Gnabry to return, Sane doubtful for Bayern’s Real tie Atletico face Bilbao challenge in Champions League race
MUNICH: Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said forward Serge Gnabry “will play and will score” in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Real Madrid, but Leroy Sane’s status for the match is in doubt.
Gnabry scored a goal in Bayern’s 2-2 draw at Arsenal in the first leg of the quarter-finals on April 9 before he suffered a muscle injury. Tuchel said he would return next week but would not reveal whether he would start.
Former Manchester City winger Sane is less likely to feature though because of a pubic bone injury, with Tuchel saying Bayern need to “take it day by day.”
Centre-back Dayot Upamecano is also a doubt ater spraining his ankle in training. Sixtime European champions Bayern are already without Kingsley Coman, Sacha Boey and Bouna Sarr for the match.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s home game with Eintracht Frankfurt, Tuchel refused to be drawn on rumours that former Manchester United and RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick was set to take over as Bayern boss in the summer.
Tuchel is set to depart at the end of the season, but he said he was cuting out the noise about his replacement and focusing on football.
“I’m puting my headphones on noise-cancelling and ignoring it. The topic won’t help me tomorrow or on Tuesday -- and it’s not my topic anyway.
“The next 11 days cannot be about anything other than football.”
Bayern’s search for coach Thomas Tuchel’s successor is not distracting the team from their preparations for next week’s Champions League semi-final clash the final Bundesliga matches, Tuchel said on Friday.
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick confirmed this week there had been contact with Bayern while several other coaches have been linked with the club.
Tuchel, however, said the team was shuting out any such distractions as they chase a spot in the Champions League final.
“In the next 11 days it can only be football and the goals we can still reach,” Tuchel told a press conference. “We want to collect points (in the Bundesliga) to get the best result and reach the Champions League final.
“For anything else there is just no capacity at the moment, whether it is comfortable or uncomfortable despite the many issues.”
BARCELONA: Atletico Madrid have the chance to keep Athletic Bilbao at arm’s length in the race to qualify for the Champions League when the sides meet on Saturday in La Liga.
Diego Simeone’s stumbling Atletico, fourth, have a three point lead on Copa del Rey winners Athletic, fith.
It will be a high-intensity clash in the Spanish capital, with Atletico still licking their wounds from last week’s Champions League quarter-final elimination by Borussia Dortmund.
They suffered a humiliating 2-0 defeat at Alaves last weekend, increasing the pressure ahead of Los Leones’ visit to the Metropolitano stadium.
Ernesto Valverde’s side arrive knowing a victory would give them a huge chance of returning to Europe’s premier competition for the first time since 2014.
This season Athletic have put Simeone’s team to the sword on all three occasions they have met, scoring six goals and not conceding any.
Athletic thoroughly outplayed Atletico in December in La Liga, winning 2-0 at San Mames.
“You can’t win titles like this, you can’t win leagues... Bilbao were a lot beter than us,” noted Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who was similarly critical of his team ater the recent Alaves defeat.
“We’ve entered a terrible dynamic,” noted the stopper.
The teams met again in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, with Atletico on top but falling to a 1-0 defeat, their first at home in over a year.
Atletico fans argued that their opponents had enjoyed more rest ahead of the game and that an unusually rash challenge from Reinildo Mandava gave away the penalty which Alex Berenguer converted to secure Athletic’s win.
However in the second leg Athletic dominated and romped to a 3-0 victory against Simeone’s flailing Athletic.
Athletic stumbled to a 1-1 draw against Granada last week but Atletico’s defeat turned that into a point gained rather than two dropped.
Ater winning the Spanish cup for the first time in 40 years to spark days of wild celebrations, a comedown was almost inevitable but Valverde needs his team to knuckle down again in the final weeks to make it a beter season still.
“Someone will have to get them down from the clouds and focus on La Liga, and that someone is usually the coach,” said Valverde ater the cup win.
Veteran Raul Garcia is retiring at the end of the campaign while captain Iker Muniain has also said he will depart, and taking the Basque side back to the big time would be the perfect note to walk out on.
Spanish League fixtures (all times GMT) Saturday: Las Palmas vs Girona (1200), Almeria vs Getafe (1415), Alaves vs Celta Vigo (1630), Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao (1900)
Sunday: Cadiz vs Mallorca (1200), Granada vs Osasuna (1415), Villarreal vs Rayo Vallecano (1630), Real Betis vs Sevilla (1900)
Monday: Barcelona vs Valencia (1900)