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T H I S D AY •wedneSDAY MARCH 16, 2016
WEDNESDAYSPORTS U E FA C H A M P I O N S L E AG U E
Vermaelen Warns Barca of Surprises from Gunners
FC Barcelona defender, Thomas Vermaelen has warned his colleagues not to underestimate his former Arsenal when they meet this evening in their Champions League last-16 tie at Camp Nou. Holders Barcelona secured a 2-0 advantage during the closing stages of a keenly contested match at Emirates Stadium three weeks ago, with Lionel Messi netting a late brace. Luis Enrique’s men are chasing their 10th consecutive home win in Europe’s premier competition but, despite the fact Arsenal appear to be on course to once again miss out on a quarter-final berth they were last able to claim in 2010, Vermaelen is taking nothing for granted. “It won’t be an easy game at all,” the Belgium defender, who swapped north London for Catalonia in August 2014, told Barcelona’s official website.
“Although we have a small lead, you can never say that they are out. They have very quick players and that makes them dangerous. We’ll need to concentrate. “It is two different team (who are) very similar in the way they play. They look to play a passing game and keep the ball on the ground. They don’t go for long balls. “It would be incredible to win (the Champions League) again but there’s still a long way to go. There are lots of games left and we’ll have to work hard if we want to do it.” While Barcelona are sitting pretty at the top of La Liga, Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge has floundered on the back of three winless outings. The pressure on long-serving manager Arsene Wenger was further increased by a shock FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Watford last Sunday.
Per Mertesacker underlined the fine margins Arsenal must hit yesterday - bemoaning a tension that undermined their work against Watford before warning that there is no margin for error at Camp Nou. “We were not relaxed against Watford. Even in the box we played and always found good positions, with the man in the right position but we lacked that relaxation even to hit the
target,” the centre-back told his club’s official website. “We did not do that sometimes. We missed it too often. “We cannot afford to concede against Barcelona. We have to go there and try to attack, no matter what, that is the only possibility we have. We can be fortunate to have such big game in front of us. “They are the ultimate team at the minute, so we are straight
suspended from “any planned activities while the investigation continues,” said the United Nations Development Programme. She has held the role since 2007 and a UNDP spokesperson added it “remains grateful for her support of our work”. According to the UNDP
Suarez’s expected return to the Barcelona starting line-up - the Uruguay striker having rested as his colleagues routed Getafe 6-0 on Saturday. Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott provide options for Wenger to bolster his attack with pace in search of the goals required, the former having come off the bench to net a late consolation as Watford held on for a 2-1 win.
Bayern, Juventus Set for Night of Drama at the Arena It looks set to be a dramatic night at the Allianz Arena today as Bayern host Juventus in their last 16 second-leg tie. After a 2-2 draw in Turin both teams will still feel they can reach the quarter-finals. It was all going so well for Pep Guardiola’s Bayern
team at the J Stadium threeweeks ago, when goals from Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben put the Bavarians into a commanding position in the tie. A frenetic last quarter however, saw the Italians draw level and whilst the
Sharapova Suspended as UN Ambassador Maria Sharapova has been suspended as a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations after her failed drugs test. The Russian, 28, tested positive for meldonium in January and has been provisionally suspended from 12 March. Sharapova has been
away under pressure and we have to go away from home. I think the confidence is there, we are just missing something. “The season is not over. We play in a confident way, we maybe lack that bit at the end. The desire to play together and to be good as a team is there, you can feel that.” The task for Mertesacker and his defensive colleagues will be made more difficult by Luis
website, the organisation “works in some 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion”. The former world number one said she has been taking meldonium for health reasons for the past 10 years. The drug was added to the
World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) banned list on 1 January and Sharapova provided a positive test at the Australian Open later in the month. Sportswear company Nike, Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer and German car maker Porsche had already halted their relationships with Sharapova.
five-time champions of Europe will remain favourites to progress to the last eight, they will write Juventus off at their peril. After two matches without a win, Guardiola’s side got back to winning ways domestically on Saturday, easily dispatching Werder Bremen at the Allianz Arena to put their title defence back on track. Now comes an all-together different test against last season’s finalists where the Bavarians will be looking to continue their devastating Champions League form at home, having scored 14 and only conceded one in the group phase. Last Friday’s 1-0 win over Sassuolo was Juve’s 18th in their last 19 league outings and with goalkeeper Gianluigi
Buffon not having been beaten for 10 matches domestically, a fifth straight title now seems imminent. The Champions League is a different matter however, and coach Massimo Allegri, whilst not becoming obsessed with going one better than runner-up last season, knows that this is the competition where his team’s strength will be truly assessed. History tells us that the Old Lady can upset the odds this evening; having only failed to win one of their seven European ties where they have drawn the first-leg at home. In striker Mario Mandzukic, they also have a player desperate to put in a top level display on his old stamping ground.