Sports FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2014

Relegation battle adds spice to the North derby

HAMBURG: The battle to avoid relegation will add extra places above them. , who find themselves in a rel- when Eintracht Frankfurt, who have 22 points and are spice when Werder Bremen and SV, northern egation battle for the second season in a row, have not above Bremen on goal difference, host Stuttgart, who Germany’s two most popular clubs, meet for the 100th won a league game since returning from the winter break are 15th on 19 points after losing their last seven league time in the tomorrow (1430 GMT). on Jan. 26, although they have drawn their last two. games. Hamburg are the only ever-present in the Hamburg plunged down the table after a catastroph- With so many traditional clubs involved, the bottom Bundesliga’s 51-year history while hosts Bremen have ic run of seven successive defeats under Dutchman Bert of the table is providing more excitement that the top, missed only one season, following their relegation in van Marwijk, who was eventually sacked. Despite bounc- where Bayern Munich have moved 19 points clear and 1980, yet both teams find themselves in danger of tum- ing back to beat Hamburg SV 3-0 in their first game are threatening to wrap up the title race before the end bling down to Bundesliga 2. Their ‘Nordderby’ has pro- under Mirko Slomka last Saturday, they remain perilously of March. Bayern, who have dropped only four points all duced some memorable clashes in the past and reached positioned. “We must play with controlled aggression,” season in their 22 league games, host a Schalke 04 its height in the 2008-09 season when the sides met four Werder’s sporting director Thomas Eichin told Sky. “With (Saturday, 1730) team who have been left battered and times within the space of three weeks. a three-pointer for Bremen, the world will be in order.” bruised after a 6-1 home defeat by Real Madrid in the The faced each other twice in a UEFA Cup semi-final, Champions League on Wednesday. which Bremen won on away goals after a win apiece, Key battle Bayern, who won 4-0 at Schalke earlier in the sea- once in a German Cup semi-final, which Bremen won on Honours have been shared almost evenly over the son, will be aiming for their 15th consecutive league penalties, and once in a Bundesliga game which Bremen years with 31 wins for Hamburg, 35 for Bremen and 33 win and their 48th without defeat. Second-placed also won. This time, however, things are rather different, draws. Both teams have scored 148 goals in the fixture. Bayer Leverkusen (43 points) are at home to midtable with seven-times German champions Hamburg lying “We know what this game means, for us, the club and Mainz 05 (Saturday, 1430) while Borussia Dortmund, 16th in the table, the relegation playoff place, and four- the whole city,” Hamburg goalkeeper Rene Adler said. third on 42 points, host improving Nuremberg times champions Bremen only three points and two There is another key relegation clash on Sunday (1630) (Saturday, 1430). — Reuters Real Madrid looking to bury Atletico’s title challenge

