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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 SPORTS Dinamo’s 45-match unbeaten run faces Bayern test BERLIN: Dinamo Zagreb face a huge test of their 45- routed 5-1 at the Allianz Arena, plus two more in match unbeaten run in all competitions when they Saturday’s 3-0 win at Mainz. visit Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena fortress in today’s Bayern have two big matches this week as they Champions League clash. Pep Guardiola’s Bayern host German rivals Borussia Dortmund in the won all six home games in Europe last season and Bundesliga on Sunday and their goal is clear. “The even eventual winners Barcelona succumbed to a 3-2 points have to remain in Munich,” said Lewandowski, semi-final second leg defeat in Munich after brushing referring to both matches. Having scored his 100th aside the Germans 3-0 in the first leg. Bayern scored and 101st German league goals against Mainz, the 22 goals in Munich in last season’s Champions Poland hot-shot wants to extent his purple patch League, including a 7-0 drubbing of Shakhtar against the Croatian league and cup champions. “It’s Donetsk in the last-16 and 6-1 quarter-final thrashing just incredible. He succeeds at everything he does at of FC Porto. Both Bayern and Dinamo won their the moment. Of course we’re happy to make the opening Group F games this season as the Germans most of it,” said Lahm as Lewandowski became the enjoyed a 3-0 win at Olympiakos while Zagreb pro- fastest foreigner into the Bundesliga’s exclusive club. duced a shock 2-1 win at home to Arsenal after Oliver Giroud’s first-half dismissal. ‘Surprise and confuse’ Dinamo’s last defeat in any competition was when Certainly, Lewandowski’s purple patch even drew they were beaten 1-0 by Romanian side FC Astra a rare joke out of Bayern’s director of sport Matthias Giurgiu in the Europa League’s group stages last Sammer amidst talk of a ‘goal-scoring crisis’ after the November. Buoyed by beating the Gunners, Zagreb Poland striker ‘only’ scored twice in Mainz following coach Zoran Mamic is daring to dream of beating his five goals. “He only scored two goals. But we’ll Bayern in their own backyard after his side warmed- turn a blind eye to that,” quipped Sammer. Dinamo’s up for the trip with a 4-1 win over NK Osijek in the Croatia international Josip Pivaric will be one of the Croatian league. “It’s normal to think we can play the MUNICH: Bayern Munich’s Spanish defender Xabi Alonso (right) laughs next to Bayern Munich’s defenders handed the unenviable task of making best match in the club’s history and they can have Brazilian defender Rafinha (left) during the last team training on the eve of the football Champions sure Lewandowski has a quiet night in Munich. one of the worst nights in their history,” said the League Group F match between FC Bayern Munich and GNK Dinamo Zagreb at the club ground area in “We’ll do everything we can to surprise and confuse Dinamo boss drily. “Everything is possible in sport. If Munich. — AFP them,” said the Croatia international. “We need to we put in a performance like the one against Arsenal, Wolfsburg on penalties and are targeting a fifth con- ahead of the Zagreb clash. Their Poland striker Robert play the match first and then talk about who is the we can get a positive result.” secutive semi-final appearance in the Champions Lewandowski is in amazing form with seven goals in better team. “Of course, they are one of the best Bayern have won all eight of their matches since League. “If we put in our usual performance, we’ll just two games including his historic five-goal haul in teams in the world, but I hope today will be a great losing the pre-season German Super Cup final at take the three points,” said captain Philipp Lahm nine minutes last Tuesday, when Wolfsburg were day for us.” — AFP Barca life without Messi begins with Leverkusen MADRID: European champions Barcelona have no doubt that we are going to be fine.” begin a two-month stretch without Lionel Leverkusen have particularly bad memories Messi when Bayer Leverkusen visit the Camp of being faced with Messi’s magic as he Nou today hoping to take advantage of the scored five in a 7-1 humiliation the last time Argentine’s absence. Messi suffered a torn the Germans visited Barcelona in the last-16 left knee ligament as Barca squeezed past back in 2012. Las Palmas 2-1 at the weekend. Luis Suarez However, the club’s sporting director Rudi carried the mantle after Messi’s departure Voeller claimed he wasn’t pleased to hear