SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2016

City aiming to Bloodied Spurs ready for extend unbeaten run at Burnley Stamford Bridge return

MANCHESTER: Manchester City head into their LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur face a major Kane struck twice late on as Spurs came European competition means Klopp has match against Burnley today test of nerve today when they return to from behind to beat West Ham United 3-2 had a full week to prepare his team for their boosted by having secured a place in the last 16 Stamford Bridge, scene of the 2-2 draw with at on their previous league next league assignment. But City manager of the Champions League with a game to spare Chelsea that ended last season’s title chal- outing. But that was Spurs’ only win in their will have little time to drill his after a midweek draw at Borussia lenge. Spurs had nine players booked and last nine fixtures in all competitions, a run players ahead of today’s trip to Burnley, Moenchengladbach. The 1-1 result in Germany Mousa Dembele was hit with a six-game that has seen them slide to fifth in the table, which follows Wednesday’s 1-1 Champions means manager Pep Guardiola and his City play- ban for gouging Diego Costa’s eye in a four points below leaders Chelsea. League draw at Borussia ers can focus on the Premier League for the next stormy May 2 encounter that delivered the Chelsea, in stark contrast, are flying, hav- Moenchengladbach. month or so, beginning with a visit to Burnley. Premier League crown to Leicester City. ing won their last six games without con- The result in Germany took City into the Guardiola’s side have been inconsistent while Mauricio Pochetttino’s side are licking their ceding a goal and will be defending an last 16, albeit as runners-up behind juggling European and domestic demands, wounds once again, having been dumped unbeaten home record against Spurs Barcelona, and they will now look to build dropping points in each of their last three home out of the Champions League by Monaco, stretching back 26 years. Centre-back Gary on last weekend’s 2-1 win at Crystal Palace. league matches and falling to third place in the but goalkeeper Hugo Lloris says they will Cahill says it is important for the players not “Obviously it’s only two days in between for table as a result. relish the trip to Chelsea. to get carried away. “We’re happy with our the next game, so that’s tough to fly back They were not entirely convincing in “I said the same after we lost against work, but the league isn’t won now,” he told and be prepared, but I think mentally we Germany either, with a failure to win meaning (Bayer) Leverkusen at Wembley: this is the the Chelsea website. “There’s plenty more need to try to be prepared,” City they are now certain to finish second in their best type of game to bounce back,” said the football-it’s not even Christmas yet-so keep told the club website. Champions League group, which is likely to France international following Tuesday’s 2-1 going, keep the foot down and keep trying Arsenal, in search of a second wind, wel- result in a tougher draw in the next round. Even loss to Monaco at the Stade Louis II. “The to produce performances like we have been come Bournemouth to the Emirates so, it is worth remembering that Guardiola’s only thing is to digest the frustration of this in the last few weeks.” Stadium tomorrow. Arsenal needed a late team are unbeaten in five matches in all compe- defeat and look forward. “It’s a big disap- Should Chelsea slip up, and Olivier Giroud header to rescue a 1-1 draw titions-a run that includes a memorable victory pointment, but we need to keep our chins Manchester City-both just a point below at Manchester United last week, then saw over Barcelona. They have been beaten just once up because it’s a big game today.” Harry them-will have designs on supplanting their hopes of top spot in their Champions in the Premier League so far this season and are, them at the summit. League group fade in a 2-2 draw with Paris for all their recent difficulties, just one point Saint-Germain. behind leaders Chelsea, who visit Eastlands on Matches on TV Record-hunting Rooney Giroud’s goal condemned United to a December 3. (Local Timing) Liverpool, who ceded top spot after third successive home draw in the league- Guardiola’s players stayed in Germany to train drawing 0-0 at Southampton last weekend, the first time that has happened since April on Thursday before flying home. A short turn- host a Sunderland team buoyed by back-to- 1992 — but they bounced back to crush ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE around could cause problems for City, who lost 1- back wins that have lifted them off the foot 4-0 in the Europa League. 