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Orlando Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer is determined to ensure his side retains their MTN8 title with a quarter-final clash with their Soweto rivals Swallows FC looming.

The Buccaneers are set to face Beautiful Birds on Saturday at the Mecca of South African football, Orlando Stadium where Bucs are undefeated in their last four competitive matches.

Having steered Pirates to their first major trophy since 2014 by clinching last year's MTN8 trophy, Zinnbauer feels that the lucrative tournament is part of pre-season as he is yet to discover his best starting line-up. 

"We will see what happens on Saturday but it’s a home game and we expect a win. We won the title last season and like the other clubs in the top eight, we want to win it again," ZIinnbauer told the media. 

“Last week we tried to use some of the new players in a friendly game [Carling Black Label Cup clash against Kaizer Chiefs] and we changed a few things. Competition for places is open as we have not yet finished the pre-season."

The Soweto giants have strengthed their team by adding defenders Kwanda Mngonyama, defender-come-midfielder Bandile Shandu, and central midfielder Goodman Mosele to Zinnbauer's squad. 

“I see the MTN8 as part of the pre-season. Normally only after your second or third league game can you consider it finished," the German tactician continued. 

"Especially as we have a lot of players in our squad at the moment and we have to give them all a chance. For me, the MTN8 is not the starting line-up for the next weeks.

"We have a lot of good players, some of them need a little bit more time. There is now good competition in the squad and for places in the starting line-up.”

Pirates and Swallows drew 1-1 twice in the league last season and Zinnbauer has stressed the importance of taking their chances in this weekend's Soweto Derby clash.

"I think we need the goals, we had the chances in the last two games – so did Swallows but I think we were a little bit ahead in chances – but we didn't score and this is the reason we need the goals," he added. 

"If we get the goals then we can win the game but [this is not to say that] Swallows made a bad performance. No, it was a good performance.

"Both games were good, the first game had a lot of water on the field, more than is typical, but in the second leg, in the away game they were ahead and we had a little bit of luck as well.

"You need a bit of luck of the draw. We have another chance and if we have chances then I'm happy, but I will be happier if we get the goals and win the game," he explained. 

"This is not a league game, though. This is a game that you have to win. We cannot say now that we can draw, it is not possible, we have to go forward and we have to win the game. It is a different game."

Real Madrid are looking to ensure that they remain in the running for Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, Goal has learned, with the Blancos keeping their options open following a long-running pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.

A club famed for its 'Galacticos' recruitment policy under president Florentino Perez is forever in the market for the very best talent available.

Prolific Norway international Haaland, given his exploits over recent years, certainly falls into that category and is of obvious interest to La Liga giants as they look to bring added firepower into their ranks.

Have Real Madrid asked about Haaland?

With the summer transfer window set to swing shut on August 31, Dortmund have made it clear that they have no intention of parting with Haaland.

They have already a sanctioned a switch to Manchester United for Jadon Sancho and are understandably reluctant to lose another prized asset.

Speculation refuses to go away, though, with a number of clubs asking questions of BVB and their stance regarding an in-demand frontman.

Chelsea appeared to be leading that hunt at one stage, as Thomas Tuchel pushed to land another No.9, but the Blues have shifted their attention to a £98 million ($136m) move for Romelu Lukaku.

Real did, however, react to the talk of a potential approach from Stamford Bridge by making contact of their own.

The Blancos were eager to find out if the situation in Germany had changed and whether Dortmund were prepared to relax their stance when it comes to Haaland.

They were informed, like Chelsea were, that was not the case, with the official line out of Signal Iduna Park being that a highly-rated 21-year-old is not for sale.

What is the situation now?

Real, given their strong relationship with Dortmund, accepted that there was no deal to be done and have not discussed the matter again since.

No doors are being closed, though, and those in the Spanish capital will not give up without a fight if a late opportunity presents itself this summer.

'Operation Exit' remains the top priority in Madrid, with Carlo Ancelotti's side needing to free up funds from sales where possible.

