Bayern Munich have said Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui will remain part of the squad after holding talks with him over a social media post linked to the violence in Israel and Gaza.
Mazraoui, who is currently sidelined with injury, has given the club “credible assurances” that he rejects terrorism and war, Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said on Friday.
The talks with Mazraoui followed an Instagram post on his account which featured a voiceover saying: “God, help our oppressed brothers in Palestine to achieve victory. May God give mercy to the dead, may God heal their wounded.”
Israel has launched airstrikes in Gaza following attacks on its citizens by Hamas militants which began on October 7.
Mazraoui issued a statement via the club on Friday which read: “I condemn all terrorism and terrorist organisations.”
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said: “I’m pleased about the clear statement that the club has given. It was important that the club and Jan-Christian Dreesen gave the statement because the issue goes far beyond sport.
“Obviously I’ve spoken with ‘Nouz’ (Mazraoui). A changing room is always a place where you work towards a common goal peacefully, in a friendly way and with camaraderie. I have big trust in the team, in the impact of the changing room. We know that you can overcome tough circumstances together.”
Tuchel said the players and coaching staff were also trying their hardest to support Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz.
“It’s tough for me to put myself in his place. We’re trying to stand alongside him,” the former Chelsea boss said.
“We don’t have a healing world in the changing room but it has a healing effect. We need to ask Daniel how he’s doing. It’s a really sensitive topic, especially for Daniel, whose family are directly affected. We’ll look after him.”
Bayern resume their Bundesliga campaign after the international break with an away trip to Mainz on Saturday evening.
The Bavarian club are third, two points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen after seven matches.
Bayern have Manuel Neuer back in training but Tuchel confirmed Sven Ulreich would be in goal against Mainz, and most likely for the Galatasaray match in the Champions League on Tuesday.
He also revealed Matthijs de Ligt and Kim Min-jae were set to be his centre-back pairing at Mainz.
Tuchel confirmed Serge Gnabry, Dayot Upamecano and Raphael Guerreiro were all unavailable, with Leon Goretzka still a doubt. He also admitted it was looking “tight” as to whether Joshua Kimmich would play, having returned to training.
Asked about the threat posed by his former club Mainz, Tuchel said: “They love the role of the underdog. They’ve cultivated it.
“It’s a strength of theirs, especially at times when things aren’t going well. It’s something we need to face up against. We were in good form, had one of our best games against Freiburg.
“Now we’ve had an international break and are training again for the first time with the whole team today, but there are different situations.
“I’m pleased we’re playing at 6.30pm. It’s not just about our play but also how we play physically. We’re expecting a lot of long balls, lots of battling for the second balls. I’m well aware of what’s coming our way.”
Mainz sit second-bottom in the standings with just two points from their opening seven matches.
Europa Conference League: Aston Villa stunned by Olympiacos
Aston Villa were stunned by Olympiacos as they suffered a 4-2 home defeat in the Europa Conference League.
On what the Villa faithful hoped would be a famous night at Villa Park, they instead saw their team dispatched by their Greek opponents in the first leg of their semi-final encounter.
Ayoub El Kaabi scored a hat-trick for the visitors, who were 2-0 up inside 30 minutes on Thursday.
Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby struck either side of the interval to restore parity, but El Kaabi sealed his hat-trick from the penalty spot before Santiago Hezze added further gloss with a sensational finish. To add to Villa's misery, Douglas Luiz then missed a penalty late on.
In the other semi-final tie, Fiorentina took a 3-2 aggregate lead against Club Brugge.
M'Bala Nzola was Fiorentina's hero in stoppage time, scoring in the 91st minute to nudge the Serie A team ahead.
Hans Vanaken had scored from a penalty following a VAR check for handball in the 17th minute, cancelling out Riccardo Sottil's early opener, though Fiorentina restored their lead through Andrea Belotti before half-time in a frantic first half.
Thiago equalised for Brugge, but it was ultimately not enough.
