Skip to main content

Haaland back in action as Bundesliga returns from mini-break Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland is expected to make an eagerly awaited return from injury as his side look to battle back into the Bundesliga top four with a win over high-fliers Wolfsburg on Sunday.  The prolific Norwegian prodigy has missed the last four league games and the last seven in all competitions after picking up a hamstring injury in early December.  Yet the 20-year-old returned to team training this week, and Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed that he would be back in action this weekend. “Erling’s recovery has gone well. We are working on the assumption that he can play against Wolfsburg,” said Zorc. Haaland’s return is timely, with his side in desperate need of a win after a miserable run of form before Christmas saw them drop to fifth in the table, eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich and two behind Sunday’s opponents Wolfsburg. Dortmund sacked coach Lucien Favre after they were thrashed by promoted side Stuttgart in mid-December, before suffering a shock away defeat to minnows Union Berlin in their second game under caretaker boss Edin Terzic.  Defeat to Wolfsburg would see Dortmund lose four home league games in a row for the first time in 20 years. “The most important thing is that we start well and end well,” said Haaland, who has scored 17 goals in 14 games in all competitions this season. In a season squashed by the coronavirus pandemic, many Bundesliga clubs have had just a week off in the shortest winter break in the league’s history.  Yet after their pre-Christmas cup tie was postponed until January, champions Bayern have had an extra week to recover and are expected to waltz past struggling Mainz on Sunday and defend their two-point lead at the top of the table.  Second from bottom and without a win in six games, Mainz parted ways with both their coach and sporting director over Christmas. Huddersfield boss Jan Siewert will take the reins as interim coach against Bayern.  There has also been a changing of the guard at bottom club Schalke, where new coach Christian Gross will take charge of his first game away to Hertha Berlin on Saturday. Former Tottenham and Stuttgart coach Gross has been charged with leading Schalke out of danger and ending their miserable winless streak of 29 games. Having not won since last January, the seven-time German champions are now just two games away from equalling Tasmania Berlin’s unwanted record of 31 games without a win, set back in 1966.  One to watch: Manuel Neuer Fresh from his coronation as the world’s best goalkeeper, the Bayern stopper is just one game away from equalling Oliver Kahn’s club record of 196 Bundesliga clean sheets, a milestone he has been chasing in vain for more than two months.  If he fails again to reach Kahn’s mark against Mainz, Neuer will have gone nine league games without a clean sheet for only the second time in his Bayern career.  Key stats 150 – RB Leipzig will celebrate their 150th Bundesliga game when they take on Stuttgart on Saturday. They have won 80 of them so far, more than any other German club at the same milestone.  50 – Weeks since Schalke’s last Bundesliga win in January last year. The league’s bottom club are just two games away from equalling Tasmania Berlin’s unwanted record of 31 games without a win.  10 – Goals Erling Braut Haaland has scored in his eight league games for Borussia Dortmund this season. The Norwegian is set to make his first appearance in a month against Wolfsburg.  Fixtures (all times 1430 GMT unless stated) Saturday Werder Bremen v Union Berlin, Arminia Bielefeld v Borussia Moenchengladbach, Cologne v Augsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Freiburg, Hertha Berlin v Schalke (1730), Stuttgart v RB Leipzig (1930) Sunday Borussia Dortmund v Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich v Mainz (1700)


Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland is expected to make an eagerly awaited return from injury as his side look to battle back into the Bundesliga top four with a win over high-fliers Wolfsburg on Sunday. 

The prolific Norwegian prodigy has missed the last four league games and the last seven in all competitions after picking up a hamstring injury in early December. 

Yet the 20-year-old returned to team training this week, and Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed that he would be back in action this weekend.

“Erling’s recovery has gone well. We are working on the assumption that he can play against Wolfsburg,” said Zorc.

Haaland’s return is timely, with his side in desperate need of a win after a miserable run of form before Christmas saw them drop to fifth in the table, eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich and two behind Sunday’s opponents Wolfsburg.

Dortmund sacked coach Lucien Favre after they were thrashed by promoted side Stuttgart in mid-December, before suffering a shock away defeat to minnows Union Berlin in their second game under caretaker boss Edin Terzic. 

Defeat to Wolfsburg would see Dortmund lose four home league games in a row for the first time in 20 years.

