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Orlando Pirates interim co-coach Mandla Ncikazi has pinned his hopes on the Fifa international break.

Key Pirates players like Thembinkosi Lorch, Innocent Maela, Ben Motshwari and Zakhele Lepasa are battling fitness issues.

After failing in their last three competitive games, Bucs are desperate for good news.

“If there is one team that needs this break, it is Orlando Pirates in terms of injuries,” Ncikazi told Pirates media.

“I’m sure that when we come back, maybe one or two players will also be back to strengthen the team and have more options.”

The problem of key players battling injuries was another major problem at Pirates last season, especially upfront.

With the Soweto giants having already been eliminated from the MTN8, they will have an extended period without involvement in competitive football.

Pirates are facing what seems like a crisis beginning with being knocked out of the MTN8, followed by last weekend’s 2-2 league draw against Stellenbosch, before playing to a goalless draw against Marumo Gallants on Tuesday.

Ncikazi is concerned about failing to execute themselves well including lack of creativity and slow pace.

“We just have to work on the final third, the shots at goal, to create chances, overloads, keep the ball and be patient,” said Ncikazi.

“I thought we were desperate in some moments and lost the ball cheaply [against Marumo Gallants]. I’m highly disappointed at the result. Pirates have got no home and away. Pirates must win based on the targets that have been set for the season.

“We are still below - the pace is a bit slower. I’m just disappointed that maybe in the final third the entries were not as effective, the wide areas were not as effective, shots at goal were not as effective.

“If we are possession-based, we must try to equate the possession we have with the chances we create. But here it was possession for possession, and no chances created. That was my disappointment.  

“We had half-chances. There was one in the first half. If there is half-a-chance — take that. Be more ruthless on set plays. And I don’t think we were as ruthless as in the previous match, but it’s a work in progress.”

After the international break, Pirates resume their league campaign on September 11 against Swallows FC who knocked them out of the MTN8. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has suggested that Manchester United are unlikely to make further additions in the summer transfer window although did confess that "you never know in the world of football".

United have been linked with the likes of Eduardo Camavinga, Kieran Trippier and Saul Niguez, with there still being time for deals to be done ahead of the August 31 deadline.

Solskjaer, though, insists that any further new arrivals at Old Trafford would be a "bonus", claiming that he doesn't expect there to be much activity at the club before the window closes.

What's been said?

In an interview with VG, Solskjaer said: "I don't think much is going to happen. If something happens, it is a bonus. You never know what happens in the world of football.

"But we've had a very good window. I am happy with what we've done."

Man Utd's transfer window so far

United have been active in the transfer window already, with their first signing of the summer having been former Aston Villa goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who has returned to Old Trafford for a second spell with the club.

Solskjaer then landed Sancho from Dortmund in a deal worth around £73 million ($101m) - the Red Devils finally getting their man having chased the England international's signature for a while now.

Real Madrid centre-back Varane was the third player to have completed a switch to join United in the summer transfer window.

The World Cup winner, who was required to quarantine when he arrived in the UK and hasn't yet made his debut for the club, arrived for a cut-price fee of £40m ($55m), with his contract at the Bernabeu having been due to expire in 2022.

As for outgoings, the likes of Axel Tuanzebe, Tahith Chong, Facundo Pellistri, James Garner and Brandon Williams have all been allowed to leave on loan, with the latter having joined Norwich City until the end of the season.

Andreas Pereira and Sergio Romero have also left the club, while Paul Pogba continues to be linked with an exit as he stalls on signing a new contract.

Further reading

Kylian Mbappe wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain but Real Madrid are behaving "illegally" in their pursuit of the forward, claims the French club's sporting director Leonardo.

Mbappe has just entered the final year of his contract at PSG, and has yet to reach an agreement with the club over an extension, leading to speculation that he is angling for a big-money move.

Real has been touted as the most likely next destination for the 22-year-old, with Goal reporting that they lodged a €160 million (£137m/$188m) bid earlier this week, and Leonardo has now given an update on the situation.

What's been said?

The PSG chief has told RMC Sport : "Kylian Mbappé wants to leave, that seems clear. If Real Madrid are making an offer, that seems clear… Me I am giving a position, that, I think, is clear for everyone.

"We cannot, the week before the end of the window, change our plans. If he wants to leave, we will not hold him back, but on our terms."

