Dortmund bank on Aubameyang

Thomas Tuchel feels Borussia Dortmund need Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in top form if they are to reach the semifinals at the expense of Monaco. The prolific attacker played a key role in his side’s round-of-16 win over Benfica with a hat-trick in their 4-0 second-leg win, taking his tally to seven goals in as many games this term.

Tuchel is adamant there is more to Aubameyang than just goals, though, and has hailed his positive influence off the pitch, too. “We need Aubameyang in absolute top form to reach the semifinals,” Tuchel stated at a media conference.

“That is what the Champions League demands. We need Aubameyang’s finishing, his defensive contribution but also his music and vibe before the game. It calms everyone down.

“He speaks Spanish, French, Italian, English and even German — when he wants. He can understand German — when he wants.”

Dortmund were dealt a blow in the build-up to their quarter-final when they were beaten 4-1 by Bayern Munich at the weekend, but Tuchel is no longer thinking about their Bundesliga defeat. “Sometimes it is best to wake up on Sunday morning and just forget the last game,” Tuchel added.

“We are not in a bad situation, we just had one bad result. We deservedly lost against a strong opponent. There is no need to show 20 replays of the game. As we play on Saturday-Tuesday, there is no time to analyse the last match. Players need to recuperate mentally, too.”

Cavani scored two goals and set up another as Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 4-0 win over Guingamp on Sunday to maintain their pursuit of Monaco in the French title race.

PSG climbed above Nice into second place in Ligue 1, three points behind leaders Monaco with seven matches remaining.

Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday backed FIFA’s ban on thirdparty player ownership.

FIFA banned third party ownership in 2015, calling the practice a threat to the game. CAS said it had “confirmed the validity” of the FIFA regulations on transfers but that it “considered that the sanction imposed on the Belgian club was too severe”.