Bundesliga

BAYERN MUNICH star Dayot Upamecano hired an OPERA SINGER to help him become more vocal on the pitch.The France international endured a testing first year at the Allianz Arena and wasn’t a nailed on starter under manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Dayot Upamecano hired an opera singer to help him shout louderCredit: AP
His struggles weren’t helped by his lack of a voice when playing.
According to Bild, Upamecano had problems with his vocal cords during and at the end of games with the defender often suffering from a sore throat.
So the 24-year-old took action and went to extreme lengths to solve his issue.
That’s because he employed a personal opera singer from Leipzig to help.
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The professional taught him how to use his vocal cords in a softer way to enable him to shout louder on the pitch.
And his sore throats have gone away with Upamecano now reaping the rewards.
He had started every league game this season until he missed Sunday’s victory over Wolfsburg with a toe injury.
And his form has kept Bayern on course for a domestic treble.
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They’re one point clear at the top of the Bundesliga following a 12-match unbeaten run.
Munich also have a Champions League last-16 tie with PSG on the horizon and are in the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal. More

BIG-HEARTED RB Leipzig captain Willi Orban could be set to miss his first game of the season.That’s as he prepares to undergo a stem cell donation to save a stranger’s life.
Willi Orban could miss RB Leipzig’s next game as he prepares to donate stem cellsCredit: Rex
Orban, 30, has missed Leipzig training since Sunday in order to make the incredible gesture.
The Hungary captain has played every minute of Leipzig’s Bundesliga campaign so far this season.
But Orban could now be absent for the weekend game against Union Berlin ahead of Wednesday’s operation.
The centre-back first registered with the German Bone Marrow Donor File in 2017 following a campaign by his club.
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And Orban was recently informed his tissue matched with someone in need of healthy blood cells.
A stem cell transplant replaces damaged cells with new ones, and is used in treatments for conditions like lymphoma and leukaemia.
Orban has been receiving injections to increase the number of stem cells in his blood, with tomorrow’s procedure in Dresden set to last several hours.
He will not need to stay overnight at hospital, but doctors usually advise donors to rest for 10 days afterwards, leaving Orban’s availability against Union Berlin in question.
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However, the defender has no qualms about potentially missing the game, revealing he has “no doubts” about the transplant which could “save a human life.”
Orban told Bild: “Of course I was surprised at first when I got the information that I was eligible as a donor.
“But I never had any doubts, I wanted to tackle the donation directly.
“This is the possibility of saving a human life with very little effort, there are no two opinions for me.
“I very much hope that my donation can help to completely heal the recipient.”
Orban added: “I might of course miss the Union game but even with my sporting ambitions, football is of secondary importance.
“Those who know me know that I will do everything I can in order to rejoin the team as soon as possible.
“I hope this inspires more people to register. The process was really simple and I feel like I’ve been very well looked after. My example shows that it makes total sense to register.”
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Orban has been at Leipzig since 2015, helping them achieve promotion to the top flight and becoming one of Germany’s top sides.
The ace has clocked up 269 games for Leipzig and led them to victory in the German Cup last year. More

TWO Bundesliga football stars have allegedly been involved in a serious car accident following an illegal “drag race”.Hamburg duo Jean-Luc Dompe and William Mikelbrencis are the two men that have been identified by the Bild newspaper. 
Hamburg’s Jean-Luc Dompe, pictured at old club Metz, allegedly crashed after an illegal drag raceCredit: Getty
Jean-Luc Dompe (L) and William Mikelbrencis (R) were both reportedly involved in the incidentCredit: PA
They state that a BMW M3 smashed into a bus stop in the St. Pauli area of the northern German city last night.
The motor is said to belong to the club’s 27-year French winger Dompe. 
And he is now reportedly suspected of engaging in an illegal car race.
Bild say that eyewitnesses informed them that Dompe managed to climb out of his wrecked vehicle and then got into a yellow AMG-Mercedes, which he had allegedly been competing against.
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The former Gent ace then fled the scene of the accident.
However, it has now been claimed that the Mercedes he scarpered in is registered to his 18-year-old team-mate Mikelbrencis.
The defender, who is also French, was not believed to be driving with the report stating that it was a 27-year-old Tunisian behind the wheel instead.
Police have already begun investigating the accident.
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And the publication states that “proceedings have been initiated for hit-and-run and illegal street racing”. 
Accident services have also secured the Mercedes and examined it for technical and fibre traces.
Both Dompe and Mikelbrencis only arrived at the Bundesliga club from Zulte Wargem in Belgium and Metz in France respectively last summer.
Dompe has made five appearances in the German second-flight since, while his teenage colleague has appeared once.
Hamburg have yet to make any comment on the incident publicly. More

