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– Bayern Munich struck twice in the second half to beat bottom club Hertha Berlin 2-0 on Sunday and retake the lead in the Bundesliga with four matches remaining.

– Goals from Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman helped the Bavarians take advantage of Borussia Dortmund’s draw at VfL Bochum on Friday to leapfrog them into top spot on 62 points. Dortmund are on 61 in second place.

– It was one-way traffic from the start with Bayern trying to find an early goal and Hertha soaking up the pressure and waiting to break with Dodi Lukebakio.

Also Read: Bayern Munich engages young Nigerian footballers for professional training

– The Bavarians should have been in front after 45 minutes, but Sadio Mane and Benjamin Pavard both narrowly missed the target and Hertha keeper Oliver Christensen pulled off outstanding saves to deny Gnabry and Coman from close range.

– The hosts finally broke the deadlock in the 69th minute when Joshua Kimmich chipped the ball into the path of Gnabry, who beat Christensen with a diving header.

– Another superb pinpoint assist from Kimmich 10 minutes later found Coman to score Bayern’s second goal.

– The victory ended Bayern’s four-game winless run across all competitions, while offering coach Thomas Tuchel some needed respite after his team’s German Cup and Champions League exits in recent weeks.

– Hertha, without a league win in Munich since the 1977-78 season, remain in last place on 22 points.

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– Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has said the club are facing a “difficult” situation but is confident they can chase down leaders Borussia Dortmund for the league title with five games remaining.

– The Bavarians are looking to secure their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title but dropped to second place, a point behind Dortmund, after last week’s 3-1 loss to Mainz. They face bottom club Hertha Berlin on Sunday.

– “The situation has become more difficult for us now but it is not hopeless,” Tuchel told a news conference. “I still have the feeling we will shift up a gear [in the last five games].”

Also Read: Dortmund dare to dream as they knock Bayern off the top

– Since his arrival in late March, Tuchel has seen his team crash out of the German Cup and the Champions League last eight while also giving up the lead in the Bundesliga.

– Tuchel will be without Dayot Upamecano for the game after the France international picked up a muscle injury in training this week and will be sidelined for about two weeks, the coach said.

– Hertha are in last place but have brought back former coach Pal Dardai in a last-ditch effort to avoid relegation.

– “They are a bit unpredictable now with the coaching change,” Tuchel added. “We have to reduce expectations and not expect too much from ourselves too early.

– “We have to take it one minute at a time and eventually reach the win. But we have to deliver. Talking about our situation in the standings at the moment does not really make sense.”

– “We are very honest. We are the last ones to sweep anything under the carpet. We have dropped five points in the last two matches.”

– Dortmund, in top spot on 60 points, take on VfL Bochum on Friday and could open up a four-point lead before Bayern’s game on Sunday.

– “I don’t know if I will watch it,” Tuchel said of the Dortmund game. “It brings us nothing. Our situation is very clear. We have to get 15 points. Now it’s only about us.”

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– Leaders Bayern Munich suffered only their fourth Bundesliga defeat of the season at Mainz.

– Three goals in 14 minutes from Ludovic Ajorque, Leandro Barreiro and Aaron Caricol saw the hosts stun Thomas Tuchel’s side.

– Bayern took the lead in the first half through Sadio Mane’s header after he got on the end of Joao Cancelo’s cross.

Also Read: Man City KO Bayern to reach 3rd consecutive semis

– Borussia Dortmund have the chance to go top of the league when they face Frankfurt later on Saturday.

– Ajorque equalised for Mainz after he headed home from close range when Bayern goalkeeper Yann Sommer couldn’t keep hold of Lee Jae-sung’s effort.

– Barreiro slotted past Sommer after getting on the end of Karim Onisiwo’s pass before Caricol sealed the victory as he finished into the bottom corner from Andreas Hanche-Olsen’s lay-off.

– Mane, who returned to the starting line-up following suspension, also had an effort ruled out for offside following a VAR check.

Full time. pic.twitter.com/kthsNS6eV4

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) April 22, 2023

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– Manchester City set up a Champions League semi-final clash with holders Real Madrid as Erling Haaland’s goal ended Bayern Munich’s hopes of a comeback.

– Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel felt his side needed a miracle to go through after losing the first leg 3-0 – and they squandered plenty of opportunities to get back into the game.

– Haaland made them pay as he lashed home a shot into the top corner to cap off a swift counter-attack, 15 seconds after Ederson had saved Kingsley Coman’s shot at the other end.

Also Read: Tuchel admits Bayern need a ‘miracle’ to overturn Man City deficit

– That was the Norwegian’s 48th goal for City this season, but he could have reached that figure earlier in the game but blazed over a penalty after a Dayot Upamecano handball.

– Just like in the first leg last week, Upamecano – who was also beaten easily for the 57th-minute goal – had a nightmare.

– The French centre-back was shown a red card early in the game for a professional foul on Haaland, but it was overturned because the City striker was offside.

– Joshua Kimmich scored an 83rd-minute penalty for Bayern after a harsh handball decision against Manuel Akanji, but the German champions were never going to find three more goals in the last seven minutes.

– Boss Tuchel was also sent to the stands for two yellow cards in what was a very fractious and fiery encounter at times.

– There was no doubt City deserved to progress over the two legs and their Treble dream remains alive, with the Premier League and FA Cup other trophy targets this season.

– Kimmich’s spot-kick, though, ended their 10-game winning run in all competitions.

Man City get the job done in Munich! 👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/X03tuUzuNv

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 19, 2023

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– Sadio Mane is back in the Bayern Munich squad to face Manchester City on Wednesday with manager Thomas Tuchel calling on his side to produce a “miracle” as they seek to overturn the 3-0 deficit from the first leg.

– Manchester City travel to the Allianz Arena in Munich as overwhelming favourites to make the semifinals of the Champions League, having won the first leg by a commanding 3-0 margin last week. Tuchel says it’ll take an incredible effort from everyone connected with the club to prevent a quarterfinal exit from the Champions League for the third season running.

– “We need a miracle,” Tuchel said. “It would be a miracle actually.”

Also Read: Rampant Man City destroy Bayern at the Etihad

– Tuchel added: “It’s hard, and it’s a huge mountain to climb. We need to believe. We believe in ourselves but we don’t want to be dreamers. Dreaming for me is close to sleeping and if we cannot do one thing, we cannot sleep for one second.

– “We need to believe and make it happen by performance, team spirit and energy — we have ourselves and team, we have teammates, spectators who are ready to fight with us and then we need to have a realistic level.

– “If you look at the top of the huge mountain, you may feel overwhelmed so we take it step by step, half by half, and the challenge is tough enough, we don’t need to make it tougher by looking at the size of the mountain. We will start the journey and be ready to go all the way.”

– Tuchel will look to Mane for inspiration with the ex-Liverpool forward back in the mix after he was suspended by the club for the weekend’s 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim. Mane was stood down for one match and fined by Bayern after an altercation with teammate Leroy Sane following the defeat in Manchester last week.

– But Tuchel says the club have drawn a line underneath the incident and Mane is in the frame to play Wednesday.

– “Sadio is in the squad, we are not talking about the incident anymore — the decision was taken, we will have to wait until tomorrow to see if he starts or not, or off the bench,” Tuchel said.

– Tuchel, who took charge of Bayern on March 25 when replacing Julian Nagelsmann, also played down any notion the Mane-Sane incident, fallout and reconciliation will have a galvanising effect on the team.

– “I hope we’d have used it against Hoffenheim, which we obviously didn’t. The subject died, the case is closed,” Tuchel said. “I don’t think it’ll give us a big boost.”

– With Mane back, Tuchel will also have Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to call on. The striker is back fit having missed their last three matches with a knee injury and he will feature at some stage against Manchester City.

– “I haven’t decided [if he will start],” Tuchel said. “We have to see his reaction after training to see if his knee will react or not.

– “If he gets the green light then he’s an option for the starting 11 — he’s our number 9. If he gets the green light, he will play.”

– Joao Cancelo joined Bayern from Man City on loan in January and he’s set to feature in defence — rather than in midfield where he played on occasion against Hoffenheim — as Bayern look to keep their Champions League dreams alive.

