SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2014

SPL PREVIEW Celtic boss aims to develop young talent

GLASGOW: Celtic boss Ronny Deila hopes the become better. It’s about getting the best out lowing an incident with Logan during a against Thistle. Third-placed Dundee United, Scottish champions can become a magnet for of the players and getting them to reach their match in September. Elsewhere today, sur- who needed penalties to beat second-tier the best young talent in Europe. Deila’s potential.” Swedish striker Guidetti has made prise league leaders Hamilton Academical will Hibernian in the League Cup quarter-finals on impressive work at developing youngsters at a huge impact since arriving in Glasgow on a look to bounce back from a disappointing Wednesday, will hope their midweek exer- Norwegian club Stromsgodset was one of the season-long loan from City, with eight goals week as they host Partick Thistle at New tions don’t take their toll when they face St reasons the Parkhead club turned to the 39- in as many appearances including a hat-trick Douglas Park. Mirren at Tannadice while Kilmarnock host year-old to replace in the sum- in Wednesday’s resounding 6-0 League Cup Alex Neil’s side were in impressive form Dundee. St Johnstone entertain struggling mer. The Hoops boss has since helped bring win against Partick Thistle. until after back-to-back defeats to Dundee Motherwell on Friday and bottom-of-the- out the best in on-loan Manchester City play- And Deila is already plotting to make his and Aberdeen, the latter in the League Cup, table Ross County take on Aberdeen on ers and John Guidetti, while stay at a permanent one. “He has and will want to get back to winning ways Monday night.—AFP home-grown talent Callum McGregor has to get to know us and we have to get to know shone on his appearances in the first team. him. When he came, there was a question And Deila hopes their progression can mark as he was out for a long time and hadn’t table help attract more talented youngsters to played football regularly for two years,” the Celtic, who face Inverness Caledonian Thistle Celtic manager said. “It’s been a fantastic rela- GLASGOW: Scottish Premiership table ahead of this weekend’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals today, in the future. “I hope so. It was like that tionship so far. He wants to improve and for, goals against, points): when I was a coach in Norway,” the Celtic knows he can improve more as well and that’s boss said. “All the good young players wanted what we want. “To improve he needs to play Hamilton 11 7 2 2 19 7 23 to come to Stromsgodset as they saw what and here he gets the trust he needs. We hope Inverness CT 11 7 2 2 15 8 23 we did with them. They came as average play- this is something we can do on a permanent Dundee United 11 7 1 3 19 13 22 ers and they left heading out to Europe and basis.” Celtic 10 6 2 2 22 7 20 have a career. That’s what we want here as Kilmarnock 11 6 2 3 14 10 20 well. Tonev to feature? Aberdeen 11 6 1 4 17 15 19 Dundee 11 4 4 3 14 13 16 “You can see what we’ve done with Jason, Celtic may have winger Aleksandar Tonev Partick Thistle 10 3 2 5 13 13 11 who is progressing all the time, along with a available for the visit of second-placed St Johnstone 11 3 1 7 7 14 10 lot of other players who are progressing as Inverness today after they confirmed they St Mirren 11 2 2 7 10 18 8 well. Guidetti is also performing well. “If you would appeal his seven-match ban for racially Motherwell 11 2 1 8 6 19 7 get good results with the players and the abusing Aberdeen defender Shay Logan. The Ross County 11 1 2 8 9 28 5 team, then players want to come here and on-loan Aston Villa player was charged fol-

