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Home , Claudio Ranieri, Jamie Vardy, Wilfried Bony

SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2015

Record chasing Vardy in spotlight against United

LEICESTER: All eyes will be on striker League Cup on penalties last month and, potentially more missing last weekend’s 2-1 win at today when he tries to become the first player to score in seriously, another blank on Wednesday against PSV Watford which took them up to second place. Van Gaal’s 11 consecutive Premier League games in a top-of-the-table Eindhoven could prove costly to their Champions League perceived style of play, lacking tempo and a creative showdown with United. Vardy equalled the prospects. edge, has come in for criticism from supporters and pun- record held since 2003 by former Manchester United striker Victory over the Dutch champions would have taken dits. when he took his scoring streak into United into the last 16, but following a 0-0 draw, their But a victory at Leicester, who have lost just once at double figures with one of Leicester’s goals in their 3-0 win fourth such result in seven matches, they must now win home this season, would ease some of the tension by at Newcastle last Saturday. Fittingly, England international their final Group B game away to Wolfsburg to guarantee taking United above ’s side to the top of Vardy, 28, who joined Leicester from Fleetwood Town in going through. “Of course I am worried,” admitted van Gaal the league. United winger is confident of a 2012, will set the new mark if he scores against United about United’s lack of potency in front of goal. United cap- positive result to ease the disappointment of failing to when his league leaders host second-placed United at the tain , the club’s leading scorer with six goals, advance in Europe. “Leicester are the leaders, so this is a . of which only two have come in the Premier League, is top-of-the-table clash. We’ll be looking to keep up the While Vardy can’t stop scoring, with 13 goals in the equally concerned and he added: “I think we need to score good form we’ve shown in the league over the last few league so far this season, United are struggling to find the more goals as a team.” weeks, and hopefully get the three points,” Young said. net. Their 19 goals in 13 league games is the lowest total in “We’ve just got to pick ourselves up now and go again at the top seven and their struggles in front of goal are threat- Lack of potency the weekend.” Vardy was Leicester’s only injury concern ening to undermine their hopes of winning a first trophy United could not point to injuries as an excuse for but he has shaken off a persistent hip problem and is since 2013. United’s failure to score against Championship their latest low-key performance in midweek as Rooney, expected to start against United as he looks to break the side Middlesbrough saw ’s side go out of the Anthony Martial and Marouane Fellaini all returned from record.—AFP