Leonardo went on to address Real's reported offer for Mbappe, which he believes is merely an underhanded tactic designed to improve their chances of signing him on a free transfer in 2022.

He also confirmed that the World Cup winner has rejected two renewal proposals from PSG, adding: "Our position has always been to keep Kylian, to extend his contract, that has always been our aim and that is still the case.

"We made two significant offers to Kylian: one at the level of the top players in our squad two months ago and one above that of those players very recently. We want to prove to him that he is an important player, at the centre of our project, but not above the project.

"In terms of our position on Real, it seems like a strategy to try to get a no from us, to show that they have tried everything and to wait for a year to get him for free.

"For the last 2 years, Real Madrid have been behaving like this, it is not correct, illegal even because they contacted the player. It is unacceptable for us, because it is not correct.

"It is proof of the strategy: an offer comes 1 year before the end of his contract and 7 days before the end of the window. They want us to reject to show to Kylian that they tried everything and to start negotiating for next year."

More to follow.

New Juventus signing Kaio Jorge has revealed his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting that the striker has "always been an inspiration".

Kaio joined Juve from Santos in a €3 million deal last week, with the 19-year-old committing to a five-year contract at the Allianz Stadium.

He will now have the chance to link up with some of the world's best players, most notably five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo, who he says has already been helping him to settle in behind the scenes in Turin.

What's been said?

Kaio has told the club's official media channel: "Juve is a dream for me. It will be important to adapt well, my team-mates are helping me a lot and Cristiano has given me lots of advice too.

"Cristiano has always been an inspiration to me. I hope to learn a lot from him, he's a fantastic person."

The Brazilian forward added on inheriting the coveted No.21 jersey at Juve: "I chose the number 21 shirt because many great Juventus have worn this number, such as [Andrea] Pirlo, [Zinedine] Zidane, [Paulo] Dybala and [Gonzalo] Higuain."

Pressed on his first impressions of his new club, Kaio responded: "I've been impressed with everything about Juve: from the structures, to the people who welcomed me very well, with a great desire to work hard.

"I came here to have a great season, to enjoy it and learn as much as possible from these great players. I want to fight to score as many goals as possible."

When could Kaio make his debut?

Juventus are due back in Serie A action at home to Empoli on Saturday, but Kaio is unlikely to take part in that fixture after picking up a thigh injury in training.

It had originally been reported that the teenager could be out of action for up to a month, but he has moved to reassure fans that the issue is not a serious one.

"The injury that I suffered on Monday isn't serious, I'll be back soon!" said Kaio.

Assuming his recovery runs smoothy, the former Santos starlet could be available when Juve take in a trip to Napoli in their first game after the international break on September 12.

Is Ronaldo staying at Juve?

Whether or not Ronaldo will still be a Juve player when Kaio makes his debut is something of a mystery, with speculation raging over the 36-year-old's future ahead of the August 31 transfer deadline.

Bianconeri officials have publicly insisted that Ronaldo will be staying put, but it has been reported that he is pushing for a move amid links with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

Further reading

Nani says he's thrilled to be involved in the MLS All-Star Game once again amid what he sees as his best season with Orlando city so far.

The Portuguese star is in his third season in MLS and, through just 16 appearances, he's already amassed nine goals and six assists for the Lions, who sit second in the Eastern Conference.

For his continued role in leading Orlando, Nani has been named an All-Star for the second time and he's looking forward to leading the MLS team against Liga MX in the first iteration of the game's new format.

Nani's All-Star game experience

The Orlando City star is arguably the biggest name involved for the MLS side with fellow stars Carlos Vela and Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez forced out of the game due to injury.

And, after serving as a sort of ambassador during the last All-Star event in Orlando in 2019, Nani is looking forward to participating and representing the league once again.

"It’s a great thing," he told Goal. "I was involved in my first year here and it was something I enjoyed being involved in it’s always great to be involved with the best players of your league, the environment, the game against the other teams so it’s good to be there and show up and get involved."

Nani went on to add that he believes it would be fun to see some sort of All-Star contest in Europe as a way to give the fans a fun event featuring the game's top stars.

However, he does acknowledge it would be difficult to put together logistically between all of the big leagues.

