SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2014 Bayern adjust to life without Lahm BERLIN: Runaway Bundesliga leaders The Bavarians are already through to the sort of squad where it doesn’t matter who Dortmund are set to welcome back Bayern Munich need to adjust to life with- Champions League knock-out stage and plays,” said Gisdol. “If you lose 4-0, 5-0 or Germany winger Marco Reus after an ankle out captain Philipp Lahm when they host are confirmed group winners with two even 6-0 in Munich, that is completely nor- injury as they attempt to pull clear of the Hoffenheim today ahead of next week’s matches to spare. mal.” Hoffenheim are looking to bounce relegation places against Paderborn. Champions League match at Manchester Guardiola will need to reshuffle his back after losing their last two games, but Reus missed Germany’s recent interna- City. The 31-year-old Lahm has been ruled defensive midfield alongside Xabi Alonso, have Brazil’s latest star in their ranks, for- tionals, but should return as Dortmund look out for the next three months after fractur- but there are rumours Germany star Bastian ward Roberto Firmino, who scored the win- to prove their 1-0 win over third-placed ing his ankle in training, depriving coach Schweinsteiger could make his return from ner in a 2-1 friendly victory over Austria on Borussia Moenchengladbach, which broke Pep Guardiola of one of his key assets, the knee injury which has kept him out Tuesday. their five-match losing streak, was no fluke. either at right-back or in the defensive mid- since the World Cup final. Bayern’s nearest rivals, second-placed “We know about the difficulty of the game, field. “I was shocked when I heard the news Bayern will have goalkeeper Manuel Wolfsburg, are chasing a sixth consecutive but we also see the chances that it possess- and we wish Philipp all the best, but there is Neuer available after he missed Germany’s victory at Schalke 04 today. Belgium winger es for us,” said Dortmund coach Jurgen no place for mourning or sentimentality,” 1-0 friendly win over Spain on Tuesday with Kevin de Bruyne is in outstanding form, cre- Klopp. He is without injured midfielders insisted Bayern’s director of sport Matthias a knee strain. Hoffenheim forced a 3-3 draw ating four goals in their last two matches. Nuri Sahin, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Oliver Sammer. on their last league visit to the Allianz Arena Schalke are down to 11th in the table after Kirch in Paderborn, while Sokratis “We need to shake it off and keep look- in March and are fifth in the table. some erratic form this season, but Papastathopoulos is suspended and fellow ing forward, some of the players in the Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking, who has centre-back Mats Hummels is also on the wings now have the chance to prove them- LATEST STAR seen all of their last three games live, is tak- injury list. selves.” Bayern are unbeaten in their last 15 But coach Markus Gisdol reads little into ing nothing for granted. Werder Bremen’s caretaker coach Viktor league matches and are four points clear at Bayern’s lengthy injury list with Javi “I measure Schalke not on their 14 Skripnik is looking for his third straight win the top of the table, and Hoffenheim will Martinez, Thiago Alcantara, Holger points and 11th ranking in the table, but on in tomorrow’s north German derby when serve as a dress rehearsal for Tuesday’s Badstuber, plus both wing backs Lahm and what they can achieve,” he said. At the oth- his side are at Hamburg with both teams in European clash in Manchester. David Alaba all injured. “Bayern have the er end of the table, 15th-placed Borussia the bottom three. — AFP Inter derby test Real giants enter land awaits Mancini of Eibar’s little people MILAN: The first Milan derby of the season provides Roberto Mancini with his first test on his return to Inter while Lazio MADRID: Real Madrid’s superstars, flying host leaders Juventus looking for the win that could boost high at the top of La Liga, enter the land of the title chances of city rivals Roma. The black and blue half Spanish football’s little people today when of Milan is abuzz following Mancini’s return to the club he led they take on humble Eibar in the Basque to a record three consecutive league titles, two Cups and two country. Super Cups in his previous spell in charge from 2004-2008. Unlike Real’s cavernous, fabled Despite leading Inter into an enticing San Siro clash barely Bernabeu with its 85,000-capacity, Eibar’s a week after succeeding sacked Walter Mazzarri, some Ipurua stadium has room for just 5,000 believe the former Manchester City and