That will put them in a stronger position to land top targets if bidding wars are sparked.

World Cup winner Mbappe remains their number one objective, with the France international entering the final year of his contract at PSG, but any deal there is proving tricky - especially as Lionel Messi is now at Parc des Princes.

Dealing with Dortmund would, given recent history, be easier than entering into talks with PSG, but as of now there is seemingly little chance of Haaland or Mbappe ending up at Santiago Bernabeu before the next deadline passes.

Further reading

Akwa United have disclosed one of their central defenders Olisa Ndah is currently on trial at Orlando Pirates.

The 23-year-old player is considered to be one of the best centre-backs in the Nigerian Professional Football League.

Ndah was one of Akwa's standout players as they clinched the 2020/21 NPFL title - conceding the least number of goals (24) in the process and the club qualified for this season's Caf Champions League.

His exploits have now earned him a trial stint at 1995 Caf Champions League winners, Pirates according to Akwa head coach Kennedy Boboye.

"We’re no longer thinking about the league title, our focus is not firmly on the Champions League," Boboye told Global Sports.

"Hopefully Olisah Ndah will not return. He is currently having trials with Orlando Pirates."

Boboye, who is a former Nigeria international, would like to see Ndah impress the Pirates technical team which is led by Josef Zinnbauer, and sign a deal with the Soweto giants.

"‘As we are already planning for the Champions League, we might do so without him," the retired striker continued. 

"Honestly, when any of my players leave for a deal abroad, I usually don’t want to see them back in the league."

Ndah is also a Nigeria international having been included in the Super Eagles squad which took on Mexico in an international friendly match last month.

The dreadlocked player started as the Super Eagles team was made up of mostly home-based players and suffered a 4-0 loss in Los Angeles, USA.

Having plied his trade outside Nigeria before turning out for Sliema Wanderers, Flamrun Spartans, and Sirens in Malta, Ndah does not lack international club experience. 

Ndah was also part of the Nigeria squad at the 2019 Africa Under-23 Cup of Nations finals in Egypt with the Dream Team failing to reach the knockout phase.

He will be hoping to secure a deal at Pirates and emulate William Okpara and Ezenwa Otorogu, who are some of the Nigerian players that have played for Bucs in the PSL era.

Anthony Martial has delivered a positive update on his fitness following a five-month absence at Manchester United, with the French forward confident that he can enjoy "a great season" in 2021-22.

The 25-year-old has returned to action for the Red Devils in pre-season, with an outing against Everton representing his first appearance for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side since March 21.

An untimely injury picked up while away with his country on World Cup qualifying duty has forced Martial to take in a long road to recovery, as questions are asked of his future, but he is expecting to recapture top form and push for major honours at Old Trafford.

What has been said?

Martial has told United's official website when asked how he is feeling heading towards a Premier League season opener against Leeds on Saturday: "I am feeling a lot better after five long months.

"Getting back together with the team and training with them again, I really feel a great improvement. I am going to need a few more weeks to reach my top fitness levels, and I'm really happy just now to have made my return to training.

"To be honest, I was really happy to start [against Everton] after those long months without playing, it was tremendous to get back out there, especially with the fans and the win, brilliant.

"With the season I had last year, and the niggling injuries I had which prevented me from being at 100 per cent, I've since put in my best prep work, so as to be sure of coming back in the best form I can.

"And I hope I can get to my full fitness level as quickly as possible now, to set me up for a great season this time round.

"I hope to avoid injury, of course, and to be really ready and in top shape fitness-wise, to be able to have a great season, and win some trophies."

How has Martial fared for Man Utd?

Louis van Gaal bought into Martial's potential when luring him away from Monaco in the summer of 2015.

An impressive first campaign in England delivered 17 goals, including a stunning debut effort against Liverpool, and the expectation was that the France international would become a superstar in Manchester.

He has found the target on 78 occasions for United through 258 games, but has faced plenty of questions regarding his long-term value to the collective cause.

