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Chelsea have confirmed that they have reached an agreement with RB Leipzig to sign striker Timo Werner.

Werner has signed a five-year contract worth 170,000 per week, with the Germany international set to arrive at Stamford Bridge in July as part of a £47.5 million ($59m) deal.

The Blues confirmed that the prolific frontman will remain with his current club until the end of the Bundesliga season and, subject to a medical examination, will link up with his new side ahead of the 2020-21 Premier League campaign.

A plethora of sides, including Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter, had been credited with an interest in Werner, but it's the Blues that have won the race to sign a player who is currently enjoying the most prolific season of his career.

Speaking to Chelsea's official website, Werner said: "I am delighted to be signing for Chelsea, it is a very proud moment for me to be joining this great club.

"I of course want to thank RB Leipzig, the club and the fans, for four fantastic years. You will forever be in my heart. I look forward to next season with my new team-mates, my new manager and of course the Chelsea fans. Together we have a very successful future ahead of us."

The forward, capable of playing anywhere across the frontline but often deployed at part of a strike duo, has amassed an incredible 32 goals and 13 assists across 43 appearances this term and the club's hierarchy are understandably excited at completing the transfer coup.

Director Marina Granovskaia said of the signing: "We are very excited that Timo Werner has chosen to join Chelsea. He is a player who was coveted all over Europe and it is no surprise, he has that rare mix of being young and exciting and yet established and proven. 

"We can’t wait to have Timo on board, but until then we wish him and RB Leipzig all the best for the rest of this season."

Currently sitting third in the Bundesliga, Leipzig are on course to qualify for the Champions League once again.

They may well have do without Werner for what remains of the 2019-20 edition of Europe's premier club competition, however, with Goal having reported that the striker has told Leipzig he is unwilling to feature.

Napoli head coach Gennaro Gattuso has admitted that he only expects to retain the services of 70-80 per cent of his squad in the upcoming transfer window, with several of his players having been linked with a move elsewhere.

Dries Mertens recently pledged his future to the Neapolitan side, putting an end to speculation that the forward might join Chelsea or Inter, but there remains uncertainty regarding some of the club's other big names.

Indeed, the likes of Arkadiusz Milik, Kalidou Koulibaly, Hirving Lozano and Brazilian midfielder Allan have all been subject to transfer speculation and Gattuso admits that he doesn't expect to retain the services of everyone currently at his disposal.

“We don't need to operate too much in the market,” the trainer told the press. “We have to see who's going to leave us. Our chairman knows it – we speak about it every week. This is a strong team but I think that only 70-80% of the players will stay with us.

“We will do a few transfers but I know this team has great quality [already].”

That quality was underlined on Wednesday evening as Napoli beat Maurizio Sarri's Juventus in the Coppa Italia final, winning 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

And Gattuso, who has only been in charge for six months following Carlo Ancelotti's ill-fated spell at the helm, felt that he was kicking every ball from the dugout, calling on his own experience as a player to push his charges to victory.

“It was a great win,” he said. “I am 42 years old, this is my fourth final as a coach – I played 15 when I was a player, so that's 19 now in my career.

“When you start, coaching is completely different. I have many responsibilities on my shoulders. Sometimes I act like I am the chairman, or the doctor, or the storekeeper, and it's difficult when you live football like me.

“But it's the only way I know how to live. That's why I feel we won this trophy as if I played the game myself. I know where we started and how I pushed my players and the people working for the club. We deserved it.”

Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Luc Eymael has once again blamed the condition of the pitch for the team’s dropped points against JKT Tanzania in a Mainland Premier League match on Wednesday.

The Jangwani Street-based giants were forced to come from a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw in what was the only encounter in Tanzania's top-flight on the day.

Michael Aidan scored the opener for JKT before Patrick Sibomana equalised for Team ya Wananchi in the second half.  Yanga found themselves trailing after Aidan's long-range shot, from the right-hand flank, found its way into the top corner.

An outstretched keeper Metacha Mnata could not keep the strike at bay as his defenders looked helplessly on. This is the first goal the Wananchi conceded since the restart of the league as they had won the first match against Mwadui FC by a 1-0 margin.

The Belgian tactician has hit out at the condition of the Dodoma grounds saying it was bouncing like popcorns denying his players the chance to play their passing game.

“It was a very tough game, very difficult pitch, bouncing everywhere, the ball was bouncing like popcorns and they have a very small changing room, where the opponent could enter to go the washroom, there was only one washroom and very small,” Eymael told Goal on Thursday.

“I was talking to my boys at the half-time break and even the referee managed to enter and go to the washroom, I have never seen that in my life, very small changing room and very bad pitch the ball bouncing everywhere but one point is better than nothing.

“They scored a lucky goal but we couldn’t play our style of play because the pitch was bouncing and the ball could not settle, and we also got a red card, I call it a reckless red card but we have apologised to the opposing player on what happened to him.”

Coach Luc Eymael kept faith in his strikers who started against Mwadui as Gnamien Yikpe, who has had questions asked about his ability to help Yanga, and David Molinga both started from the bench.

The draw means Yanga will remain third with 55 points as they attempt to catch up with second-placed Azam FC, while the hard-fought result will see JKT reach 43 points, two fewer than sixth-placed Polisi Tanzania.

Premier Soccer League chairman Irvin Khoza says they are “working very hard” to seal a deal with a new sponsor for the league, as four corporates emerge to be interested to come on board.

PSL boss Khoza says while their main focus right now is to complete this term, there is hope for next season as they are negotiating with four companies, although the names of the prospective partners have been kept under wraps.

“We’ve got four companies at the moment [who want to sponsor the league],” Khoza told IOL.

“The economy is not in a healthy state, but we are trying to find the best ways to position our proposals. It is a very difficult one. Having said that, we are working very hard [towards finalising a deal].

"At the moment though our main focus is how to restart the season. Remember, we still have to finish the old season before we can say too much about the new season. Right now, we are waiting for the government to give us the go-ahead.”

The marriage with Absa officially ends at the end of June and there is a strong possibility the league will finish the season without a sponsor if the season resumes.

With some clubs needing to play nine matches before ending their campaign, the season could spill into August.

“It is a big, big problem for the clubs [finishing the season without sponsorship]. With the sponsorship ending in June, we might finish without any sponsor,” said Khoza.

That scenario will see clubs completing the campaign without their monthly grants from the PSL and this could weigh heavily on clubs that rely on that allotment for survival.

Absa cited the prevailing economic crunch in pulling out the sponsorship of the league.

With the coronavirus pandemic worsening the state of the economy, it is yet to be seen which partner would replace Absa.

A number of corporate giants are being speculated as possible PSL partners including telecommunications, insurance and broadcasting heavyweights.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still does not know whether Angel Gomes will stay at Manchester United, with the teenager’s current deal expiring at the end of the month.

The 19-year-old has been offered a new contract at Old Trafford but negotiations have dragged on, with Gomes yet to put pen to paper.

It is understood the midfielder has concerns over playing time and with just over a week left of his current deal, time is running out for him to make a decision.

Solskjaer, though, is hopeful he will decide to stay, telling reporters: "With Angel, he's a top kid we've had at the club for so many years, we've offered him a deal and hopefully he'll take that and if not I wish him all the best.

"From what I understand it's not too far away, if not we'll wish him all the best."

Solskjaer was speaking in his pre-Tottenham press conference where he confirmed that, aside from injured duo Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe, he has a fully fit squad to pick from for Friday night's match.

That means both Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba are in contention to start, with the Norwegian adding: "If selected, Marcus (Rashford) and Paul (Pogba) have been out for a long, long period.

"They're available but how long they're going to play for, let's see."

The United manger was full of praise for Rashford after his campaigning to have free school meal vouchers extended into the school holidays led to a government U-turn.

"It’s an honour to have Marcus and what he’s done during this lockdown... he’s been unbelievable, when he can help so many people that need it; so many kids," Solskjaer said. "He’s taken from his own experience when he was a kid.

"I know how much it means for the kids and we, as a club, are immensely proud of him. He’s obviously a top footballer but he’s also a fantastic human being - a future leader, a future captain, maybe, of England, Man United, who knows?

"He’s already captained the team at the age of 22-23. We’re really proud of him and his family must be so proud as well of what he has achieved."
 

Zimbabwe striker Donald Ngoma has confessed he preferred playing for Azam FC than Young Africans (Yanga).

Ngoma was officially released by Azam on Monday after his contract ended on June 14. He had joined the ‘Ice-Cream Makers’ from Yanga, and helped them to win two trophies - the Mapinduzi Cup and Azam Sports (domestic Cup) – last season.

Ngoma has now revealed he was more than happy to play at Azam than when he was playing at Yanga, the first time he joined a club on Tanzanian soil.

“The period I left Yanga, I was injured as such, I had to spend some time off the pitch but when I recovered, I was physiologically happy to play at Azam than Yanga,” Ngoma is quoted by Daily News.

Ngoma also revealed the reason he parted ways with Azam, insisting that despite their efforts to renew the contract, he had already made up his mind.

“While in Zimbabwe, I received a phone call from Azam Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Abdulkarim Amin who requested me to come and play in friendly matches so they can assess me and possibly extend my contract but I turned down the offer.

“The [CEO] insisted it could have been better if I was in Tanzania so I can play friendly matches prior to the resumption of the league and hence they can decide to extend my contract.