– Bayern have won two of Tuchel’s five matches to date and are level at the top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund. They were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal at the quarterfinal stage by Freiburg and for a club used to winning everything in front of them, there were suggestions they may be on the slide.

– But Tuchel has laughed off such talk and says while the club are in transition, there are many sides the world over who would swap places with Bayern.

– “I don’t feel a club in demise, I feel a club in change as big leaders have left the club,” Tuchel said. “We have a change in management, there is a lot of change and we need a bit of time, which we never have, to adjust things.

– “I can understand if maybe it’s a bit surprising that Bayern is not in a cup semifinal or final but still they managed to be German champions 10 in a row, three times in a row in the [Champions League] quarterfinals.

– “If this is a club in demise then a lot of clubs want to be in demise. I have the feeling I work in a strong club with huge ambitions. We have to calm it down, but also push it to the limits as everything is possible in this club.”

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– Pep Guardiola says Manchester City will face “11 players, not the history” of Bayern Munich in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg.

– The teams will meet at the Allianz Arena with City holding a three-goal advantage from the first leg.

– But Guardiola said Bayern, who have won the trophy six times, will still be a threat on home soil.

Also Read: Rampant Man City destroy Bayern at the Etihad

– “We don’t play against what they achieved, but having something like that is something special,” he said.

– City have yet to win the Champions League, having lost the 2021 final to Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea and were beaten in last season’s semi-finals by an incredible Real Madrid comeback.

– “It’s nice to travel around and play these types of opponents, it’s nice to be here and try to make an incredible achievement and reach the semi-final again,” added Guardiola.

– The Spaniard, who managed Bayern for three years before taking charge of City in 2016 and leading them to four Premier League titles, wants his side to further “punish” Bayern after their outstanding first-leg performance in Manchester.

– “We must focus on what we have to do to control the game, punish them, come here to win the game in Munich against one of the most historic teams in the competition,” he said.

– “I’ve been here in Bayern and I know the mentality of the club. It’s in the skin of everyone and I know they believe they can do it.

– “We believe [we can do it] too. When you are in these types of clubs, where you build the feeling that whatever happens you can do it. They have history in the competition and we are growing in that.

– “After many years, winning Premier Leagues and getting to finals and semi-finals we are reaching a level that is quite interesting for us. I don’t have any doubts the players want it, the desire, they want it of course.

– “We don’t have to defend the game – we can play. We can be here to play one football game, 11 men against 11 men, try to do better than the opponent in this specific game. We have to do our game.”

– City are boosted by the return of midfielder Phil Foden after he returned to training with the squad on Tuesday, having been sidelined since having his appendix removed last month.

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– Bayern Munich conceded a 71st-minute free kick to draw 1-1 at home against Hoffenheim on Saturday at the end of a turbulent week for the champions but they stayed two points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with six games remaining.

– The Bavarians were without the suspended Sadio Mane following his clash with teammate Leroy Sane after Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League loss to Manchester City. Mane hit Sane after their quarterfinal first-leg loss, earning a fine and a one-game ban.

– While Bayern, who host City in the return leg on Wednesday, looked sluggish in the first half with only a few chances, they did go in front when France international Benjamin Pavard drilled in after 17 minutes.

Also Read: Bayern boss Tuchel breaks silence on Mane conduct

– The visitors came close with two chances in the 55th — a Pavel Kaderabek volley and an Angelo Stiller header — that both narrowly missed the target.

– They got the equaliser in the 71st courtesy of a curled Andrej Kramaric free kick.

– Hoffenheim thought their joy had been short-lived when Pavard stabbed in from close range a minute later only for his effort to be ruled offside.

– Bayern are on 59 points, two ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who drew 3-3 at VfB Stuttgart.

It finishes level.

🔴⚪ #FCBTSG 1-1 pic.twitter.com/SVDddhTUBP

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) April 15, 2023

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– Bayern Munich will not “tolerate” the “heavy incident” in which Sadio Mane allegedly punched team-mate Leroy Sane, manager Thomas Tuchel has said.

