SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2016 SPORTS

Goalkeeper Donnarumma among uncapped Italy call-ups

MILAN: AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi game in the southern town of Bari on Thursday upcoming World Cup 2018 qualifiers. (Juventus), Donnarumma and Torino forward Andrea Belotti hoping the Azzurri can take up where they left off With , 38, having had a sterling (Juventus), Mattia De Sciglio (AC Milan), Angelo were handed maiden call-ups for Italy, after being following a hugely promising European Euros campaign, it is uncertain if the 17-year-old Ogbonna (West Ham United/ENG), Alessio named in Giampiero Ventura’s 26-man squad for Championship in France. Donnarumma, or his fellow squad debutants, will be Romagnoli (AC Milan), Daniele Rugani (Juventus) next week’s friendly with France. Italy upset pre-tournament predictions to send given a run out. : (Fiorentina), Ventura, who succeeded new Chelsea coach holders Spain crashing out in the last 16, only to fall Italy’s opening qualifier is away to Israel on Giacomo Bonaventura (AC Milan), Antonio Antonio Conte following the Azzurri’s quarter-final to Germany in the quarter-finals after a dramatic September 5, while France are away to Belarus a day Candreva (), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), exit from Euro 2016, also notably called up Paris penalty shoot-out. later. Italy squad for France friendly and World Cup (Roma), Riccardo Montolivo (AC Saint-Germain following France will also be looking for a positive out- 2018 qualifier v Israel: Milan), Marco Parolo (Lazio), Marco Verratti (Paris his recovery from a hernia operation. come in what will be their first international outing Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Saint-Germain/FRA) The former Torino coach also handed first call- since their shock Euro 2016 final defeat to Portugal. (AC Milan), Federico Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Eder Citadin ups to AC Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli as well However Ventura and France counterpart Didier Marchetti (Lazio) Martins (Inter Milan), Manolo Gabbiadini (Napoli), as Genoa striker Luca Pavoletti. Deschamps are both expected to use the outing to Defenders: Luca Antonelli (AC Milan), Davide (Lazio), Leonardo Pavoletti (Genoa), Ventura, 68, will take charge of his first Italy gauge fitness and form ahead of next month’s Astori (Fiorentina), (Juventus), Graziano Pelle (Shandong Luneng/CHN). — AFP

Bravo must await debut as City host Hammers MANCHESTER: Claudio Bravo must wait to SHIRT-PULLING WARNING make his Manchester City debut as he pre- Guardiola has almost a fully-fit squad pares to watch his new club’s home from which to choose, with 30 players hav- Premier League game with West Ham ing taken part in training on Friday. United today from the stands at the Etihad His only absentee is teenage striker Stadium. Kelechi Iheanacho, who suffered a minor The Chilean goalkeeper has completed hamstring problem in the midweek win the formalities over his reported £17 mil- over Steaua Bucharest that will sideline him lion ($22 million, 19 million euros) move to for two weeks. One area where Guardiola the Premier League, but his lack of training wants his players to pay more attention to with his new team means manager Pep is in being mindful of the new rules over Guardiola has not considered him for a shirt-pulling in the penalty area. “The refer- starting place. ees came here and spoke to the players That will almost certainly mean more about the new rules so they know that,” frustration for unwanted England keeper said Guardiola. Joe Hart, who has been told he can leave “But we are going to speak to the play- the club, with Willy Caballero poised to ers again, I don’t know what is going on, if keep his starting place, as he has done in it is happening more often, more times the opening two league games under than it did.” Slaven Bilic’s West Ham will Guardiola. head north still smarting from their prema- “He’s fit but he’s not going to play this ture exit from the Europa League at the weekend,” said Guardiola of Bravo. hands of Astra Giurgiu. A repeat of last sea- Guardiola, who will be seeking to make it son’s victory at the Etihad Stadium will pro- five wins from five competitive games with vide a timely lift, as will the imminent City, said Bravo fitted the bill for him as a arrival of Juventus striker Simon Zaza. “It is goalkeeper and added Chilean players a boost,” Bilic said of Zaza. “It was our plan have as a rule flourished under his guid- for a long time now to get a top-quality ance. “He has experience, anticipates situa- striker and there were a few of them on our tions not in the box, in front of the box, list, and Zaza was always mentioned there.” good in the build-up plays, quick under the Bilic also expects Dimitri Payet and Manuel posts, he is a good player for us,” said Lanzini to be close to full fitness but will LONDON: Liverpool’s Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet (down) blocks Tottenham Hotspur’s English midfielder Joshua Onomah during the Guardiola. not risk both playmakers. English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at White Hart Lane in London, yesterday. — AFP “I was lucky to have under my com- “Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini, we’re