That is because Martial sees himself as a central striker and despite hitting 23 goals from that position in 2019-20, he faces fierce competition for that role from Edinson Cavani.

Injuries restricted him to just seven goals last season and marked improvement will be required if talk of interest from the likes of Inter is to be brought to a close and Solskjaer is to be convinced that another frontman is not required in his ranks.

Further reading

Orlando Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer has confirmed the presence of Ghanaian marksman Kwame Peprah at the club.

The 20-year-old starlet has been constantly linked with the Buccaneers by reports emanating from Ghana since last month following a good season with King Faisal. 

Peprah played an instrumental role in helping Faisal avoid relegation from the Ghanaian Premier League - scoring 12 goals and providing 10 assists in 32 matches. 

Ghana Soccer Net recently reported the lethal frontman had undergone his medical at Pirates ahead of his proposed transfer to the Soweto giants and this has now been confirmed by Zinnbauer. 

“Yes, I want to see him,” Zinnbauer said on Wednesday when asked about Peprah during Pirates' MTN8 pre-match media conference ahead of Saturday's Soweto Derby clash with Swallows FC. 

“He has his medical check now. I can’t say more, he is not at the training session now.”

However, the 50-year-old tactician refused to discuss Pirates' transfer activities when asked about the club's plans in the current PSL transfer window. 

“About signings, we don’t talk about signings in a press conference for the MTN8,” he explained.

“Signings are always a part of internal.”

Peprah is a Ghana under-23 international having been included in the Black Meteors squad which was scheduled to face their Japanese counterparts in an international friendly match in June this year.

However, Faisal withdrew him from the squad due to a keenly contested season finale with the club battling to avoid relegation and he helped the team retain its status in the West African country's elite league.

Pirates have already freed up space to adhere to the PSL's foreign quota by releasing DR Congo international Jean-Marc Makusu Mundele at the end of last season.

The 29-year-old marksman had joined Pirates from DR Congolese giants AS Vita on a season-long loan - scoring once in eight competitive matches for Bucs.

If Peprah does sign for the Buccaneers he will be seen as a direct replacement for Makusu and he would also join his compatriot Richard Ofori - Ghana's second vice-captain - at the Soweto giants.

Africa’s performance in Olympic Games football is the subject of this week’s African Football HQ, as the team assess the continent’s four sides in Japan.

Certainly, all of the teams can claim to have at least met expectations at the Games.

Admittedly, South Africa were eliminated after losing all three of their group fixtures, but there were mitigating circumstances for Amaglug-glug.

They were hit with a swathe of withdrawals ahead of the tournament, with coronavirus dramatically affecting their pre-tournament expectations.

This led to a muted showing—and a defeat—against Japan, before they were only narrowly dispatched by a France team inspired by Andre-Pierre Gignac and then succumbed to Mexico.

Even for Zambia, who were so obliterated by the Netherlands in their opener, there was a silver lining to that black cloud.

They may have been dispatched 10-3 by the Dutch, but the Copper Queens followed that up with a thrilling 4-4 draw with China—impressive when one considers the disparity in placement between the two sides in the Fifa world rankings.

Despite going a woman down early on against Brazil, Zambia still held their foe at bay to fall to a narrow 1-0 defeat in their final group game, and can certainly leave the tournament with their heads held high.

There’s no doubt that the Ivory Coast and Egypt overachieved in Japan, even if the manners of their exit left a sour taste in the mouth.

The Elephants’ draws with Brazil and Germany took them into the knockouts at the expense of the European giants—silver medallists in 2016—and they held their own against Spain in the quarter-final.

However, they will rue not being able to see out the contest, as they took a 2-1 lead in the 91st minute of the contest, only for a defensive shambles to allow the Spanish a last-minute equaliser…and a way back into the contest.

Spain duly ran out 5-2 winners in extra time as the Ivorian backline crumbled.

For Egypt, victory over Australia in their final group game meant progress, and also eliminated Argentina.

