43 Sports FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Italian League Preview German League Preview Struggling Inter aiming to Dutt has mystery ‘plan’ to save season at Fiorentina get Werder out of trouble

ROME: Troubled Inter Milan will seek to European battle BERLIN: Werder Bremen coach has a rate on his mysterious plan but insisted he was kick-start their stuttering season in a bid to They have also booked their place in the “plan” that will get his side out of their current the right man for the job, as long as the club avoid missing out on European football for Italian Cup final with Napoli in May, with predicament and put them back where they remained united. “Werder hired me because a second year when they travel to in-form whom they are also in a battle for Italy’s belong, among the elite. they needed a strong coach, one who knows Fiorentina tomorrow. The Italian giants lie third Champions League spot. Napoli hold Bremen, until recently one of the dominant what he is doing, and that’s me,” he said, adding fifth in Serie A but have started 2014 poor- a three point advantage. Fiorentina are forces in the Bundesliga, find themselves fighting that he understood that fans were not satisfied. ly, winning one game since the turn of the boosted by the return of Mario Gomez, relegation for the second season in a row and have “The criticism in Bremen over this difficult situa- year, last week’s scrappy 1-0 victory over who has been out of action since suffering not won a game since the winter break. tion is entirely appropriate. It has been quite lowly Sassuolo. Walter Mazzarri’s side have knee ligament damage in September. The Lying 13th in the league with 20 points from 20 clear, but has not been insulting or gone below struggled on the road, losing all four away Germany striker was on the bench for games, and only four clear of Hamburg SV in the dan- the belt. A lot of water will have to flow down matches in 2014 which includes a 1-0 Tuesday’s 2-0 Cup semi-final second leg ger zone, Bremen host Borussia Moenchengladbach the Weser before I get frustrated.” They are not defeat by Udinese that knocked them out win over Udinese and may feature against tomorrow badly needing a win to reverse their for- the only big club in trouble in the Bundesliga. of the Italian Cup at the quarter-final stage. Inter, who could find themselves without tunes. VfB Stuttgart, champions in 2007, are one point “Up to now this year hasn’t been partic- European football for a second consecutive Dutt left his post as the German football federa- and one place below Bremen and visit erratic ularly good compared to how Inter have season if they don’t start winning matches. tion’s to take over at Bremen last Hoffenheim tomorrow. done historically,” admitted Mazzarri on They are tied on 36 points with surprise- May, where he replaced who had Crisis-torn Hamburg SV, the Bundesliga’s only Wednesday. Their poor results have led to package Hellas Verona, who host flamboy- been in charge for 14 years and won one ever-present club in its 51-year history, are even criticism of new president Erick Thohir, ant Torino on Monday, themselves level Bundesliga and numerous German Cup titles. The worse off after losing their last six league games, who bought a 70 percent stake in the club with Parma three points back. With Cup 49-year-old said from the outset that it was not leaving them just one point off the bottom. A in November but who spends little time in finalists Fiorentina and Napoli almost cer- going to be easy although even he would not have predictable 5-0 mauling at home to Bayern the city. January’s aborted deal which tain to take a Champions League place, expected December’s 7-0 home defeat by Bayern Munich in the German Cup on Wednesday would have seen Fredy Guarin there should be a Europa League spot for Munich, nor Saturday’s 5-1 home defeat to Borussia added to the tension as they prepare to visit bot- head to Juventus in a swap with forward whoever finishes sixth. Dortmund. tom-of-the-table Eintracht Braunschweig in a key Mirko Vucinic was called off after fan Ninth-placed Lazio, who are four points Dutt, who made a name for himself after guid- relegation battle. Against a turbulent political protests, further souring relations with behind Inter, face bottom side Catania on ing Freiburg into the Bundesliga in 2009, reassured backdrop at the club, it was still not clear on their bitter rival. Sunday. Clarence Seedorf’s Milan, 11th with fans that he had seen it all before and could get the Thursday whether Dutch coach “I would say that he (Thohir) needs to be 29 points, will be hoping to bounce back team out of their mess. “(General manager) would still be in charge of Hamburg, or whether here more often and have people here who from last week’s crushing 3-1 loss at Napoli Thomas Eichin and myself have a plan for this club he would be replaced by . he can trust 100 percent, because that’s the when they host struggling Bologna today. which we will follow whatever it takes,” he told At the top, everything points to a 13th suc- only way he can gain the faith of everyone,” They will hope to have Mario Balotelli fully Bremen’s website (www.werder.de) “I believe, if cessive league win for runaway leaders Bayern said former president Massimo Moratti on focused, after the forward was pictured cry- we have the support of everyone, this plan will be Munich who host 16th-placed Freiburg, especial- Monday. Inter could be without major ing on the bench after being substituted. “I successful in the long run. This plan is not just for ly as the title holders have won all their home January signing Hernanes for the trip to think he might be going through a difficult the good moments but also for the bad times as league games this season. Their nearest chal- Florence, with the Brazilian struggling with time because of his daughter, who is in well,” he added. lengers Bayer Leverkusen, who are 13 points a thigh muscle injury. By contrast, Napoli, and I think he wanted to score for behind, host Schalke 04 in a meeting of the sec- Fiorentina have lost only once in the league her,” said new team mate Adel Taarabt. “I Mysterious plan ond and fourth-placed teams while third-placed since a narrow 2-1 defeat at AS Roma in think we need to stay close to him and give Dutt, who has baffled supporters by con- Borussia Dortmund are at home to Eintracht early December, and have won five of their him love because he’s a super player and stantly tinkering with the line-up, did not elabo- Frankfurt. —Reuters subsequent eight league fixtures. we really need him.” —Reuters

