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Rested Leverkusen Eye Win over Bayern in Top-of-the-table Clash

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke 04 - BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany - October 8, 2022 General view of a Bayer Leverkusen flag before the match REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/ File Photo
Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke 04 - BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany - October 8, 2022 General view of a Bayer Leverkusen flag before the match REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/ File Photo
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Rested Leverkusen Eye Win over Bayern in Top-of-the-table Clash

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke 04 - BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany - October 8, 2022 General view of a Bayer Leverkusen flag before the match REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/ File Photo
Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke 04 - BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany - October 8, 2022 General view of a Bayer Leverkusen flag before the match REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/ File Photo

Champions Bayer Leverkusen will be desperate to narrow the eight-point gap to leaders Bayern Munich when they host the Bavarians on Saturday in a top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash.

Xabi Alonso's team are in second place on 46 points, with Bayern, who are determined to reestablish their dominance after Leverkusen's domestic double triumph last season, top on 54.

But the hosts will not have just the home fans in their favour on Saturday as they look to cut Bayern's lead to five points and keep the title race tight, Reuters reported

They will also be significantly fresher than Bayern, having avoided the Champions League playoffs this week with an automatic last-16 qualification.

The Bavarians instead have to play three key matches in eight days, having beaten Celtic 2-1 on Wednesday in Glasgow for their first leg playoff ahead of Saturday's big game.

Just three days after their trip to Leverkusen, Bayern face Celtic again, this time in Munich on Tuesday, for a spot in the Champions League Round of 16.

A Bayern win on Saturday would see the gap over Leverkusen grow to 11 points after 22 league games, which would mean the fourth biggest lead at this stage of the season in the history of the Bundesliga.

Alonso, however, has not lost any of his five games against Bayern in all competitions as Leverkusen coach.

"We know our current position and look forward to the game," said Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka. "It is a special match for the entire country and we have to do our job and see what we get after 90 minutes.

"Even last season one of our strengths was not to look at the standings too much. We know we have to beat Bayern to stay in the race and we are not going into this game to get a draw," he told broadcaster Sky.

"It is in our hands to step on the gas and believe in success," Xhaka said.

Vincent Kompany's Bayern are in good form, having won their last seven straight league games. They have also seen a number of long-term injured players, including defenders Josip Stanisic and Hiroki Ito, return to action in recent weeks.

Fellow Champions League club Borussia Dortmund, buoyed by their 3-0 first-leg playoff win at Sporting on Tuesday, will be desperate for points when they visit VfL Bochum in the mini Ruhr Valley derby on Saturday.

Dortmund are in 11th place on 29 points, seven points off the top four, and run the risk of missing out on the Champions League spots for next season.

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Prince Abdul Mohsin Airport Receives First Dakar Rally 2026 Arrivals

This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA
This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA
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Prince Abdul Mohsin Airport Receives First Dakar Rally 2026 Arrivals

This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA
This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA

Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Yanbu has received the first arrivals of competitors participating in the Dakar Rally 2026, as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event.

Cluster2 Airports, the operator of Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdulaziz International Airport, stated that arrivals will continue from December 28 to December 31, with approximately 17 flights, both private and commercial, designated for the arrival of competitors and participating teams, SPA reported.

The process is being handled with a high level of operational readiness and full coordination among the relevant authorities.

Cluster2 Airports affirmed that operational and service preparations at the airports have been completed to ensure smooth passenger movement and the provision of high-quality services to participating delegations, reflecting the efficiency of the affiliated airports and their ability to accommodate major international events.

Sports

Knee Injury for Shaheen Shah Afridi Forces Early Exit from Big Bash League

Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
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Knee Injury for Shaheen Shah Afridi Forces Early Exit from Big Bash League

Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)

A knee injury has forced fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi to return home after playing four games for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.

“Due to an unexpected injury; I have been called back by the PCB and will have to take a rehab. Hopefully, I will be back in the fields soon,” Afridi wrote on X on Tuesday.

Afridi limped off the field when he picked up the injury on his right knee while bowling against Adelaide Strikers last Saturday, The AP news reported.

