Dortmund: Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Goetze pulled out of training on his comeback from a hamstring injury Tuesday, putting his participation in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in doubt.
Goetze took part in individual jogging exercises in the morning before joining the team session in the afternoon, but he could only complete an hour with teammates before withdrawing.
German magazine Kicker reported that Goetze's injured right hamstring that forced him off against Real Madrid in the second leg of the semifinals was playing up again. He was examined by team doctor Markus Braun. It isn't yet clear if Goetze will be able to line up against Bayern, the club he will join next season, at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Dortmund defender Mats Hummels sat out the morning session after injuring his ankle in the 2-1 loss to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday. He joined teammates for running exercises in the afternoon....
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11:09 PM, May 21, 2013
Dortmund: Borussia Dortmund's central defender Mats Hummels is expected to recover from an ankle injury in time to play in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Hummels twisted his right ankle in the 2-1 home loss to Hoffenheim in the final round of the Bundesliga on Saturday. Team doctor Markus Braun says Hummels being on the field Saturday at Wembley is "absolutely realistic." Hummels told Sport Bild magazine the...
04:11 PM, May 20, 2013
London: Nicola Rizzoli of Italy will referee the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. The match at Wembley Stadium on Saturday will be the 41-year-old Rizzoli's highest-profile fixture since becoming an international referee in 2007. Rizzoli will be assisted by compatriots Renato Faverani and Andrea Stefani, while Gianluca Rocchi and Paolo Tagliavento will be the extra officials behind the goals. The fourth official is Damir Skomina from...
03:59 PM, May 20, 2013
Fiorentina's players and officials were furious after being deprived of a place in the Champions League playoff by two late goals from AC Milan on Sunday, who clinched third place in Serie A and qualified at their expense. Milan, needing to beat relegated Siena to hold on to third spot, won 2-1 after equalising with a controversial penalty won and converted by Mario Balotelli before Philippe Mexes grabbed the winner....
02:34 PM, May 20, 2013
Rome: In the last weekend of Serie A, AC Milan need to protect a two-point lead over Fiorentina in the race for third place and a final Champions League berth. Milan and Fiorentina both visit relegated squads - Siena and Pescara, respectively. Nearly everything else in the Italian league has been decided, although several big coaching changes could come as soon as the season ends. Juventus clinched its 29th title...
11:05 AM, May 17, 2013
Dortmund: Borussia Dortmund's Mario Goetze is expected to recover from a muscle injury in time for the Champions League final against German rivals Bayern Munich on May 25, Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said on Wednesday. The talented 20-year-old attacking midfielder, who has already agreed to join Bayern from next season, picked up the muscle injury early in Dortmund's semi-final second leg against Real Madrid on April 30. "Right now it...
05:07 PM, May 15, 2013
Munich: Bayern Munich need to beat Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League title to avoid being stuck with the tag of losers after two defeats in the past three finals, Bayern's Thomas Mueller said on Tuesday. The Bavarians, who lost the 2010 final to Inter Milan and the 2012 edition in dramatic fashion in Munich to Chelsea on penalties, take on Bundesliga rivals Dortmund in the first all-German final of...
07:43 PM, May 14, 2013
Berlin: Bayern Munich crushed European heavyweights Barcelona and Juventus en route to the Champions League final but they should not expect the same to happen against Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said on Monday. Bayern face their Bundesliga rivals in the first all-German Champions League final in London's Wembley stadium on May 25. The Bavarians beat former European champions Juventus 4-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals before exploding past...
06:42 PM, May 13, 2013
Birmingham: Frank Lampard became Chelsea's all-time leading scorer with a double against Aston Villa on Saturday that clinched a 2-1 victory and pushed his club closer to Champions League qualification. From midfield, Lampard has now scored 203 goals during 12 years with Chelsea - surpassing the record held by Bobby Tambling. "It means everything, it's amazing," said Lampard, who is out of contract at the end of the season. "The...
07:36 PM, May 11, 2013
Madrid: Real Sociedad's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in a decade suffered a setback when they surrendered the lead and lost 2-1 at fellow European hopefuls Getafe in La Liga on Monday. The Basque club's reverse at Getafe's Coliseum stadium in Madrid means they still occupy fourth and Spain's final qualification berth for Europe's elite club competition but their lead over fifth-placed Valencia has...
09:39 AM, May 07, 2013
Berlin: France winger Franck Ribery Monday said he is eager to extend his Bayern Munich contract past 2015 having already spent nearly six years at the Champions League finalists. The 30-year-old joined Bayern in July 2007 from Marseille and has scored 51 goals with 74 assists in his 154 league games for the Bavarians to become a fan favourite at the Allianz Arena and was a key factor in Bayern...
05:57 PM, May 06, 2013
Madrid: UEFA president Michel Platini refused to jump on the German soccer bandwagon on Friday, saying it was too soon to draw conclusions from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund reaching the Champions League final. Looking for explanations after Bayern and Borussia knocked out Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, pundits have heaped praise on the German clubs for their efforts in developing home-grown talent. "Conclusions are made every year...
10:16 PM, May 03, 2013
Madrid: The failure of Barcelona and Real Madrid to reach the Champions League final on May 25 has allowed La Liga to rearrange the penultimate round of matches, the Spanish league (LFP) said on Thursday. Leaders Barcelona were hammered 7-0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in their semi-final while second-placed Real went down 4-3 against Borussia Dortmund. "In line with a prevision made in the calendar... that if no Spanish...
10:54 PM, May 02, 2013
Munich: Borussia Dortmund boss Hans-Joachim Watzke and his colleagues will not have lunch with their Bayern Munich counterparts before Saturday's Bundesliga match, saying relations between the Champions League finalists had gone cold. Watzke admitted he had been irritated by the recent behaviour of Germany's biggest club who last week signed Dortmund's Mario Goetze. "I have always spoken about Bayern with great respect and admiration. But I must say now that...
10:47 PM, May 02, 2013
Barca suffered their worst ever European defeat over two legs in the last-four clash against Bayern Munich in Champions League semi-finals. ...
09:00 PM, May 02, 2013
Madrid: The manner of the Champions League semi-final exits of Barcelona and Real Madrid have set in motion likely overhauls at both clubs, and is forcing La Liga to re-evaluate itself in the face of a resurgent German Bundesliga. Barcelona were humbled 7-0 on aggregate by German champions Bayern Munich on Wednesday, the day after Real almost overturned their shock 4-1 first leg defeat away to outsiders Borussia Dortmund, to...
03:39 PM, May 02, 2013
Barcelona: Barcelona's Champions League humbling by Bayern Munich on Wednesday will not prompt wholesale changes to the squad and the 7-0 aggregate reverse would have been avoided had the team not been decimated by injury, coach Tito Vilanova said. Barca suffered their worst ever European defeat over two legs in the last-four clash against the German champions, but were missing their Argentine World Player of the Year Lionel Messi for...
08:54 AM, May 02, 2013
Barcelona: Bayern Munich began to lay the foundations for this season's impressive run to the Champions League final immediately after their defeat to Chelsea in last year's showpiece, coach Jupp Heynckes said on Wednesday. After Bayern inflicted the biggest aggregate defeat on Barcelona in European competition, a jubilant Heynckes said the painful reverse on penalties to Chelsea at their own Allianz Arena in Munich had given him the motivation to...
08:41 AM, May 02, 2013