“To my side, I saw it as inappropriate and he told me that if I do not play friendly games, I should go on with other plans of my life. I accepted that and agreed that I should not return to the team.”

Ngoma also admitted his performance had already gone down and could have also contributed to the club losing interest in his services.

“If you are a foreign-based player, you need to show your abilities to deserve what the club gives you but for my side, my level dropped and I was far away to catch up with my teammates,” Ngoma continued.

Ngoma managed to play a total of 42 matches for Azam in all competitions, notching 20 goals in the process with four assists.

Simba SC defender Erasto Nyoni has assured club fans they have already moved on after the shock 1-1 draw against Ruvu Shooting in a Mainland Premier League match on Sunday.

The Mainland giants had been tipped to collect maximum points in the fixture but it was not the case as they secured a draw, which delayed their pursuit for a third straight league title.

The Taifa Stars player has now told fans they have moved on from the result, focusing on their next challenge when they face Mwadui FC on Saturday.

“I want to assure our fans we are not looking at the Ruvu result again, we have forgotten about it and moved on, it was a shocking result and we know our fans were hurt but we don’t want to do that again, we want to win our next match,” Nyoni told the club’s official website.

“Our fans should not lose hope, they should come in numbers and cheer us against Mwadui, we promise it will not be the same again, we will do our best to make sure they smile back home.

“All our players are in good shape, we don’t have any injuries and in football, you either win, lose or draw, it was a painful draw because we did all we could but Ruvu were also good, we must now shift our focus to the Mwadui, it is a must-win match and we will make sure we win it.”

On whether the draw affected their title pursuit, Nyoni said: “We have our own calculations as far as the title is concerned, we don’t want to hear what people are saying, we know exactly what we are supposed to do to win the trophy and we will continue to fight to achieve the same.”

Erasto, who plays at the backline alongside Pascal Wawa, Kennedy Juma, Tairone Do Santos and Yusuph Mlipili, also dismissed claims his recent form had dipped insisting only the coach can tell him that.

“I play the way the coach wants me to play, and I don’t want to listen to the critics, they have their own opinion but mine is not to answer them through media, mine is to make sure I answer them on the pitch with solid performances.”

Simba are topping the log on 71 points, while Azam FC are second on 54 points and Yanga remains third after accumulating 51 points.

Crotone forward Simy Nwankwo has asserted he only has his mind fixed on Serie A promotion as Serie B action has finally kicked off after three months of suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Things got underway on Wednesday evening with Cremonese recording a 3-1 win at Ascoli.

The Pythagoreans currently occupy second spot in the standings, 20 points behind runaway leaders Benevento after 28 games.

Regardless of such a position, Crotone are in an automatic promotion slot and will need to keep guard of Frosinone, Pordenone, Spezia, Cittadella, Salernitana and Chievo, all in the promotion play-off spot and with a realistic chance of toppling Crotone.

“I only have a fixed thought in my mind, that of arriving in Serie A with Crotone. Everything else is not important to me," Simy told the club website.

The Nigerian forward clearly acknowledges the tough task at hand as it would be like a fresh start after months of inactivity. Regardless of that Simy knows Crotone must carry the same momentum before the lockdown where they won five games on the bounce.

They tackle Chievo at the Stadio Ezio Scida on Saturday evening.

“Very little is missing, it seems a bit strange but we are professionals and we must do our job," Simy continued.

"We must immediately try to give continuity to the results as we were doing before, we know that it will not be easy but we will arrive prepared.

"We all start from scratch, it is not a normal situation but we must try to get to the race in the best way. We must face Chievo as we did against the others, trying to give our best.

"The pandemic has forced everyone to adapt to a somewhat anomalous situation, we must not complain but only think of giving the best on the field and doing what we know how to do, that is playing football."

Any hope of Crotone making it back to the Serie A after two years will rest partly on Simy who is the club's top marksman this season with 13 goals and Serie B's third-highest goal scorer behind Pietro Lemmello of Perugia (17) and Stefano Pettinari of Trapani (14).

Football is back. After 100 days, the Premier League returned on Wednesday with Sheffield United vs Aston Villa and Manchester City vs Arsenal. The major subplot in the latter was Mikel Arteta returning to face old club and mentor Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

In a way, that fixture served as a prelude to Friday night’s encounter between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, a game inundated with subplots of its own. The major one, of course, being Jose Mourinho welcoming his old side to his new home in North London.

Somewhat buried beneath that, from an African perspective at least, is the satisfaction of seeing Odion Ighalo still in a Man United shirt. The Nigerian, who turned 31 on Tuesday, was hours from seeing a dream spell at Old Trafford end as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side couldn’t reach an agreement with Shanghai Shenhua over an extension to his initial four-month loan which was due to expire on May 31.