Man City face a test of Matches on TV (Local Timings) leadership credentials

MANCHESTER: From a position of strength at the top of the ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Premier League a week ago, Manchester City suddenly face a test Aston Villa v Watford 18:00 of their staying power against Southampton today. City’s shock beIN SPORTS 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool last Saturday saw them surrender Bournemouth v Everton 18:00 the lead in the title race, with manager admit- beIN SPORTS ting the performance had been the worst he had seen since his Crystal Palace v Newcastle 18:00 arrival at Eastlands two-and-a-half years ago. beIN SPORTS A chance to bounce back in the Champions League on Man City v Southampton 18:00 Wednesday was then passed up as City missed a number of beIN SPORTS decent goalscoring chances and lost 1-0 to Juventus in . As a Sunderland v Stoke 18:00 result, they are no longer guaranteed top spot in Group D with beIN SPORTS one game to go ahead of next month’s draw for the last 16. And, Leicester v Man United 20:30 worryingly, goalkeeper sustained a hamstring injury that beIN SPORTS forced the England international to be replaced by Willy Caballero. Hart is crucial to City’s fortunes and his injury is the latest to SPANISH LEAGUE Leicester City’s English striker Jamie Vardy Barcelona v Real Sociedad 18:00 inflict Pellegrini’s squad, which suddenly looks vulnerable. beIN SPORTS Captain and defensive leader has been badly Atletico v Espanyol 20:15 Rooney concerned as missed and faces another fortnight out with a calf problem. David beIN SPORTS Silva’s absence has been just as badly felt, with the Spaniard’s Malaga v Granada 22:30 Vardy eyes record creativity in tandem with top scorer Sergio Aguero, who is yet to beIN SPORTS play 90 minutes since returning from a seven-match spell out Las Palmas v Coruna 0:00 with a hamstring injury, denying City a major weapon. In addi- beIN SPORTS against misfiring United tion, Samir Nasri is out long-term following an operation on his Vigo v Gijon 0:05 hamstring, while striker Wilfried Bony could miss the visit of beIN SPORTS : Wayne Rooney says misfiring sure which put ourselves under pressure a eighth-placed Southampton. Manchester United should follow the lot of times. “It’s a learning curve for us, ITALIAN LEAGUE example of record-chasing Jamie Vardy in but we can’t go on saying it’s a learning Severely stretched Torino v Bologna 20:00 their summit meeting with surprise curve. We have to start turning these Defenders Pablo Zabaleta and Eliaquim Mangala were also beIN SPORTS Premier League leaders Leicester today. games into victories.” If Vardy does break absent for the midweek European tie to leave City’s squad Milan v Sampdoria 22:45 Leicester striker Vardy will make history at van Nistelrooy’s record it will continue a severely stretched. But Ivory Coast Yaya Toure is not beIN SPORTS the King Power Stadium if he scores for a remarkable rise for a player who was in looking for excuses and he knows City are capable of going back Premier League record 11th successive non-league football with Fleetwood only to the head of the Premier League with the top two of Leicester GERMAN LEAGUE match and his record bid couldn’t come at a few years ago and last season scored and Manchester United playing each other this weekend. “We Bayern Munich v Hertha Berlin 17:30 a more uncomfortable time for the strug- just five goals for Leicester. have a fantastic squad. We had quite a lot of injuries from impor- beIN SPORTS gling Rooney and United’s other out-of- tant players but we have to live with that,” Toure said. “We have Werder Bremen v Hamburger 17:30 form forwards. With 13 league goals this Hot property to forget this game (at Juventus) and try to bounce back in the beIN SPORTS season, Vardy has scored more than all of After firing Leicester in contention for a league.” Hannover v Ingolstadt 17:30 United’s strikers combined and fittingly it European berth less than a year after they ’s Southampton, beaten at home by Stoke last beIN SPORTS is former great Ruud van were battling relegation, Vardy is such a weekend, have seen their hopes of increasing the pressure on the Hoffenheim v Borussia 17:30 Nistelrooy whose record he will break if he hot property that Leicester manager top six take a blow after Jay Rodriguez was told he faces another beIN SPORTS finds the net this weekend. Claudio Ranieri this week felt compelled lay-off following foot surgery. The striker only recently returned Mainz v Frankfurt 17:30 Rooney and his fellow United forwards to plead with the forward to ignore offers to full fitness after missing the whole of last season with a knee beIN SPORTS have only nine league goals to their credit from bigger clubs in the January transfer ligament injury and will now be sidelined for two months. “Jay and they drew a blank again in midweek window. “At the moment we’re very hap- had the surgery last Tuesday and we are happy about that, FRENCH LEAGUE with a 0-0 draw against PSV Eindhoven py and also Jamie is happy with us and he because that was the best to do. That was a good final decision to Paris Saint v Troyes 19:00 that left them in danger of missing out of can continue to show his strength with do that, but then you know he’s maybe out for seven to eight beIN SPORTS the Champions League knockout stages. us,” Ranieri said. weeks,” Koeman said. Nantes v Bastia 22:00 United captain Rooney is well aware of “Jamie is now a champion. He has to “But we don’t have other injuries and the team is fit, the team beIN SPORTS the threat posed by Vardy after linking up take confidence in this. He’s a strong char- is doing good training sessions and that’s always important to Angers v Lille 22:00 with the prolific 28-year-old on England acter because he comes from non- have a good feeling for the today game.” With Graziano Pelle also beIN SPORTS duty and he wants his team-mates to start league.” A win for United, who have failed missing while he serves a one-match suspension, Koeman’s for- Toulouse v Nice 22:00 showing the kind of composure and to score in four of their last seven match- ward options will be stretched for the trip to Eastlands. But beIN SPORTS predatory instincts displayed by the es, would take them to the top of the Southampton captain Jose Fonte said: “We have other players in Reims v Rennes 22:00 Leicester star. table, but a draw would open the door for the team, so we need to deal with it. Obviously Graziano is an beIN SPORTS “No, we’re not,” Rooney said when Manchester City to regain first place. From important part in our team and it is going to be difficult without Ajaccio v Lorient 22:00 asked if his team were ruthless enough. “I a position of strength at the top a week him. “But we have trust in the other players as well. We all know beIN SPORTS think we need to score more goals as a ago, City suddenly face a test of their stay- the philosophy that we have and we’ll try and play our game team. “I feel we showed a lack of compo- ing power against Southampton. —AFP there.”— AFP