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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014 SPORTS Lennon sets new targets for unbeaten Celtic GLASGOW: Celtic manager Neil Lennon on Edwin van der Sar’s British record. more than 100 points and more than we league duty way back in November. We’ve broken the clean sheet record and has challenged his players to make histo- Now Lennon has set his sights on sur- got under Martin in 2002,” Lennon said. “It Derek McInnes’ side are Celtic’s closest we would like to go as long as possible ry by smashing the club’s own record passing another landmark in what could is a target we are aiming for. We want to challengers, albeit 24 points off the pace unbeaten but that is going to be very dif- points haul in the Scottish Premiership. be a record-breaking league campaign. try to remain unbeaten until the end of after a surprise 3-1 defeat to Partick ficult. “It’s got all the ingredients for a The Hoops boss has watched proudly Lennon was part of the Celtic team that the season but it might be a step too far.” Thistle on Saturday, and Lennon knows great game and we will need to maintain on as goalkeeper Fraser Forster first sur- racked up 103 points under Martin O’Neill Celtic head north to Aberdeen today his side can expect a tough test today. our focus between now and the end of passed the club’s clean sheet record in the 2000/2001 season. looking for their 16th consecutive league “Aberdeen are the only team to have the season if we are to remain undefeat- before setting a new Scottish shut-out However, the Parkhead boss believes win but they will find it tough at Pittodrie. scored against us in quite a while now ed.” Elsewhere today, Ross County host record in the 2-0 win on Saturday. his squad can top that, with his side on The Dons defeated Lennon’s side at and they provide us with very stiff oppo- Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Victoria The English ‘keeper has now gone 13 target to reach 108 points if they win Parkhead a fortnight ago to knock the sition,” Lennon said. “They played very Park for the Highland derby and St consecutive matches and 1,215 minutes their remaining 12 games. Hoops out of the Scottish Cup and were well against us a couple of weeks ago. Johnstone welcome Motherwell to without conceding a goal as he closes in “It would be quite something to get the last side to score past Forster on Our focus is on maintaining this run now. McDiarmid Park. —AFP Pressure on Japan to wrest Asian club crown from China SEOUL: Pressure is mounting on who signed in February in a deal ten continental titles in total. With are still strong as a team and it Japanese clubs to emulate the reportedly worth $5.6 million. The talent being lost to the increasingly does not matter so much about regional dominance of their 2010 World Cup Most Valuable lucrative Chinese Super League, a the specific players,” said Yun. national side as the Asian Player will link up with highly-rated continuation of such success will Three Australian teams are con- Champions League kicks off today, Japanese international Yoichiro be challenging, despite three of its testing the Champions League for with J-League sides looking to Kakitani. four representatives - Jeonbuk the first time this year, with Central break a five-year drought in the Coast and Melbourne Victory aim- continental competition. ing to improve on poor past per- The J-League has fallen behind formances, while Western Sydney its South Korean and Chinese Wanderers makes a debut in just its domestic counterparts in recent second season of existence. years, with Gamba Osaka’s 2008 In the western half of the draw, title followed by three South 2011 champion Al Sadd of Qatar Korean wins and the victory by a returns to the tournament for the Marcello Lippi-led Guangzhou first time since. That win over Evergrande of China last season. Jeonbuk Motors in a penalty Japan, along with Korea, Iran shootout is the only win for the and Saudi Arabia, has four repre- western part of the confederation sentatives in the 32 team tourna- since 2005. ment that is divided into west and Iran has yet to record a title tri- eastern zones until the quarterfinal umph in the current version of the stage for geographical reasons. tournament, which was launched J-League champion Sanfrecce in 2003. Foolad Khouzestan is in Hiroshima is the leading con- the competition for the first time tender, despite having crashed out and has high ambitions. in last year’s group stage without a “There are lots of advantages to single victory. being a new team in the AFC “Last year we were not