However, their knockout showdown with Brazil proved to be one game too far for Shawky Gharieb’s side, who fell to a 1-0 defeat in which they struggled to lay a glove on the eventual champions.

It’s a rare thing that Africa doesn’t have a representative on the Olympic podium for men’s football, but on this occasion, the continent’s four contenders depart Japan with their heads held high.

Kenya international Ayub Timbe has confirmed he has parted ways with Vissel Kobe after only five months with the team in Japan.

The speedy winger has revealed on his official social media pages he has reached a mutual agreement to part ways with the J1 League outfit owing to family issues and lack of playing time.

“I wish there was a better way to say this, but ill just keep it as simple as it can be. Due to family reasons and lack of playtime, the club and I have had a mutual agreement to part ways,” Timbe wrote.

“I wish it would have been different but sometimes life happens. I want to take this time to say goodbye and thank you to the club, the entire staff, and the fantastic supporters of Vissel Kobe.

“Thank you for the support and affection you have given me in such a small period of time. It was an honour, and pleasure being a part of the Kobe family. I wish you all the best and luck in the rest of the season, until then keep safe, and we shall meet again.”

Kobe have also confirmed they had parted ways with the winger on a mutual agreement after a short stint and wished him well in the future.

“We are pleased to inform you that we have decided to cancel the contract with Ayub Timbe (28) after mutual agreement,” the club statement said.

The 28-year-old joined Kobe as a free agent on February 19, 2021, and he only managed to play eight matches in the J1 League where he did not score a goal but managed two goals in the League Cup where he played five times.

Before joining Kobe, Timbe had parted ways with Beijing Renhe and this was after he had played for Championship side Reading on a six-month loan deal.

Masika had joined Renhe in February 2017 and scored eight goals in his first season to help win promotion to the Chinese Super League but the following season, he was loaned back to the second tier to play for Heilongjiang Lava Spring.

Apart from Timbe, who managed 14 games in the top flight for Renhe, other Kenyans to have graced the Japanese league includes strikers Michael Olunga, who left a mark while playing for Kashiwa Reysol and Ismael Dunga, who currently turns out for Sogan Tosu.

Diego Costa and Atletico Mineiro have verbally agreed to a one-year contract worth roughly $3 million, Goal can confirm. 

The player, who left Atletico Madrid last December, is expected in Belo Horizonte in the coming days to undergo medical examinations and sign the deal, which is structured similarly to the one Atletico Mineiro gave Hulk.

Costa's signing was made financially possible by the departures of Bueno, Gabriel, Diego Tardelli and Marrony.

What is the contract given to Costa?

While the base deal is worth $3 million - significantly less than he initially asked for - there are potential bonuses tied to advancement in domestic and continental competitions that could raise the final total.

Atletico Mineiro head coach Cuca was a huge proponent of the deal getting done. He was in favour of the signing from the start of negotiations and help ensure it got to the finish line, though director Rodrigo Caetano was the one responsible for negotiating with the athlete behind the scenes.

The striker is seen as a reinforcement for the current leader of Brazil's top-flight, and he will be available to the team as soon as he has registered with the CBF.

What happened to the player at Atletico Madrid?

Costa hasn't played since last December, when his Atletico Madrid contract was terminated six months early.

The 32-year-old cited personal reasons for wanting to leave Wanda Metropolitano after being excused from training, having also made it clear that he had no intention of signing an extension.

He received interest from Benfica earlier in 2021, but a deal never came together.

Costa's recent goalscoring record

The forward struggled to find the net after his return to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea, netting just 12 times in La Liga across the past four campaigns after scoring 20 times in his final Premier League season.

Atletico Mineiro are now betting that time away from football will have cleared his head and rejuvenated his body.

Further reading

Good news for all English Premier League and Liverpool fans in Singapore. You can catch The Reds’ first match of the 2021/22 season against Norwich with LIVENow!

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For just S$10 and without the burden of costly monthly subscription for the entire season, you can purchase the online match pass for this exciting game that will kick-off at Carrow Road on Sunday (Aug 15) at 12:30am.

