There will be no love lost between twin brothers Halil and Hamit Altintop when the Turkish internationals go head-to-head as Bayern Munich face Schalke 04 today.
The Altintop boys talk each day and were room-mates in Istanbul before Turkey beat Hungary 3-0 on Wednesday night in a Euro 2008 qualifier, but their relationship will be on ice for the 90 minutes of today's Bundesliga battle.
The twins, 24, have spent a total of 15 years playing together at German minnows SG Wattenscheid, TuS Rotthausen and Schwarz-Wei Gelsenkirchen-Sued, before they were re-united at Schalke last season.
But Hamit switched to league-leaders Bayern in the summer which saw the Altintop's lock horns in the German giant's 1-0 League Cup final win last month.
This will be the eighth time they have played against each other and striker Halil has some ground to make up having lost six of the seven meetings.
"We talk on the phone everyday about soccer and our private lives, but although we are brothers, we are also total professionals," Hamit said.
"Our families aren't really Schalke or Bayern fans, they just support us, although I think most of them are tipping Bayern for this one," Halil said.
Bayern are waiting on the fitness of Italian striker Luca Toni who has a thigh injury while defender Philipp Lahm is definitely out until early next month after damaging knee ligaments training with the national side.
And for Schalke, defender Christian Pander faces a race against time to be ready for kick-off after shaking off a thigh injury.
Also today, Bundesliga leaders VfB Stuttgart take on Energie Cottbus and wait on striker Mario Gomez, who sat out both of Germany's recent wins with a bout of flu.
Second-placed Vfl Bochum are away to Bayer Leverkusen and are looking to bounce back from their 3-2 defeat at Hanover a fortnight ago.
Arminia Bielefeld must get something from bottom-side Hansa Rostock if they are to maintain their third-place in the league having been humbled 3-0 at Duisburg a fortnight ago.
Fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt have the chance to prove their early season form is no fluke at home to fifth-placed Hamburg.
And tomorrow, struggling Duisburg take on Hertha Berlin and VfL Wolfsburg host Karlsruhe.
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS