SPORTS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2013

SPANISH LEAGUE PREVIEW GERMANY LEAGUE PREVIEW Guardiola wants Bale, Messi return for patience as Bayern crucial week in Spain close on record BERLIN: Bayern Munich return to action hosting Mainz 05 today with coach Pep MADRID: Barcelona and Real Madrid will be afford to get distracted,” he said. “To break games to date, thanks in large part to last Guardiola having warned his stars to accept his boosted by the return of Lionel Messi and the league record we have to win in minute winners away to Elche and Levante. future decisions in the hunt for silverware. Gareth Bale this weekend as both sides pre- Pamplona and beat Real Madrid. If we can “Up to now we’ve had some poor games Having gone 33 Bundesliga games unbeaten, pare for a vital week in their season. The two do it, we will open up a decent gap in the and our problems have been made worse by Bayern are closing in on Hamburg’s league will clash in the first El Clasico of the season standings. the fact that Barcelona and Atletico keep record of 36, set in January 1983, but Guardiola at the Camp Nou next weekend and must “Records are fine but they don’t guaran- winning,” Ancelotti told Italian newspaper has told his squad to tow the line. With Bayern also negotiate huge Champions League ties tee that you’ll end the season with a trophy. Corriere Della Sera. “We need to play better, leading the Bundesliga by a point and players in midweek as Real host Juventus and Barca We have a few points advantage over the criticisms are fair. The fans are demand- returning from injury, competition is set to travel to face AC Milan. Madrid but we have to keep an eye on ing and they are right to be. “As a coach I can increase, but the Spanish coach is demanding A return to league action comes first Atletico.” Messi’s return after missing the vic- say that in the games coming up, Malaga patience. though, with Madrid welcoming Malaga to tories over Celtic and Valladolid is not the and Juventus at home and Barcelona in the “We will only fight for the (league) title at the Santiago Bernabeu, whilst Barcelona are only good news on the injury front for Camp Nou, we’ll do better. At the same time the end of the season if every player accepts away to Osasuna. The Catalans are sitting Gerardo Martino’s men as centre-backs we couldn’t play worse than we did against my decisions-otherwise we will have prob- pretty atop La Liga, alongside Atletico Javier Mascherano and Carles Puyol could Levante and Elche.” lems,” he told Bayern’s magazine. “I support Madrid, five points clear of Real having won both feature today. Puyol hasn’t played since Although not expected to start, Bale those who accept them, but those who don’t all eight of their league games so far. Indeed undergoing knee surgery in March and should feature at some stage as he contin- want to understand them will often find them- both Barca and Atletico have the chance to Busquets underlined his importance as a ues to recover from a thigh injury which kept selves sitting in the stands.” Traditionally a match Real’s league record nine wins to start leader both on and off the field. him out of the games against FC strong mid-table side, Mainz have had an errat- the campaign from the 1968/69 season “He’s an important figure in the dressing Copenhagen and Levante. And in an action ic start to the season, winning their first three today. room. “We’re all very happy for him. It’s clear packed today, Atletico also have the chance league games then losing their next four before And midfielder Sergio Busquets doesn’t to see that he is close to being back to full to extend their 100 percent start to the cam- drawing with Hoffenheim a fortnight ago. want his teammates to lose concentration fitness and he’ll soon be fully integrated paign when they travel to Espanyol. David Bayern midfielder Mario Goetze scored for against a struggling Osasuna side with big back into the team.” Real have the chance to Villa is available despite missing Spain’s Germany in Tuesday’s 5-3 win over Stockholm games just around the corner. “It won’t be temporarily cut the gap at the top to two recent World Cup qualifiers due to an arthrit- and is back in contention for selection after an an easy game for us in Pamplona, and we points as they play first today afternoon ic ankle problem and he will be partnered by ankle injury. Goetze is hoping for an appear- can’t be thinking about Real Madrid yet. One against an improving Malaga side. Carlo the prolific Diego Costa who will be looking ance against Mainz after a long lay-off having lapse in concentration could allow them to Ancelotti’s men have been far from impres- to maintain his lead over Messi as La Liga’s damaged his ankle after returning from April’s gain ground on us in the table. We cannot sive despite winning six of their eight league top goalscorer.