"Why not? But I think it’s difficult in Europe because of the amount of games and the timing to do that should be at the end of the season," he said. "If it’s something they decide to do it will be nice because when you talk about a different type of game it’s nice. It’s always good to have all the stars involved in the same game and it would be nice for the fans."

'My best season here'

Nani has shined for Orlando City throughout the season as he's helped the club establish itself as an MLS Cup contender.

The club has started strong in each of the last two seasons, making the playoffs last term before losing in their second-round clash with the New England Revolution.

And, after scoring 12 goals and providing 10 assists in his first season in MLS, Nani believes that both himself and the club are having their best season yet as he hopes to help lead the team a step further this season.

"I think it’s been a great season for me and my team," he said. "Obviously we have some difficult moments with a couple of injuries of important players and that complicated the last few games a little bit more. The team is much more stronger and we’ve been performing very well against strong teams in the MLS and getting good results.

"For me especially this season has been my best season here. I feel very confident, I’ve got used to the weather and the games. It’s never easy to play any team because I think it’s very equal with the quality of the players so I think it’s not easy to arrive in this league and just perform. You can see from every player that’s been in Europe and the top leagues and they came here."

He continued. "Comparing my first season to now there’s been a big improvement from the league and the players the quality is better you can see the game is more difficult for both teams. There isn’t that big gap anymore between teams and you can see a more competitive game.

"You see more quality at the front in the attack compared to the defence but I think they’ve been improving last season investing in defenders and midfielders and that’s why the quality has increased in the league."

Dike's rise

While Nani believes the level of player brought into MLS may have risen in recent years, the level of player being sold by the league has also taken a step forward.

The next big-money move from MLS may just be Nani's teammate, Daryl Dike, who shined on loan in the Championship with Barnsley last season.

Dike, who is in just his second professional season, scored nine goals while on loan at Barnsley for the second half of last season after scoring eight in his rookie season for Orlando.

He's been linked with a move back to England, and Nani believes the U.S. men's national team forward is a player that is constantly improving.

"Last year he had the opportunity to move to England and play in the Championship which gave him a different experience in his career," he said. "He could build up his game a little bit more and improve his strength and his qualities and managed to score a couple of goals.

"He’s a young player. He has a lot of things he can still improve but he’s a player who can fly very high. He’s just got to keep his feet on the ground and continue to work hard and have a good mentality."

Nani added: "He has all the qualities. He just needs to improve a couple of things that will make him have more interest. We know he can score goals but he’s still young. Let’s see what happens in the next year. He’s still our player, he still has work to do with us, and he still needs to continue to show he’s a great player."

Further reading

With a boatload of goals in pre-season, words of encouragement from his new manager in the off-season and a newly promoted side coming to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in gameweek one; Victor Osimhen was tipped to tear Venezia to shreds on Sunday night.

However, 22 minutes after Gianluca Aureliano’s first whistle, the Nigerian was receiving his marching orders for violent conduct in front of the home support.

It didn’t prove costly for Luciano Spalletti’s men who rallied to beat the side from Venice playing their first match in Serie A for 19 years.

The situation that could effectively have been resolved with a ‘talking to’ strangely saw Aureliano mete out harsh punishment on the Super Eagle who received his first red card in the competition and second since signing for the Azzurri in summer 2020.

It is far from ideal for the frontman who came into the game on the back of an impressive pre-season which included a quick-fire brace in a 3-0 dismantling of Bayern Munich in Bavaria.

In total, Osimhen netted a staggering eight times in the team’s friendlies and looked set to punish a side that were winless in their last 12 Serie A games (a run from their 2001/02 campaign) and one that tends to lose on the opening day anyway.

The 2-0 win was certainly what the doctor ordered, but Spalletti’s admonition of his star striker had to resonate, despite a perceived feeling he’d been hard done by with the referee’s decision.

“The expulsion of Osimhen? He has to be careful of his emotional reactions,” Spalletti said as quoted by Ilnapolista. “He is a strong attacker, and all defenders will help each other. He will always have his hands on the defenders. He must be careful.

“The referee was corrected when I went to talk to him, and he explained what he saw.”

Having mostly praised the young attacker at almost every opportunity since taking charge, Spalletti has now pointed out a need to curb his frenzied pressing and on-pitch fervour.

In a sense, you wonder how this would work, especially as those two elements, by and large, distinguish the Nigeria superstar once he crosses that white line. He wears his heart on his sleeve and leaves everything on the pitch.

