P19 Layout 1
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014 SPORTS Group stage berths in sight for Arsenal, Celtic PARIS: Arsenal and Celtic headline a list of sides seek- new coach Ronny Deila. The Glasgow giants were Saturday at Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the fixture at Parkhead. “The players will have no prob- ing to clinch a place in the lucrative Champions handed a reprieve after Legia Warsaw fielded an ineli- Scottish Premiership. lem picking themselves up. We have a new game League group stage this week in the return legs of gible player in the previous round but suffered a set- Deila, though, expects his players to respond and now and we are going to bounce back on Tuesday,” the play-offs. Ten-man Arsenal escaped Turkey with a back as a weakened Celtic side slumped to a 1-0 loss capitalise on their second chance in Tuesday’s return Deila told the club’s in-house television channel, goalless draw against Besiktas but the Gunners Celtic TV. Striker Anthony Stokes was confident the remain on course for a 17th consecutive group phase 1967 European champions would return to the group appearance although they will be without suspended stage for a third straight season. midfielder Aaron Ramsey for tomorrow’s second leg. ”We are in pole position now going back. We are Arsene Wenger’s men displayed their resilience by ahead in the tie and we are going back to Celtic Park coming from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw at where we fancy our chances,” the Irishman told Everton in the Premier League on Saturday and Jack UEFA.com. Wilshere believes the result puts them in a perfect “It’s not for me to say (if Celtic are favourites to go frame of mind to wrap up the tie with Besiktas. through). We are ahead in the tie, like I said. But it is “This is a fantastic point and now we have a big going to be a difficult game. They’re a very good game tomorrow and this will give us great confi- technical team. “But we won’t take our eye off the dence going into that,” the England midfielder told ball. We’ll fully focus and give it 100 percent.” Arsenal.com after the match at Goodison Park. “We Two-time former champions Porto, who hold a 1-0 never give up and at this level that is massive. We lead from the first leg, will look to wrap up their tie have always shown over the years that Arsenal are with French side Lille in Portugal today, while Athletic going to battle like mad right until the end.” The Bilbao versus Napoli is the pick of the fixtures tomor- north London club boasts a proud record of having row. Athletic are bidding to qualify for the group never lost a Champions League qualifying tie and stage for the first time since 1998/99 and gained the although last week’s draw was the first time in 13 upper hand with a 1-1 draw against Napoli, knocked matches they’d failed to win a play-off encounter, the out of a group containing Arsenal last season, in Italy. goal is quite simple for Wenger. Bayer Leverkusen reached the last 16 last time out “We know the second leg will be tight again, but and are on course to return to Europe’s premier club we are at home, so the task is clear for us - we want to competition after a 3-2 win over FC Copenhagen in win,” said the Arsenal boss, who led the club to the Denmark last week. Leverkusen, led by new coach 2006 Champions League final. Celtic were held to a 1- Roger Schmidt, were further boosted by an impres- 1 draw at Slovenian champions Maribor in the first ISTANBUL: Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud gestures during the UEFA Champions League play-off first leg sive 2-0 success at Borussia Dortmund in their leg but the Scots remain favourites to progress under football match Besiktas vs Arsenal at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. — AFP Bundesliga opener on Saturday. — AFP Palace struggling to find a new manager LONDON: Crystal Palace co-chairman new players to Selhurst Park before the Steve Parish has admitted it has proved current transfer window closes on tougher than he expected for the Premier September 1. League club to find a successor to manag- Parish said he’d only met former Cardiff er Tony Pulis. The former Eagles boss quit City manager Malky Mackay and ex- his post with the south London side, Tottenham Hotspur boss Tim Sherwood reportedly in a row with Parish over trans- to discuss the vacancy caused by Pulis’s fer funds. Parish said yesterday he hoped eve of season exit. It appeared