SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 2014 Italian League Preview German League Preview Roma lick wounds; Juve German League table edge closer to scudetto German League table ahead of weekend’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): MILAN: Juventus will look to a possible and Roma all but certain of keeping the Bayern Munich 30 25 3 2 82 20 78 slip-up by closest challengers Roma at two automatic qualifying places for the Dortmund 30 19 4 7 67 32 61 Fiorentina as the Turin giants begin the Champions League, Napoli have two Schalke 30 17 7 6 56 38 58 countdown to claiming a third consecutive major concerns. One is keeping Fiorentina, Bayer Leverkusen 30 16 3 11 50 37 51 Serie A title. Roma’s faint hopes of a first fourth at nine points adrift, at bay while VfL Wolfsburg 30 15 5 10 53 45 50 scudetto since 2001 were kept in check on hoping Gonzalo Higuain, who sits third in M’gladbach 30 14 7 9 52 35 49 Monday when Juve restored their eight- the league scoring charts, two behind the Mainz 30 14 5 11 44 45 47 point lead at the top with a comfortable 2- 19-goal tally of Torino’s Ciro Immobile, FC Augsburg 30 12 6 12 41 45 42 0 win away at Udinese. Antonio Conte’s recovers from a training ground knock. Hoffenheim 30 10 10 10 66 63 40 Juve side would be forgiven for hoping Higuain is one of two Argentinians Hertha Berlin 30 10 7 13 38 42 37 Roma, who on Thursday failed in their bid vying for the top scorer award along with Eintr. Frankfurt 31 9 8 14 39 53 35 to reduce a three-match ban handed second placed Carlos Tevez of Juventus Hanover 31 10 5 16 41 57 35 down to top scorer Mattia Destro, concede (18), but he is a doubt for today’s visit to Werder Bremen 30 8 9 13 34 58 33 defeat away at a Fiorentina side which still Udinese after he left training early on SC Freiburg 30 8 8 14 35 52 32 has a mathematical chance of challenging Thursday due to a left leg injury. The for- VfB Stuttgart 30 7 7 16 45 58 28 third-placed Napoli for the league’s final mer Real Madrid striker is set to undergo Hamburg 30 7 6 17 46 62 27 Champions League place. Such a scenario tests late yesterday, a day ahead of a Nuremberg 30 5 11 14 35 58 26 would put Juve, who host Bologna, 11 potentially tricky away fixture. Napoli’s Braunschweig 30 6 7 17 28 52 25 points ahead with four games remaining, last away match ended with a shock 1-0 and allow the title party preparations to defeat at Parma, while Udinese put up Note: Top three qualify directly for the Champions League, fourth goes into the play-offs, begin. only scant resistance during a 2-0 capitu- fifth into Europa League. The bottom two sides are relegated and the team finishing 16th Roma coach Rudi Garcia, however, has lation at home to Juventus on Monday. has a two-legged play-off against the side which finishes third in the second division. refused to throw in the towel: “We’re play- The fight for Europa League places will ing in Florence and on paper it’s a difficult have special significance this weekend match, while Juve look like they have it with several candidates facing off against Bayern Munich eager for easier. “But you never know... just when it each other. seems there can be no more surprises, Parma, Torino, Milan and Lazio are all that’s when they happen. As long as there between one and five points adrift of fifth- Madrid confidence boost is life, there is hope.” Garcia’s comments placed Inter. Inter are away to Parma, Lazio on Wednesday came a day before the host Torino while AC Milan arguably have BERLIN: Bayern Munich need a convincing looking to pick up their fifth straight win club’s appeal against Destro’s three-match the pick up the bunch when they host a win at Bundesliga bottom side Eintracht having booked their German Cup final ban was rejected. The 23-year-old striker Livorno side whose battle to climb out of Braunschweig today to dismiss talk of a berth against Bayern on May 17. had bagged a hat-trick during Roma’s 3-1 the drop zone continues. Livorno’s bid mini-crisis ahead of their Champions Dortmund enjoyed a 2-0 win over win at Cagliari on April 6 but, after escap- would be helped by snatching at least a League semi-final at Real Madrid. With only Wolfsburg in Tuesday’s semi-final but both ing punishment for striking Cagliari share of the points against Clarence two wins in their last six