“The most important thing is that we start well and end well,” said Haaland, who has scored 17 goals in 14 games in all competitions this season.

In a season squashed by the coronavirus pandemic, many Bundesliga clubs have had just a week off in the shortest winter break in the league’s history. 

Yet after their pre-Christmas cup tie was postponed until January, champions Bayern have had an extra week to recover and are expected to waltz past struggling Mainz on Sunday and defend their two-point lead at the top of the table. 

Second from bottom and without a win in six games, Mainz parted ways with both their coach and sporting director over Christmas. Huddersfield boss Jan Siewert will take the reins as interim coach against Bayern. 

There has also been a changing of the guard at bottom club Schalke, where new coach Christian Gross will take charge of his first game away to Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

Former Tottenham and Stuttgart coach Gross has been charged with leading Schalke out of danger and ending their miserable winless streak of 29 games.

Having not won since last January, the seven-time German champions are now just two games away from equalling Tasmania Berlin’s unwanted record of 31 games without a win, set back in 1966. 

One to watch: Manuel Neuer

Fresh from his coronation as the world’s best goalkeeper, the Bayern stopper is just one game away from equalling Oliver Kahn’s club record of 196 Bundesliga clean sheets, a milestone he has been chasing in vain for more than two months. 

If he fails again to reach Kahn’s mark against Mainz, Neuer will have gone nine league games without a clean sheet for only the second time in his Bayern career. 

Key stats

150 – RB Leipzig will celebrate their 150th Bundesliga game when they take on Stuttgart on Saturday. They have won 80 of them so far, more than any other German club at the same milestone. 

50 – Weeks since Schalke’s last Bundesliga win in January last year. The league’s bottom club are just two games away from equalling Tasmania Berlin’s unwanted record of 31 games without a win. 

10 – Goals Erling Braut Haaland has scored in his eight league games for Borussia Dortmund this season. The Norwegian is set to make his first appearance in a month against Wolfsburg. 

Fixtures (all times 1430 GMT unless stated)

Saturday

Werder Bremen v Union Berlin, Arminia Bielefeld v Borussia Moenchengladbach, Cologne v Augsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Freiburg, Hertha Berlin v Schalke (1730), Stuttgart v RB Leipzig (1930)

Sunday

Borussia Dortmund v Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich v Mainz (1700)



from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3aUIM3j
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New York eye Timbers upset in MLS Cup final Portland (AFP) – New York City boss Ronny Deila says his team are ready to rip up the form book once more when they take on the Portland Timbers in Oregon on Saturday looking to claim the club’s first Major League Soccer crown. After an Eastern Conference playoff run which included away victories over the top-seeded New England Revolution and second-seeded Philadelphia Union, Deila is plotting another upset on the road against a Timbers team targeting a second MLS Cup title. “What we have done so far has been just amazing,” said Deila. “But the biggest one is coming on Saturday and we’ll do everything to win there.” The 46-year-old Norwegian coach, who guided Celtic to back-to-back Scottish titles in 2015 and 2016, says City’s giant-killing playoff run is sign of his team’s increasing maturity. “We haven’t dealt with the pressure before, and now we’re starting to do that,” said Deila. “I think the learning for the whole club to win football games and how to deal with that and how to win them when the pressure is up, that’s something you have to learn over time.” Victory over Portland on Saturday would mark a major milestone for City, who joined MLS in 2015 as the league’s 20th expansion team amid much fanfare. Part of the global City Football Group headed by English champions Manchester City, the early years of the New York franchise were loaded with expectations, which for the most part remained unfulfilled. Star names such as Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa helped the club gain a foothold in the league, but were ultimately unable to deliver any silverware. In recent seasons however the club’s recruitment strategy has pivoted towards younger, up-and-coming talent — either homegrown or from overseas — enabling Deila to build a hungry squad now just 90 minutes away from a first MLS championship. – Playoff heartbreak – Defensive midfielder James Sands, a 21-year-old product of City’s academy, embodies the club’s new spirit. “I’ve seen this team have such a tough go of it in playoffs,” Sands said after last week’s victory over the Union in Philadelphia which sealed the Eastern Conference crown.  “I remember previous years in the playoffs losing to Columbus, losing to  Toronto, losing to  Orlando – all such heartbreaking games.  “To finally get over that hurdle means a lot and it means a lot for everybody, but especially the guys who have been on the team a couple years and have gone through it.” City goalkeeper Sean Johnson says a win on Saturday would mark the culmination of what he describes as “an unbelievable commitment to success.” “It’s taken a little bit but the guys have been committed to making sure that we achieve something,” Johnson said. City face a Timbers side steeped in history which dates back to their earliest incarnation as a member of the North American Soccer League between 1975 and 1982. Since their rebirth as a Major League Soccer expansion team in 2011, the club has won one MLS Cup, in 2015, and reached the final three years ago, where they finished runners-up to Atlanta United. Under head coach Giovanni Savarese, the Timbers have reached the playoffs four years running. This season’s playoff run included an upset win over Colorado in the Western Conference semi-finals, before Real Salt Lake were vanquished at home last weekend. “To be able to host MLS Cup, it is a dream come to reality,” Savarese said.   “This team works so hard, the players, the staff, everyone, on a difficult season,” the Venezuelan added. “The guys were able to turn things around and we host this game here. It was something that we wanted to have and it became a reality.”

