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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

Romelu Lukaku could be Chelsea’s new Didier Drogba if he finally completes his return to the Premier League club, according to former Manchester City and England defender Danny Mills.

The Inter Milan star is expected to completed a big-money move to Stamford Bridge after he helped the Nerazzurri win the Serie A title last season with goalscoring contributions.

In his previous three-year stint at Stamford Bridge, the Belgium star struggled for form with just 10 appearances in the Premier League with no goal to his name.

Ahead of his imminent return to London, Mills is backing Lukaku to establish himself just like the two-time African Footballer of the Year who scored 104 goals and provided 55 assists in 254 Premier League games for the Blues.

“If Chelsea get Romelu Lukaku over the line, that could be a gamechanger for the season," Mills told Ladbrokes. "Suddenly you couple up Thomas Tuchel’s expertise and organisation with a striker of Lukaku’s quality, someone who is guaranteed goals, a proven Premier League striker, all of a sudden you’re thinking that could go down as a sensational piece of business.

“Lukaku’s record – even at Manchester United – speaks for itself. If you play to his strengths, he’s an absolute unit.

“He could be Chelsea’s modern-day Didier Drogba when you look at his pace, his strength and his record in front of goal. He’s got all the attributes.”

The 44-year-old also commented on Manchester City new midfielder Jack Grealish following his £100 million move from Aston Villa.

“I actually think Aston Villa have done some great business this summer,” Mills continued. “Yes, they’ve lost Jack Grealish, but they’ve been really clever in replacing him. They knew Jack was going to go, so they’ve done their business early and brought in three or four new faces with the transfer fee they got from Man City.

“Grealish could turn out to be a fantastic signing, but where’s he going to play? Ben White is a very, very good signing, an astute one.”

Villarreal dropped Samuel Chukwueze for the Uefa Super Cup final against Chelsea on Thursday but Senegal’s Boulaye Dia earned a spot in the Yellow Submarines’ starting XI.

The Super Eagles is apparently not fit to partake in the encounter at Belfast after undergoing a successful surgery on the quadriceps of his left leg at the end of May.

Chukwueze first picked up an injury during the Uefa Europa League semi-final clash against Arsenal on May 6 and it eventually ruled him out of the final against Manchester United which the Spanish club won 11-10 on penalties after settling for a 1-1 draw at the end of extra-time.

A few weeks ago, the 22-year-old signalled his returned to personal training with pictures of the sessions he partook in. 

In Chukwueze's absence, Unai Emery opted to start new signing Dia alongside Gerard Moreno and Yeremi Pino as his front three.

The Senegal striker moved to the Estadio de la Ceramica on a five-year contract from Ligue 1 club Reims in July.

Last season in the French top-flight, the 24-year-old was in terrific goalscoring form with 14 goals in 36 league appearances.

Also in the Yellow Submarines' squad, is Algeria centre-back Aissa Mandi who is starting on the bench. Mandi joined Villarreal on a free transfer in June following the expiry of his deal at Real Betis and he signed a four-year contract.

Thursday's clash is Villarreal's maiden competitive match of the season before they open their 2021-22 La Liga campaign at home against Granada on August 16.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and Morocco playmaker Hakim Ziyech in their starting XI as they aim for their second Uefa Super Cup, after their 1998 triumph.

Ulinzi Stars head coach Benjamin Nyangweso has stated his charges are keen to break the AFC Leopards jinx on Thursday in their top-tier assignment.

The two teams will be meeting at the Nakuru Show Ground with the hosts aiming at avenging the first-round loss. Peter Thiong'o was the hero as his strike was enough to hand the 13-time league champions maximum points at Kasarani Stadium.

The last time the Soldiers claimed a win over Ingwe was way back in 2019 when they won 1-0 away.

'I expect a good performance'

Tusker were given the ticket to represent Kenya in the Caf Champions League and they are fighting for the title alongside KCB. The four-time champions concede there is no pressure but that it is important to get the win.

"There is no pressure since the league is gone, but a win will obviously push us up the table," Nyangweso said as quoted by Nation. 

"It has been a long time since we won against Leopards and because we do not have any injuries, I expect a good performance from my players."

Why Ulinzi could not challenge for the title

The Nakuru-based charges have played 29 matches, winning 10, drawing 11 and losing eight in the process. 

Currently, Ulinzi are 10th, they are on 41 points, 17 less than joint leaders Tusker and KCB and the experienced coach has explained why.