Europa League: Wirtz and Andrich goals put Leverkusen on the brink, Marseille hold Atalanta
Bayer Leverkusen put one foot in the Europa League final as Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich scored in Thursday's 2-0 semi-final first-leg win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma were masters of their own downfall as Wirtz opened the scoring after 28 minutes, Rick Karsdorp's horrible error allowing Alex Grimaldo to race into the area and tee up Wirtz to finish into an unguarded net.
Though Daniele De Rossi's hosts improved after the break, Andrich added a spectacular second with 73 minutes on the clock, the midfielder giving Mile Svilar no chance as he side-footed into the top-left corner from 25 yards out.
Roma should have pulled one back four minutes into stoppage time, but Tammy Abraham could only nod over from inside the six-yard box after a goalmouth scramble, and they now have it all to do in next week's second leg.
Leverkusen's unbeaten run for 2023-24 stands at 47 games across all competitions (39 wins, eight draws), and they are now overwhelming favourites to stamp their ticket to the final in Dublin.
The other semi-final tie remains in the balance at the halfway stage, with Atalanta being pegged back in a 1-1 draw with Marseille at the Stade Velodrome.
Having scored twice in La Dea's memorable win at Anfield in the last round, Gianluca Scamacca took in Teun Koopmeiners' pass before finishing low across goal 11 minutes in, but Gian Piero Gasperini's team couldn't hold on.
Chancel Mbemba was the unlikely goalscorer for Marseille, stepping out of defence to clip a 25-yard effort against the far post and in after 20 minutes.
Neither side could find a winner from there, meaning it's all to play for ahead of next week's return fixture at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo.
Orlando City v FC Cincinnati: Acosta hails visitors for absorbing punches
Luciano Acosta has hailed FC Cincinnati for coming through a testing period as they look to make it three straight wins in MLS play at Orlando City on Saturday.
After going unbeaten through their first six games of the season, Cincinnati suffered back-to-back 2-1 defeats against the New York Red Bulls and CF Montreal.
However, they have since bounced back with two wins over difficult opponents, seeing off Atlanta United and the Colorado Rapids by the same scoreline.
Acosta scored his 44th goal for Cincinnati – the most of any player in franchise history – in that latter game, and he believes their resilience has been key.
"I think it's just about our mentality," Acosta said. "We lost those two games and it was a bit of a punch that woke us up. But now it's about the mentality and getting back to it."
Head coach Pat Noonan said of Acosta: "I think what makes it more impressive is teams are going to try to prevent him from having an impact.
"When you're a key player and you're able to do what he's doing with the focus on stopping you in a lot of ways, that's what is unique."
Orlando, meanwhile, were beaten 2-1 by Toronto FC last week, halting their four-game unbeaten streak and dropping them to 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Forward Duncan McGuire felt the Lions should have taken maximum points from that game and is desperate to atone at Inter&Co Stadium.
"I definitely think we should've won," he said.
"I think how difficult this felt and how this feels for us right now is going to push us and motivate us to train hard all week, to get a win for the fans at home and get the job done."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Orlando City – Duncan McGuire
Maguire scored his fourth goal of the MLS season against Toronto last week – no other Orlando player has netted more than once in 2024.
Those goals have come from an expected goals (xG) figure of 2.7, with the United States international also attempting a team-high 27 shots this campaign.
FC Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta
Acosta has contributed to at least one goal in four straight MLS matches (one goal, three assists).
It is Acosta's fifth streak of four or more straight regular-season games with a goal contribution for Cincinnati, with Brandon Vazquez the only other player to achieve that feat for the team.
MATCH PREDICTION – ORLANDO CITY WIN
Orlando earned a win and a draw against Supporters' Shield winners Cincinnati last season, making them one of two teams (also the New England Revolution) to play Cincinnati twice in the 2023 regular season and not lose either match.
The Lions may just fancy their chances of another positive result against Noonan's men, who have only won one of their last three away games (one draw, one defeat).
Orlando have only lost two of their last 17 regular-season home matches dating back to last April, winning nine and drawing six, so viewers should expect a response to their loss last time out.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Orlando City – 49.3%
FC Cincinnati – 23.6%
Draw – 27.1%
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