However, at the very death in what seemed like one of those dramatic moments on television, it was announced both sides had struck a deal. As it is, the boyhood United fan will live his dream for another eight months till January 2021.

In a sense, it seems fitting that Ighalo’s potential first appearance since the extension was confirmed is against Spurs, the club he could have joined instead on Deadline Day. It’s no longer news that Mourinho, dealing with injuries to Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, attempted to bring the Nigerian frontman to north London but the ex-Watford man opted for Solskjaer’s side instead.

Sentiments aside, it seemed odd at the time that the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations top scorer chose Old Trafford over the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium owing to the likelihood of getting more playing time in London.

Be that as it may, football’s suspension and subsequent returns for Kane and Son mean he probably won’t have enjoyed a sustained period as the default frontman for the two-time Champions League winner – although, there was no way events could have been predicted at the time.

Months after snubbing the Lilywhites, Ighalo could now play against them, in an attempt to put a dent in their hopes to play in next season’s Champions League.

‘What a difference a few months make’ could be the theme if the home side manages to win on Friday night. Despite being four points behind the visitors from Manchester, the disparity in the mood in both camps before March 15’s encounter indicated the Red Devils were favourites for all three points, a result that may realistically have ended the London side’s top four hopes, if not mathematically.

Ighalo and co. were on an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions, including 2-0 wins over Chelsea and fierce rivals Manchester City, featuring nine clean sheets and two goals conceded. Their tails were up and a win at a Spurs side winless in six on the trot and seemingly running on empty was expected.

The return of their top hitters, though, means Tottenham have been handed a huge lifeline in saving what seemed like a failed season in March, starting with a huge fixture against a side they’re in direct competition with for a European spot.

While Ighalo may not feature in the encounter and, as a matter of fact for a significant portion of what’s left in the Premier League this term, Serge Aurier will be an important figure for Spurs and Mourinho for the final nine gameweeks.

The perception of the Ivory Coast captain in England suggests the right-back can be a firebrand and unreliable in equal measure. Observers would point to mistakes in losses at home to Chelsea in December and away at RB Leipzig in March as Exhibit A to back up the conviction that he cannot be relied upon, while he ran foul of social distancing guidelines twice in the last two months to add to a seemingly endless rap sheet.

Notwithstanding, the notion Aurier doesn’t contribute enough on the pitch as is often argued couldn’t be more misguided.

The right-back’s importance to Spurs’ attack since Mourinho took charge in November is well documented, and how he serves as an auxiliary winger when they attack has proved useful going forward. His four assists are bettered by Son (seven) while he sits fifth for goal contributions in the entire side.

Also, 1.2 key passes per game is third behind the South Korean star (1.5) and January signing Steven Bergwijn (1.4), while the West African’s four clear-cut chances created is also third-best in the side behind Son and Dele Alli, who have set up 10 and six respectively.

Aurier’s underlying defensive numbers are also encouraging: he’s well ahead of Jan Vertonghen for tackles per game (3.1 to 2.1) and only beaten by the Belgian centre-back for interceptions per match (1.6 to 1.5).

The defender’s statistics demonstrate that while there remains room for improvement, the Ivorian is far from the liability he's been labelled as by the media.

For Ighalo, minutes may be infrequent after Project Restart becomes a reality, still, as long as he remains a Red Devil, there’ll always be a possibility of that standout moment the striker craves.

As for Aurier, the full-back’s case was always built on not judging him amid the team’s malaise but until he could be utilised alongside a healthy squad.

With Spurs and Mourinho seemingly beneficiaries of the pandemic that brought the sport to its knees, the much-maligned Ivorian can demonstrate why the criticism thrown at him is unwarranted.

Former Italy and Juventus striker Luca Toni has called out Cristiano Ronaldo for his poor performance in the Bianconeri's Coppa Italia loss to Napoli on Wednesday night, stating that the Portuguese looked deeply “average” and that he “couldn't even dribble”.

Ronaldo played 90 minutes of the showpiece clash at Stadio Olimpico but failed to find the net in what was a largely uninspiring performance from both sides.

Indeed, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner mustered only one shot on target and was unable to take a spot-kick in the decisive penalty shoot-out, with Paulo Dybala and Danilo both fluffing their lines early on before Ronaldo had a chance to beat Alex Meret from 12 yards.

Toni, an Italian World Cup winner and goalscoring icon, felt that the Portugal captain was lacking his usual sharpness and was unable to inspire the Serie A champions to cup glory as a result.

“I saw the a whole Juventus team in difficulty, even Cristiano Ronaldo, who looked like an average player in what was a very slow match,” 43-year-old Toni told Rai Sport after the clash.

“You expect a big performance from him but he looked like he was experiencing physical difficulties – he couldn't even dribble a man.