Ideally, you’d want the West African to find a balance and channel his zeal effectively, but then wonder if this will ever be a possibility for someone who is largely fuelled by that fire in his belly.

It might not diminish as he ages or matures — just ask Diego Costa, the pantomime on-field villain in his pomp — and any change will be the ultimate successful character arc. Having been labelled the ‘striker whisperer’ — and for good reason — it’ll be interesting to see how Spalletti shapes the 22-year-old in the coming weeks, months and, perhaps, years.

On Sunday, Osimhen’s pressing was anything but toned down. He harried ferociously, at times needlessly, in an attempt to force errors in Venezia’s build-up.

After only four minutes, he won a free kick by putting pressure on visiting goalkeeper Niki Maenpaa who was forced into an error. Three minutes later, the Nigerian’s harrying of the shot-stopper almost saw a hasty clearance find its way in for the opening goal after a ricochet off the marksman’s boot nearly diverted the ball in.

The forward, who looked hungry and had two low-percentage efforts before his dismissal, will now miss games at Genoa and possibly a huge Juventus encounter in Naples after the international break.

Perhaps, unfortunately, the momentum he gathered heading into the campaign may now be lost somewhat, although the club have confirmed an appeal is in the offing.

Indeed, this strong run began at the backend of last season when he netted seven of his 10 Serie A goals from April onwards, a return, in that same period, only bettered by Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic.

Another season in which Osimhen scored double figures saw him and Erling Haaland become the two youngest players — born in 1998 and 2000 respectively — to score 10 goals or higher in league football for two campaigns in succession.

Having had his debut season marked as something of a disappointment, the aforementioned statistic, therefore, puts things into context.

He was expected to have a storming season, and some even believe the Nigerian is an outsider for the Capocannoniere. In that sense, you’d hope Sunday’s red card was only a setback and the young centre-forward’s fettle won’t be hindered by this early suspension.

Napoli did continue their impressive record against Venezia — which now stands at 11 wins in 13 encounters — with this recent win sealing the Partenopei’s second Serie A win on the trot against the visitors from Venice.

Having picked up a fifth consecutive opening day league victory, the Champions League hopefuls will hope Osimhen returns to the blistering pre-season form post-suspension that caused locals to believe they’d return to Europe’s elite competition after a two-year absence.

East Bengal officials have announced on Wednesday that they are ready to sign the final agreement of their joint venture with investor Shree Cement.

The announcement was made after the two parties came face-to-face at the West Bengal secretariat building in front of the honourable Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee.

The decision was made after the Chief Minister mediated and met the two parties to solve the deadlock which has been ongoing since October 2020.

With the agreement signed, the joint venture of Shree Cement and East Bengal is now legitimised. It also means that the investor will now finally be able to focus on team building and complete other formalities which are needed to make East Bengal play in the Indian Super League (ISL) season eight.

What did Shree Cement and East Bengal officials say?

"We want to play. There were some differences so we could not sign the agreement. But since you (Mamata Banerjee) have requested, we have decided that we will participate in ISL," said Shree Cement's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Subash Jajoo.

Speaking on the development, East Bengal senior official Debabrata Sarkar said, "Mamata Banerjee has helped us (East Bengal) to play in ISL this season. I also thank Sree Cement for their co-operation."

What happened between East Bengal and Shree Cement and how did the matter get resolved?

After Quess Corp parted ways with East Bengal in June 2020 after being the club's investor for two seasons, Shree Cement came on board as their new investor which facilitated the club's move to the Indian Super League (ISL). They then proceeded to establish a joint venture named Shree Cement East Bengal Foundation, in which the cement giants held 76 per cent stakes while the club had 24.

After Shree Cement's arrival, a term sheet was signed by both parties in September 2020 in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who had played an important role in bringing the company on board as the club's new investor.

Based on the term sheet, the club’s sporting rights as well all its assets and properties (including intellectual) were reportedly transferred to the newly formed joint venture between the two parties. Even though the term sheet was signed, the final binding agreement of the deal is yet to be signed by the officials despite multiple reminders.

Shree Cement had already sent a revised version of the final agreement to the club as well as to the West Bengal Chief Minister on August 16 but the officials did not agree to sign.  After multiple reminders, the investors informed the state Chief Minister about their inclination to end the deal on August 23.

Although the company informed the Chief Minister about their decision, they did not send an official letter to the club. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee then called upon both parties to mediate and on Wednesday it was officially announced that the differences have been resolved and the club will participate in ISL season 8.

Mamelodi Sundowns senior coach Steve Komphela has exposed fan abuse on Twitter after following the Tshwane giants' draw with Chippa United on Tuesday.

Masandawana were frustrated by a resilient Chilli Boys side in a PSL encounter which ended in a 0-0 draw at the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup venue, Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

Therefore, Sundowns failed to secure a win for the first time in the 2021/22 season having started the new term with wins over Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu FC, before facing Chippa.

Masandawana fans took to social media to react to the draw and one of them sent a direct message to Komphela's official Twitter account.

The 54-year-old tactician shared the message on his timeline. 

Komphela, who is working under Masandawana's co-head coaches Manqoba Mngqithi and Rulani Mokwena, is very active on Twitter as he tends to interact with the fans. 

However, the former Kaizer Chiefs head coach decided to expose the abuse from one of the fans, who was unhappy with the team selection against Chippa.

The Sundowns technical team had made three changes to the team which had faced and defeated AmaZulu FC 1-0 last week Friday in their opening PSL match of the campaign.

Themba Zwane, Kennedy Mweene, and Mosa Lebusa were the three players who were dropped from the starting line-up ahead of the clash with the Chilli Boys.

The club announced that Lebusa and Zwane had been ruled out of the match without revealing the reasons for their omission from the starting line-up.

Despite having produced good performances against Chiefs and AmaZulu, Mweene was relegated to the bench with Denis Onyango starting in goal.

Masandawana are set to take on Lamontville Golden Arrows in the MTN8 semi-final first-leg match at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Saturday.

Marumo Gallants coach Sebastian Migne has revealed how they easily managed to contain Orlando Pirates during their Premier Soccer League fixture at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday.

The Buccaneers failed to register their first win of the season after being held to a 0-0 draw and the result came after their 2-2 draw against Stellenbosch FC in their season opener.

The French tactician has said he knew the kind of game to expect from Pirates having studied them during their opening fixture and believes they were unlucky to have missed out on maximum points.

What did Migne say?

“I am happy, I am proud of my players. They gave me some good answers. The team spirit and tactically we were good. I think we created some trouble for Pirates. We were unlucky as well because we hit the crossbar,” Migne told SuperSport TV.

“We had a good study of Pirates. We are strong defensively and compact. We took the example of Stellenbosch against them. Now we need to try and develop an attractive football. But we need to keep a good balance.”

The former Kenya coach further revealed his plans to sign more players before the transfer windows ends.

“It was better than last week; we corrected some things on defensive set-pieces. I have a lot of hope for the future,” Migne continued.

“If you don’t have a full squad in continental competition [Caf Confederation Cup], it will not be easy to travel and we will lose some players. Try to help me to convince my board to add some players. Not only players but good players.”

Ncikazi not a happy man

In a previous interview, Orlando Pirates interim co-coach Mandla Ncikazi admitted he was disappointed with his charges' decision-making in the final third and called on them to show more ruthlessness moving forward.

"Disappointed with the result. When you look at the match and see how the opponent played they were playing with a low block," Ncikazi said. "At the beginning of the season, you still have to get the rhythm as a team.

"Trying to fix certain things. But I never thought they would play that low. It suited their game," he added. "If we're going to win matches we need to be more ruthless. We're not going to create lots of chances when a team plays like that."

Ncikazi, who is currently in charge of Bucs along with Fadlu Davids, continued: "First half we had a few half chances and a chance we did not take. I thought we would take a few from set plays, but the delivery was not in the right place but it's a work in progress," he said.

"I'm disappointed but I see the improvement a bit and the confidence in the team and how they circulate and protect the ball, but the result is not what we expected.

"Based on how the opponents were playing we had to try and pause a bit. We changed the formation that we started with and changed the personnel on top.

"I thought the changes had the effect but sometimes we lost the ball in areas where we need to be patient. Maybe the wrong pass, the wrong decision, the timing is not right in the final third," he added. "Maybe with time we will improve but like I said there is progress. There is confidence which is important to win."

Co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi has pointed out which aspects of his game Mameldoi Sundowns' Haashim Domingo should worry about and strive to improve upon.