MADRID: Real Madrid can bury Atletico’s hopes of win- control their opponents, told reporters after the Schalke ning La Liga with a third straight victory against their city game. “We create a lot of chances and it’s good news that neighbours on Sunday that would leave the capital’s sec- the three forwards are fired up,” added the Spain interna- ond club trailing by six points. tional. “Sunday’s game is very important for us and it is Atletico stunned their bitter local rivals 2-1 at Real’s going to be very tough. own Bernabeu stadium in last season’s King’s Cup final “We are confident but we know that each match is a and followed up with a 1-0 success at the same venue in different story. If we don’t go out with the same focus as La Liga at the end of September. However, Real have today any team is capable of giving us a scare.” greatly improved as the season has progressed and they dumped holders Atletico out of this term’s Cup 5-0 on Genuine challenge aggregate in their two-legged semi-final this month. Atletico, who are also through to the last 16 of the Unbeaten in 27 matches in all competitions, Real are Champions League, are mounting a genuine challenge SINGAPORE: A general view of the under construction National Stadium in in ominous form before Sunday’s trip across town to for the La Liga title for the first time since they won a Singapore yesterday. Singapore’s state-of-the-art new National Stadium will Atletico’s Calderon stadium and will be buoyed by their 6- league and Cup double in 1996. Diego Simeone, a former host international football and an Asia-Pacific Super rugby team after it 1 success at German side Schalke 04 in the Champions Argentina midfielder, was part of that team and has trans- opens as part of the billion-dollar Sports Hub project in June, officials said League on Wednesday. They took over from Barcelona, formed the club since he took over as coach at the end of yesterday. — AFP who host promoted Almeria on Sunday, at the top of La 2011, leading them to a Europa League triumph in 2012 Liga last weekend when both Barca and Atletico suffered and the Cup success last season. Singapore’s new Sports Hub surprise defeats. However, last weekend’s shock 3-0 reverse at Osasuna, Real have 63 points with 13 games left, with Barca, when Simeone left a number of key players out of his unveils rugby, tennis events chasing a fifth title in six years, and Atletico on 60. starting lineup, suggested they may not have a deep Real coach Carlo Ancelotti, who took over from Jose enough squad to cope with a gruelling calendar. Fullback SINGAPORE: Sports fans can look for- lineup,” Delavaud, a former chief execu- Mourinho at the end of last term, has eliminated the Juanfran said the team are keen to put last week’s stum- ward to international rugby and tive of Stade de France, told reporters. defensive lapses that cost his team earlier in the season. ble behind them and reignite their title challenge. women’s tennis - along with Asian soc- “Our strategy, it’s not to create a stadium With Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale “We are keen to prepare the match well and if we beat cer, swimming and badminton events - for specific types of events. It’s really to in a three-pronged attack, the Italian has one of the most Madrid things will be different,” he said on Atletico’s web- once the new Singapore Sports Hub has offer a portfolio of events.” Sports Hub, lethal forward lines in football and each scored twice in site (www.clubatleticodemadrid.com). “We are playing at its soft launch in April and opens fully in east of the downtown core on a plot the Wednesday’s romp in Gelsenkirchen. our stadium, where we are unbeaten (in La Liga this sea- June. size of 70 football fields, is still a con- “We have a lot of potential up front,” midfielder Xabi son) and I am convinced we will play a good match and Other attractions announced yester- struction site. Alonso, whose composure and passing ability help Real win,” he added. — Reuters day included concerts by Lionel Ritchie But the organisers insist everything in April, Taylor Swift in June and will be ready in time for the April launch Taiwanese star Jay Chou in November. and two events in June - the rugby (www.sportshub.com.sg) World Club 10s in the big stadium and The new complex, featuring the the Southeast Asia swimming champi- 55,000-seat National Stadium and a vari- onships at the aquatic centre. ety of other facilities, gives Singapore the The complex - for public use and economy of scale to host large sporting training by Singapore’s national athletes events and concerts as the Southeast - also has a number of arenas and courts, Asian city-state markets itself as a world- plus commercial space and a water class leisure and lifestyle destination. sports area in Kallang Basin. Low Teo Philippe Delavaud, chief executive of Ping, president of the Singapore Rugby SportsHub Pte Ltd, said more events will Union, said he could not yet reveal the be confirmed as promoters look at the teams lined up for the World Club 10s - a new stadium and the existing 13,000- hybrid of the sevens and 15s games - but seat Indoor Stadium, which has become they will come from “the northern and part of the complex. southern hemispheres, from right across The Women’s Tennis Association the world”. “We’ve just put in our expres- championships will be held at Indoor sion of interest to host the Rugby Sevens Stadium in October and ASEAN Football Series that will begin next year,” he said. Championship matches at National “We’ve also put in our expression of SEOUL: Under-20 national soccer players wear new uniforms for South Korea’s national soccer team for 2014 Stadium late in the year. interest to bid for the Rugby World Cup World Cup during a press unveiling in Seoul, yesterday. South Korea will face Russia, Belgium and Algeria in “We are continuously improving the in 2018.”—Reuters 2014 Brazil World Cup. — AP