with a double to ensure the Catalans got Messi will be out of action. “That hurts to back to winning ways after being hammered hear, he’s always a joy to watch,” said the for- 4-1 by Celta Vigo in their previous outing. mer Germany international. Leverkusen lead And much more will be needed of Suarez Group E after a 4-1 win over BATE Borisov on and Neymar in the coming weeks as Barca’s matchday one, whilst Roma held Barca 1-1 in stretched and injury-ridden squad faces up the Italian capital. Coach Roger Schmidt left to eight games without Messi. “He is the best winger Kevin Kampl, ex-Manchester United in the world and logically we will miss him a and Real Madrid striker Javier Hernandez and lot,” said midfielder Sergio Busquets. With free-kick specialist Hakan Calhanoglu out of Claudio Bravo, Thomas Vermaelen and the starting line-up as Leverkusen won 3-0 Rafinha also sidelined by injury, coach Luis away at Werder Bremen on Saturday. Enrique has just 15 senior outfield players to Kampl came on to score the third goal choose from in the coming weeks. “We are after Swiss forward Admir Mehmedi and having a lot of bad luck with injuries, even Germany Under-21 winger Julian Brandt had more so when we can’t register players.” netted for the visitors. “We’ll give it our all in Barca are serving a one-year ban from regis- Barcelona,” said former Borussia Dortmund tering new players for breaking FIFA’s rules forward Kampl. “This is the sort of game you on the signing of minors. dream about as a footballer.” Messi’s absence And the club’s appeal to world football’s may avoid embarrassment for the Germans governing body to register one of their two off the field as well. Manuel Friedrich and summer signings, Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal, Michal Kadlec were forced to auction the due to the injury crisis has fallen on deaf ears. Messi shirts they received from the four-time “It is an extra test and motivation for our World Player of the Year for charity by Voeller SANT JOAN DESPI: Barcelona’s Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo jumps for a ball during a training session at the Sports Center FC Barcelona team,” said Enrique. “In these moments is after fighting over the right to take the sou- Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despi, near Barcelona on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group E football match between FC Barcelona and when you see what we are made of and I venir home three years ago. — AFP Bayer Leverkusen. — AFP Lacazette blames Lyon boss ahead of CL match PARIS: Alexandre Lacazette looks a shadow of Makhachkala in June. Former Russian national Cornet), and Rachid Ghezzal. We just need to have the player who was banging in goals for Lyon team keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev, 36, is also still less injured players.” Lyon missed eight injured last season. In his defense, the France interna- in Zenit’s squad but has played only three times players against Bordeaux. tional has been hampered by back pain as he in the last 12 months in all competitions and managed just one goal in six league games so often appears more focused on his real estate Gent on the up far. But the main reason behind his lack of cut- business. Speculation over the future of Villas- After securing a 1-1 draw against Lyon ting edge, which is worrying Lyon fans ahead of Boas remains a distraction too. He has said he despite finishing the game two men down, AA today’s reception of Valencia in the Champions plans to leave at the end of the season, and that Gent started playing with more confidence in League (CL), lies somewhere else in the back of he wanted to leave in the summer but was the Belgian league too. It beat Standard Liege 4- his mind. The 24-year-old striker feels he has blocked by club management. Now, with Zenit 1 and last weekend the Belgian champions been betrayed by the club he has been playing eight points off the top of the Russian league fol- clinched their first away win, 3-1 at Beveren, to for since he was a 10-year-old boy. lowing a shaky start to the season, the club’s move joint third in the league. Against the might In an interview with L’Equipe newspaper on chief executive has been forced to deny that of Zenit striker Hulk, Gent will be without its Monday, Lacazette said he was hurt by Lyon presi- Villas-Boas is due to be fired. Swedish international defender Erik Johansson dent Jean-Michel Aulas’s decision to speak pub- who is out with a knee injury.

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