Portland (AFP) – New York City boss Ronny Deila says his team are ready to rip up the form book once more when they take on the Portland Timbers in Oregon on Saturday looking to claim the club’s first Major League Soccer crown. After an Eastern Conference playoff run which included away victories over the top-seeded New England Revolution and second-seeded Philadelphia Union, Deila is plotting another upset on the road against a Timbers team targeting a second MLS Cup title. “What we have done so far has been just amazing,” said Deila. “But the biggest one is coming on Saturday and we’ll do everything to win there.” The 46-year-old Norwegian coach, who guided Celtic to back-to-back Scottish titles in 2015 and 2016, says City’s giant-killing playoff run is sign of his team’s increasing maturity. “We haven’t dealt with the pressure before, and now we’re starting to do that,” said Deila. “I think the learning for the whole club to win football games and how to deal with that and how
Post a Comment
Read more

Calvert-Lewin set for scoring spree, says Everton assistant boss London (AFP) – Everton assistant manager Duncan Ferguson said he was confident that Dominic Calvert-Lewin would start “battering” in the goals again after the England forward ended his drought. Calvert-Lewin scored the first goal in Everton’s 3-0 win against Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie. His 15th goal of the season was his first since early December, although he had missed the previous two matches due to a hamstring injury.  “We are delighted for Dominic,” said Ferguson, himself a former Everton forward. “We know he can score goals, he has scored goals for over a season now. “He is a top player, we are delighted he is back and fit and well, and I am sure he will go from strength to strength and he’ll keep battering them in.” Calvert-Lewin’s goal helped Everton reach the fifth round for the first time since 2016. Carlo Ancelotti’s side, chasing their first silverware since winning the 1995 FA Cup, are also riding high in the Premier League, in sixth spot, and host third-placed Leicester on Wednesday. “I’ve missed it,” Calvert-Lewin told BT Sport. “I’ve worked hard to get back to full fitness quickly, had a good week training and it’s good to be back. To get the goal early settles you back in, and it feels good to be back in the goals.” Calvert-Lewin said even though Everton were well-placed in the league, the FA Cup could present their best chance of winning a trophy this season. “It’s another chance to bring silverware to this club, which we’ve been working hard (for),” he said. “We want to bring it back and it’s a great opportunity for us to go all the way.”

London (AFP) – Everton assistant manager Duncan Ferguson said he was confident that Dominic Calvert-Lewin would start “battering” in the goals again after the England forward ended his drought. Calvert-Lewin scored the first goal in Everton’s 3-0 win against Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie. His 15th goal of the season was his first since early December, although he had missed the previous two matches due to a hamstring injury.  “We are delighted for Dominic,” said Ferguson, himself a former Everton forward. “We know he can score goals, he has scored goals for over a season now. “He is a top player, we are delighted he is back and fit and well, and I am sure he will go from strength to strength and he’ll keep battering them in.” Calvert-Lewin’s goal helped Everton reach the fifth round for the first time since 2016. Carlo Ancelotti’s side, chasing their first silverware since winning the 1995 FA Cup, are also riding high in the Premier Le
Post a Comment
Read more

