knee carti- beIN SPORTS their last two league outings as the lage problem. Marcelo and James Las Palmas v SD Eibar 22:45 ZURICH: Three Leicester players will try to end the absence of Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Rodriguez should also be fit after miss- beIN SPORTS 3 HD eight-year grip of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on Andres Iniesta has taken its toll. All three ing the trip to Warsaw, but Sergio the FIFA player of the year award. ITALIAN CALCIO LEAGUE are expected to miss out once more at Ramos, Casemiro and Pepe remain side- Torino FC v Cagliari 20:00 Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and N’Golo Kante were the Sanchez Pizjuan with Rafinha or Arda lined. It is the first time Leganes have beIN SPORTS 4 HD named Friday alongside Messi and Ronaldo in the 23- Turan replacing Andre Gomes the only ever faced Real in league action. After a SSC Napoli v SS Lazio 22:45 man list of contenders. Kante has moved to Chelsea change expected from the team that bright start to their debut La Liga cam- beIN SPORTS 4 HD since Leicester won the Premier League title in May. started at the Etihad Stadium. paign, three consecutive defeats have Messi won his fifth FIFA award last season and “After the first half, especially after seen Leganes, nicknamed the ‘cucumber GERMAN BUNDESLIGA Freiburg v Wolfsburg 17:30 Ronaldo has won it three times. Ronaldo is the likely losing the second goal, we lost the atti- growers’, slip to a point above the rele- beIN SPORTS favorite for 2016 as a double European champion: tude we normally have,” Barca goalkeep- gation zone. Hamburger SV v Dortmund 17:30 Portugal won its first European Championship and Real er Marc-Andre ter Stegen told radio sta- Atletico Madrid are three points back beIN SPORTS 9 HD Madrid won a record 11th European Cup title in last sea- tion RAC1 on what Luis Enrique’s men on Real in third, but can move top when Bayer 04 v Darmstadt 98 17:30 son’s Champions League. need to improve for their trip to Seville. they travel to Real Sociedad today. beIN SPORTS While no other Portugal players are nominated, the Bayern Munich v Hoffenheim 17:30 Barca were the last visiting side to Diego Simeone’s men were the only beIN SPORTS 5 HD FIFA Football Committee picked four more from Madrid: win at the Sanchez Pizjuan. However, a Spanish side to book their place in the FC Ingolstadt 04 v Augsburg 17:30 , Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos. 2-0 win in the first leg of the Spanish last 16 of the Champions League in mid- beIN SPORTS Messi is joined by Barcelona teammates Neymar, Luis Super Cup in August came before week, but needed a dramatic 93rd- Eintracht v FC Koln 20:30 Suarez and Andres Iniesta. All 23 nominees play for Sevilla had bedded in many of their 11 minute Antoine Griezmann winner to beIN SPORTS 5 HD clubs in Europe. European national teams provide 17 summer signings. Sevilla have injury see off FC Rostov 2-1. Centre-back players, and five are from South America. Mahrez, who FRENCH LEAGUE problems of their own, though, with Stefan Savic is suspended with Lucas Monaco v Nancy Lorraine 19:00 is from Algeria, is the only nominee from an African Samir Nasri a major doubt due to a ham- Hernandez or the fit-against Jose Maria beIN SPORTS 6 HD national team. No Asian nations are represented. string problem that forced him to miss Gimenez set to deputise. Girondins v Lorient 22:00 Voting will be held by national team captains and the midweek win. Kevin Gameiro should also replace beIN SPORTS 10 HD coaches, selected media members and an online fan Fernando Torres in attack. Real Betis Lyonnais v Bastia 22:00 poll. Each section will count for 25 percent of the final MODRIC BACK coach Gustavo Poyet’s job is on the line beIN SPORTS 9 HD Dijon v Guingamp 22:00 tally. Barca could be five points adrift of when his side visit fifth-placed Villarreal beIN SPORTS 8 HD FIFA will announce the three-man shortlist on Dec. 2. Real by the time they kick off as the tomorrow. Betis are just two points off the Angers v Lille OSC 22:00 The rebranded Best FIFA Awards ceremony will be held European champions host Leganes relegation zone in 13th and fans called for beIN SPORTS 6 HD on Jan. 9 in Zurich. — AP today. Poyet’s head during last weekend’s 1-0 Nantes v Toulouse FC 22:00 Madrid endured an embarrassing defeat at home to Espanyol. — AFP beIN SPORTS 1 HD