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Tag: Bayern Munich

  • Bundesliga: Wasteful Bayern stumble in title race, Dortmund win

    Bundesliga: Wasteful Bayern stumble in title race, Dortmund win

    Champions Bayern Munich stumbled to a 1-1 draw at Freiburg on Saturday to hand the Bundesliga top spot back to Borussia Dortmund who beat VfL Wolfsburg 2-0.

    The Bavarians, who had won 13 of their previous 14 league games, cancelled out Lucas Hoeler’s third-minute strike with Robert Lewandowski’s 199th Bundesliga goal in the 22nd.

    But their backline featuring Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng, who were both dropped from the national team recently, looked extremely shaky and Freiburg could have grabbed another.

    Bayern gradually assumed control but the Poland striker’s sensational volley for the equaliser was not enough and he wasted a bagful of golden chances in the second half.

    “We had to use the chances we had in the second half,” Bayern coach Niko Kovac told reporters.

    “In the second half we had a large number of them which we simply did not use. Otherwise we would have easily won this game.

    “Now we are running behind (Dortmund) again. It is frustrating.”

    The Bavarians, with 17 goals in their previous three league games, hit the woodwork in stoppage time but were left on 61 points, two behind Dortmund whom they play next week.

    Bayern, who have signed the world’s second most expensive defender in Lucas Hernandez with 80 million euros for next season, are chasing a record-extending sixth successive league title after their Champions League round of 16 exit to Liverpool.

    RB Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen scored a hat-trick in their 5-0 demolition of Hertha Berlin to open up a five-point gap in third place on 52, with Borussia Moenchengladbach fourth on 47.

  • UCL: Liverpool ease past Bayern Munich to reach quarter-finals

    UCL: Liverpool ease past Bayern Munich to reach quarter-finals

    Two goals from Sadio Mane helped Liverpool beat Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena and reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the second successive season.

    Neither side created many clear opportunities on a wet night in Munich and both sets of players were guilty of giving away possession too easily and too often.

    However, the Reds carried more of a cutting edge and took the lead in the tie in the 26th minute when Mane displayed an exquisite touch to bring down Virgil van Dijk’s raking pass before firing into an empty net after Manuel Neuer had rushed from his goal.

    Bayern now needed at least two goals and pulled one back when Joel Matip turned into his own net from close range.

    However, the expectant waves of attack from the German champions never materialised after the break, and Van Dijk all but ensured Liverpool’s spot in the last eight when he powered home James Milner’s corner.

    Mane capped off an excellent display when he headed in his second six minutes from time. It was his 10th goal in the past 10 games.

    The match ended on a slight sour note for Liverpool when full-back Andrew Robertson picked up a yellow card in stoppage time which means he will be suspended for the first leg of their quarter-final.

    The Reds’ win means there will be four representatives from the Premier League in the last eight for the first time since 2009.

  • UCL: Bayern’s Alaba, Coman fit against Liverpool – Kovac

    Bayern Munich’s David Alaba and Kingsley Coman have been ruled fit for the Champions League last 16 second leg against Liverpool on Wednesday Coach Niko Kovac said.

    The pair had been racing to recover from injuries after their goalless first leg draw at Anfield last month.

    “Alaba took part in training yesterday, not the whole training,” Kovac said.

    “We will have the final training today and I think he will be starting. He is mentally and physically fit to help the team.”

    French winger Coman, who had nursed a hamstring injury, has also recovered, but it is not yet clear whether he will start.

    “Coman is fit for tomorrow. Whether it is good enough for him to start we will have to see, but he is, in any case, an option,”Kovac added.

    Bayern, who will be without suspended Joshua Kimmich, took over top of the Bundesliga from Borussia Dortmund with a 6-0 demolition of VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday for their 12th win in the last 13 league games.

    They are in fine form and Kovac said he did not expect another goalless against the English side.

    “We know they are strong in defence. With Virgil van Dijk coming back, Liverpool will be stronger in defence, but we can score goals. We have shown that in the Bundesliga,”he said.

    “Tomorrow, there won’t be a 0-0. We want to win it and that is how we will approach the game. You cannot rely twice on a goalless draw to advance.”

    Bayern may have been scoring lots of goals lately, but they have also been wasteful up front, the Coach said, hoping his team will improve their finishing in front of a fiery home crowd.

    “What we need to improve is our efficiency up front.

    “I am confident that tomorrow at home with the support of our fans that we will be even more efficient in attack and create more opportunities,” Kovac said.

  • UCL: Bayern frustrate Liverpool to goalless draw at Anfield

    Liverpool’s Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich remains finely poised after a goalless draw in the first leg at Anfield.

    The hosts posed the greater threat but were either wasteful in front of goal or kept out by Bayern’s well-marshalled defence.

    Sadio Mane missed a handful of first-half chances, most notably dragging a shot on the turn wide from inside the penalty area when unmarked.

    Joel Matip also failed to convert Roberto Firmino’s cross from six yards.

    Matip almost handed Bayern an away goal early on when his misdirected clearance rebounded off Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson to safety.

    In the second half the German champions were excellent defensively, with Mane’s 85th-minute header at the near post the closest Liverpool came to scoring.

    The second leg at the Allianz Arena will take place on 13 March.

  • Ribery, Boateng out of Bayern squad for Liverpool match

    Ribery, Boateng out of Bayern squad for Liverpool match

    Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and central defender Jerome Boateng will not be available for the Germans’ Champions League Round of 16 first leg at Liverpool on Tuesday, coach Niko Kovac said.

    The pair were not included in the squad that left for England, with Ribery staying in Munich after becoming a father, and Boateng nursing a stomach virus, Kovac told reporters ahead of the team’s departure.

    The Bavarians will also have to wait until Tuesdays to determine whether winger Kingsley Coman will be able to play after picking up an ankle injury on Friday.
    The Frenchman scored twice but was injured in the final stages of their 3-2 win at Augsburg.

    “It has improved a bit but we have to wait longer,” Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic told reporters.

    “We still have 36 hours until the game and a lot can happen. It is positive but we cannot say for sure (if he will play).”

    The return leg in Munich is on March 13.

  • Alex Ferguson to coach Man Utd against Bayern

    Alex Ferguson to coach Man Utd against Bayern

    Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson will return to the dugout for a charity match to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the team’s treble-winning season.

    The English Premier League (EPL) club said on Saturday that the 77-year-old Scot would take charge of a Legends side against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on May 26.

    Ferguson, who won the UEFA Champions League twice, the EPL 13 times and five FA Cups with Manchester United, had emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage in May last year.

    But he has since recovered and is a regular visitor to Old Trafford on matchdays.

    “I’m really looking forward to what will be a special day at Old Trafford,” Ferguson told the club website.

    “It will be great to catch up with some familiar faces and a great opportunity to support the work of Manchester United Foundation.”

    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, currently Manchester United’s interim manager, scored an added-time winner to secure a 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final match.

    The win helped them complete an unprecedented treble, which included the EPL title and the FA Cup.

  • Bundesliga: Ribery seals Bayern win to cut Dortmund’s lead

    Bundesliga: Ribery seals Bayern win to cut Dortmund’s lead

    Franck Ribery scored an 83rd-minute winner as champions Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig 1-0 on Wednesday.

    The victory helped to cut the gap to Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund to six points with one game remaining before the winter break.

    The 35-year-old French winger, who had come on for the injured Serge Gnabry midway through the first half, shook off two markers.

    He then fired in from 10 metres to break the deadlock as Bayern notched their fourth consecutive league win.

    Bayern, back to winning ways after a dip in form earlier in the campaign, are third in the table on 33 points, behind second-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach on goal difference.

    Borussia Moenchengladbach were 2-0 winners against Nuremberg on Tuesday.

    “You could tell this was a very important game,” said Bayern forward Thomas Mueller. “We would have liked to have a bit more flowing game and we also made mistakes with possession.

    “But we had the better goal chances. So, overall, it was a deserved victory. At the end of the day we won the game and we are back in the mix.”