Leicester reaping benefits of Rodgers reign as Liverpool suffer familiar fall London (AFP) – Nearly two years on from the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, Leicester are again threatening to break the glass ceiling of the Premier League’s traditional “top six” to reach the riches and prestige of the Champions League next season. The third-placed Foxes lead defending champions Liverpool by three points ahead of Saturday’s crucial meeting between the sides at the King Power. Rodgers can sympathise from personal experience with Jurgen Klopp’s struggles to halt a rapid slide in standards at Liverpool. The Northern Irishman was sacked in October 2015, just over a year after he came within three games of ending the Reds’ long wait for a league title. Klopp succeeded where Rodgers failed, romping to the title last season. However, the German has suffered a similar fall due to the loss of a talismanic presence on the field. Despite the presence of Steven Gerrard as captain, it was Luis Suarez who was the inspiration of Liverpool’s title challenge in 2013/14. Once the Uruguayan departed for Barcelona, they plunged to sixth the following season. “You can always think we could have been better or done things differently but it was just how it evolved. We had set an expectation that we could challenge but then we lost a world-class player and even though we were very much all about the team, Luis was very much part of that,” Rodgers told The Guardian ahead of his return to Anfield for the first time with Leicester last season. Liverpool have experienced a similar fate this season since Virgil van Dijk suffered cruciate ligament damage in October. The Dutchman’s absence has been compounded by season-ending injuries for fellow centre-backs Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. Klopp’s men have won just three of their last 11 games to exit the FA Cup and fall 10 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, who also have a game in hand. Sitting between the two clubs that have dominated English football for the past four seasons are a Leicester side moulded by Rodgers into consistent challengers for the Champions League places. – Restored reputation – Rodgers, 48, arrived in the Midlands having restored his reputation in two-and-a-half years with Celtic. The seven domestic trophies he won in Scotland were decried by some given the Hoops’ financial advantage over the competition, but Celtic’s struggles this season show it is not as easy to wipe the board as he made it look. The Celtic support were stung by the timing of his departure, just months before they would secure an eighth consecutive league title. But Rodgers could see the potential talent in a Leicester squad that had gone backwards under Claude Puel. A crop of young players such as James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Wilfred Ndidi have been developed alongside veteran Premier League winners Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel and Jonny Evans. Often criticised for his role in Liverpool’s transfer committee during his time at Anfield, Leicester’s savvy transfer recruitment has continued in Rodgers’s time in charge with the signings of James Justin, Caglar Soyuncu, Youri Tielemans and Wesley Fofana. Instant signs of improvement were obvious as Leicester rose from 11th to ninth in Rodgers first few months in charge and nearly helped deliver Liverpool’s league title a year earlier as they were holding City at bay in the penultimate game of the 2018/19 season until Vincent Kompany’s thunderbolt 20 minutes from time at the Etihad. A fifth-placed finish last season ultimately felt like a disappointment after a run of three wins in their final 14 league games blew the chance of Champions League football. Now they are determined not to make the same mistake again, but must deal with fixture congestion on top of their financial disadvantage to hold off Liverpool and a rejuvenated Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel. The return of the Europa League next week will put extra strain on Rodgers’s squad and they have also progressed into the FA Cup quarter-finals. One feat that has so far been beyond the Leicester boss on his return to the Premier League is victory over his former club. Liverpool have won all three meetings between the sides in the past two seasons. But this time the Foxes have little to fear given the faltering form of Klopp’s men.

London (AFP) – Nearly two years on from the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, Leicester are again threatening to break the glass ceiling of the Premier League’s traditional “top six” to reach the riches and prestige of the Champions League next season. The third-placed Foxes lead defending champions Liverpool by three points ahead of Saturday’s crucial meeting between the sides at the King Power. Rodgers can sympathise from personal experience with Jurgen Klopp’s struggles to halt a rapid slide in standards at Liverpool. The Northern Irishman was sacked in October 2015, just over a year after he came within three games of ending the Reds’ long wait for a league title. Klopp succeeded where Rodgers failed, romping to the title last season. However, the German has suffered a similar fall due to the loss of a talismanic presence on the field. Despite the presence of Steven Gerrard as captain, it was Luis Suarez who was the inspiration of Liverpool’s title challenge in 2013/14. Once th
Post a Comment
Read more