“Buffon was the best player on the pitch. I liked Douglas Costa a lot too, but Sarri only let him play 60 minutes. [Douglas] Costa and [Juan] Cuadrado were the only ones able to beat their man because at the moment Ronaldo is struggling to dribble.”

Wednesday's loss marks the only time in Ronaldo's career that he has lost two successive finals, having been defeated by Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana at the tail end of 2019.

Regardless, Ronaldo's sister took to Instagram after the match to stick up for her brother, stating that he can't always be expected to win matches on his own.

She said: “What else can you do? It is what it is and my darling can't work miracles alone. I can't understand how they played like that. Anyway, keep your head up. You can't do more, my king.”

This year's Coppa Italia was the first in 11 years to be decided by a penalty shootout, and is the sixth time Napoli have lifted the trophy in their history - only four teams have won it more often. 

Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council member Frederick Acheampong has called on veteran coach J.E Sarpong to substantiate claims of substance abuse by players on the domestic scene.

Sarpong, who has worked with Asante Kotoko, Aduana Stars, Liberty Professionals and Ebusua Dwarfs, alleged 60 per cent of Ghanaian players smoke marijuana, popularly known as weed, and went on to provide instances where he personally aided in obtaining the substance.

The claims have generated huge debate, especially in media circles.

“It’s a serious matter because some of these comments are serious and he can’t make such comments without any proof because I think it’s a serious matter and he needs to prove it with evidence,” Frederick Acheampong told Starr Sports.

“Apart from the football aspect, he can’t just make those comments and go free.

"He needs to substantiate or back his claims with evidence, numbers, statistics, figures because apart from the fact that it may amount to substance abuse in the football circles, it’s even illegal to trade in marijuana in the country, so where do the players get them to buy?"

Currently, players on the local scene are not tested for substance abuse.

Former Hearts of Oak and Kaizer Chiefs striker Louis Agyemang expressed agreement with Sarpong's claims.

Berekum Chelsea forward Kofi Owusu is the latest player to speak on the topic.

“With the weed-smoking issue coach J.E Sarpong said, in some ways I can say it is true because he has been in the system for a very long time and knows what he is talking about," Owusu told Nkunim FM.

"And again looking at his age too, I do not think he will be saying what is not true.”

Sarpong was also once the assistant coach of Ghana's U23 side.

"I can say that 60% of the Ghanaian players - both in the Premier and the Division One Leagues - smoke marijuana," Sarpong told Angel FM.

“I have coached most of them but of course we have something called a coach-player relationship.

"There was a match between Accra Great Olympics and Hearts of Oak. One player came to me and said I should buy him ‘weed’ and we will win the match.

"I later noticed that he was not the only person, he was sent by his colleagues. I told him, I can’t buy for him, so I gave him the money and in that game he was the man of the match. He gave the assist for our winning goal.

"It is a bad practice but if it will win the match [for me], I don’t mind. If my team wins the match, I take my winning bonus [as a coach] and I'm gone.

“What I will do for my team to win is what is important."

Veteran Ghana attacker Yahaya Mohammed, currently the second top scorer in the Ghana Premier League and on the books of Aduana Stars, has expressed his disappointment in the coach's claims and called for an apology. 

When Valencia fans start thinking about this Thursday’s La Liga Santander clash with Real Madrid, they’ll have painful memories of dramatic equalisers on their minds. One will be the 97th minute equaliser they conceded just days ago in their 1-1 draw to city rivals Levante. The other will be Karim Benzema’s 95th minute equaliser at Mestalla, assisted by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois when these two sides met back in December.

Valencia’s season has been full of ups and downs, yet so too has Real Madrid’s. With ten matches to go for each of these teams and the sides fighting for the La Liga title and European qualification respectively, there are no signs of the drama letting up when the historic rivals square off this Thursday evening.

Real Madrid are at the heart of the title race and need three points to try to keep pace with their rivals Barcelona. Not since 2017 have Real Madrid won the league title and coach Zinedine Zidane is determined to bring the trophy back to the capital.

Valencia, meanwhile, are pushing to try to qualify for European competition in 2020/21. They’re some way off the pace in the race for the top four, which entails Champions League qualification, and the two points they just threw away against Levante at the last gasp didn’t help. Yet Valencia finished last season strong, taking 21 points from their final 10 matches in 2018/19. Coach Albert Celades, who played from Real Madrid during his playing career, will therefore be confident of springing a surprise.

The visitor’s front line of Rodrigo Moreno and Maxi Gomez is one of the most potent attacking pairs in La Liga, with Rodrigo producing an excellent finish from a tight angle in the derby against Levante on Friday. Celades also has the über-talented duo of Goncalo Guedes and Ferran Torres to call on from the flanks and though both are coming off injuries they’ll be encouraged by the fact they’ve had two days rest more than Real Madrid.

