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Bayern Munich Suffer loss to Hoffenheim

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Bayern Munich lost their second game of the Bundesliga season on Tuesday 1-0 away to TSG Hoffenheim, but they almost welcomed the unusual experience as a useful wake-up call. "It was an important sign for us, to show us that we're nearly half as good being as passive [as we were in the first half]," defender Mats Hummels said while raising a metaphorical index finger. Borussia Dortmund, by contrast, ran out 3-0 winners at home to Hamburger SV, yet found plenty of reasons to fault themselves. "I'm very worried about our schedule in light of all the energy we expended today," Thomas Tuchel said. The rather downbeat coach added that "a critical analysis" of BVB's failure to take their chances earlier and concede too many opportunities ("a roller coaster ride") would follow. If the counterintuitive reactions to these two results show anything, it's surely that Bayern and Dortmund, facing off Saturday in the biggest game of the B

Lionel Messi scores brace as Barcelona cruise past Sevilla

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Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona produced a scintillating first-half display in their 3-0 win against Sevilla. Messi bagged a brace after Luis Suarez's overhead kick had given the hosts a 25th-minute lead. Luis Enrique's side coasted through the second period to record a ninth win in 10 La Liga matches while the visitors had Vitolo sent off in stoppage time. Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli is among those tipped to succeed the outgoing Enrique at the Nou Camp next season, but his side fell apart after Suarez broke the deadlock and saw their winless league run extend to five games. Barcelona served a warning of what was to come in the fourth minute when Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez combined on the edge of the area before Messi's first-time effort hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced to safety. The visitors did have their moments early on and should have taken the lead in the 16th minute. Sergio Escudero's long throw found its wa

Chelsea beat Man City to maintain lead as Spurs secure late win at Swansea

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Two goals from Eden Hazard saw  Chelsea  maintain their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League with an important 2-1 victory against   Manchester City  at Stamford Bridge.Chelsea slipped to an unexpected defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday, allowing Tottenham to move within seven points of them, but this win saw Antonio Conte's side stop their advantage at the top being reduced further following Spurs' late heroics against Swansea. Hazard put Chelsea ahead from Cesar Azpilicueta's pull back on 10 minutes, only for Sergio Aguero to seize upon an error from Thibaut Courtois to level for City on 26 minutes.Hazard saw a 35th-minute penalty saved by Willy Caballero but reacted quickly to score the rebound, a goal that was enough to seal the points.That result leaves City fourth and four points ahead of Arsenal, who have a game in hand. Tottenham  came from behind to beat  Swansea  3-1 thanks to late goals from Dele Alli, Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen.Way

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fined by Borussia Dortmund for mask celeb

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Borussia Dortmund have fined Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for his masked celebration in the 1-1 derby draw at Schalke on Saturday, with the club telling ESPN FC: "We've had a good talk with Auba." Aubameyang, 27, opened the scoring at the weekend and celebrated by putting on a mask, later identified as being part of Nike's "The Masked Finisher" campaign. It was the second time in less than a month that the Gabon international has promoted the sponsor while playing for Dortmund, where rival sportswear company Puma is both a shareholder and the kit supplier. Dortmund said there would be talks with Aubameyang after Tuesday's 3-0 victory over Hamburg, in which the forward contributed one goal and set up another. "We've had a good talk with Auba," Dortmund media director Sascha Fligge told ESPN FC afterwards. Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed to  kicker  that the club have fined Aubameyang for his masked celebration, th

Daniel Sturridge making Liverpool comeback at 'perfect' time - Klopp

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  Jurgen Klopp believes it is the "perfect moment" for Daniel Sturridge to return to the Liverpool squad. Sturridge, 27, last appeared for Liverpool in February and has spent nearly two months on the sidelines with a viral infection and then a hip problem. Having now returned to full training, the England international could be in Liverpool's matchday squad for Wednesday night's Premier League game against Bournemouth. His return to the fold is a timely one for Klopp, who will be without Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson for the meeting with Eddie Howe's side at Anfield. "I saw Daniel's rehab training and he looked really fresh and sharp," Klopp is quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo. "On Monday he was team training. It was second day recovery for all the boys and he was part of that. He looked good. He's very optimistic about the situation. "I said before training to Daniel that it was the perfect mom

Swansea's Tom Carroll admits it will be strange to play against Tottenham

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  Tottenham old boy Tom Carroll admits it will be a strange sensation trying to dent his former club's Premier League title hopes on Wednesday. Carroll cut Tottenham ties stretching back 16 years when he joined Swansea in a £4.5 million move in January. The 24-year-old, who was part of a Spurs squad which mounted a strong title push last season, said: "It will feel a bit strange for me playing them because I was there from the age of eight. Swansea City Tottenham Hotspur 11:45 AM PT "Even though I have had loan spells, including here at Swansea, obviously you are not allowed to play against your parent club. "But I am looking forward to it because it is such an important game. "They are pushing for the title and we are fighting ourselves. Anything can happen at this time of year. "We have seen a fair few times

Real Madrid ready to add Theo Hernandez from Atletico Madrid

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Theo Hernandez joined Alaves on loan from Atletico Madrid in August but could soon be heading to Real Madrid. The football world's gossip mill is in full swing, and Transfer Talk will be analysing some of the bigger moves that may happen in the summer. Check out the latest deals here. It seems Theo Hernandez's in-form season at Alaves will lead him back to Madrid -- though not to the club he left. Theo, on loan from Atletico Madrid, is set to join Real Madrid this summer after the Blancos pay his €24 million release clause, according to Spanish daily sports newspaper Marca. The 19-year-old brother of Atletico's Lucas Hernandez and a France youth international, Theo has previously been linked to a number of clubs -- including Manchester City, who bid for both brothers last summer. Those bids led to Atletico extending Theo's contract until 2021 and increasing the amount of the release clause from €6 million. The a left-back has played in 29 league a