Juventus
The Serie A champions will not take Empoli lightly when they travel to the Stadio Carlo Castellani, said coach Massimiliano Allegri, as his side aim to secure a second successive league win for the first time this season. Despite recently improving on a woeful start to the campaign that left the four-time consecutive champions four points above the Serie A drop zone, Juventus have yet to win two league games on the trot this season. Allegri has a full squad at his disposal ahead of today’s away trip but after “complicated” wins over Empoli last season he is taking nothing for granted. “We need consistency,” Allegri said. “We haven’t won two consecutive league games this season, and it’s time we started doing it.”.
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Schalke
Rising star Leroy Sane is set for a big week ahead of Sunday’s derby against Borussia Dortmund after being called into Germany’s senior squad. The talented 19-year-old forward is poised to play in his first Ruhr Valley derby at rivals Dortmund and could make his senior international debut against France in Paris next Friday, or four days later against the Netherlands in Hannover. “We’ve already got to know him in our youth selections and he’s one of the big positives to have emerged from the current season,” Germany coach Joachim Low said of Sane. “He’s quick, technically gifted and he likes going one-on-one with his opponents, while he’s totally easy-going. We can see his enormous potential.”
Bayern Munich
Bayern’s Germany defender Holger Badstuber said he was touched to receive a standing ovation after nearly seven months out with injury in Saturday’s 4-0 Bundesliga win over Stuttgart. Badstuber, 26, has endured a horror run of injuries and has been out since April with a torn thigh, but came on for the last half-hourat the Allianz Arena. Injuries have restricted him to 31 caps for his country and a ruptured knee ligament he suffered in December 2012 forced him to miss the World Cup triumph in Brazil last year and more than 125 games for Bayern up until May 2014. “That is outstanding, that’s a really great gesture and gave me goose bumps,” he said after coming on for goal scorer Thomas Muller.
Paris Saint-Germain
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice on Saturday to take his tally to nine goals in eight French league games as Paris Saint-Germain crushed Toulouse 5-0 to move 13 points clear of Lyon at the top of Ligue 1. PSG suffered their first defeat of the season last week in a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid, in the Uefa Champions League, but took only six minutes to find the net as winger Angel di Maria scored. Ibrahimovic, who this season became PSG’s all-time leading scorer, made it 2-0 after 18 minutes. Winger Lucas scored midway through the second half, Ibrahimovic got his second of the match in the 75th minute, and substitute Ezequiel Lavezzi finished off the rout.
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