Mackay to have a new manager installed by “the was in line to take the job but the Scot’s early part of this week”, in a bid to bring hopes were dashed when allegations made by Cardiff that he had been involved in sending racist and homopho- bic text messages were published by the Daily Mail newspaper. The same row also led to the resignation of Palace’s sporting director Iain Moody, previously Mackay’s assistant at Cardiff. Caretaker manager Keith Millen will remain in charge for Palace’s League Cup tie away to third-tier Walsall on Tuesday as the Eagles try to return to winning ways following last weekend’s 3-1 league defeat by West Ham. “You read all sorts of things about how many people we’ve seen,” Parish told the Croydon Advertiser. “I have seen very few people, probably two, but spoken to other people about managers and doing background work and due diligence. “It’s not a revolving door of people coming in and having a LYON: Lens’ Madagascan midfielder Lalaina Nomenjanahary (center) vies for the ball with Lyon’s Cameroonian forward Clinton NJie(left) and chat. We have got a profile of a manager Lyon’s French defender Mouhamadou Dabo (right) during the French L1 football match between Lyon (OL) and Lens (RCL) at the Gerland stadi- we think needs to carry the club forward um in Lyon. — AFP based on what I’ve experienced over the Crystal Palace’s caretaker manager Keith last four years. “Finding the right person FRENCH ROUNDUP Millen isn’t easy. A lot of managers are in jobs and they’re not going to leave clubs early in the season, so it’s a difficult situation.” Falcao on target as Among those now linked with the job MATCHES ON TV are former Norwich and Newcastle man- ager Chris Hughton, as well as Neil Lennon, previously in charge of Scottish UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE giants Celtic. Millen admitted he faced a Monaco beat Nantes Zenit v Standard de Liege 19:00 tough task in restoring Palace’s damaged beIN SPORTS 7 HD self-confidence. Celtic v Maribor 21:45 “We conceded twice from set-pieces beIN SPORTS 5 HD (against West Ham) and that’s something Lens stun Lyon 1-0 BATE v Slovan Bratislava 21:45 we haven’t done in the past, and some- thing you can’t afford to do in the Premier PARIS: Promoted Lens recorded their first goal Nomenjanahary netted an 11th-minute goal for team-mate Adamo Coulibary. Wylan Cyprien beIN SPORTS 2 HD League,” he said. “You put a brave face on and points of the Ligue 1 season with a 1-0 win Lens and, despite wasting several chances to struck the crossbar with a free-kick shortly after- Porto v Lille 21:45 it of course you do, I’m the one in charge at Lyon while Radamel Falcao lifted Monaco’s increase their lead, it proved enough to secure a wards as Lens continued to apply the pressure beIN SPORTS 1 HD at the moment. “We’ve conceded two spirits in Ligue 1 action on Sunday. The Colombia first victory of the campaign after successive with Touzghar then stabbing over from point- Apoel Nicosia v Aalborg 21:45 goals in three or four minutes, and that striker, who missed the World Cup when out defeats. blank range as the visitors struggled to kill off the beIN SPORTS 3 HD does knock the stuffing out of you, espe- injured for six months, got last season’s runners- Fournier’s injury-riddled side suffered another contest. Lyon pressed for an equalizer with last cially when you’re a bit fragile.” — AFP up finally off the mark at the third attempt blow in midweek with France midfielder Clement season’s top scorer Alexandre Lacazette volleying against Nantes. Winless after their opening two Grenier added to the mounting list of casualties just wide while Steed Malbranque hit the base of outings Monaco went into the game at the foot after being sidelined for six to eight weeks fol- the post, but Lens held on to get their campaign More goals for Congolese of the nascent table but climbed up to fourth lowing surgery to fix a lingering groin problem. finally up and running. from bottom when Falcao headed home Layvin Guinean striker Mohamed Yattara, restored to Lens manager Antoine Kombouare said: “Our teenager Kader Bidimbou Kurzawa’s cross for the only goal in the 17th the Lyon line-up after last weekend’s defeat at season has really begun now because we were minute to the relief of among others Monaco’s Toulouse, saw an early chance saved by Lens waiting impatiently to get some points on the JOHANNESBURG: Teenager Kader Finishing first meant shock 2012 new boss Leonardo Jardim.