"We were not training when sporting activities were halted because we are under government control, but the situation was different with our opponents and it took us time to catch up when the league resumed in May," Nyangweso continued.

Leaders Tusker will be at Ruaraka Grounds on Friday hosting Kakamega Homeboyz while the Bankers will be away to play Vihiga United at Mumias Complex.

Gor Mahia will be at Thika Stadium to host Bidco United on Saturday.

2008 league champions Mathare United will be taking their relegation battle to Mbaraki Grounds to play Bandari. Kariobangi Sharks will play Nzoia Sugar as Wazito host Sofapaka.

Edouard Mendy has set a Uefa Super Cup record having made Chelsea’s starting XI for Wednesday’s game against Villarreal.

With that, he is the first African keeper to play in the final since Bruce Grobbelaar versus Juventus in 1985.

The Super Cup is an annual football match contested by the champions of the continent's two main club competitions - the Champions League and the Europa League.

More shortly…

Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has set his sights on knocking Mamelodi Sundowns off their perch ahead of their titanic clash in the MTN8 quarter-final match on Sunday.

Sundowns, who have dominated South African football in the last four years winning four successive PSL titles, will play host to Chiefs at the 2010 Fifa World Cup training venue, Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

This will be Baxter's first official domestic match since he rejoined Amakhosi in June this year and the experienced tactician is determined to narrow the gap between his side and Masandawana. 

"Sundowns have set the benchmark, and I don't totally agree when everyone says they've signed all the best players," Baxter told the media, 

"You've still got to go out and make a team. That doesn't entitle anyone to win championships.

"To keep winning championships is an impressive performance by everybody at Sundowns, and I'm sure that they're proud of it."

Baxter remains the last coach to win a major trophy with Chiefs in 2015 when he guided the Soweto giants to the PSL title.

Chiefs have been among the busiest clubs in the current PSL transfer window signing nine new players and Baxter is looking to build a team that can end Sundowns' dominance. 

"The sleepless nights that I may have is about working out how I can get the best out of my players and not how I can knock down the Sundowns players," he explained.

"I think the gap has increased, but again, it's not because we couldn't sign players, but there's been a few reasons why gradually Chiefs have been away from that benchmark.

"I hope that the rebuilding process will lead to closing that gap [to Sundowns] and eventually knocking them off their perch. I'm sure that there are a few teams in that chasing pack that would like to do that."

Sundowns have also been active in the transfer window signing six new players and Baxter indicated that Masandawana will be under pressure in the new season. 

"The pressure is firmly on Sundowns in the way they run the club. I mean Paris Saint-Germain have just signed Leo Messi. Now the only thing that will satisfy everybody will be a Champions League trophy," he added. 

"When you have signed as many players as Sundowns have signed, it increases that pressure in that the bar is set higher. So they will have the favourite stamp, and it's up to the rest of us to chase them down and knock them off that perch.

"To make sure that there's some sort of greater competition into the league because they've been good in making that competition pretty sparse."

Former U.S. women's national team (USWNT) goalkeeper Hope Solo has revealed team doctors routinely passed out anti-anxiety drug Xanax during her time with the national team.

Solo played in three World Cups and three Olympics during her time with the USWNT, winning the World Cup once and two Olympic gold medals.

Speaking to Goal on the latest episode of All of US: The U.S. Women's Soccer Show, Solo touched on the current discussion over athletes' mental health and how the issue has been dealt with over time.

What was said?

"People are aware of the struggles and the pressures that athletes go through at the highest stage, so yeah absolutely," Solo replied when asked if the discussion over mental health was improving. "I think we have a long way to go in terms of actually understanding it, you know, we used to have doctors pass out Xanax like it was nothing.

"It was just part of the routine while we were overseas in China for the World Cup [in 2007]. Doctors knocking on your door, passing out anything to help you get sleep because of the nerves or because of the stress or because of the pressure.

"I mean these are normal-day affairs when it comes to Olympians so I don't think people have quite a clear understanding. We've been discussing this now for about five years and we have a ways to go, but there is acknowledgement and that's a start."

Solo praises Biles decision

The discussion over athletes' mental health has stemmed in large part from star American gymnast Simone Biles, who decided to pull out of the team gymnastics competition at the Olympics.

Biles cited her mental health as the reason she opted out of the team and individual all-around competition, before she later returned to compete on balance beam and won a bronze medal.

Solo said that what Biles did took true strength and praised her decision to prioritise her own well-being. 

