Bayern Munich can claim their 1000th Bundesliga victory if they beat Cologne at home on Saturday as the German league leaders look to bounce back from their Arsenal disappointment.
Pep Guardiola’s Bavarian side suffered their first defeat in 13 games this season when they lost 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday in the Champions League.
Despite the loss, Bayern are top of Group F in Europe and host Cologne at the Allianz Arena having won all nine Bundesliga games so far this season – a new league record they are eager to extend to a perfect 10.
Last Saturday’s 1-0 win at Werder Bremen was Bayern’s 999th victory since the Bundesliga started back in 1963 and they want to claim another German league first to make up for their blip in London.
“That’s the Champions League. And in the Champions League you have to be perfect. We weren’t,” said Guardiola after their Arsenal defeat.
But Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had a different spin.
“Actually nothing dramatic has happened. We’re still top of the table,” he said.
“It is important that the players show the right reaction immediately and continue their winning streak.
“I recommend that you just keep it up against Cologne, it could be a record that stands for all time.”
Guardiola hopes to have wingers Douglas Costa, Kingsley Coman and Arjen Robben available to face Cologne.
Costa played against Arsenal, Coman was on the bench after a thigh strain and Robben is set to return from a groin strain having trained with the reserves at the start of the week.
Second-placed Borussia Dortmund host bottom side Augsburg on Sunday in the battle of Germany's Europa League teams with the hosts' star-studded attack looking to add to their impressive goal tally.
Only Bayern have scored more goals (29) than Dortmund (24) so far this term.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failed to score in last Friday’s 2-0 win over Mainz, the first time he has failed to hit the net in nine league matches so far this season having claimed ten Bundesliga goals.
There will be a fascinating battle at Borussia Park also on Sunday when hosts Monchengladbach take on third-placed Schalke.
Gladbach’s 10th place in the table disguises their impressive recent form having won all four Bundesliga matches under caretaker coach Andre Schubert since Lucien Favre resigned last month.
Their run includes a 2-0 home win over Wolfsburg and a 5-1 routing of Eintracht Frankfurt away last weekend.
Bayer Leverkusen are home to Stuttgart on Saturday with the visitors having only escaped the bottom three last weekend.
Roger Schmidt’s Leverkusen are eager to learn the lesson from their 4-4 draw with AS Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Bayer took an early 2-0 lead when Leverkusen’s Javier Hernandez scored twice, only for the hosts to ship four goals before scoring twice in the final ten minutes to rescue a point.
“We need to look at what we did well in this game so that we can do the same, but we also need to improve,” said Hernandez.
“We can’t afford to throw a lead like that away again and concede so many goals.
“Sometimes, though, football is like that and that’s why I love it.”
Fixtures (UAE times)
Friday
Hoffenheim v Hamburg (10.30pm)
Saturday
Bayern Munich v Cologne (6.30pm), Bayer Leverkusen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Hannover v Eintracht Frankfurt (6.30pm), Mainz v Werder Bremen (6.30pm), Darmstadt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm), Ingolstadt v Hertha Berlin (8.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Dortmund v Augsburg (6.30pm), Borussia Monchengladbach v Schalke (8.30pm)
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
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The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
MATCH INFO
Brescia 1 (Skrinia og, 76)
Inter Milan 2 (Martinez 33, Lukaku 63)
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Omania, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
Winner: Brehaan, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Craving, Connor Beasley, Simon Crisford
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Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Dahess D’Arabie, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Fertile De Croate, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Company%20Profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5