— AFP hamstring injury at the start of the season. “(The Sweden game) was important for me after so long out,” said Goetze.” “How long I will SPL PREVIEW play for against Mainz is down to the coach. “I’m just looking forwards and am excited about the future-hopefully without injury.” Celtic braced for trial Bayern, who host Czech side Viktoria Pilsen on Wednesday and are top of their Champions League group, are without Swiss winger at home and abroad Xherdan Shaqiri until December after he returned from international duty with a torn hamstring. Mainz are waiting on the fitness of GLASGOW: Celtic face a testing week as they humiliating 9-0 aggregate defeat to Malmo in a win in the match, will pose to the Parkhead striker Nicolai Mueller, who has six goals this travel to a rejuvenated Hibernian side today a Europa League qualifying match, Hibs have side. “Paul Heffernan has been a very good season, after the 26-year-old twisted an ankle in before facing Ajax in a crucial Champions now only been beaten once in their last eight signing for them,” Lennon said. “He’s clever, training on Wednesday. Mainz coach Thomas League clash on Tuesday. Celtic boss Neil matches. Lennon is wary of the threat Pat he’s a goalscorer and they have a real threat Tuchel described the training ground accident Lennon was pleased to see most of his players Fenlon’s side, who could jump up to third with going forward. —AFP as “one of those awful moments” and the return unscathed from international duty guests need their top scorer at Munich’s Allianz while the fortnight lay-off allowed several of Arena. his injured players much needed time to recu- Champions League side Bayer Leverkusen perate. Matches on TV have the chance to go top of the German However, the knock Mikel Lustig picked up (Local Timings) league on Friday when they travel to mid-table while away with Sweden coupled with Adam Hoffenheim. With just a point separating the Matthews’ long-term shoulder injury has pre- ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE top three, second-placed Aljazeera Sport 4 HD host fifth-placed Hanover 96 boosted by their sented the manager with a dilemma at right- Newcastle v Liverpool 14:45 Osasuna v Barcelona 21:00 back. “We’ll have to rethink a little bit regard- Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Aljazeera Sport 2 HD injury worries having been eased by the inter- ing Hibs,” the Celtic manager said. “It will be a Aljazeera Sport +9 Espanyol v Atletico de Madrid 23:00 national break. Midfielders Nuri Sahin, Marco gamble if Lustig was to make it so it might not Everton v Hull City 17:00 Aljazeera Sport 2 HD Reus and Jonas Hofmann all returned to train- be a gamble worth taking. “Efe Ambrose has Aljazeera Sport 3 HD ing on Wednesday. “Things aren’t as bad as played international football at right-back so Man United v Southampton 17:00 GERMAN LEAGUE they could have been,” said coach Jurgen he’s a possibility. We have Darnell Fisher too, Aljazeera Sport 6 HD Bayern v FSV Mainz 05 16:30 Klopp, who still has Lukasz Piszczek, Sebastian but I might also change the formation. I’ll Chelsea v Cardiff City 17:00 Dubai Sports Kehl, Ilkay Gundogan and on have a look over it in the next couple of days. Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Dortmund v Hannover 16:30 the injured list. With Dortmund away to Arsenal Arsenal v Norwich 17:00 Dubai Sports on Tuesday in the Champions League, Klopp “We have been flexible over the last few Aljazeera Sport 4 HD Eintr. Braunschweig v Schalke 16:30 years with how we’ve played. We’ve gone 4-4- Swansea v Sunderland 17:00 Dubai Sport needs a moral-boosting win over Hanover. 2, played a diamond, played a back three, 4-2- Aljazeera Sport +3 Werder Bremen v Freiburg 16:30 Senegal striker Mame Diouf returned to full 3-1. I like players who can adapt to different Stoke v West Brom 17:00 Dubai Sport Hanover training on Tuesday, having torn a positions and formations. “We’ve had plenty Aljazeera Sport +2 Eintracht Frankfurt v Nuremberg 16:30 thigh muscle in September, and could feature of flexibility where individuals are concerned West Ham v Man City 19:30 Dubai Sport at Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion. Hanover’s and certainly within the squad. Whether we Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Hertha Berlin v Borussia M 19:30 Ivory Coast winger Didier Ya Konan is definitely Dubai Sport out for the rest of the year after surgery on an change the formation is not a major issue for ITALIAN LEAGUE me because the players can adapt to it.” FRENCH LEAGUE ankle injury. Schalke 04 warm-up for their Cagliari v Catania 19:00 home Champions League Group E showdown Celtic went into the international break on Aljazeera Sport 3 HD Paris Saint-Germain v Bastia 18:00 top of the Scottish Premiership table for the AC Milan v Udinese 21:45 Aljazeera Sport 5 HD with Chelsea next Tuesday at bottom side first time with a win over Motherwell-their Aljazeera Sport 3 HD Evian Thonon v Guingamp 21:00 . Having picked up sixth consecutive league victory. Aljazeera Sport +2 their first win at the eighth attempt at Lennon is hopeful his side can pick up SPANISH LEAGUE Montpellier v Lille OSC 21:00 Wolfsburg a fortnight ago, Braunschweig will where they left off but they face a Hibs side Real Madrid v Malaga 17:00 Aljazeera Sport 5 HD be eager to prove the three points they took at that has been climbing the league table in Aljazeera Sport 2 HD AC Ajaccio v Nantes 21:00 Wolves was no fluke. — AFP recent weeks. After a shaky start, including a Valencia v Real Sociedad 19:00 Aljazeera Sport 4 HD