Galatasaray handler fans-they have had to build temporary has the edge over Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi. “Mancini has seating to accommodate fans wanting to the edge on Inzaghi,” wily veteran Zdenek Zeman, whose see Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. mercurial Cagliari are away to a Napoli side who sit third, only The contrast between the two adver- seven points adrift of Juventus and four behind Roma, told saries is also highlighted by their respec- Mediaset. “Inzaghi used to coach Milan’s youth side, but that tive budgets — 10-time European champi- doesn’t necessarily tell us whether or not he’s ready for Serie ons Real are worth 500 million euros. A.” Milan have failed to win their last four games, taking a Eibar, promoted last season, survive on 30 total of only four points to drop to seventh at 11 points times less. Despite the gulf in class and behind Juve and four behind Napoli in the third and last financial resources, Eibar have not been Champions League spot. With Inter sitting in ninth a point intimidated in La Liga where they sit com- further adrift, Mancini is expected to deploy a 4-3-1-2 forma- tion designed to plug holes in the defence as well as optimise fortably in mid-table. “At the Ipurua, we an attacking line that failed to spark in Mazzarri’s 3-5-2. can cause trouble for anybody,” said Eibar Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic midfielder Saul Berjon. However, Real are knows Mancini only too well, having finished second best to expected to keep rolling on as they start City in 2012 when the Italian led them to their first league the weekend with a two-point lead over title in 44 years. Barcelona. They are undefeated in 13 Now the Inter defender is ready to embrace switching to a matches in all competitions, scoring 52 back four and has hailed Mancini’s pragmatic approach to goals and conceding just eight, although training in his first week back at the club. “It’s the formation I their planning for the trip to Eibar hasn’t played in before so I’m used to it,” said the former Serbia been helped by a thigh injury to influential international. “A new coach always comes in with his own midfielder Luka Modric. ideas and philosophy. Mancini has shown us what he wants He will be out for around three months and what he expects, which is great and also good fun.” after picking up the injury while on inter- Milan will be without Nigel De Jong after the Dutchman national duty with Croatia. “It’s a big blow picked up an injury while on international duty last week. But for the club because Luka had been in while Milan wait on their own former Premier League player, great form,” said German team-mate Toni Fernando Torres, to spark amid an underwhelming start to Kroos. the campaign for the Spaniard, Stephan El Shaarawy has shown plenty of promise on his recent return to the fray. TESTING STRETCH Rossoneri midfielder Sulley Muntari, meanwhile, played Barcelona host Sevilla, who are just two down the effect of Mancini’s return. “Mancini is a great coach points behind them, facing a potential cri- who has had success everywhere he has gone. He’ll be influ- sis of confidence having seen a six-point ential, but he won’t be playing on the pitch. It will be down to lead over Real disappear over the autumn. the players,” said the Ghanaian. Ahead of tomorrow’s clash, Luis Enrique’s team now face a testing Roma have the chance to close their three-point gap to lead- stretch of games-after Sevilla, they travel SPAIN: Portugal’s striker Cristiano Ronaldo. — AFP ers Juve away to an Atalanta side sitting two points above the to Apoel Nicosia in the Champions ball which characterises the team,” said where he said he wished to remain at the drop zone. However Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has League, go to Valencia, face a derby Enrique, whose gamble on signing Luis Camp Nou but that “sometimes, things heaped the pressure on Rudi Garcia’s men following repeat- against Espanyol before completing their Suarez has yet to pay dividends with the don’t go the way you want them to”. Messi ed Giallorossi claims that this season’s title will be theirs. European duties against Paris Saint controversial Uruguayan striker still seek- is without a goal in three matches in La “Roma are strong and have come off the back of a great Germain. That game is likely to decide top ing a first league goal. Liga but on Saturday he once again gets a season in which they finished runners-up,” Allegri told spot in Group F and a seeded spot in the Superstar Lionel Messi did little to calm chance to go past Telmo Zarra’s record of Gazzetta dello Sport.