Over Real Madrid, the enforced break due to Covid-19 has given forwards Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio time to recover from injury, despite previously being ruled out for the rest of the season. Zidane can also call on young Brazilian wingers Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior, whose unpredictability is always a wild card. At the other end is Thibaut Courtois, the Belgian international goalkeeper who’s currently leading the way in the race for La Liga’s top goalkeeper. And, if he does go up for a late set-piece, who knows what can happen!

No matter when in the season these two teams meet and no matter the circumstances, matches between Real Madrid and Valencia tend to be on the entertaining side. These two teams have met 169 times in La Liga over the years, with Real Madrid winning 87 encounters, Valencia 45 and 37 draws.

Over their past 12 La Liga meetings, however, it’s been more closely matched. Since 2014, there have been four Real Madrid wins, three Valencia wins and five draws: four 2-2 draws and the dramatic 1-1 from last time out.

It’s anyone’s guess what’ll happen this time around, as both teams look for three points to help with their different ambitions. Another interesting side note for this game: it’ll be played at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium, usually the home ground of Real Madrid’s reserve side Castilla, as the Santiago Bernabeu undergoes construction work.

Watch Real Madrid vs Valencia this Thursday on SuperSport 7 at 22:00 CAT.

When a league title is on the line, Real Madrid would surely prefer to avoid a match against Valencia. Los Che, as Valencia are often known, have actually been a thorn in Real Madrid’s side time and time again over the years, often causing the capital city club pain in the final weeks of the season.

In recent years, that has certainly been the case. In five of the past six seasons, these two teams have met each other down the stretch, during the final 10 matches of the league season, and Valencia have forced Real Madrid to drop expensive points on three of these five occasions.

This year, they’ll once again meet in the final 10 matches of the campaign. In what will be these two teams’ second match back following the coronavirus-enforced pause in Spanish football, they’ll go head to head in unfamiliar surroundings for LaLiga fans: the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium in Real Madrid’s training complex which will host the team for the remainder of the campaign.

The overall record between these two teams from their 169 previous La Liga meetings is 87 Real Madrid wins, 45 Valencia wins and 37 draws. However, in recent years their respective records have squeezed together significantly. Over their past 12 La Liga meetings, there have been four Real Madrid wins, three Valencia wins and five draws, making for a Real Madrid winning percentage of 33.3% and a Valencia winning percentage of 25%.

Recent Real Madrid vs Valencia matches have been some of the most exhilarating sharing of the spoils in recent memory.

Of the five draws in their last 12 encounters, four ended 2-2, each with an equaliser in the final 10 minutes. And the only 1-1 draw proved the most dramatic encounter of them all. It came earlier this season at Mestalla, back in December. With Real Madrid trailing to a Carlos Soler goal deep into stoppage time, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois went up for a corner. The Belgian got his head on the ball, forcing a save from his opposite number which fell to Karim Benzema who fired int the roof of the net. But as euphoric as Zinedine Zidane’s men were, it showed once again that Valencia are a team they often struggle against.

Valencia have a strong pedigree of their own. With six LaLiga titles to their name and the current Copa del Rey champions (having beaten Barcelona in the final last season), the side from Spain’s eastern coast are one of LaLiga’s all-time giants. When they go head to head with Real Madrid this Thursday, they’ll rightfully be confident of springing a surprise. 

Watch Real Madrid vs Valencia this Thursday on SuperSport 7 at 22:00 CAT.

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez admits having clubs like Barcelona and Liverpool interested him is "incredible".

The 29-year-old has been in fine form this season, scoring 22 goals across 44 appearances in all competitions, while also chipping in a further 10 assists. 

Jimenez's strong form has seen rumours swirl of a potential summer move, though the coronavirus pandemic may make a transfer difficult for the Mexico international, who is currently contracted until 2023. 

While quick to point out that reported interest from clubs to date is yet to be proven, Jimenez concedes the idea of Europe's best clubs taking notice of him is motivating. 

"It is something very cool, I do not know if they will be true, they are rumours," Jimenez said in a YouTube interview with Jessica Coch. 

"Since they are talking about me, different teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Juventus, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool - they are teams that are important in football history.

"It is an incredible thing to be on the radar and on the lips of those teams. It is something good for me to continue growing, making an effort and taking it as an incentive so that, if possible, I can achieve it."

With so many teams being linked with the Mexican star, Jimenez was hesitant to reveal which club he'd liked to play for most in case it comes back to haunt him. 

"My dream team? Whatever one that signs me would be incredible," he said. 

"Imagine that right now I tell you one and in the end I go to the rival, they will reproach me all the time, I will get into trouble!" 