MANUEL NEUER says it felt like his “heart was being ripped out” as the Bayern Munich star opened up on his injury hell and the sacking of his close pal Toni Tapalovic.The German goalkeeping icon had an accident while skiing last month following his nation’s early elimination from the World Cup.
Manuel Neuer has revealed all about a traumatic few weeksCredit: Getty
Bayern Munich sacked his pal and goalkeeper coach Toni Tapalovic last monthCredit: Getty
It left the 36-year-old with a broken leg which has ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Neuer’s ski boot has been credited as holding his foot together, with the compression the boot provided limiting the swelling around the injury on his leg caused by severe bleeding.
Had the boot and swift services not been factors, the swelling around the leg would have meant doctors could not operate straight away.
Fortunately, Neuer was able to undergo surgery straight away and immediately start the recovery process.
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Now in an interview with The Athletic, he has revealed all about the traumatic last few weeks and how they were made worse by Bayern Munich sacking goalkeeping coach and close friend Tapalovic, who had been at the club since 2011.
On the accident, Neuer said: “There was something under the snow that stopped me. I was doing maybe 10 or 12km/h.
“This wasn’t like going to Ischgl or Solden, where you’ll have a few apricot schnapps in the hut and then race down the hill. This was our local mountain.
“It was a training exercise, a reset for the body and mind. I’ve gone down this piste countless times, even by myself. It’s child’s play, usually.”
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He continued: “First of all, you hope it’s not severe. I didn’t pray, but I lied to myself: ‘It’s not so bad, it’s not a big thing.’
“Some are better at dealing with pain, others who have never had such experiences may find it harder. Because I had played games in a lot of pain at Bayern, my threshold is quite high.
“I was fully conscious the whole time. My friends were all surprised when it became apparent how bad it was. They knew something was wrong, but not to that magnitude.”
Just as he began his road to recovery, Bayern confirmed Tapalovic’s departure and vaguely cited “differences in the way we work together” after an apparent fall-out with boss Julian Nagelsmann.
Neuer said: “Toni was always a team player with us, everyone saw it that way.
“He wasn’t working for me for eleven and a half years, but for the entire goalkeeper group, for the coaching staff and for the club.
“We were always able to separate work and private life. I understand that it might sound like I’m not being objective or not believable, but I can really tell the difference.
“For me, that was a blow — when I was already down on the ground. I felt like my heart was being ripped out.
“It was the most brutal thing I’ve experienced in my career. And I’ve experienced a lot.”
Neuer added: “Everyone in our goalkeeper group was torn to pieces. People burst into tears.
“I think that says it all. We goalkeepers are a team within a team, but Toni was popular with the whole squad.
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“There was no reason that I could comprehend. Things were said that I don’t agree with.
“Nothing I heard would have ruled out the possibility of people talking to each other and sorting things out.” More

MATTHIAS BADER required emergency surgery after a horror challenge in the Bundesliga 2 last weekend.The Darmstadt defender sustained a nasty injury towards the end of a match against Regensburg.
Matthias Bader suffered a ruptured testicleCredit: Getty
In the 73rd minute Bader was on the receiving end of a high tackle from Minos Gouras.
He screamed in agony as he collapsed to the floor with pain in his abdomen.
The 25-year-old was then treated on the pitch before being taken off shortly afterwards.
And according to Bild he underwent surgery after suffering a testicle rupture.
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He was released from hospital earlier this week but is set for a period out on the treatment table.
Darmstadt manager Torsten Lieberknecht confirmed his absence and revealed the right-back will be a loss for his side.
He said: “He sustained a serious abdominal injury.
“The pain got worse and an emergency operation was performed. He will be out for several weeks. This is a great loss for us.”
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Bader could reportedly be out of action for three to four week. More