After a season in which numerous injuries hampered Jurgen Klopp’s chances of retaining the title, Liverpool still managed a very creditable third spot in the league and secured a place in the Champions League this season.

LIVENow provides you with the flexibility to stream this Norwich v Liverpool game on various devices from PC to Mac, Chromecast to dedicated iOS/Android applications and many more, so you can follow the world class talents of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara.

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In the last five meetings in the Premier League between these two sides, a total of 22 goals have been scored which means an average of 4.4 goals per game, definitely a match that you would not want to miss for that great entertainment factor.

Daniel Farke’s Norwich will be no pushover themselves having claimed promotion by virtue of winning the Championship last season with the likes of Tim Krul, Max Aarons, Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki all still at the club.

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Olimpia defender Victor Salazar will spend Wednesday night in the hospital after an inadvertent arm to the head in the Copa Libertadores quarter-final caused him to experience seizures.

In the 22nd minute, he was struck by Giorgian De Arrascaeta as they went for a ball in the air.

Salazar was taken away from Manuel Ferreira Stadium in an ambulance as a crowd of concerned team-mates and Flamengo opponents gathered around to wish him well.

What happened?

De Arrascaeta raised his arm as he attempted to control the ball, and as Salazar rushed in to challenge him, he caught the Argentine in the face.

Who is Victor Salazar?

Salazar had spent his whole career in his home nation of Argentina, most recently competing for San Lorenzo, before making a switch to Olimpia in the Paraguayan top-flight.

He earned the start in Wednesday's important quarter-final contest against Flamengo as Olimpia set out to continue their Libertadores run.

However, the serious injury cut short the defender's match in a 4-1 defeat and is now cause for long-term concern as he remains under medical supervision.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said Edouard Mendy was happy to stand down in favour of Kepa Arrizabalaga, who came off the bench to help Chelsea win the UEFA Super Cup in a penalty shootout victory over Villarreal.

With Wednesday's match tied 1-1 in the 119th minute, Kepa was subbed on to play in goal during the shootout.

Tuchel's decision proved to be a wise one, as the Spanish goalkeeper saved two penalties – including the decisive stop from Raul Albiol – to help Chelsea bring home early-season silverware.

What was said?

"It was not spontaneous," Tuchel told BT Sport after the game of his decision to use Kepa. "We talked about it with the goalkeepers after the first cup game against Barnsley [in the FA Cup last season]. We had some statistics. We were well prepared.

"Kepa has the best percentage at saving penalties, the analysing guys and goalkeeping coaches showed me the data. We spoke to the players that this could happen when we play in knockout games. It's fantastic how Edouard accepted it.

"There is proof that Kepa is better in this discipline. They're team players. Edouard does not show the pride to not step off the field. He was happy to do it for the team and take this for the team."

Both goalkeepers also spoke about the move, with Mendy saying that winning trophies is a team effort that sometimes even requires two goalkeepers.

"I'm happy because we won," Mendy said. "I knew since last year that if Kepa came on the pitch he would help the team. It's a team effort. We play for Chelsea and for success. We did this today together."

Kepa added: "It's not a typical situation but we arrived to penalties after Edouard did a fantastic job. Finally we won and we are so happy. I was ready because I knew this could happen. I tried to be ready mentally and physically."

What's next for Chelsea?

The Blues will be back in action on Saturday as they face Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener.

Tuchel admitted that going to extra time and penalties just days before kicking off his side's league campaign is not ideal from a physical standpoint.

"Mentally it's a good one. Physically it's the worst thing that could happen," the manager said. "Victory and a trophy helps us regenerate."

Further reading

Jose Fonte says he writes daily to international team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo asking him to come to Lille - and the defender said he gets the same dismissive feedback with each attempt.

Ronaldo laughs off the ambitious attempt every time, says Fonte, shutting down the requests to leave Juventus.

Fonte has not given up however, and jokingly said he would love to see his friend beat Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title. Messi joined Lille's rival this week from Barcelona.