– Reports in Germany claimed Mane hit Sane in the face after Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League defeat by Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

– Senegal forward Mane has been suspended from Bayern’s squad before Saturday’s Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim.

Also Read: Bayern suspend Mane after fight with Sane

– Tuchel said the league leaders had “cleared the situation”.

– “It was a heavy incident – it was very important that it was cleared before the next training session,” he said.

– “I’ve known Sadio for many years – he is a top professional. He’s never had a situation like that. He is focused on football, he has my full confidence. Everybody has the right to make a mistake.

– “This was too much – he apologised and I believe him. It was important that he stays in training, but he is suspended and he will be fined. I don’t know where the money will go, the club and the player will decide. It is not my highest priority.

Tuchel: “I'm here to defend Mané. I've known him for a very long time and only know him as an absolute professional. I also know his entourage. He has never been guilty of anything”. 🔴 #Mané

“It was against the code of conduct, he recognized it and apologized”, via @iMiaSanMia. pic.twitter.com/Zhh6bPgV2B

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 14, 2023

– “It would be nice if things that happened in the locker room stayed in there. We don’t need situations like that to prove our squad is alive. We don’t tolerate things like that.”

– Bild said former Liverpool player Mane, a two-time African footballer of the year, had complained about the way Germany winger Sane spoke to him after the defeat.

– Neither player has commented on the alleged altercation.

– Bayern host Manchester City in the quarter-final second leg on Wednesday.

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– Bayern Munich have left Sadio Mane out of their squad for Saturday’s league match against Hoffenham amid reports he punched team-mate Leroy Sane.

– Reports in Germany alleged Mane hit Sane in the face following Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League defeat by Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

– The pair reportedly had to be separated by team-mates after the altercation.

Also Read: Rampant Man City destroy Bayern at the Etihad

– Bayern said Senegal forward Mane has been dropped because of “misconduct” and confirmed he will also be fined.

Sadio Mané will not be part of the matchday squad against TSG Hoffenheim this weekend.

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) April 13, 2023

– Bild said former Liverpool player Mane, a two-time African footballer of the year, had complained about the way Germany winger Sane spoke to him after the defeat.

– After flying back to Germany Mane was picked up privately at the airport while Sane got the team bus.

– Neither Mane nor Sane have yet to comment on the alleged altercation.

– Bayern host City in their quarter-final second leg next Wednesday.

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– Manchester City took a giant stride towards the Champions League semi-finals with an outstanding performance to overpower Bayern Munich at Etihad Stadium.

– Erling Haaland, inevitably, was on target with his 45th goal of the season to make him the highest scorer in all competitions in a single campaign since the Premier League began 30 years ago, surpassing Mohamed Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

– City, however, gave a powerful all-round team display and Bayern, under new coach Thomas Tuchel, face a mountainous task to turn this quarter-final around in the second leg at the AllianzArena.

Also Read: Rampant Man City destroy Bayern at the Etihad

– “Emotionally I’m destroyed,” said Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. “I have aged 10 more years. It was so demanding a game. It was not comfortable.

– “Now I have to relax – a day off for the guys, prepare for Leicester [in the Premier League on Saturday].”

– Rodri broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion with a curling left-foot drive into the top corner after 27 minutes while Bayern had chances of their own, especially former City forward Leroy Sane, who brought a vital save out of Ederson early in the second half.

– City were always a threat and extended their lead with 20 minutes left, Haaland crossing perfectly for Bernardo Silva to head home after Jack Grealish stole possession off Dayot Upemecano.

– Haaland was not to be denied himself and he pounced for City’s third six minutes later, getting on the end of John Stones’ headed knockdown to sweep a finish past Bayern keeper Yann Sommer.

– “It was an incredible result but I know a little bit what can happen in Munich,” added Guardiola, who managed Bayern Munich from 2013 until 2016, winning three league titles and two domestic doubles.

– “If you don’t perform really well they are able to score one, two, three. I know that, the players know that.

– “It’s an incredible result, but we have to do our game with huge, huge personality. If we don’t do our game anything can happen.

– “To knock out these teams you have to have two good games, not just one.”