Jimenez's Wolves teammate Ruben Neves recently shutdown transfer speculation surrounding a number of players at the club, stressing they all remain focused on simply playing the game. 

“There has always been speculation since I’ve got here about our team," Neves told The Guardian. 

“But we don’t think about it. We want to be together for as much time as we can but it’s football, the speculation will always be there. Our job is to play and leave this for the people who need to take care of it.”

Wolves return to Premier League action on Saturday against West Ham.

Zinedine ZIdane has no issues with adapting to the new, condensed Champions League format to take place in August, should Real Madrid progress past Manchester City.

Madrid were defeated 2-1 by City at Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their last-16 tie in February, before football across Europe was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Matches in Europe's top leagues – bar France, with the Ligue 1 season having been cancelled – is now returning, with the Bundesliga having restarted in May and the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga also returning to action this month.

On Wednesday, UEFA officially confirmed the Champions League campaign would be concluded with an eight-team competition to be held in Lisbon in August.

Quarter-final matches will take place from August 12-15, with the semi-finals on August 18 and 19 before the final at Estadio da Luz on August 23. The outstanding last-16 fixtures – including Madrid's tie with City – are to be held on August 7-8, though it is yet to be decided where these games will take place.

And Zidane believes the solution proposed by UEFA is the best way to complete this season's competition.

"We are living a special moment and everything will be special," Zidane told a news conference ahead of Madrid's La Liga clash with Valencia.

"We know the format, how it will be, but we still do not know where we will play the return leg against City.

"We will adapt. If it has to be in Lisbon or Manchester, we will play. First we are going to try to progress against City.

"The important thing is to play again and we are happy, but this formula for the Champions does not seem bad to me.

"I like it. It's okay to decide everything in the same place."

Madrid resumed their La Liga campaign with a 3-1 defeat of Eibar on Sunday , though Zidane acknowledged there was plenty of room for improvement.

However, Zidane does not believe Madrid have an issue upping their game against the lesser sides in La Liga.

"We had a game where we started very well, we scored two or three goals in half an hour," he added.

"We found it difficult afterwards to maintain throughout the game, which is what happened against Eibar. 

"This is a very difficult league. I have emotions and I can be a bit upset when things don't go well, but we scored three goals and we played with intensity."

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) heavyweights Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards are set to unveil their new sponsors on Thursday.

Information reaching Goal indicate the two sides will unveil a joint sponsorship as a new gaming firm comes on board to help the otherwise financially limping giants.

Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards enjoyed a joint sponsor in SportPesa before the betting firm left the Kenyan market in 2019 following a protracted battle with the government on matters of taxation.

“The company coming to sponsor the two clubs is not yet in the Kenyan market. The two clubs were connected to the company by a prominent player agent in Africa and every party looks satisfied and have agreed to sign a sponsorship deal,” a close source to the development told Goal.

In April 2018, SportPesa signed a partnership deal with both Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards that totalled KSh682.4 million where, for three years, Gor Mahia were to get KSh198,607,000, AFC Sh156,406,403 and KPL Sh259,712,000.

The two most successful and oldest Kenyan clubs have been struggling since SportPesa left and had to depend on well-wishers to honour matches and settle players' allowances at times.

In most cases, the players and the coaching staff went for months without pay. AFC Leopards were direly affected by the salary non-payment issue as they lost key foreign players like Vincent Habamahoro, Ismail Diarra, Soter Kayumba, Tresor Ndikumana and head coach Casa Mbungo.

Whyvonne Isuza, left for Wazito FC, Brian Marita moved Tusker and John Makwatta joined Zesco United after scoring 13 goals and all the exits were linked with a lack of or delayed salaries.

Gor Mahia saw their players at times fail to show up for training and the most recent case surrounded the ejection of Ghanaian star Jackson Owusu from a Buruburu Hotel for the failure of debt clearance.

In a recent interview, AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda stated the club officials were doing everything possible to stabilise the financial health of the club.

“We want to try and solve our financial problems and ensure we get good players to help the team. We want to ensure the players are comfortable and it is the reason why we are doing our best to ensure their dues are settled,” said Shikanda.

Steven Polack, in an earlier interview, detailed how he has been pushing for Gor Mahia officials to find ways of paying his players.

“I am at the chairman’s office every day talking and delivering the plight of my players, every day, have been there every day for the last six weeks, I think maybe I have only missed one day,” Polack told Goal.

 “I am there every day, pushing and asking them [officials] questions and explaining to the chairman how my players are suffering and telling them the situation about the players, myself and the technical staff and so that is the situation.”

It is not yet clear how long the new sponsorship between K'Ogalo, Ingwe and the new company will last or whether it offers huge financial support than what SportPesa did.

India have been drawn in Group C during the official draw of the AFC U-16 Championship Bahrain 2020 which was held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday afternoon. 