What has been said?

"It will be even more difficult for us [now that Messi is in France], but we are up to the challenge," Fonte said to TalkSport. "Every day I write to Cristiano Ronaldo to come to Lille. He just answers: 'ha ha ha'.

"We'll try to use our weapons and I'll try to bring Cristiano back in some way. I'll make a plan! All he has to do is [win] the French title."

Bigger picture

Jokes aside, it will be an uphill battle for Lille to retain their league crown with PSG creating one of the best forward lines ever seen.

Fonte, 37, acknowledged as much as he imagined PSG's attack running at him.

"What a challenge to have, what a thing to [possibly] say to your children: 'We played against Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, and we managed to win and not concede goals,'" Fonte said. "It will be interesting to see how competitive the league is this season."

When does Lille play PSG next?

The defending champions will meet PSG on October 31 at Parc des Princes.

Further reading

Arsenal will face West Brom in the second round of the Carabao Cup as the competition held its draw on Wednesday.

The Gunners are among 13 Premier League teams not involved in European competition who will enter the competition in the second round.

The second-round draw was split up geographically into two sections: North and South.

What other Premier League sides were involved?

Among the other Premier League sides drawn in the second round, Aston Villa will travel to Barrow, while Newcastle will face Burnley, Leeds will take on Crewe and Everton will play Huddersfield away.

The matches will be played during the week beginning August 23.

Following the second round, the remaining seven Premier League sides will be introduced to the competition in the third round.

That will see Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester, West Ham and Tottenham all join.

Who won the competition last term?

Manchester City lifted the Carabao Cup in 2020-21, defeating Tottenham 1-0 in the final at Wembley.

It was the fourth consecutive season that City had won the Carabao Cup, tying Liverpool for the most titles in the competition's history with eight.

Carabao Cup second round draw in full

North section

Oldham Athletic vs Accrington Stanley
Newcastle United vs Burnley
Wigan Athletic vs Bolton Wanderers
Huddersfield Town vs Everton
Sheffield United vs Derby County
Stoke City vs Doncaster Rovers
Shrewsbury Town vs Rochdale
Nottingham Forest vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Morecambe vs Preston North End
Blackpool vs Sunderland
Leeds United vs Crewe Alexandra
Barrow vs Aston Villa

South section

Brentford vs Forest Green Rovers
Millwall vs Cambridge United
West Bromwich Albion vs Arsenal
Norwich City vs AFC Bournemouth
Cardiff City vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Birmingham City vs Fulham
Gillingham vs Cheltenham Town
Queens Park Rangers vs Oxford United
Swansea City vs Plymouth Argyle
Stevenage vs Wycombe Wanderers
Newport County vs Southampton
Northampton Town vs AFC Wimbledon
Watford vs Crystal Palace

Further reading

Chelsea goalscorer Hakim Ziyech was forced off with a shoulder injury in the first half of Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup against Villarreal.

Ziyech gave the Blues the lead in the 27th minute, converting a cross from Kai Havertz from close range.

Just minutes later, the Moroccan star had to be taken off after a painful-looking incident during a Villarreal corner kick.

What happened to Ziyech?

Just as the first half was drawing to a close, Ziyech appeared to be in a great deal of pain after an awkward landing while defending a corner kick.

Ziyech was holding his shoulder and had to be replaced by Christian Pulisic in the 43rd minute.

The Morocco star was later seen on the Chelsea bench with a sling on his arm. 

Ziyech has been in outstanding form for Chelsea during pre-season and looked to be a candidate to start Saturday's Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.

How has Ziyech fared at Chelsea?

Ziyech had an up-and-down campaign at Stamford Bridge in 2020-21, his first season with the club after joining from Ajax.

The 28-year-old managed just 15 starts in the Premier League and three in the Champions League as he battled injuries and strong competition for places at Stamford Bridge. 

Ziyech did manage to score six goals in 39 total games, as Chelsea lifted the Champions League.

Further reading