Apparently the Pakistan Cricket Board has called back Afridi as a precautionary step with T20 World Cup due to start from February 7.

“I’m massively thankful to the Brisbane Heat team and fans for showering me with immense love and support,” Aridi said, while adding: “Meanwhile, I will be cheering for the amazing team.”

Afridi had a challenging short stint at Brisbane Heat where he picked up just two wickets in four matches at an expensive economy rate of 11.19. In his first game of the season he was removed from the attack in the 18th over when he bowled to waist-high full tosses to Melbourne Renegades’ batters Tim Seifert and Oliver Peake.

It is not the first time that Afridi has hurt his right knee. He sustained an injury on that knee while fielding during a test match in Sri Lanka in 2022 that also ruled him out from the early stages of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

He returned at the later stages of the tournament, but again picked up injury on the same knee during the death overs of the final against England that let the title match slip away from Pakistan.

Pakistan didn’t name Afridi for next month’s three-match T20 series in Sri Lanka as a rotation policy, but he remains one of the key players for the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and India.

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Injured Aubameyang to Miss International Swansong with Gabon

Gabon's forward #09 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores a goal in front of Mozambique's defender #17 Edson Sitoe during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group F football match between Gabon and Mozambique at Grand Stadium in Agadir on December 28, 2025. (AFP)
Gabon's forward #09 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores a goal in front of Mozambique's defender #17 Edson Sitoe during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group F football match between Gabon and Mozambique at Grand Stadium in Agadir on December 28, 2025. (AFP)
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Injured Aubameyang to Miss International Swansong with Gabon

Gabon's forward #09 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores a goal in front of Mozambique's defender #17 Edson Sitoe during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group F football match between Gabon and Mozambique at Grand Stadium in Agadir on December 28, 2025. (AFP)
Gabon's forward #09 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores a goal in front of Mozambique's defender #17 Edson Sitoe during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group F football match between Gabon and Mozambique at Grand Stadium in Agadir on December 28, 2025. (AFP)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s international career looks to have ended with a whimper as he headed back to France on Tuesday and will miss Gabon’s last game at the Africa Cup of Nations ​finals.

After losing their opening two matches in Group F to Cameroon and Mozambique, Gabon have been eliminated with one match left to play against holders Ivory Coast in Marrakech on Wednesday.

At the age of 36, it was expected the clash against the Ivorians would bring down the curtain on his 16-year international career, but he will skip the last group game as he returns to his club ‌Olympique de Marseille. ‌

A thigh injury on the eve of ‌the ⁠tournament ​in Morocco ‌meant his participation was in doubt, but he came on after 30 minutes against Cameroon in Gabon’s opening game on Christmas Eve and played the full game against Mozambique on Sunday, scoring in the 3-2 defeat.

“Following the established medical protocol between Marseille and Gabon medical staff regarding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, clinical examinations were conducted daily,” said a statement on Tuesday from the ⁠Gabon football federation.

“The most recent examination confirmed the discomfort he experienced in his left thigh ‌the day after the Gabon-Mozambique match. Given the ‍disappointing results, which cut short ‍Gabon’s participation, the medical staff, in consultation with his club, agreed to ‍protect the player's physical well-being by exempting him from the final, inconsequential match."

GABON’S LONG TIME TALISMAN

Aubameyang has long been Gabon’s talisman, electing to play for the team his father had captained, even after playing for France, where he ​was born, at junior level.

He made his debut for Gabon in 2009, scoring against Morocco in a World Cup qualifier, ⁠and went on to win 82 caps and score 39 goals.

Aubameyang helped Gabon reach the Cup of Nations quarter-final when they hosted the tournament in 2012 but was the only player to fail to convert his penalty in a post-match shootout loss to Mali.

The tournament in Morocco was Aubameyang’s sixth Cup of Nations finals appearance. He was African Footballer of the Year in 2015.

Earlier this year, he helped Gabon finish as one of the four best runners-up in the World Cup qualifiers, including four goals in the game against Gambia in October.

Gabon, however, lost in ‌last month’s Africa playoffs, ending hopes of qualifying for a first-ever World Cup finals appearance in North America next June.