عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Bayern Forward Choupo-Moting a Doubt for Man City Game

28 January 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Munich's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting gestures on the pitch during the German Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt at Allianz Arena. (dpa)
28 January 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Munich's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting gestures on the pitch during the German Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt at Allianz Arena. (dpa)
TT
TT

Bayern Forward Choupo-Moting a Doubt for Man City Game

28 January 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Munich's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting gestures on the pitch during the German Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt at Allianz Arena. (dpa)
28 January 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Munich's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting gestures on the pitch during the German Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt at Allianz Arena. (dpa)

Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will miss Saturday's league game against Freiburg with a knee problem and is a doubt for the Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Manchester City next week, coach Thomas Tuchel said Friday.

Tuchel said the 34-year-old Cameroon striker would not travel to Freiburg and would undergo treatment. “The time is tight” for him to recover ahead of the match at City on Tuesday, the coach added.

Choupo-Moting was best known as a backup for Robert Lewandowski until this season but has come into his own since the Poland forward left for Barcelona in July.

He has 17 goals in 28 games for Bayern this season and four in six in the Champions League, including one against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16.

He went off after 64 minutes of the 2-1 loss to Freiburg in the German Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Serge Gnabry, Sadio Mané and Thomas Müller are candidates to replace Choupo-Moting ahead of Tuchel's first European game since he replaced Julian Nagelsmann last month.

Also out against Freiburg is 17-year-old forward Mathys Tel, who has played 21 times for Bayern this season, mostly off the bench. Defender Dayot Upamecano misses the game through suspension after picking up too many yellow cards.

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and defender Lucas Hernandez remain longer-term injury absentees.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi Makes History with Dakar Rally Triumph

Saudi driver Yazeed al-Rajhi (R) and co-driver Edouard Boulanger (L) celebrate after winning the Dakar Rally 2025 in the car category at the end of the 12th and last stage in Shubaytah, on January 17, 2025. (AFP)
Saudi driver Yazeed al-Rajhi (R) and co-driver Edouard Boulanger (L) celebrate after winning the Dakar Rally 2025 in the car category at the end of the 12th and last stage in Shubaytah, on January 17, 2025. (AFP)
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi Makes History with Dakar Rally Triumph

Saudi driver Yazeed al-Rajhi (R) and co-driver Edouard Boulanger (L) celebrate after winning the Dakar Rally 2025 in the car category at the end of the 12th and last stage in Shubaytah, on January 17, 2025. (AFP)
Saudi driver Yazeed al-Rajhi (R) and co-driver Edouard Boulanger (L) celebrate after winning the Dakar Rally 2025 in the car category at the end of the 12th and last stage in Shubaytah, on January 17, 2025. (AFP)

Yazeed al-Rajhi made history on Friday by becoming the first driver from host nation Saudi Arabia to win the Dakar Rally.

The Overdrive pilot held onto his overnight lead to beat South Africa's Henk Lategan in a Toyota by 3min 57sec with Mattias Ekstrom of Sweden third in his Ford, 20min 21sec adrift.

Rajhi, 43, had previously recorded a best finish of third in 2022.

Saudi Arabia have hosted the Dakar Rally since 2020, when it moved from South America.

There was also a first win in the world's most famous endurance rally for Australia's KTM rider Daniel Sanders in the motorbike category.

The car category lost a lot of its gloss with two high-profile retirements early in the race.

Four-time winner and defending champion Carlos Sainz exited on the second stage after an accident.

A stage later it was France's nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb who departed, his Dakar jinx continuing as he was disqualified by the race stewards after his Dacia car was damaged in a crash.

Five-time winner Nasser al-Attiyah never really landed a blow but the Qatari took final stage honors on Friday and finished fourth overall.

Sanders, 30, dominated from the moment he won the prologue and finished a comfortable 8min 50sec faster than Spanish runner-up Tosha Schareina on his Honda.

Sanders' sublime performance is underlined by being the first rider to record three successive stage wins since Spain's Joan Barreda did that in the 2017 edition between Bolivia and Argentina.

Sanders is the second Australian to prevail in the motorbike category, Toby Price emerging victorious in 2016 and 2019.

"It was a tough race," said Sanders, whose three successive stage wins.

"The last three days couldn't come quick enough. It was really, really exciting to see the finish line when we came over one dune.

"You see the whole bivouac, I just smiled and had chills go through my whole body. Super special, won't forget that moment."

Schareina, 29, said second place did not leave a bitter taste in the mouth, indeed he reveled in the achievement considering what the grizzled veterans of the event had told him.

"I'm super happy to be here on the finishing line," he said.

"It was a really hard race and many of the veterans have told me that.

"It was the toughest ever edition, so I'm super happy to be here on the finishing line, so happy for the team and for everybody taking this second place we have earned.

"I'm super happy for Daniel, he has done a great job and had a great two weeks.

"I think the ten minutes more or less he took on the first day allowed him to control the race from then, but I´m super happy for them."