"Sometimes it's really hard to keep that happy face on for the cameras," Solo said.

"That's what a lot of athletes are expected to do - like Simone Biles. She's America's sweetheart and she went out there and she said, 'You know what? I don't have it today.' That takes a lot of strength."

Further reading

Nottingham Forest defender Gaetan Bong has been banned for the next three matches after he was found guilty of violent conduct in Saturday’s Championship opener against Coventry City.

Bong struck Coventry City's Callum O'Hare during a set-play on the stroke of half-time, but the challenge was caught on camera as referee James Linington and his assistants did not see it.

After Forest’s 2-1 defeat at Coventry, the Cameroon left-back was charged by the FA and he accepted the punishment that came with it.

He will consequently miss Nottingham Forest's League Cup clash against Bradford City on Wednesday followed by their Championship outings against AFC Bournemouth and Blackburn Rovers on August 14 and 18 respectively.

"Gaetan Bong will be suspended for Nottingham Forest FC's next three matches following a breach of FA Rule E1.1,” read the statement via Sky Sports.

"The defender's behaviour during the 45th minute of their EFL Championship game against Coventry City FC on Sunday [08/08/21] was not seen by the match officials at the time but it was caught on camera.

"Gaetan Bong subsequently admitted that this behaviour constitutes violent conduct and he accepted the standard penalty"

Bong moved to the City Ground in January 2020 on a two-and-a-half-year deal after he left Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.

Last season, he made just 10 Championship appearances for Chris Hughton's side who finished 17th on the league table.

On the international scene, the 33-year-old has not played for the Indomitable Lions since their unsuccessful campaign at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Bong's last game was Cameroon's group stage fixture against Ghana which ended in a goalless draw and he was on parade for 74 minutes.

The Sackbayeme-born defender, who made his Cameroon debut in an international friendly against Portugal in June 2010, will be hoping to earn a recall to Antonio Conceicao's set-up ahead of the 2022 Afcon tournament on home soil next January.

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Therre is renewed confidence Paulo Dybala will sign a new contract at Juventus after positive talks between the club and the player's agent Jorge Antun, Goal can confirm.

Dybala's contract at Allianz Stadium expires in summer 2022 and talks have been ongoing for some time as the Argentine striker stalls on whether to commit to renewed terms in Turin.

However the latest round of talks between Juve and Antun have gone well, with further discussions planned for the weekend amid hope a deal is on the horizon.

What is the situation?

Antun met with Juve club officials on Wednesday lunchtime, arriving at the training facility at around midday before leaving at 1:20pm.

The talks have boosted confidence on both sides that a deal will be done, and Dybala will still remain a Juventus footballer after the end of the coming season.

Dybala meanwhile is fit and happy to play for Juventus as the talks progress, meaning he could start for Max Allegri's side when they take on Atalanta in a friendly on Saturday. Juve then start their 2021-22 Serie A campaign away to Udinese on August 22.

Dybala dilemma

Agreeing fresh terms with the 27-year-old has become a top priority for Juve, with the club hoping to get a deal done quickly and bring any exit talk in Turin to a close.

Dybala currently earns around €7 million (£6m/$8m) per season, but will see that salary raised to between eight or nine million as renewed terms are tabled. Juve believe that offer will be considered acceptable by Dybala and his entourage.

Allegri is hoping that will be the case, with the returning Juve boss making it clear that the forward has a key role to play in his future plans.

Dybala has spent the last six years with the Bianconeri, having been signed up from Palermo in 2015. He has scored 100 goals for the club through 254 appearances and helped them to five Serie A titles and four Coppa Italia wins.

Further Reading

Swallows FC head coach Brandon Truter has explained why the club opted against former Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns star George Lebese.

The experienced winger spent some time with the Soweto giants on trial and looked to impress Truter to secure a deal with the club with the new season looming.

Truter lauded Lebese, 32, as a top-quality player, but he pointed out that the left-footed player didn’t have what the Beautiful Birds were looking for.

“Lebese, what a player. Top top quality. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t say we didn’t reach an agreement, as George mentioned in the media," Truter told the media. 

"We didn’t get to the negotiation part, I have to be honest in that regard. George is a top player, there’s no doubt about it. But we also had to get the right players in the right positions, and the right characteristics as well.

"Unfortunately for George, his style of play and what he can bring to the table didn’t really fit Swallows’ way. We needed to look at the club first before we considered anything else.”

