Bayern Munich host FSV Mainz 05 today looking for their third Bundesliga win of the season after club president Uli Hoeness dismissed champions Borussia Dortmund as just a “regional” team.
Bayern are set to start new signing Javier Martinez, who cost them a German league record 40 million euros (US$52 million) from Athletic Bilbao two weeks ago, alongside Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger in midfield against Mainz.
Dortmund, who have won the league title for the past two seasons, host Bayer 04 Leverkusen, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel expected to be in the crowd, but Hoeness has upped the ante with some trash talking.
Photo: AFP
“Dortmund are a relatively regional thing. Bayern are a global player,” Hoeness told a digital trade fair in Cologne. “[Dortmund] will never, never, never catch up to our enormous success over the last 30 years. They will have to win the German title 10 times in a row to perhaps be more popular.”
While Bayern have won away at SpVgg Greuther Fuerth and trounced VfB Stuttgart in Munich in their opening games, Dortmund opened their bid for a third consecutive league crown with a narrow win over Werder Bremen and a draw at Nuremberg.
Both Bayern and Dortmund have UEFA Champions League games looming, with Munich hosting Valencia on Wednesday, while Borussia are at home to Ajax on Tuesday and Bavarian coach Jupp Heynckes has said he will rotate his squad.
“Every player will get a chance and every player will get playing time,” Heynckes said. “I am not going to decide [whether to start Martinez] just yet. I have to consider how we want to play against Valencia the following Wednesday, but we have quite a few options.”
Bayern struggled against Mainz last season after suffering a shock 3-2 defeat away in November last year and they were then held to a goalless draw in Munich in April.
“They’re difficult opponents, with a good pressing game,” Heynckes said. “We need to be just as aggressive as we were against Stuttgart, accept the rules of engagement set by our opponents and use our footballing class in attack.”
After his side drew 1-1 at Nuremberg last time out, Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp expects a battle.
“Bayer Leverkusen have an exceptionally good team. This will be a really difficult game,” Klopp said. “The season has really started now and we will have to work hard.”
Dark horses Eintracht Frankfurt, who won promotion last season, are second in the league after impressive wins over Leverkusen and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
They host Hamburg SV in Frankfurt tomorrow, with Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart set to make his debut having returned from Tottenham Hotspur to the north German club, who have lost both of their opening games.
“I’m glad that it’s finally going to happen. I am as excited as I was for my debut,” Van der Vaart said.
Third-placed Hannover 96 host Werder Bremen, whose Austria internationals Marko Arnautovic, Sebastian Proedl and Zlatko Junuzovic played in Wednesday’s 2-1 World Cup qualifier defeat to Germany in Vienna.
“They have to take the positives from the game,” Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said. “Sure, Austria lost, but it’s better that way than to have played in a poor match.”
Schaaf said he expects a tough match at Hannover, who won 4-0 at VfL Wolfsburg in their last league match.
“It’s clear the team is well established and has great self-confidence,” he said.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS