IBRAHIMOVIC: Paris St Germain will be without injured striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic when they host lowly Lorient in Ligue 1 today, the French champions said in a statement. The Sweden striker, who has been suffering from knee pains lately, was not included in the squad announced yesterday.

BENDER: Germany international Lars Bender has extended his contract at Bayer Leverkusen by two more years to 2019, the club said yesterday. The versatile midfielder is a contender for a spot in Germany’s 2014 World Cup squad along with twin brother Sven, who plays for Borussia Dortmund. “We made the right decision when we brought him from 1860 Munich to us four years ago,” said Leverkusen sports director Rudi Voller.

MEXICO: Mexico gave themselves a much-needed boost for their World Cup playoff against New Zealand with a 4-2 win over Finland in a friendly. Veteran defender Rafael Marquez opened the scoring in the 11th minute at the Qualcomm in San Diego, California on Wednesday in coach Miguel Herrera’s debut in charge. Mexico scored further goals through midfielder Carlos Pena and strikers Oribe Peralta and Jesus Escoboza with Finland hitting back through Jarkko Hurme and an own goal by defender Juan Carlos Valenzuela.

CHELSEA: Chelsea have agreed to sign 18-year-old Burkina Faso midfielder Bertrand Traore on a four and a half year contract. He joins from Burkinabe club Association Jeunes Espoirs De Bobo-Dioulasso, having had a trial spell with Chelsea on their pre-season tour of Asia.

SCHAFER: Wolfsburg have exten-ded the contract of defender Marcel Schafer until 2017, after which he will be given another role in the club, should he choose to retire from playing. The 29-year-old is the Wolves’ longest-serving player and penned the three-year contract extension yesterday to affirm his commitment to a club he joined in 2007.

PRIMERA LIGA: Granada vs A. Madrid 1-2; Villarreal vs Getafe 0-2.