Iheanacho, Ndidi to face Brentford as English Premier League returns for the 31st season – Newstrends
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Iheanacho, Ndidi to face Brentford as English Premier League returns for the 31st season

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Iheanacho, Ndidi

The English Premier League is Back! Fans are excited for the 38 weeks of undisputed football. The season gets underway on Friday, August 5, 2022, with a night football clash featuring Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park.

Arsenal, in their pre-season campaign, showed incredible form as they wrapped up the campaign with a 6-0 win over Sevilla on July 30, 2022. New signing, Gabriel Jesus, is looking to be a good deal for Arsenal as he netted a hat trick in the match. But the Eagle boss, Patrick Vieira, will no doubt love to start with a win against his old side.

The kickoff match for the 31st season of the English Premier League will be live on Showmax Pro, the streaming platform that is changing the way we watch football, courtesy of SuperSport.

Saturday will kick off with Fulham welcoming Mohamad Salah’s Liverpool at Craven Cottage at 1:20 PM WAT. For Jurgen Klopp, the season’s goal will include lifting the EPL cup after narrowly missing out on the title last season with just one point.

The Saturday games will continue with AFC Bournemouth welcoming Aston Villa. Wolverhampton will travel to Elland Road to face Leeds United. Newcastle will receive Nottingham Forest for their first EPL game in 23 years. Antonio Conte will lead Tottenham Hotspur against their old rivalry Southampton. Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are expected to start the game as the duo continues their incredible partnership.

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Saturday’s games will end with a clash between Everton and Chelsea by 5:30 PM WAT, and all the actions will be live on Showmax Pro. With the signing of Raheem Sterling, Chelseas’s boss Thomas Tuchel believes the forward can help shape the club and close the gap Liverpool and Manchester City have created over the last five seasons. Antonio Rudiger left for Real Madrid, and Romelu Lukaku returned to Inter Milian just a year after a club-record signing of £97.5 million. Chelsea is “rebuilding”, and new signings Raheem Sterling, Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and Omari Hutchinson are expected to help the process.

Week one will end with super games on Sunday. Iheanacho Kelechi and his Nigerian teammate Wilfred Ndidi will welcome Brentford at King Power stadium. Leicester was on top of their form in their preseason campaign, winning five out of the six matches. Iheanacho scored his first goal in preseason, while Wilfred Ndidi retired to action in their 3-1 win over Derby County.

At the theatre of Dreams, Erik Ten Hag will make his EPL debut when he welcomes Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday at 2.00 PM WAT. Manchester United started their preseason with a 4-0 win against Liverpool. After missing out on the fourth position last season, the club will be looking forward to bouncing back to the glory old days, and Erik is showing signs of committing to the rebuilding process. While Cristiano Ronaldo’s fate in the club is yet to be decided, he has returned to training, but Erik is unsure of his fitness after the 37-year-old missed out on almost all the club’s preseason matches.

EPL champions Manchester City will face West Ham United in a crucial match at London Stadium on Sunday. Pep Guardiola’s aims will perhaps include lifting the EPL title for the fifth time since he joined the club in 2016. Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega and Julian Alvarez have all been unveiled at the Etihad Stadium. Haaland is expected to replicate his goal-scoring streak, and fans are excited to watch his Premier League debut. 22-year-old striker Julian Alvarez is also anticipated to add his speed and agility to the City’s forward.

Are you excited about the return of the EPL football season? Never miss a match. Catch up with all the exciting moments, actions and suspense on Showmax Pro. Simply download the app on the Google Play store and enjoy uninterrupted streaming of football matches.

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Super Eagles suffer 2-0 loss to Mali in friendly match 

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Super Eagles suffer 2-0 loss to Mali in friendly match 

Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Tuesday night suffered a 2-0 defeat to Mali in a friendly match played in Marrakech, Morocco.

Mali, ranked 19th below the Super Eagles in the FIFA’s latest standings, opened scoring through Atalanta-based striker El Bilal Toure in the first half after Nigeria’s dreadful error resulting from a short goal kick.

Toure could barely believe his luck when defender Chidozie Awaziem tried to play a long square pass under pressure near the edge of the Nigeria box and succeeded only in crossing the ball straight to the Mali striker.

He controlled well on his chest before bundling a finish past goalkeeper Stanely Nwabali.

Nigeria lost Moses Simon to injury when the Nantes star collided with Mali keeper Mamadou Samassa and had to be substituted after appearing to suffer a painful knee injury.

Kamory Doumbia made it 2-0 for Mali with three minutes to normal regulation time.

Nigeria defeated Ghana 2-1 last Friday in a positive result for interim coach Finidi George, the former Ajax and Real Betis winger, who won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations.

The defeat has left the Super Eagles with a lot of concerns before they resume World Cup qualifying in June.

This was the 12th meeting between Nigeria and Mali. Nigeria have the head-to-head advantage, with six wins and three defeats in those games.

Mali’s most recent previous win over the Super Eagles was a 4-1 friendly victory way back in 1975.

Some key stars missed the friendly match due to injury. They are Victor Osimhen, William Troost-Ekong, Victor Boniface, Ola Aina, and Zaidu Sanusi.

Midfielder Frank Onyeka has also withdrawn from the squad.

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Chelsea, Arsenal, PSG ready to pay €90m for Victor Osimhen

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Victor Osimhen

Chelsea, Arsenal, PSG ready to pay €90m for Victor Osimhen

Chelsea, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are ready to offer €90 million for Napoli star striker, Victor Osimhen, according to Italian newspaper, II Mattino.

Osimhen has a release clause of around €120 million in his contract but Napoli President Aurelio de Laurentiis could accept a bid below that, according to the publication.

Napoli are prepared to part company with the Nigerian at the end of the season despite the forward signing a new contract last December.

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Chelsea, Arsenal and PSG have been persistently linked with a move for the forward.

Intermediaries are reportedly working with the striker’s agent, Roberto Calenda to sort out his future.

Osimhen, who joined Napoli from Ligue 1 club, Lille in 2022, has scored 72 goals in 125 appearances for the Partenopei.

Chelsea, Arsenal, PSG ready to pay €90m for Victor Osimhen

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Finidi George aims for second victory as Super Eagles face Mali today

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Finidi George

Finidi George aims for second victory as Super Eagles face Mali today

Former World Cup star Finidi George is determined to secure a second consecutive win as he leads the Super Eagles in their clash against Mali today. Appointed as the interim coach for the Nigerian team, George aims to maintain the winning momentum after their recent victory over Ghana.

The encounter between the two West African teams is scheduled at the Grand Stade de Marrakech in Morocco, where the Super Eagles emerged triumphant in their previous match against arch-rivals Ghana with a 2-1 scoreline.

However, George faces challenges as key players such as defender Calvin Bassey and midfielder Frank Onyeka are sidelined due to injuries, adding to the absence of other notable names like Victor Osimhen, William Ekong, and Olaoluwa Aina.

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Despite these setbacks, George remains optimistic about the team’s prospects against Mali. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a winning mentality and expresses confidence in the players’ ability to replicate their performance against Ghana and secure another victory.

Notably, George himself has a history with the Eagles of Mali, having played against them during the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria emerged victorious.

In light of the absences and injuries, George may turn to players such as goalkeeper Olorunleke Ojo, defenders Kenneth Omeruo and Jamilu Collins, midfielder Alhassan Yusuf, and forwards Nathan Tella, Sadiq Umar, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru to play prominent roles in the upcoming fixture.

Despite the challenges, Finidi George remains determined to guide the Super Eagles to another triumph as they prepare for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in June.

Finidi George aims for second victory as Super Eagles face Mali today

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