Spanish La Liga table GERMAN LEAGUE PREVIEW

MADRID: Spanish La Liga table ahead of this weekend’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals Dortmund determined against, points): Barcelona 9 7 1 1 23 3 22 Eibar 9 2 4 3 9 11 10 to bounce back at Bayern Sevilla 9 7 1 1 17 9 22 Getafe 9 3 1 5 6 13 10 Real Madrid 9 7 0 2 33 10 21 Almeria 9 2 3 4 7 10 9 BERLIN: Germany international Kevin coach Klopp is currently in the biggest crisis of his Valencia 9 6 2 1 20 8 20 Granada 9 2 3 4 6 13 9 Grosskreutz insists can six-year reign. He has refused to make any bold Atletico Madrid 9 6 2 1 15 7 20 Bilbao 9 2 2 5 6 12 8 bounce back from their Bundesliga nightmare- declarations ahead of the Munich clash, even Celta Vigo 9 4 4 1 16 11 16 Deportivo 9 2 2 5 11 19 8 starting with today’s clash at league leaders though Dortmund trounced last season’s cham- Malaga 9 4 3 2 11 8 15 Real Sociedad 9 1 3 5 10 14 6 Bayern Munich. “We will show again what we can pions 3-0 on their last visit to the Bavarian capital Villarreal 9 4 2 3 13 9 14 Cordoba 9 0 5 4 6 14 5 Rayo Vallecano 9 3 2 4 11 16 11 Elche 9 1 2 6 8 21 5 do. And we want to start in Munich,” said in April when Pep Guardiola’s side had already Espanyol 9 2 4 3 9 10 10 Levante 9 1 2 6 4 23 5 Grosskreutz. Bayern host Dortmund with the won the title. “We’re not entitled to anything at teams having shared the last four league titles the moment, but we will try everything,” said between them, but Borussia have been rocked by Klopp. There is bad blood between Bayern chair- SPANISH LEAGUE PREVIEW four straight league defeats-their worst sequence man Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Dortmund of Bundesliga results in 15 years. Just two wins in with the Bavarian giants reported to be interest- their opening nine league games leaves last sea- ed in signing Dortmund’s Germany winger Marco Barcelona targeting son’s runners-up languishing in 15th place in the Reus. table, a staggering 14 points behind league lead- Bayern have signed both World Cup winner ers Bayern. Mario Goetze and Poland striker Robert Clasico bounceback But Dortmund have won three of their last Lewandowski from Dortmund in the last two sea- four league matches at Bayern and Munich cap- sons and Rummenigge has said he is fully aware tain Philipp Lahm insists Jurgen Klopp’s side are Reus has a release clause in his contract. “He could MADRID: Luis Suarez will make his competitive 20 goals and 12 assists between them in 12 still a “threat”. To up the ante, Dortmund will have just said nothing, but that is not his personal home debut as La Liga leaders Barcelona look to games so far this season. Jordi Alba and Ivan have the worst start to a Bundesliga season in the style, and so he just goes on and on,” complained put the disappointment of their defeat to Real Rakitic are also expected to return after being club’s history confirmed by a fifth consecutive Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke. Second- Madrid last weekend behind them against Celta surprisingly dropped against Madrid, while defeat today. Bayern hope to include Dutch placed Borussia Moenchengladbach host Vigo today. The Catalans’ defeat at the Santiago Andres Iniesta is sidelined with a calf injury. winger Arjen Robben after he missed the last two Hoffenheim, who are fourth tomorrow in a meet- Bernabeu was their first in the league since matches with a leg injury, while Dortmund are set ing between two of the league’s three remaining coach Luis Enrique left Celta in May to take Lock down first place to name Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa who unbeaten teams. Gladbach can match their 17- charge at the Camp Nou and brought Barca Real Madrid have the chance to knock Barca has a 100 percent record in his four matches game unbeaten record from 1970/71 by avoiding back into a five-strong pack at the top of the off the top for at least a few hours when they against Munich. defeat, while Hoffenheim are reaping the reward table separated by just two points. Suarez look for an 11th consecutive win in all competi- Dortmund-Bayern clashes have been dubbed for rebuilding their squad over the summer and are returned from a four-month ban for biting tions at Granada earlier today. And captain Iker Germany’s ‘Klassiker’ in recent years, but Borussia proving to be a hard team to break down.—AFP Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup to make his Casillas wants the European champions to have Barca bow against Madrid and had a positive that position locked down by the time La Liga immediate impact as he set up Neymar’s early shuts down for Christmas in seven weeks’ time. German Bundesliga table opener. “We need to try and get first place in La Liga The Uruguayan also produced a sublime before Christmas, after beating Barcelona we BERLIN: German Bundesliga table ahead of the weekend’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals assist for Gerard Pique as Barca lifted the have taken a huge step forward.” Cristiano against, points): Catalan Supercup with victory on penalties over Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Luka Modric and Bayern Munich 9 6 3 0 21 2 21 Cologne 9 3 3 3 7 7 12 Espanyol in midweek and Luis Enrique has been Toni Kroos will all return having been rested for M’chengladbach 9 4 5 0 12 4 17 Eintracht 9 3 3 3 17 18 12 impressed with Suarez’s contribution so far. “He Wednesday’s 4-1 win over UD Cornella in the Wolfsburg 9 5 2 2 16 9 17 Schalke 04 9 3 2 4 13 12 11 played very well, he made the right decisions Copa del Rey. Hoffenheim 9 4 5 0 13 7 17 Hertha Berlin 9 3 2 4 14 16 11 most of the time and was always involved our However, Gareth Bale remains a major doubt Leverkusen 9 5 4 1 17 14 16 VfB Stuttgart 9 2 3 4 14 19 9 play,” said Luis Enrique. “His movement was with the muscle injury that has forced him to Mainz 05 9 3 5 1 12 10 14 Dortmund 9 2 1 6 10 15 7 good and he was desperate to play, as were the miss the last four games. Champions Atletico Hanover 96 9 4 1 4 6 11 13 Hamburg 9 1 3 5 3 12 6 rest of the squad.” Lionel Messi and Neymar Madrid can also temporarily leapfrog Barcelona Paderborn 9 3 3 3 13 12 12 Freiburg 9 0 5 4 8 14 5 were given a rare night off on Wednesday, but when they host struggling Cordoba at the Augsburg 9 4 0 5 11 11 12 Werder Bremen 9 0 4 5 10 23 4 will return to form their deadly partnership with Vicente Calderon.—AFP