Spurs Are Back on Track Says Mason
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SPORTS SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 Italian League Preview French League Preview Juve look to PSG firing on four fronts as tighten lead battle at the Bridge looms MILAN: The coaching future of former AC Milan star Filippo Inzaghi PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain have the perfect opportunity to go top of could hinge on the ailing Italian giants’ home fixture with Verona Ligue 1 today, when they host lowly Lens ahead of their Champions French League table today, as Juventus look to tighten their grip at the top of Serie A. League showdown against Chelsea in London next Wednesday. Laurent Two days before Juventus host Sassuolo looking to reinforce their Blanc’s expensively assembled unit, have flattered to deceive with PARIS: French league table ahead of the weekend’s matches nine-point lead over Roma - in action away to Chievo tomorrow - inconsistent league performances as they bid to defend their French (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Milan host Andrea Mandorlini’s visitors in full crisis mode. Despite title, but are still in four competitions as the season enters its decisive Lyon 27 16 6 5 51 21 54 avoiding defeat in their past two games, a win against relegation- phase. A domestic treble remains on track after a 2-0 French League Paris SG 27 14 11 2 46 23 53 threatened Cesena and a scoreless draw last week away to Chievo Cup win in midweek over Monaco put them into the semi-finals and the have done little to appease Milan’s detractors. team already have the League Cup final to look forward to against Marseille 27 15 5 7 50 30 50 The injury list is growing, too, with captain Riccardo Montolivo Bastia. Monaco 26 12 8 6 26 19 44 and fellow midfielder Nigel De Jong expected to be sidelined today And in Ligue 1 PSG only trail Lyon in the league by one point with 11 Saint-Etienne 27 11 10 6 30 22 43 after suffering thigh injury knocks last week. Milan are already 24 matches to play as PSG continue to pursue their dream of winning the Montpellier 26 12 6 8 35 25 42 points behind Juventus and 11 behind Napoli in the third and last Champions League. Meaning their clash at Stamford Bridge will be the Bordeaux 27 11 9 7 32 32 42 Champions League qualifying place, prompting an emergency visit biggest match of their season so far. Blanc has managed to focus his Nantes 27 9 9 9 21 26 36 to the club’s Milanello training ground by joint CEO Adriano Galliani squad in domestic play but admits his players are all thinking about the Lille 27 9 8 10 23 24 35 in midweek. battle against Jose Mourinho’s Premier League leaders. A 1-1 draw at Rennes 27 9 8 10 27 34 35 Galliani was said to have left unimpressed with Inzaghi’s expla- the Parc des Princes, puts the Blues ahead on away goals, but the match Guingamp 27 11 2 14 30 39 35 nations for the club’s current mediocrity, with some reports sug- is still well balanced. Caen 27 9 7 11 42 40 34 gesting the former Rossoneri striker could be sacked if Milan fail to “Everyone has the Chelsea match on their minds but there is also a Nice 27 9 7 11 29 32 34 beat Verona.Verona have conceded defeat to Milan on their last complicated match against Lens on Saturday afternoon for which I Bastia 27 8 9 10 28 30 33 two visits to the San Siro but veteran striker Luca Toni is in fine fettle hope to get back (Yohan) Cabaye and Thiago Motta,” said Blanc, who Reims 27 8 8 11 31 43 32 having scored the winner in a precious 2-1 away defeat of Cagliari added he would rotate the squad ahead of the Chelsea match. PSG Evian/Thonon 27 10 2 15 29 41 32 last week. Milan defender Luca Antonelli warned: “The match defender Lucas Digne also admitted the challenge of winning four com- against Verona will be tough. Toni is deciding matches at the Lorient 27 9 4 14 31 35 31 petitions is fuelling motivation to the squad. “At the moment we’re the Toulouse 27 8 5 14 28 41 29 moment.” Antonelli is under no illusions about Milan’s work load if only club in Europe competing on all fronts and it’s very important for they are to return to European competition next season: “From here Lens 27 5 7 15 25 39 22 us to achieve all of our objectives.” Lyon’s grip at the top of the pack, has Metz 27 5 7 15 20 38 22 to the end there will be thirteen finals for