Friday 47 Sports Friday, March 16, 2018 Bayern out to wrap up first silverware of the season Top four teams qualify automatically for CL group stage

BERLIN: Bayern Munich will know before they Wednesday’s victory at Turkey’s Besiktas that take to the pitch at RB Leipzig on Sunday if they completed an 8-1 aggregate win. will get the chance this weekend to seal their The treble-chasing leaders, who sixth successive Bundesliga title. The Bavarians, are also through to the German Cup semi-final, who are 20 points clear at the top with eight rested Arjen Robben against Besiktas to ensure games remaining, will extend their record Bun- he was fit for Sunday. Yet coach Jupp Heynckes desliga title run with victory at Leipzig, provid- could be without injury-plagued midfielder Thi- ing Schalke 04 and fail to ago Alcantara who was taken off with a foot in- get three points from their own games. jury in the first half after scoring against Second-placed Besiktas. Schalke travel to VfL The Spaniard, who Wolfsburg a day earlier, will undergo further while Dortmund, a fur- tests in Munich, only ther point behind in came back last month third, host Hanover 96 a We want to play from a lengthy injury few hours before Bay- break. Leipzig, last sea- ern’s game. “That can well against Bayern son’s surprise runners- obviously happen on and earn points up, are battling for a Sunday (that we win the spot in the Champions title),” Bayern defender League, having dropped Mats Hummels said. “But down to sixth on 40 ISTANBUL: Bayern Munich’s Brazilian defender Rafinha (C/L) fights for the ball with Besiktas somehow I do not think that both Schalke and points. forward Vagner Love (C/R) during the second leg of the last 16 UEFA Champions League foot- Dortmund will lose their games. The top four teams qualify automatically for ball match between Besiktas and Bayern Munich. — AFP “But we have to win at Leipzig for that to the Champions League group stage. Leipzig happen, that is a must. We will see what happens need at least a point against Bayern to stay in on Sunday but I am not counting on it (winning touch with fifth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on 42 the title in our stadium,” said Leipzig’s Jean- by two goals only to lose 5-4. the title this weekend).” Bayern will go into their and Bayer Leverkusen, who are in fourth on 44. Kevin Augustin. Leipzig’s bitter home defeat to “Bayern are also internationally a big club but game with their spirits high after advancing to “We want to play well against Bayern and Bayern in the penultimate match of last season we are not afraid of them. It will be a great the Champions League quarter-finals following earn points and we want to deny them winning is still fresh in their memories, having led twice game,” Augustin said. — Reuter

three weeks ago in a 1-1 draw at home to Augsburg- Batshuayi targets which led to a change of hairstyle. “The only down- side was (the draw) against Augsburg, we’re all very disappointed with how that turned out,” said Bat- World Cup from shuayi. “It was a very tough game both for footballing reasons, we should’ve played a lot better. “I already Qatar’s BeIN ‘categorically had blond highlights, which meant my hair echoed Dortmund’s ‘fab 4’ (Dortmund’s) club colours, yellow and black. “How- ever, since we had a bad match against Augsburg, I rejects’ Egypt court fine BERLIN: is in contention for a got rid of them completely, so now I’m back to just World Cup place with Belgium after joining Borussia black hair.” DOHA: Qatar’s BeIN media yesterday slammed an Egyptian court’s decision to Dortmund’s goal-scoring ‘fantastic four’ while on loan Now his goal is a top four finish is the Bundesliga slap the sports broadcaster with another multimillion dollar fine, the second anti- from Chelsea. to see Dortmund qualify for the Champions League. trust case in a Cairo court this year. The 24-year-old came off Dortmund’s bench to Batshuayi’s loan deal expires in May and German “BeIN categorically rejects the local Egyptian court’s judgement and will pursue score twice-including the 94th-minute winner-in a daily Bild speculate Borussia will need to pay Chelsea all available legal means to challenge it,” a spokesperson for the media group told last-gasp 3-2 win at home to Eintracht Frankfurt last 60 million euros ($74m) for him to stay. AFP. “The judgement is based on unfounded allegations by the Egyptian Compe- Sunday.Batshuayi has slotted seamlessly into Dort- However after frustrating months on Chelsea’s tition Authority that have no basis in fact or law.” The court in Cairo ordered a fine mund’s attack alongside Germany trio Marco Reus, bench as back-up to Alvaro Morata, Batshuayi’s goals of 400 million Egyptian pounds ($22.7 million/18.3 million euros) to be paid by Mario Goetze and Andre Schuerrle which has sparked with Dortmund has put him on the radar of Belgium BeIN on charges of forcing its Egyptian customers to replace existing satellite his flurry of goals. coach Roberto Martinez. dishes with new ones in order to catch the channel’s signal. The German media has dubbed the quartet Dort- Batshuayi hopes to play for Belgium at the 2018 Monday’s verdict marked the second such case against BeIN in Egypt since Jan- mund’s ‘Fantastic Four’ and Batshuayi is relishing the World Cup to add to his 13 appearances and five uary, when it was hit with another fine. BeIN has said it would fight the latest ruling, limelight. “I’ve seen some talk about that online and I goals for ‘Les Diables Rouges’, who have drawn Eng- which comes at a politically charged time in relations between Qatar and Egypt. find it funny,” Batshuayi told Bundesliga.com. land in Group G. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic and “It’s nice for all concerned, the Dortmund support- “If he keeps scoring like he is, then it’ll be tough trade ties with Qatar in June, accusing Doha of supporting extremists and being ers are really pleased with us and we’re happy too. for Martinez to leave him out,” said ex-Belgium coach too close to Iran. Qatar denies the allegations and accuses its rival of seeking regime “Things like this fire our motivation to continue play- . “He’s competing against Wolfsburg’s change. In 2014, Egypt’s anti-trust authority accused BeIN of violating rules by re- ing well and scoring goals. “Long may it continue.” Divock Origi (on loan from Liverpool) for a place. quiring viewers interested in football’s World Cup to subscribe for at least a year Batshuayi has hit seven goals in nine games since “He has to remain free of injuries and in peak and purchase a specific satellite receiver. joining Dortmund in January to replace Pierre-Emer- physical condition to play every three days. “He The Confederation of African Football (CAF) in July suspended and fined the ick Aubameyang, who joined Arsenal. The Belgian didn’t play that much at Chelsea so he needs a bet- coach of Cairo club Al-Ahly, Hossam El Badry, after he boycotted a news confer- wants more when third-placed Borussia host mid- ter rhythm, but his smile of late has really struck me. ence over the presence of BeIN Sports. table Hanover 96 on Sunday after scoring five times “You can see he’s taken on this challenge with great BeIN is headed by Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi, a Qatari in his first three games. delight. “He’s done really well at Dortmund with his tycoon who is also entangled in a FIFA corruption investigation of alleged corrup- He failed to hit the net in a frustrating off night goals because things looked rather gloomy at tion in the sale of World Cup television rights. — AFP Borussia when he arrived.” — AFP