0 on their last league visit to Turf Moor in March Burnley v Man City 15:30 beIN Sports 2 HD of the table. “It’s our job to show from the United, nine points below Chelsea in sixth, 2015. “It is tough to fly back and be prepared but Leicester v Middlesbrough 18:00 first second as a big group, crowd involved, face West Ham tomorrow in the first of mentally we have got to be prepared,” winger beIN Sports 4 HD that we are different-here it’s different,” back-to-back home games against the east Kevin De Bruyne said. “There will be almost no Liverpool v Sunderland 18:00 Liverpool manger Jurgen Klopp told his pre- London club, who return to in training for the game today but we will try to be beIN Sports 2 HD match press conference. “Sunderland, if the League Cup on Wednesday. Having net- there and have a good performance.” Hull City v Albion 18:00 they win football games in the Premier ted his 248th United goal against beIN Sports 8 HD League: well done, deserved, whatever. But Feyenoord, skipper Wayne Rooney will ‘Huge gulf’ Swansea City v Crystal Palace 18:00 not here.” Like his Chelsea counterpart equal ’s club scoring record beIN Sports 12 HD Guardiola must consider what role, if any, Antonio Conte, Liverpool’s absence from if he scores against West Ham. — AFP Yaya Toure should play against Burnley. The mid- Chelsea v Tottenham 20:30 beIN Sports 2 HD fielder made a surprising return to the starting English Premier League Table line-up at Crystal Palace last weekend, and was SPANISH LEAGUE the best player on the pitch, scoring both goals Malaga v Deportivo 15:00 English Premier League table ahead of the weekend’s matches (played, won, drawn, in a 2-1 win. Toure had not featured for City since beIN Sports 3 HD lost, goals for, goals against, points): August, having fallen out with Guardiola after Real Madrid v Sporting Gijon 18:15 being left out of his Champions League squad. beIN Sports 3 HD Chelsea 12 9 1 2 27 9 28 Southampton 12 3 5 4 12 12 14 The dispute was exacerbated when Dimitri Seluk, Espanyol v Leganes 20:30 Liverpool 12 8 3 1 30 14 27 Burnley 12 4 2 6 11 19 14 the player’s agent, publicly criticized Guardiola, beIN Sports 3 HD Man City 12 8 3 1 27 11 27 Stoke 12 3 4 5 13 19 13 but Toure has been welcomed back into the Sevilla V Valencia 22:45 Arsenal 12 7 4 1 25 12 25 Leicester 12 3 3 6 14 20 12 beIN Sports 3 HD Tottenham 12 6 6 0 18 8 24 Middlesbrough 12 2 5 5 10 13 11 squad after apologizing to his manager. Man Utd 12 5 4 3 17 14 19 Crystal Palace 12 3 2 7 17 21 11 City captain , however, has ITALIAN LEAGUE Everton 12 5 4 3 16 14 19 West Ham 12 3 2 7 13 23 11 definitely been ruled out after damaging his knee Torino v Chievo Verona 20:00 Watford 12 5 3 4 17 20 18 Hull 12 3 1 8 10 27 10 ligaments at Palace, the latest of several injury beIN Sports 4 HD West Brom 12 4 4 4 16 15 16 Sunderland 12 2 2 8 12 21 8 setbacks. Burnley, widely expected to be fighting Empoli v Milan 22:45 Bournemouth 12 4 3 5 14 16 15 Swansea 12 1 3 8 11 22 6 relegation after promotion from the beIN Sports 4 HD Championship in May, reached the heights of ninth place before this month’s international GERMAN BUNDESLIGA break. However, Monday’s 4-0 loss at West Eintracht v Dortmund 17:30 beIN Sports 5 HD Inspired Rooney confounds Bromwich Albion was a sobering experience for Hamburger v Werder Bremen 17:30 manager Sean Dyche and his players. Dyche does beIN Sports not really have the depth of squad to make multi- Koln v Augsburg 17:30 his ‘obituary’ writers again ple team changes and so is likely to give those beIN Sports players who underperformed at a Borussia M v Hoffenheim 17:30 LONDON: An angry Wayne Rooney was as England captain. chance to redeem themselves against City. beIN Sports adamant last weekend that his critics in Just a few days later following As a result, Burnley striker Andre Gray-who Ingolstadt v Wolfsburg 17:30 the media were trying to write his sport- United’s game against Arsenal, though, has started just once since completing a four- beIN Sports ing obituary. On Thursday, he picked the he had sounded rather less apologetic as game suspension in late October-may have to Munich v Leverkusen 20:30 moment to demonstrate that reports of he launched a spirited self-defense and beIN Sports settle for a place among the substitutes again. his footballing demise had been greatly attacked the “disgraceful” treatment he exaggerated. With one bravura goal and had endured. “It feels as if the media are Burnley have been much tougher to beat at FRENCH LEAGUE home than away this season, but Dyche has another magical ‘no-look’ assist in the trying to write my obituary and I won’t Monaco v 19:10 crucial 4-0 Europa League victory over let that happen,” Rooney had said in a acknowledged that his side face a significant beIN Sports 6 HD challenge this weekend. “There’s a huge gulf Girondins v Dijon 22:00 Feyenoord at Old Trafford, England’s most uncharacteristically angry riposte. between where we are as a club and where beIN Sports one-man footballing soap opera took a “I have not finished yet.” It was a coura- Manchester City are as a club, both on and off Montpellier v Lorraine 22:00 fresh twist after the most turbulent of geous response, especially amid wide- the pitch,” he said. “But it is the marvel of foot- beIN Sports weeks even by the 31-year-old’s dramat- spread speculation about a career that ball, when random results turn up. “We’ve had Nantes v Lille 22:00 ic standards. A week earlier, Rooney had has appeared to be fading fast but, typi- beIN Sports our fair share of them over my time here, and apologized for published pictures that cally, Rooney’s appetite for a good fight Caen v Guingamp 22:00 had supposedly been taken of him while was evident again as he chose a crucial even this season. So who knows on that side of beIN Sports things?” — AFP socializing among a late-night wedding night at Old Trafford to produce a land- Metz v Lorient 22:00 party while he was on international duty mark performance. — Reuters beIN Sports