Assessing the player after the 0-0 Premier Soccer League stalemate against Chippa United on Tuesday at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Mngqithi pinpointed areas the midfielder must seek to improve in order to raise his stature as a player.

"He is a little bit composed because there is no doubt he is technically very gifted," Mngqithi told the media after the match.

"He needs to work a little bit harder to be an offensive midfielder and force situations offensively. His counter-pressing is good, his passing game is good, but the game of football in a big team needs a little bit more from a number eight.
 
"Number eight should score goals, should have assists like in the previous match where he played a pass to Peter Shalulile and we got a penalty out of it. He needs such actions so he can build his confidence to top the number of chances created.
 
"He needs to ask questions; how many chances have I created and how many goals have I scored?
 
"How many shots at goal have I taken, how many box entries have I made? Those are the numbers that any offensive midfielder should worry himself about. That is an area of his game that he needs to improve a little bit, but he is still a good player."

"Our centre-backs never gave no headaches to us, it is just that we were not incisive enough offensively as we never forced situations, and maybe not being adventurous enough," he added.

"When you do not have enough crosses and sufficient crosses in and around the opposition box it does not help you at all. When you play in front of them no matter how many touches on the ball you can have with your number six, with your centre-backs with your goalkeeper, it does not help.

"What is more important is to try and force the game on the opponent and see what you get out of it."

Mngqithi added he would not blame the level of their physical fitness for the Chippa United draw as he emphasised he is happy with the state of progress of his players.

"At this stage of the season, it is not all about the highest level of fitness. The same team managed to play 120 minutes against Kaizer Chiefs so, I would not say the performance is probably because of fitness level," he continued.

"I think the condition of players is okay, but it can still improve. Obviously, there are other teams that are looking very sharp now but we know our marathon and we know we have to build progressively up until we arrive at the point we want. As coaches, we are happy about the progress we are making and so it is not a question of physical condition.

"Chippa in the second half were willing to give us spaces we could have used to punish them but we tried a little bit. In football, it is easy to raise fitness questions when you do not win a match but the truth of the matter is that we are happy with the progress the team is making."

Next for Masandawana is MT8's semi-final encounter against Golden Arrows on August 28.

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says “quality” is what he considers most as he justified picking players who are struggling for game time at their clubs.

The former Cameroon coach trimmed his squad to 23 players to do duty in September’s 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Ghana.

But in his squad are the Kaizer Chiefs duo of defenders Sibusiso Mabiliso and Austin Dube, who are yet to make their official debuts for the Soweto giants.

Mamelodi Sundowns’ Nyiko Mobbie has also been included in Broo’s squad despite having little prospects of playing at Masandawana.

“First of all, when you make a selection, first thing is quality. I can leave all those players out because they don’t play, but will I have enough players to replace them with enough quality to play for Bafana? So I can take that risk to take players who’re not playing,” said Broos as per Times Live.

“In future, selecting players who don’t play at club level can be a problem for me. Now every player has preparation in pre-season, so normally they’re physically okay. But in two months’ time if they don’t play I will have a problem, so I hope in the next weeks and months some players will play.”

Percy Tau is another player selected by Broos despite struggling for game time at Brighton and Hove Albion.

But the former Sundowns star might not feature for Bafana after the Premier League barred players from travelling to red-listed countries, unless if Tau joins Al Ahly before the qualifiers.

Bafana first visit neighbours Zimbabwe for the September 3 clash in Harare, before hosting Ghana three days later.

The Ghana match comes six months after the Black Stars frustrated South Africa with a 1-1 draw at FNB Stadium, a result which contributed to Bafana failing to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals.

They were then led by Molefi Ntseki but now the West Africans provide a stern test for Broos.

“I like to win games and to win a game you’ve to score. If you don’t score you don’t win a game, this is, first of all, why this team is so maybe offensive,’’ Broos added

South Africa last qualified for the World Cup in 2002, before participation at the 2010 edition as hosts.

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6.  This durable Mitre Impel Max Football has 30 panels stitched together using special water-repelling Hyperseam technology which makes this ball perfect for all weather conditions.

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7.  Never suffer a flat football again with this good old basic ​Mitre Double Action Pump.