India qualified for the 2020 AFC U-16 Championship finals in September 2019 as the table-toppers from Group B. With two wins and a draw, India managed to pick up seven points from three matches to finish above Bahrain, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in the qualifiers held in Uzbekistan.

In the qualifiers India had drawn against Uzbekistan 1-1.

South Korea was in a brilliant run of form in the qualification stages as they not only won all the matches but also did not concede a single goal in three matches. Australia had also emerged victorious in all the matches but conceded just two goals. 

This was for the ninth time that India managed to qualify for the finals, having done it earlier in 1990, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2018 editions of the competition.

The top four teams of the AFC U-16 Championship finals qualify for the U-17 World Cup as representatives of the AFC.  

India were very close to sealing a berth in the 2019 U-17 World Cup last time out after they managed to progress from the group stages to the knockout rounds in 2018. But Bibiano Fernandes' boys conceded a late goal against South Korea in the quarterfinals which ultimately cost them a spot in the World Cup. 

Zinedine Zidane has revealed that he is "happy" with Achraf Hakimi's performances on loan at Borussia Dortmund but stopped short at making any statements about his future at the Bernabeu.

Hakimi, 21, joined Dortmund on a two-year loan deal in 2018 and the full-back's future has become a talking point after impressing with the Bundesliga club.

Indeed, the Moroccan has scored nine goals and provided 10 assists in 44 games for Dortmund this season, with him having emerged as one of the most impressive full-backs in Europe.

Hakimi is due to return to Madrid but has been linked with the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United as it remains unclear if he will be integrated into Real's first-team squad in the 2020-21 season.

And although Zidane insists he is "happy" with how the 21-year-old has developed with the Bundesliga side, he didn't comment on whether there is a future for him in the Spanish capital going forward.

"We know the season that he is doing, and I am happy for him, because in the end he needed to go out, play, make many games, and that is what he is doing," he told a news conference.

"I think that all of us here [at Madrid], and they there [at Dortmund], we are happy with Hakimi."

Following the speculation over a switch to Bundesliga champions Bayern, Hakimi's agent Alejandro Camano denied that there had been any talks with Hansi Flick's side.

He told Goal and SPOX: "There is interest from top European clubs, but I don't know where the rumours with Bayern have come from. It is not a topic.

"Nobody from Bayern or Real Madrid spoke to me about a possible move for Achraf to Bayern.

"We are totally relaxed and calm about the future of Achraf. He has a great relationship with Real Madrid and there is currently no reason for any talks because Achraf has a contract with Real Madrid until 2022.

"We'll see what happens when he returns to Madrid in the summer. There is no problem with Zidane at all. Achraf gets along with everyone at Real Madrid. And Zidane has known Achraf since he was a child.

"He likes him as a person and as a player. For me, Achraf is the best in his position."

Bidvest Wits have finally confirmed they have reached an agreement for the sale of their franchise to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM).

The Clever Boys explained their decision to sell their Premier Soccer League (PSL) status to the National First Division (NFD) side, Tshakhuma.

However, the Braamfontein-based side explained that this has yet to be ratified by the PSL Executive Committee.

The following statement was released on the club's official website.

"Bidvest and TTM have reached an agreement for next season subject to PSL Exco approval regarding the sale of Bidvest Wits Football Club."

"The sale is a result of our shareholder’s, Bidvest decision to review their sports-related sponsorships and brings to an end a 15-year-long partnership."

"Bidvest Wits Football Club still have nine PSL games remaining this season as well as the Nedbank Cup semi-final and a possible final."

"The club would like to thank their staff, supporters and all the players for what they’ve achieved over many exciting years," a club statement read.

Wits chairman Alan Fainman then explained that deal was prematurely announced over the weekend by Tshakhuma.

"Our people are important to us and we will treat them with respect and fairness in these challenging times," said Fainman.

"The sale of the club will not affect the players' contracts in any way. With regards to the sale of the club and the manner in which it was announced to the public, I would like to reiterate that at the time of the announcement, the deal had not yet been signed.

"Pen has now been put to paper between the new purchaser and Bidvest."

A few of Wits' highest earners have been allowed to talk to other teams before the club's proposed move to Limpopo from Johannesburg.

Gift Motupa, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Thabang Monare, Haashim Domingo and Buhle Mkhwanazi are also expected to be sold by Wits soon.

While Tshakhuma have decided against retaining the services of head coach Gavin Hunt, who is expected to leave the club.

Meanwhile, Wits University also released the following statement indicating that all their shares had been sold to Bidvest.

A statement read: “Wits University has not had anything to do with the sale of Bidvest Wits Football Club."

“Wits has sold its shares in the football club to Bidvest, our partner of close to 15 years, the proceeds of which will be invested in the Wits Student Endowment Fund.”