us, we’ll do everything we wobbled after a poor showing last weekend when they were deserved- can to get back into Europe.” ly beaten 2-1 by Lille, and they will be tested on the road again this Juventus host Sassuolo on Monday looking to maintain their Sunday when they travel to in-form Montpellier. charge towards a fourth consecutive title, but the visitors will be The south-coast club, who won their only French title in 2012 under The team are six points behind Marseille, with a game in hand, while buoyed after Fiorentina beat the champions 2-1 in the first leg of current Lille coach Rene Girard, have risen to sixth place in the table as they will go into the return leg against Arsenal, on March 17, as strong their Italian Cup semi-final on Thursday to end the Bianconeri’s 42- the chasing pack that includes Monaco, Saint-Etienne and Bordeaux favorites to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2004 when game unbeaten run at home. Juve drew 1-1 away to injury-hit continue to haunt faltering Marseille in third. Monaco, while they were they lost the final against Mourinho’s Porto. Saint-Etienne, a further Roma last week to further underline their status as champions-in- beaten in Cup action in Paris on Wednesday, are a true threat to Marcelo point back in fifth, scraped through to the French Cup last four with a waiting and could end the weekend with an even bigger cushion if Bielsa’s feuding side and their 3-1 Champions League win at Arsenal ten penalty shootout win at third division Boulogne on Tuesday, but can the Giallorossi fail to account for Chievo in Verona. Like Milan, days ago went down as one of the shocks of the European season. now focus on Ligue 1 objectives on friendlier territory at home to Roma are counting the costs of a growing injury list and with Leonardo Jardim, their Portuguese coach in his first season at the Louis Lorient on Sunday. Marseille will raise the weekend curtain at relega- defenders Vasilis Torosidis and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa both serving II stadium, has fended off his critics with a string of excellent results tion-threatened Toulouse on Friday while Bordeaux travel to improving one-game suspensions English defender Ashley Cole could be in since Christmas as they get set to travel to Evian. Normandy side Caen as part of a six match slate today. —AFP line for a rare start. Now with seven draws from their last eight league outings, Roma are desperate to get back to winning ways.”We can’t lose focus because this season is far from over,” said Roma’s French coach Rudi Garcia, whose side beat Feyenoord over two legs to Spurs are back on qualify for the last 16 of the Europa League last week. “We still have everything to give in this championship race, plus we still have the Europa League to play for. There’s no quitting now.” Defeat in Verona would allow Napoli to close to within a point of Roma, pro- track says Mason viding Rafael Benitez’s men account for Inter Milan at the San Paolo in Sunday’s late game. —AFP LONDON: Ryan Mason believes Tottenham six days, it was huge for us to get back to win- midweek home defeat to Arsenal leaving have overcome the disappointment of last ning ways,” Mason said. “Wembley was disap- Rangers in the bottom three, three points Italian League table week’s cup failures and are back on track in pointing. We felt during the game we were a adrift of safety. And Sandro knows the visit the race to qualify for the Champions League. bit naive at times but it’s a learning curve and of Spurs will present an equally testing MILAN: Italian Serie A table ahead of this weekend’s games Mauricio Pochettino’s side face QPR at Loftus hopefully we’ll get the chance to play in more challenge. “Of course, I’m looking forward (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Road this weekend with a Premier League top finals and to win at Wembley.” to it. But it won’t be any easier. Arsenal and Juventus 25 17 7 1 52 14 58 four spot their sole remaining target after exit- Spurs are much the same level,” he said. ing the Europa League at the hands of Better statistics “We played well in the first half against Roma 25 13 10 2 38 19 49 Fiorentina three days before tomorrow’s Mason struck his first Premier League Arsenal, but they have two chances and Napoli 25 13 6 6 44 31 45 League Cup final defeat against Chelsea.