mand Chilean players like Alexis Sanchez going to know more on Saturday,” said Bilic. and Arturo Vidal before and now Claudio “Maybe one of them will be in the squad Liverpool pricked by Rose Bravo. I spoke to Claudio and he’s going to for Sunday’s game. “We still have one train- be a good player for us. ing session, but the situation is that after “I had a good experience with my previ- this game we have a couple of weeks and ous Chilean players and I expect to have it the temptation is not to play them because thorn in Tottenham draw with Claudio as well. is it worth the risk? “And with the goalkeeper with more “Of course if there is no risk we would than 100 caps for the national team and a pick them, but there is a big question mark. which ended in a 0-0 draw. could have won a penalty after being blocked by team that can compete with Argentina or Only if there is no risk are we going to use His side showed a much sharper cutting edge Joel Matip. Brazil he’s a really good asset for us.” them, and then only one of them.” — AFP Tottenham 1 than in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Burnley, but Mane, meanwhile, was fortunate to avoid a red their inability to close the game out enabled Spurs card after clattering Rose two minutes after being to rescue a point. booked for a late one on Dele Alli. “When you take a point at Tottenham, for 99 Janssen had replaced Kyle Walker after the percent of teams it would be a good thing,” Klopp Spurs full-back succumbed to illness, prompting a Liverpool 1 told the BBC. “We played a very good away game reshuffle that saw Eric Dier move to right-back and against a very strong side. It was our first real mis- Alli drop into central midfield. take and it was a goal, so that is not really fair. It left the hosts with an unfamiliar configuration LONDON: Left-back Danny Rose’s 72nd-minute “We showed we can be good. We played foot- on the right flank and Liverpool exploited their equaliser earned Tottenham Hotspur a 1-1 draw ball and defended really good. It doesn’t feel too uncertainty when Firmino was clipped by Erik with Liverpool in a hard-fought Premier League brilliant at the moment.” Lamela after darting in behind him. encounter at White Hart Lane yesterday. It was a contest between two teams who like to Milner, Liverpool’s left-back again, confidently James Milner gave Liverpool a deserved lead press high up the pitch and in the first half it was steered the penalty into the bottom-left corner. with a penalty shortly before half-time, but Spurs Tottenham who had the greatest difficulty playing The team in red continued to enjoy the upper got their reward for a spell of sustained second-half the ball out from the back. hand in the second half, with Matip heading over, pressure when Rose drilled home the equaliser. Deputising in goal for Spurs again in place of Nathaniel Clyne working Vorm and Mane seeing a The England full-back’s strike means he has the injured Hugo Lloris, Michel Vorm was frequent- volley chalked off for offside against Adam Lallana. already matched his tally from last season and it ly called into action. But as the intensity of the visitors’ pressing preserved Spurs’ unbeaten record following their began to fade, so Spurs started to assert them- draw at Everton and victory over Crystal Palace. SPURS RESHUFFLE selves. “I’m very pleased,” said Spurs manager Mauricio The Dutchman produced a stunning fourth- Eriksen side-footed over from Dier’s cut-back Pochettino. “It was a very competitive game. Both minute stop to thwart Philippe Coutinho from and Mignolet produced smart saves to thwart teams played with passion, which is very impor- Roberto Firmino’s square pass and twice raced Lamela and Toby Alderweireld before Spurs drew tant. It was a fantastic game for the neutral. from his line to expertly tackle Sadio Mane. level with 18 minutes to go. “The effort and the character we showed today Coutinho had overcome a stiff hamstring to Released by Alderweireld on the right, Dier cut were fantastic. It’s not easy when you play a team start and he continually found space in threatening inside onto his left foot and crossed, Lamela that are perfect on the counter-attack and you positions, with one shot deflected over and anoth- flicked the ball on and Rose brought it down at need to take risks. The draw is a fair result.” er comfortably parried by Vorm at his near post. the back post before skewering a shot past It was a frustrating outcome for visiting manag- Aside from a Christian Eriksen free-kick that Mignolet. Liverpool procured one last sight of er Jurgen Klopp on his return to the scene of his Simon Mignolet fisted away, Spurs posed little goal, but Georginio Wijnaldum’s effort was field- first game at the Liverpool helm last October, threat at the other end, although Vincent Janssen ed by Vorm. — AFP Claudio Bravo Bilbao one of hardest away games for Barca: Enrique Lewandowski hat-trick

BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is expecting another gruelling game at Athletic Bilbao when the La Liga champions visit San Mames today. as Bayern rout Bremen Barca scrapped a 1-0 win in the fixture last season thanks to a second- half strike from Luis Suarez after Lionel Messi missed a penalty. BERLIN: Robert Lewandowski claimed a They picked up under new coach Carlo control of the game early on.” Bayern’s win their other new arrival from Borussia The Catalans were also thrashed 4-0 at San Mames in the Spanish Super hat-trick as defending champions Bayern Ancelotti where they left off under Pep came with Germany defenders Jerome Dortmund, partnered Javi Martinez at cen- Cup, the only domestic competition they failed to win last season. Munich brushed Werder Bremen aside Guardiola, who left in May to coach Boateng and Holger Badstuber, plus Dutch tre-back. The defending champions need- Athletic only field players who were born in or brought up in the with a 6-0 win in Friday’s opening match of Manchester City, with long periods of pos- winger Arjen Robben all recovering from ed just nine minutes to take a spectacular Basque Country but finished fifth in La Liga last season, missing out on the new German league season. session. “I am very happy. That was a very injury. New signing Renato Sanches from lead. Alonso’s volley from just outside the Champions League football by two points and reaching the Europa League Lewandowski, the Bundesliga’s top-scorer good performance from my team,” said Benfica, a Euro 2016 winner with Portugal, area found the top right-hand corner and quarter-finals. last season with 30 goals, could have fin- Ancelotti after his first Bundesliga game. started on the bench. flew past Bremen goalkeeper Felix Although Barca won four of six meetings with Athletic last term, win- ished with five as Bayern ran riot. “We got off to a good start and took Germany defender Mats Hummels, Wiedwald. The hosts doubled their lead ning both legs of their King’s Cup quarter-final tie as well as both league “I’m just happy I scored and that we got just four minutes later. Ribery’s long-range games, Luis Enrique is prepared for another testing game against Ernesto the win,” Lewandowski told broadcaster pass down the left put Lewandowski in Valverde’s side. ARD and revealed he finished the game behind the defence and the Poland hot- “It is one of the most difficult games you can play away from home,” with a hole in his goal-scoring right boot. shot tucked his shot past Wiedwald from Luis Enrique told a news conference on Saturday. After Xabi Alonso scored the first goal the tightest of angles. “The fact Athletic have a limited market to choose from, and the fact of the 2016/17 campaign at Munich’s He could have claimed a first-half hat- they have the same coach, means it will be the same as always. Allianz Arena, Lewandowski netted either trick. Muller’s long-range shot slammed off “We are excited to play at San Mames, a stadium we love with an side of the break before captain Philipp the post, then Lewandowski hit the cross- atmosphere you get at few other grounds in the league,” the coach added. Lahm added a fourth. bar and had a shot saved before the break. “We’ll focus on the problems Valverde will cause us, pressuring us when It was no more than shooting practice The pair combined for Bayern’s third we’re on the ball and giving us problems on the counter.” for Bayern by the time Franck Ribery fired goal, which arrived just 39 seconds into Barca lead the La Liga table on goal difference after thrashing Real Betis home, with Lewandowski then converting the second-half. Mueller’s curling cross was 6-2 in their opening game and are boosted by the return of Javier a penalty to claim his third and Munich’s met at the far post by Lewandowski for his Mascherano and Marc-Andre ter Stegen from injury. sixth. second on 46 minutes. Bremen’s last win Neymar, meanwhile, has been given an extended break after helping Having also hammered Hamburg 5-0 in over Bayern in Munich was back in 2008 Brazil win their first Olympic Gold medal in soccer. last season’s opening game, this was and they were barely in it as Bavarians Germany goalkeeper Ter Stegen will make his eighth league appear- another emphatic win as Bayern look to enjoyed around 70 percent possession. ance for Barca following the departure of Claudio Bravo to Manchester win a fifth Bundesliga title in a row. It fin- Lahm grabbed Bayern’s second when he City, and Luis Enrique praised the Chile international for his service to the ished 2-0 at the break, but it could have converted Mueller’s final pass before club. been at least double that as Lewandowski Ribery blasted home their fifth with the “I would like to praise the work of Claudio Bravo over the last two sea- and then Thomas Mueller both hit the Frenchman unmarked in the area. Rafinha sons, he did a unique and exceptional job and gave the club a lot, with per- woodwork in the opening 45 minutes. MUNICH: Bayern Munich’s Chilian midfielder Arturo Vidal (L) and Bremen’s came on for Lahm and when the Brazil formances of the highest level,” he said. Bayern won last season’s German defender Ludovic Lamine Sane (R) vie for the ball during the German first defender was fouled in the area, “I want to highlight the attitude shown by our three goalkeepers, who league title by 10 points, making history division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich vs SV Werder Lewandowski drilled home the resulting recognised that the most important thing is collective success.” — Reuters with a fourth straight Bundesliga title. Bremen in Munich, southern Germany, on Friday. — AFP penalty on 77 minutes. — AFP