Get it from Mitre for £5.60

8.  Get the training version of the spiked Adidas Predator Training Goalkeeper Gloves worn in the Euro 2020 final by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Get them from JD Sports for £13.00

9. Store up to 300 split and lap times with this Kalenji ONstart 710 Stopwatch, or use the coach function which allows you to programme in a personalised training session and time it. 

Get it from Decathlon for £29.99

10. Those that prefer a more traditional whistle can get this Kipsta Black Plastic Whistle and a Kipsta Whistle Wrist Strap to keep the whistle close at hand during matches and training.

Get them from Decathlon – Whistle £1.99 / Wrist strap £4.99

11. Give aching muscles a post-match deep-tissue massage with the THERABODY Theragun PRO / THERABODY Theragun Mini professional massage guns that have been endorsed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Get it from JD Sports for £555.00 (Pro) / £175.00 (Mini)

12. Strap up recovering muscles like a pro with this supportive Proworks Kinesiology Tape.

Get it from Amazon for £6.95

13. Light the way for nighttime training sessions or solo practice trips to the park in the dark with a Ledlenser NEO4 Head Torch.

Get it from JD Sports for £25.00

14. This Mitre Set of 4 Agility Ladders will boost your team’s speed and coordination with a variety of different exercises to try out.

Get them from Mitre for £50.00

Get them from Mitre for £74.00

16. This Mitre Impel Football is a perfect all-rounder that’s suitable for use on either grass or astroturf.

Get it from Mitre for £10.00

17. These wearable STATSports Apex GPS Performance Trackers are approved by FIFA, trusted by many professional clubs and keep track of your training and gameday data. It comes in adult or junior size.

Get it from JD Sports for £200.00

18. This set of six Mitre Training Hurdles help older players develop speed and power and are useful in a variety of training drills.

Get them from Mitre for £47.00

19. This set of training dummies are perfect for practising your free kicks and are completely foldable for storage.

Get them from JD Sports for £80.00

20. This Mitre Mesh Ball Sack holds up to 10 full-sized footballs.

Get it from Mitre for £6.79

Get them from Decathlon for £12.99

Get them from Decathlon for £3.99

23.  And finally, these BlazePod flash-light reaction training pods link up to an app and can attach to any surface to improve your reaction time and bring a sense of competition when training alone.

Get them from JD Sports for £300.00

Kaizer Chiefs’ bid for a first Premier Soccer League title since 2015 continues when they host Baroka FC at FNB Stadium on Wednesday.

The Soweto giants started their campaign on a low note after being held 0-0 by TS Galaxy away last Sunday.

But to silence those who might have already started doubting their capability to win the league title, Stuart Baxter and his men would be keen to rejuvenate themselves against Baroka.

The Soweto giants have not won a major piece of silverware since claiming the 2015 championship.

Interestingly, it was Baxter who delivered the league title for them and now on his return to the club, expectations are that he helps to end their dry period. 

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

Squads & Team News

Just after the TS Galaxy encounter, Baxter hinted at bringing back captain Itumeleng Khune after the goalkeeper did not feature at Mbombela Stadium due to tactical reasons according to the coach.

No Chiefs players are suspended for Wednesday's match, but Amakhosi attackers Leonardo Castro and Dumisdani Zuma remain sidelined by long-term injuries.

But the good news for Baxter is that attacking midfielder Lebogang Manyama has started training with the rest of the squad and could be up for selection. 

Just like Amakhosi, Baroka coach Thoka Matsimela has none of his players suspended for this game.

Matsimela would be hoping his chief striker Evidence Makgopa remains in top form which he maintained from last season to South Africa at the Olympics, before scoring in Baroka’s season opener against Marumo Gallants last Saturday.

Match Preview

Chiefs and Baroka have scores to settle after sharing spoils 1-1 on both occasions they met in league games last season. 

But they now clash coming from facing different fortunes in their opening league matches. 

Chiefs dropped points in the 0-0 draw against TS Galaxy while Baroka started the campaign on a brighter note following a 2-0 victory over Marumo Gallants.

That result recorded by Bakgaka positions them as a side that can potentially upset Amakhosi.

After all the nine new signings Chiefs made in gearing up for this season, they would want to avoid dropping points again and have their transfer business being questioned.

The Soweto giants have failed to win their last two games after being knocked out of the MTN8 by Sundowns on August 14, before last weekend’s draw against TS Galaxy.