games, Bayern goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller (groin) defender Davide Astori from behind, fell Seedorf’s Milan side, and by defeat for have suffered a dip since winning the and striker Robert Lewandowski (thigh) are victim to trial by television following a Bologna, who sit fourth from bottom, at Bundesliga nearly a month ago with a carrying knocks. Lewandowski scored his request by the disciplinary commission of Juventus. Yet given Milan’s recent resur- record seven games to spare. Bayern 100th goal for Dortmund against the federation. gence from the depths of arguably their booked their place in next month’s German Wolfsburg, but his final match in the black Destro will now return to league action worst season of the modern era, that Cup final with a 5-1 drubbing of second and yellow jersey will be against future only in time for Juventus’s visit to Roma on seems an unlikely scenario. Juve coach May 9 for the penultimate match of their Conte, for one, says his side won’t be tak- division Kaiserslautern in Wednesday’s employers Bayern in the cup final. Seventh- season-by which time the Turin giants ing their foot off the pedal just yet. “We semi-final in Munich. But Munich’s director placed Mainz 05 now find themselves in a could already have secured the title. All of know Roma aren’t giving up and although of sport Matthias Sammer said while the Europa League spot due to both cup final- this weekend’s fixtures will be played on we’re in front we have to have the same scoreline was impressive, the performance ists Dortmund and Bayern having qualified the today of Easter weekend and with Juve attitude.”— AFP was lacking spark. directly for next season’s Champions Bayern have lost back-to-back league League. matches, an obvious concern ahead of Hamburg set for historic drop -A few Wednesday’s Champions League semi- shock results can be expected in the last Italian Serie A table final, first leg at Real Madrid. “I had the feel- four weeks of the season with sides desper- ing that we’re not really running hot at the ate for points in the lower half of the table Italian Serie A table ahead of weekend games (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals moment,” said Sammer, who questioned set to surprise those higher up. A good against, points): Bayern’s desire to win the Champions example is today evening’s tie when rele- League and German Cup finals. “For the gation-threatened Hamburg host VfL Juventus 33 28 3 2 71 22 87 tasks we are facing, that’s not enough. We Wolfsburg, who are just a point off a Roma 33 24 7 2 68 19 79 have to ask ourselves if we still want to win Champions League berth for next season. Napoli 33 20 7 6 63 35 67 these two titles.” On paper, Bayern’s trip to Hamburg are the only team in Fiorentina 33 17 7 9 56 37 58 Braunschweig looks straightforward, but Germany’s top-flight to have never been Inter Milan 33 13 14 6 55 35 53 the hosts have picked up seven points in relegated and have just four games left to Parma 33 13 12 8 53 42 51 their last four games to boost their survival escape the bottom three. Hamburg coach Torino 33 13 9 11 49 42 48 bid. Braunschweig are without injured cap- Mirko Slomka is without centre-back AC Milan 33 13 9 11 50 44 48 tain and striker Domi Kumbela, a rich Heiko Westermann who has a groin Lazio 33 13 9 11 44 44 48 source of goals for them in recent weeks, injury. Wolves are without defensive mid- Atalanta 33 14 4 15 38 44 46 and are just three points from safety. fielder Junior Malanda who tore knee lig- Verona 33 14 4 15 50 57 46 Bayern will be without right-back aments in Tuesday’s cup defeat at Sampdoria 33 11 8 14 40 49 41 Rafinha, who is serving a three-match ban Dortmund. There will be a similar points Genoa 33 10 9 14 36 43 39 after being sent off in last Saturday’s 3-0 battle when Nuremberg host Bayer Udinese 33 11 5 17 35 46 38 league defeat at home to Borussia Leverkusen tomorrow with the visitors Cagliari 33 7 12 14 31 45 33 Dortmund. There is also a question mark eager to hold off Wolves and stay fourth. Chievo 33 8 6 19 30 49 30 over Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer Second-from-bottom Nuremberg are two Bologna 33 5 13 15 27 51 28 who missed the mid-week game with a calf points from safety, but have lost their last Livorno 33 6 7 20 36 64 25 strain.