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Home , Jupp Heynckes, Pep Guardiola, Roberto Mancini

Sports FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2013

Preview Bayern and Chelsea all set for grudge match

PRAGUE: Champions League winners Bayern and Europa League holders Chelsea meet in the European Super Cup today with the usually relaxed atmosphere surrounding the match spiced up as there are several scores to be settled. Bayern still feel they should have won the Champions League a year earlier only to be beaten by Chelsea on penalties-even worse for the Germans was it came at their stadium, the . Chelsea’s manager at the time is no longer there - he was sacked only a few months later and his replacement Rafael Benitez salvaged something from the season in landing the Europa League. The present incumbent Jose Mourinho - Benitez’ spell as caretaker Kenwyne Jones manager ended at the end of last season - will be eager to put one over Bayern’s coach , his nemesis from his days in Spain. Bayern Munich’s Spanish head coach Pep Guardiola reacts in this file photo. — AFP Barcelona under Guardiola outshone Mourinho’s Real Madrid, and the latter’s against the Europa League winners, and ing a 4-1-4-1 system which meant the Ameobi brothers largely unhappy reign there came to an that’s Chelsea. “We still have something to defensive midfield partnership of Bastian end at the end of last season. clear with them, and take revenge, so Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez, arguably save Newcastle That left the self-anointed ‘Special One’ hopefully we can win in Prague.” Mourinho the strongest in Europe last season, was needing to prove he has not lost his touch for his part has never lifted the Super Cup split up. at delivering trophies, and where better to but if he succeeds this time round it will While Bayern have garnered 10 points LONDON: Brothers Shola and Sammy Ameobi left it late to start than by beating his old rival in the give Chelsea their second Super Cup, with from their first four league games, they score the goals that saw Newcastle to a 2-0 process. the club having previously won it in 1998. are yet to put in a truly convincing dis- League Cup second-round win at Morecambe on Wednesday. Guardiola for his part took a year out - Mourinho, who has restored play under Guardiola’s new system, It was a first win of the season for Magpies manager Alan stepping aside after Real ended to the starting line-up after he lost his auto- despite enjoying more than 75% posses- Pardew, whose side set up a home tie with Leeds. Everton had Barcelona’s reign as champions in 2012 - matic first-choice status under Benitez, has sion in some games. Schweinsteiger, who to come from behind to see off lower league Stevenage 2-1. and returned refreshed to take over a pointed to the pressure Guardiola is under faces a race to be fit after spraining his Luke Freeman put the visitors ahead in the 36th minute Bayern side that last season under Jupp to at least match last season’s historic right ankle in Tuesday’s 1-1 league draw before on-loan Barcelona prospect Gerard Deulofeu managed Heynckes became the first German club to achievements. at Freiburg, has been used as the single to equalise on the stroke of half-time, but the Toffees were win the domestic double and the “The team of was the holding midfielder, but the new system unable to stop the match going to extra-time. Champions League. strongest team in Europe last season, for means gaps often appear between Marouane Fellaini’s goal five minutes from the end of extra Guardiola, though, can deliver some- sure. And this season they are the same defence and midfield. time saw Everton to victory-manager Roberto Martinez’s first thing that Bayern coaches have not man- team, with three new players, all of them With Thiago Alcantara, who win at Goodison Park. Elsewhere Kenwyne Jones’s scored a aged and win the Super Cup after the club good, with a new manager, also good,” he cost Bayern 25 million euros from hat-trick as Stoke saw off third tier League One side Walsall 3- failed to do so on three previous occa- said. “Normally they have to be better this Barcelona last month, out injured, 1, Aston Villa defeated Rotherham 3-0 thanks to goals from sions. season than they were in the previous Guardiola is likely to start with Mario Andreas Weimann, Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph. “It’s a unique chance for us players to season.” Goetze and in the central mid- Meanwhile goals from Nicky Maynard and Rudy Gestede win this trophy,” said Bayern goalkeeper Guardiola has made many changes field roles flanked by wingers Arjen saw 2012 finalists Cardiff to a 2-0 win at Accrington. — AFP . “It’s a final, and a match since he came in, most notably by impos- Robben and Franck Ribery. — AFP Bayern paired with City, stiff test awaits Arsenal Barcelona, Milan face off in Champions League

PARIS: Reigning European champions Villarreal and Malaga to the latter stages beat United in the 2002 semi-finals and son’s competition but their manager Neil Bayern Munich were paired with in the past and came up against are now coached by former Liverpool Lennon knows the size of task that lies Manchester City for this season’s Guardiola’s Barcelona when in charge of defender Sami Hyypia. before the Scottish champions. “I think it’s Champions League group stage, while Real Madrid in 2009-10. Those two clubs Arsenal came off the worst of all, the the best and the worst draw we could’ve the draw was particularly unkind for are likely to fight it out for first place in a English contenders in a Group F that con- got,” Lennon told Sky Sports News. “In Arsenal and Celtic. The draw, made in group that also contains Russian champi- tains last season’s runners-up Borussia terms of glamour I don’t think it comes Monaco yesterday evening, threw up sev- ons CSKA Moscow and Czech club , Marseille and Napoli. The any better than Barca, Milan and Ajax, but eral mouthwatering ties as well as bring- Viktoria Plzen. The draw was even kinder Gunners faced Dortmund and Marseille in in terms of football it doesn’t come any ing together plenty familiar foes. to 2012 European champions Chelsea. the group stage two seasons ago, but will harder.” Under Pep Guardiola, Bayern are look- The Blues will face club be especially wary of Napoli, whose coach Elsewhere, Real Madrid face Juventus, ing to become the first club to retain the Schalke, 1986 European Cup winners Rafael Benitez is a specialist at this level Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen in Group European Cup in the Champions League Steaua Bucharest and FC Basel, who lost and who, in Gonzalo Higuain, boast a B. As a result, new Madrid coach Carlo era. They were drawn in Group D along to Chelsea in the Europa League semi- striker that might have joined Arsenal ear- Ancelotti will come up against the with Manchester City, the Premier League finals last season, in Group E. lier this summer. Group H is bustling with champions, whom he coached between giants who previously faced the Bavarians , though, will not be tak- history, as Barcelona, AC Milan, Ajax and 1999 and 2001. Paris Saint-Germain will in the 2011-12 competition. On that occa- ing the opposition lightly in what will be Celtic - with 16 European Cups between expect to advance from Group C, which sion, City finished bottom of their section his first Champions League campaign at them - come together. also contains Benfica, Olympiakos of while Bayern went all the way to the final, the helm of Manchester United. The This will be third consecutive season in Greece and Belgian champions and ’s side also failed to English champions will be favorites to which Barca and Milan have met but, Anderlecht, while Porto, Atletico Madrid, progress from their group last season. qualify for the last 16 from Group A but remarkably, the Catalans and Ajax - unit- Zenit St Petersburg and Austria Vienna This time, though, City are expected to they must still face Ukraine’s Shakhtar ed by their links to Johan Cruyff have nev- meet in Group G. The opening round of pose a greater threat under Chilean coach Donetsk, Spanish outfit Real Sociedad er faced each other in a competitive group games will be played on , who has taken and Bayer Leverkusen. The German side game. Celtic beat Barcelona in last sea- September 17 and 18. — AFP