techni- Champions League,” said midfield- cally or tactically inferior but over Marcello Lippi er Shahab Karami. “Nobody really powered by our opponents’ physi- knows what we are capable of, so cal strength,” said Sanfrecce coach Forlan is not the only big name Motors, Ulsan Horangi and Pohang we have a great opportunity to sur- Hajime Moriyasu, who led the club import looking to make his mark in Steelers - all having lifted the tro- prise a lot of teams.” The 2003-win- to a second successive J.League the Champions League, with Italian phy in the past decade. ner Al Ain of the United Arab title in 2013. international Alessandro Diamanti The other Korean representative Emirates has struggled to make a “We need to win our home joining Guangzhou in its quest to is 2013 runner up FC Seoul. The mark in recent years. Boasting stars games. The teams that compete in become the first team since 2005 club has seen two of its biggest such as Ghana striker Asamoah the AFC Champions League use to defend the title. “I know that stars, Dejan Damjanovic and Ha Gyan and Omar Abdulrahman, Barcelona’s Brazilian forward Neymar different tactics when playing Guangzhou is the champion, but it Dae-sung, leave for Chinese clubs who has recently been linked to home or away. We have to get will not be easy to win the title in deals worth a combined total of English giants Arsenal and those vital three points in our own again,” Diamanti said. almost $10 million. “Ha and Dejan Manchester City, the team is tar- Barca pays 13.5m euros stadium.” Cerezo Osaka boasts vet- South Korea teams have con- are big losses for the team,” mid- geting a return to the top of Asian to tax office over Neymar eran Uruguay striker Diego Forlan, tested the past five finals and boast fielder Yun Il-rok said. “But . Seoul football. —AP BARCELONA: Barcelona paid 13.55 million ing companies and false contracts. euros ($18.6 million) to Spanish tax authori- Barcelona said it had “scrupulously” met Shiffrin enters as veterans ties yesterday to cover any potential irregu- its financial obligations in signing the play- larities in its signing of Neymar, all the er from Brazilian club Santos and it would while maintaining its innocence of the continue to work with the state authority in exit swinging Olympic doors fraud charges levied against it. the matter. The Spanish champion said in a state- Neymar’s signing forced the resignation ment it had paid the “complimentary” of Sandro Rosell as president last month, ROSA KHUTOR: US teen Mikaela ing-and Marcel Hirscher complet- Norwegian colossus Aksel Lund bronze in slalom after negotiat- amount to cover any “eventual interpreta- after one club member’s petition to learn Shiffrin claimed slalom gold to ing a 1-2 in the closing slalom, Svindal failing to go home with ing a second run set by Croat tions that could come out of the contracts more about the intricate details of what has usher in a new wave of younger Austria secured a total of nine what they were tipped to win. Ante Kostelic which Ligety brand- signed relating to the transfer of Neymar. become a club-record signing were kept in skiers as a raft of decorated veter- medals (three gold, four silver, Svindal, in particular, seemed ed “borderline unsportsmanlike” Meanwhile we are convinced of the legality the dark. ans exited the revolving doors of two bronze) to top the nations’ flat, unable to carry over his after 12 of the top 30 bombed of our initial fulfilment relating to our tax Rosell has preached financial prudence the Olympic Winter Games. table. impressive World Cup form and out. There was a shock win for obligations.” Barcelona’s actions take the while signing lucrative sponsorship deals Shiffrin became the youngest It was thrill-loving American the Norwegian eventually left Switzerland’s Sandro Viletta in the price of Neymar’s transfer to more than 100 that have put advertising on the front of ever slalom champion at just 18, a Bode Miller who had set the pace Russia early after running out of super-combined, one of several million euros ($138 million) after the Barcelona’s jersey for the first time in the year after claiming world gold, in speed training on a Rosa patience with an ongoing allergy. random results for skiers with few Catalan club initially said it had paid 57.1 history of an institution that considers itself the perfect fresh-faced and self- Khutor course he described, in a or even no World Cup podiums to million euros ($74 million) for the Brazil for- “more than a club” and a symbol of Catalan assured tonic for a sport hit by back-handed compliment, as one JANSRUD AN IDOL their name.