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EUROPEAN PAPER REVIEW - Messi to miss El Clasico, Barcelona forced to apologise, and mediocre teams can win

A round-up of what European newspapers have been reporting including the latest on Lionel Messi’s fitness and an apology from his Barcelona side.

“Messi. No For Bernabeu” is the headline on the front page of Monday’s edition of the Catalan daily, Sport. The paper, with close contacts inside Camp Nou, adds: “The priority is to recover 100% without taking risks. Luis Enrique tried a plan B against Getafe and can play with a 4-4-2.”

That was Getafe, where Barça won 2-0 on Saturday to stay joint top of La Liga with Real Madrid. While Sergi Roberto’s ball for Neymar’s finish was praised, the headlines were grabbed by a Halloween stunt from Barça’s players which went wrong. Wearing masks, the players burst into the press room as Getafe’s Victor Rodriguez was talking to the media. ‘They said sorry’ headlined Mundo Deportivo, complete with the Barca players dressed in their Halloween costumes on the tarmac at Barajas Airport before the flight home.

“In no case was it our intention to offend and/or hurt any member of Getafe’s team,” said a Barça statement. “Our emergence in the post-game interview area during Victor Rodríguez’s press conference was an unfortunate and involuntary accident.”

Perhaps the next apology from the players will be for their insistence on wearing double denim to games.

Atletico slipped to fourth after a 1-1 draw at Depor, but Marca ran a double page spread ahead of their trip to Kazakstan for a champions League game this week complete with a breakdown of what they’re taking to keep warm. That’s 60 large coats, 100 pairs of gloves, 100 warm hats, 100 neck warmers and 100 thermal body suits. “The temperatures will be less than zero,” reads the article. As it often is in Madrid in winter. Oh, and the game can be played with the stadium roof closed if it gets really cold.

In Germany, Bayern Munich’s 100% start to the season finally came to an end in Frankfurt on Friday night. “Will everybody play like Eintracht now?” questioned Tageszeitung after the hosts “defended their penalty area like a handball team” to earn a 0-0 draw. Phillip Lahm said: “I didn’t think it was possible to be more defensive than defensive” while Sport1 referred to Frankfurt’s “anti-footballers”. FOCUS saw it differently, lauding the “Fiery Frankfurters” as “ruthless, combative opponents”.

Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund capitalised on the leaders’ slip up on Saturday, the latter closing the gap to five points. The Wolves beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 thanks to an incorrect decision by referee Manuel Gräfe, who failed to spot that Vierinha was well offside before crossing for Nicklas Bendtner to open the scoring. “A fantastic game - just a shame the ref couldn’t keep up”, remarked BILD scathingly, whilst Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Völler was furious at the “huge injustice” done to his team. Spiegel raised a more pertinent issue, asking, “Does football need more help from technology?”

Borussia Mönchengladbach’s winning streak under interim boss André Schubert continued with a 4-1 win away at Hertha Berlin. Whilst Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that the Gladbach players want Schubert to take over on a permanent basis, the club are still to make a decision. As for Hertha, it was their first home defeat at a time when things appeared to be looking up; the Berliner Zeitung reporting on a “fan boom” in the capital with rising attendances in a city not necessarily famed for its football. For the majority of the 58,500 fans in the Olympiastadion on Saturday, however, it was “no chances, no ideas, no luck - a horror Halloween for Hertha” (Berliner Kurier).

In France, French broadcaster TF1 reported “a good weekend for the big clubs” as PSG, St Etienne, Marseille and Lyon all won in Ligue 1. “PSG win at Rennes and continue to set the pace” said Le Monde as the French champions won 1-0 thanks to an Angel Di Maria goal. Setting the pace they may be, but more of a “walking pace” according to Metronews as Laurent Blanc rested key players ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Madrid.

Marseille showed that “you can be quite mediocre and still win” (l'Équipe) as they beat Nantes 1-0 to go 12th. Lyon weren’t much better but are in the top 3 for the first time after a 1-0 win over ten-man Troyes. “Lyon not looking good but second”, said Libération, adding that OL’s form is “worrying ahead of the crucial visit of Zenit St Petersburg and a week before a red hot derby against St Etienne.”

In contrast, their bitter rivals are hitting form just at the right time. “Convincing and up to 4th”, said La Croix after the Stéphanois beat Reims 3-0 thanks to three goals in 20 “high-tempo” second half minutes. A “timid” SM Caen (FranceFootball) faltered away at Bastia, losing 1-0 to drop to 5th, as did fellow early high-flyers Angers who lost 1-0 away to Monaco. “Monaco finally win at the Stade Louis II”, said La Croix as the Monagasques won at home for the first time to go 6th.

In Italy, Inter beat Roma to move up to second, while Milan’s 3-1 win at Lazio – while wearing colours to mark the end of EXPO Milan – made the cover of La Gazzetta dello Sport under the headline ‘Miha’s Milan Arrive’. “Third win in eight days: Rossoneri just five points from the top after goals from Bertolacci, Mexes and Bacca,” it continued.

Fiorentina’s 4-1 win at home to Frosinone keeps them ahead of Inter on goal difference. “Four different scorers in Florence against Frosinone in front of (40-year-old prime minister) Renzi,” said Gazzetta. Just two points separate Italy’s top four.