Inter Vs PSG Is a Sold out Affair
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GOLF | Page 5 NNBABA | Page 6 Tiger turns 40 Thomas tosses To Advertise here with Nicklaus Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 in 21, Celtics mark a distant hold off New dream York Knicks Tuesday, December 29, 2015 CRICKET Rabia I 18, 1437 AH Boundary-hunter GULF TIMES Guptill smacks SL into submission SPORT Page 10 FRIENDLY Inter vs PSG is a sold out aff air tars of Inter Milan and PSG will be one-point lead in Serie A going into the playing to a full house at the Jassim winter break. They will be looking to use Bin Hamad stadium, home of QSL the training facilities in Qatar to propel side Al Sadd tomorrow. into a bigger lead going in the second half SThe match will conclude the winter of the season. training camps for both the sides. The Nerazzurri are fi ghting on two As many as 15,000 fans are set to pack fronts domestically, and will be looking to the Jassim Bin Hamad stadium, reminis- secure their fi rst scudetto since the 2009- cent of scenes last year when Juventus en- 10 season. tertained Napoli in the Italian Super Coppa fi nal. PSG HEAD STRAIGHT INTO TRAINING Match organisers are eager to stress the Paris Saint German dived straight into importance of fans arriving early to get the training after arriving in Doha. The team best seat possible to enjoy this game between had their fi rst training session at 10pm in two of Europe’s biggest sides. The ground Aspire, with the participation of all the top will be open to spectators from 5:30pm. players, including Swedish superstar Zla- The sold-out fi xture is set to give fans tan Ibrahimovic. The session was led by from around the GCC a footballing treat head coach Laurent Blanc, with two more with two sides, who are currently top their sessions scheduled for yesterday. domestic leagues, face off . Eight more players will join up the PSG currently have a handsome squad, including summer signing Angel Di 19-point lead in Ligue 1, and they will be Maria. using their winter tour to prep for their Talking about tomorrow’s friendly Champions League last 16 clash against against Inter, Blanc said, “The match Chelsea. against Inter will be a way of rounding off Meanwhile, Inter Milan have a slender three days of intense work in style.” PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (right) poses for photographs with fans after a training session yesterday. PICTURE: Anas Khalid Gulf Times 2 Tuesday, December 29, 2015 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT FOCUS Inter Milan arrive ‘We are defi nitely for PSG friendly capable of winning Champions League’ Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini is greeted on his arrival. PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp believes that his team have it in them to lift the elusive title By Joe Koraith Doha hen you are playing for a team with many superstars, fi nding your share of the spotlight is a huge ask. Then Wwhen you raise the level of the team to that of Paris Saint-Germain the problem only magnifi es. And to add to it you are a goalkeeper in a team that currently has a goal diff erence of 39 in Ligue 1. But PSG’s fi rst choice goalkeeper Kevin Trapp is ensuring that while the big name strik- ers plunder up front, he keeps the ‘Goals Against’ column as low as possible. Con- sidering that he has conceded only nine goals this season, the lowest by any team in Ligue 1, he’s doing a good job so far. It has been just fi ve months since the German joined PSG in July from Eintracht Frankfurt on a nine-million Euro fee. But the goalkeeper hasn’t taken time settling in into a big club. “Frankfurt is a nice club but was not the biggest in Germany so it was a big diff erence between Frankfurt and Paris. PSG is one of the biggest clubs in the world. It was a new experience for me. The integration was easy because we have a nice team, nice characters in the team,” said Trapp yesterday when speak- ing to journalists here in Doha. “It was the fi rst time I played Champi- ons League and for the fi rst time I played with players like David Luiz and Zlatan (Ibrahimovic). I feel comfortable in the team. I am happy to be here,” he added. PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp during a training session at Aspire Park yesterday. PICTURES: Anas Khalid With such big names on the team ros- ter, the pressure on the youngster is im- PSG defeated Chelsea when the two mense but Trapp believes that sticking to Trapp says... teams met at the same stage last year the basics will bring him success. “You ON THE FACILITIES IN QATAR but they lost to eventual champions always have pressure. You always have to “The weather is perfect here. Barcelona. Trapp believes that his team perform. But it’s always the same work The pitches are perfect. The has what it to takes to land that elusive that I have to do. Anticipate well, catch a possibilities to train and to trophy. “Champions League is always ball, play with the team. At the end I try improve are perfect. Everybody difficult. Even Barcelona and Real Ma- to do my work and constantly look to im- is really nice and help a lot. It’s a drid don’t win every year. And there prove,” said the 25-year-old. perfect atmosphere to train.” are minute details that can decide the U23 “On the pitch I have to prove that I matches. We have a strong team but we want to play, that I want to be in the team. ON THE 2022 WORLD CUP have to improve little things. It’s pos- At the end it’s the coach who decides. My “It’s too far away. That’s a topic I sible to win and that’s our goal. But we job is to make sure that I prove myself on don’t want to speak about now. are definitely capable of winning it,” Ticket now available the pitch. That’s what I try every day.” But Qatar will do everything said Trapp. Trapp and his PSG teammates will take they can to prepare and be They defi nitely have the fi repower up on Inter Milan tomorrow and the keeper perfect.” front and if Trapp can bring in solidity PSG coach for the AFC U23 sees that as a match to test his team’s ability between the posts, then PSG’s dream can Laurent Blanc. against another European giants. “It’s not a ON COACH LAURENT BLANC defi nitely turn into reality. friendly match. Inter Milan is big team. We “The coach speaks a lot with C’ship Qatar 2016 want to win this match. It’s a perfect match the players. The results in the for us to see how far we are,” said Trapp. last few months say a lot. We PSG are on course to win a fourth con- didn’t lose even one match in secutive Ligue 1 title but it’s the Cham- the French championship. We pions League that’s their ultimate dream. lost against Madrid. But that And PSG will be playing their familiar was a match which we should rivals Chelsea in the Round of 16. Trapp have won. The relationship expects it to be a tough match despite between the coach and players Chelsea’s bad run of form in the English is perfect.” Premier League but believes in his team’s ability too. “Chelsea are a big team. But we don’t have to hide. We have proved every team. Our goal is to go as far as pos- already that we are a good team. We lost sible in the Champions League. It’s pos- against Madrid by just one goal but we sible but we know that it’s not going to be PSG’s star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (C) during training. showed that we can play. We can beat easy,” said the German. Off icials pose during the launch of the off icial mascot Najim. BOTTOMLINE By Sports Reporter U23 Championship off ers a win- Doha dow to the future of football in Asia, featuring tomorrow’s brightest Asian football stars. icket sales for AFC U23 The tournament is also a quali- Championship Qatar fying competition for the 2016 2016, Asia’s second big- Olympic Games in Rio de Ja- PSG want second part of the gest men’s national team neiro, which increases the stakes championship,T started yester- even further for Asia’s 16 best day. under-23 teams competing for The tournament will be played the continental title in January in Doha and it will feature 16 top in Qatar.” season to be great, says Matuidi U23 sides from Asia, includ- The aff ordable ticketing AFP tual winners Barcelona. Among the records the Paris- ing hosts Qatar and defending structure has been designed to Doha This time PSG will start as ians have a chance of breaking champions Iraq. The top three make the tournament accessible clear favourites not only because is for the most points in a Ligue teams from the tournament will to the local football fans and to of their irresistible form but be- 1 season—the current high is secure qualifi cation for the 2016 attract families in order to ensure aris Saint-Germain’s cause the English champions 89 held by PSG—and the most Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.