    Dortmund, who suffered their first league defeat of the season on Tuesday after losing 2-1 at promoted Fortuna Duesseldorf, are on 39.

    Leipzig are fourth on 28.

    Bayern were far from their best and both teams hit the woodwork in the first half before the in-form Gnabry had to be taken off injured.

    The hosts were no real threat for much of the second half, with Robert Lewandowski isolated up front.

    Their best chance came in the 79th minute when Joshua Kimmich headed goalwards from a metre out.

    But his effort was blocked by goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, who had sprinted back from the other side of his goal.

    The Hungarian, however, could do nothing when Ribery drilled in with seven minutes remaining.

    The winger, who is in his last season in Munich, has lost his starting spot to Gnabry this season.

    Both sides ended the game with 10 men after Leipzig’s Stefan Ilsanker was first sent off for a reckless foul on Thiago Alcantara in stoppage time.

    Bayern Munich’s Renato Sanches followed suit with a second booking for pushing him in the ensuing melee.

    Schalke 04 slumped to a 2-1 home defeat by Bayer Leverkusen.

    They were wearing shirts with names of coal pits in the area to mark the end of mining in the Ruhr valley later this month.

    The Royal Blues, last season’s runners-up, are now just a point above the relegation playoff spot.

    Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim shared the points in a 1-1 draw.

  • UCL last 16 draw: Man Utd face PSG, Liverpool take on Bayern

    Manchester United will face Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League, while Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp must tackle German opposition in the form of Bayern Munich.

    Manchester City take on Schalke, Tottenham battle Borussia Dortmund and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus meet Atletico Madrid.

    Elsewhere, Lyon have been handed the unenviable task of trying to shackle Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Roma have been paired with Porto and Ajax with reigning champions Real Madrid.

    Details to follow…….

  • UCL: Bayern demolish Benfica in six-goal thriller to reach last 16

    Braces from Arjen Robben and Robert Lewandowski helped Bayern Munich to a 5-1 victory over Benfica on Tuesday evening at the Allianz Arena.

    The German champions came into the match with their manager Niko Kovac udner immense pressure after a difficult start to the season.

    However Robben gave them the perfect start with 13 minutes on the clock when he produced a trademark cut inside and curl to the far corner with his left.

    And the experienced Dutchman doubled the lead with an almost carbon copy, only sending the shot down the middle this time.

    Two flicked headers from corners for Lewandowski, either side of a consolation for Benfica sub Gedson Fernandes, saw Bayern take charge and Franck Ribery capped off a good night for Kovac.

    The result puts Bayern through and they will now battle it out with Ajax for top spot in the group.

    The two sides meet in the final matchday in Amsterdam with Ajax two points behind Bayern.

  • Transfer news: Bayern interested in signing Ramsey from Arsenal

    Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have shown an interest in signing Aaron Ramsey from Premier League side Arsenal in January.

    Ramsey will leave Arsenal for free at the end of the season when his contract expires after the club told him he would not be offered a new deal, Sky Sports understands.

    Bayern can complete a pre-contract agreement with Ramsey from January, with clubs outside England permitted to sign Premier League players in the final six months of their contracts.

    Ramsey has now accepted this will be his last season at the Emirates following a decade at the club, having made 341 appearances and scored 59 goals since he joined from Cardiff City for just under £5m in 2008.

    Arsenal’s reasons for not offering Ramsey a new deal were finally explained to him at the end of October.

    Prior to that the Wales midfielder was unhappy the club had not directly explained why the offer of a new long-term deal was withdrawn following months of talks.

    Ramsey had found out via his agent before speaking out publicly on the issue, hoping “somebody will come up and tell me why” the option to stay was taken off the table.

    Arsenal manager Unai Emery has been pleased with Ramsey, who won October’s Goal of the Month for his finish against Fulham on October 7.

    Emery said last month he hopes the player will remain focused on the rest of the campaign, despite ‘the possibility that he won’t continue here’.

    “For me, for us and for the team, it’s about being together and getting better in each training,” he said.