Spanish League Preview Neymar back to bolster Barca frontline attack against Rayo

BARCELONA: Barcelona may have been well about the final as it is so far off. It is a Clasico and short of their best since Christmas but they that says it all. The objective was to get to the final remain alive in all competitions and can look for- and with Madrid already there, we couldn’t fail. We ward to welcoming back Brazilian forward could not afford to miss out. “It is difficult to say Neymar to reinforce their frontline against Rayo what state we will be in with so many matches to Vallecano in La Liga this weekend. It has been a play in between. Who knows how we will be with good week for the Catalan club, who returned to injuries and form with two months to go? “We the top of the table with a victory over Sevilla need now to concentrate on the games we have before setting up a mouthwatering Kings Cup ahead starting with this weekend.” final against bitter rivals Real Madrid after over- coming Real Sociedad on Wednesday. MANCHESTER CITY The back-to-back wins are good news for a After the Rayo game, Barca then play the first Barca side that have stumbled over the last month leg of an enticing Champions League last 16 tie and a half, where they have only won three out of against Manchester City next week and Sergio six matches in the league and crashed 3-2 at Busquets was in a positive mood ahead of the home to Valencia in their last fixture. The signs are upcoming encounters. “The team never tires of more positive now, however, with Lionel Messi winning. We are playing well and looking strong returning to form with a double against Sevilla fol- in all competitions. We are in a good position,” he Salwa Cup Kuwait Open kicks off lowed by another against Sociedad and they can told reporters. now call on Neymar, who has not played since There is an intriguing three-way battle at the KUWAIT: Under the auspices of His Amir. He lauded the constant improvement twisting his ankle in mid-January. “There are three top of La Liga with Real having clicked into gear, Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad being made by the championship since its objectives for the season and one of those was to winning six out of the last seven league games Al-Jaber Al-Sabah the Ninth Salwa Cup inception, noting that the competition is reach the (cup) final and then to try and win it,” with the only points dropped coming away to Kuwait Open table tennis championship named after “a person who is dear to all of Barca coach Gerardo Martino told a news confer- Athletic Bilbao at the start of the month. Real also kicked off on Wednesday. Minister of us (Sheikha Salwa Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- ence. overcame Atletico Madrid with a clear 5-0 aggre- Information and Minister of State for Youth Sabah).” Sheikh Salman appreciated the “This is another objective completed. The team gate victory in the King’s Cup. The two defeats in Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al- efforts made by the organizing committee are used to getting to finals and this is a reward for the cup and another away to Almeria in between Sabah attended and addressed the open- and expressed hope for the success of this their effort and I accompany them in trying to is the first time that Atletico under Diego Simeone ing ceremony on behalf of His Highness the international event. —KUNA achieve their aims,” he added. “I don’t want to talk have lost three consecutive games. —Reuters