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 in the won all six home games in Europe last season and 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 (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 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. LONDON: Chelsea’s Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic (center) takes part in a train- licly about the details of their contract negotia- No more buyings in Lyon ing session at Chelsea’s training ground in Stoke D’Abernon, south of London on the tions this summer. “Maybe things will get better With Nabil Fekir out for several months with a Valencia prepared eve of their UEFA Champions League Group G football match against Porto. — AFP after this interview,” said Lacazette, the league’s knee injury, Lyon showed its offensive limitations Argentina defender Lucas Orban will use his best scorer last season with 27 goals. “It affects in a 3-1 loss at Bordeaux over the weekend. A experience of the French league against Lyon. you. You want to think about something else but result that highlighted the need for more firepow- Orban played for Bordeaux at the Stade de Mourinho goes back you just can’t.” Lacazette was involved in tough er, although club president Jean-Michel Aulas Gerland in a 1-1 draw against Lyon two years negotiations with Aulas, who said last June he remains satisfied with his squad. Lyon invested on ago and knows how gritty the French league to Porto as Chelsea had offered a gross salary of four million euros new players during the offseason and Aulas does defense can be. He has also been studying video ($4.42 million) a year to keep his star player. not see the need to pursue another striker as a footage of Lyon and was impressed by what “a Lacazette, who expected more money, finally medical joker for domestic matches, as allowed by hard team to beat” they looked. Valencia has seek comfort in Europe agreed on a contract extension until 2019 with French league’s rules. “It would be a strategic mis- already played two games against French league an annual salary of 4.2 million euros ($4.7 mil- take,” Aulas said. “We’ve got two experienced play- opposition this season as the Spanish side beat PORTO: In the midst of a frustrating start to 1-1 draw at the Estadio do Dragao to help lion). “I would have preferred that he did just like ers up front (Lacazette and Claudio Beauvue), two Monaco in the Champions League playoffs this the season, Jose Mourinho returns to Portugal Chelsea to a 3-2 aggregate victory in the last in any negotiations,” Lacazette said. “He could other emerging players (Aldo Kalulu and Maxwel summer. — AP today as Chelsea face his old side FC Porto in 16. Mourinho would love another positive have told me ‘This is too much.’ He should not the Champions League. The London club are result this time with draining trips to Dynamo have used that method that makes me look like looking to make it two wins out of two in Kiev and Israel still to come, and he can call on someone I’m not.” After Aulas’ comments Champions League tables Group G after their straightforward 4-0 victory the services of bruising centre-forward Diego became public, Lacazette said he had to justify against Maccabi Tel-Aviv at Stamford Bridge Costa for the trip to the banks of the Douro. himself to his family, because his grandmother two weeks ago, but they must improve on Costa is currently serving a suspension for vio- struggled to understand how he could “spit on PARIS: Champions League tables ahead of the second round of group matches this midweek another poor performance in the Premier lent conduct in domestic competition but he as much money.” (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): League at the weekend. Chelsea had to come can play in Portugal, so the chances of Lacazette, whose technical skills prompted Group A Group E from two goals down to draw 2-2 away to Radamel Falcao facing the club for whom he interest from big European clubs such as Real Madrid 1 1 0 0 4 0 3 Leverkusen 1 1 0 0 4 1 3 struggling Newcastle United on Saturday, with starred between 2009 and 2011 appear slim. Manchester City and Arsenal last season, also PSG 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 Barcelona 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 Brazilian duo Ramires and Willian scoring to rued the lack of public support from coach Malmo 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 Roma 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 rescue a point for the English champions. Casillas meets old enemy Hubert Fournier after he missed a penalty Shakhtar Donetsk 1 0 0 1 0 4 0 BATE 1 0 0 1 1 4 0 Mourinho later admitted that the first-half There will be other reunions, though, and against Gent as Lyon settled for a 1-1 draw performance at St James’ Park was Chelsea’s Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas will surely be against the Belgian side in their Champions Group B Group F worst under his management, rating it as determined to get one over on Mourinho League opener. Zenit St Petersburg hosts Gent PSV Eindhoven 1 1 0 0 2 1 3 Bayern Munich 1 1 0 0 3 0 3 “minus one” and adding: “When you have so after the two fell out during their time togeth- in the group’s other match, with the Russian side VfL Wolfsburg 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 Dinamo Zagreb 1 1 0 0 2 1 3 many bad individual performances, it’s impos- er at Real Madrid. looking for a second straight win. Here are some CSKA Moscow 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 Arsenal 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 sible for a team to be a team.” But as the Blues Casillas was sidelined during Mourinho’s things to know about today’s Group H matches: Manchester United 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 Olympiakos 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 linger in 15th place having won just two of final months in charge in Madrid in 2013 and seven Premier League games, a trip to his old never really recovered, eventually leaving the Goalkeeping woes Group C Group G home is the type of fixture which tends to gal- Santiago Bernabeu for a new challenge with Zenit goalkeeper Yuri Lodygin is a man under Atletico Madrid 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 Chelsea 1 1 0 0 4 0 3 vanize Mourinho. It is not the first time he has Porto this summer. He was in goal as Porto pressure. Respected for his athleticism and acro- Benfica 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 Dynamo Kiev 1 0 1 0 2 2 1 returned to Porto since leaving the drew 2-2 away to Dynamo Kiev in their first batic saves, Lodygin’s sometimes dubious deci- Astana 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 FC Porto 1 0 1 0 2 2 1 Portuguese giants as a hero after leading group game, with Cameroon striker Vincent sion making has called his place in the team into Galatasaray 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1 0 0 1 0 4 0 them to Champions League glory in 2004 with Aboubakar scoring both Porto goals in question. Against Spartak Moscow on Saturday, a 3-0 final win against Monaco. Ukraine. Porto also drew 2-2 at the weekend, he was twice caught badly out of position, Group D Group H Later that year he went back as Chelsea throwing away a lead twice away to allowing Spartak to score and depriving Zenit of Sevilla 1 1 0 0 3 0 3 Zenit 1 1 0 0 3 2 3 manager, and with John Terry as his captain, Moreirense, although they remain unbeaten a win as the game ended 2-2. Should coach Juventus 1 1 0 0 2 1 3 Gent 1 0101 1 1 and oversaw a 2-1 group-stage defeat as the and are top of the Portuguese league, level on Andre Villas-Boas decide to risk a replacement Manchester City 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 Lyon 1 0101 1 1 two clubs qualified for the knockout rounds. points with Sporting Lisbon and two ahead of for Gent’s visit today, the likely stand-in would M’gladbach 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 Valencia 1 0 0 1 2 3 0 In 2007, Andriy Shevchenko’s goal secured a champions Benfica. —AFP be Mikhail Kerzhakov, signed from Anzhi