Truter went on to explain that Lebese, who has been a free agent since he parted ways with USA-based outfit Colorado Springs Switchback in March this year, does not fit into his style of play.

“Any other day I would take George in my team. You can be the best player but if it affects the whole make-up of the squad and how we want to play then I would rather side with the team than the individual,” he continued.

“We have a playing style at Swallows that we want to maintain and there are certain aspects within the team that are non-negotiable. And unfortunately, George lost out in that regard.

"I wish him nothing but the best going forward. What a nice bloke as well, a great personality and a top footballer. Sadly at Swallows FC, it wasn’t the right time for George.”

Swallows have signed left-wingers Austin Muwowo and Monnapule Saleng from Orlando Pirates on loan in the current transfer window.

While Lesotho international Tumelo Khutlang, who is also a left-winger, has also joined the Beautiful Birds from Black Leopards.

Swallows will take on Pirates in the MTN8 quarter-finals at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Harambee Starlets captain Dorcas Shikobe has revealed what she shares with Kenya international Michael Olunga.

The Thika Queens defender said the Al Duhail striker is her role model and explained the character traits she shares with the former Kashiwa Reysol centre-forward.

"My role model in football has to be [Michael] Olunga, his passion and self-discipline is something we both share and we don’t let anything hinder our dreams," Shikobe told the Football Kenya Federation website on Wednesday.

Shikobe first earned national team call-ups while she was still in high school, but had to wait until 2015 when she was able to retain a spot in the final squad and went ahead to make her debut against Uganda's Crested Cranes.

She was part of the side that won the Cecafa Women's Championship trophy unbeaten in Tanzania in 2019 and this, according to her, is the second most memorable moment in her career after making her national team debut.

"Clinching the 2019 Cecafa Senior Women's Championship title marks the highlight of my career as it came right after I had just come from going through possibly the worst moment of my career, losing to Zambia in the Olympic qualifier," she added.

"However, as a leader, I steered my team to make a comeback from that setback, and I must say, we really put in our all in that tournament, maintaining a clean sheet from the beginning right to the end of the tournament."

The defender encouraged footballers to focus on a fruitful career path.

"The journey will never be easy, there will be a lot of self-sacrifices and self-discipline involved, but if they are really passionate, the fruits, in the end, will make the struggle worth the time," she said.

After the Cecafa triumph, Shikombe was among the Harambee Starlets who secured moves, especially to European clubs. Although Esse Akida was not part of the group that won the regional tournament, she signed with Turkey's Besiktas around the time most players got their new deals.

Corazon Aquino signed for Portuguese side Atletico Ourense, Annette Kundu and Ruth Ingosi got Lakatamia FC deals in Cyprus, while Mary Kinuthia and Elizabeth Katungwa were signed by Swedish team IF Djurgardens. Cynthia Shilwatso joined Spanish club EDF Logrono and Lilly Awuor went to Germany to play for Borussia Pankow.

Orlando Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer has revealed his key players Richard Ofori and Thembinkosi Lorch have picked up injuries ahead of the Soweto Derby clash.

The Buccaneers are scheduled to meet their Soweto rivals, Swallows FC in the MTN8 quarter-finals at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday. 

Ghana's finest goalkeeper Ofori, influential attacker Lorch, and experienced defender Innocent Maela featured in Pirates' defeat to their archrivals, Kaizer Chiefs in the Carling Black Label Cup earlier this month.

However, the trio has since picked up injuries according to Zinnbauer with the Buccaneers set to start their defence of the MTN8 title which they won last year after defeating Bloemfontein Celtic in the final. 

“We have a little bit of problems with the players, it's normal in a pre-season. Maela is not in training at the moment,” Zinnbauer told the media.

"He’s with the surgeon and we’ll get the information in the afternoon. We have to see what is happening with him, he has a bone problem, maybe it is an old injury, but we’ll check today.

“Lorch has a problem with the shoulder, he was out yesterday but we tried it today. I think he’s fine for the weekend."

Zinnbauer went on to indicate that injury-prone strikers Tshegofatso Mabasa and Zakhele Lepasa will be unavailable this weekend.

However, the German tactician did indicate that Mabasa has resumed training with his teammates, while Ofori, Maela, and left-sided player Paseko Mako could all play this weekend. 

"The old injured players, we know them, Mabasa and Lepasa, they aren’t available for the weekend but Mabasa [is] close, he started training with the team, Lepasa needs more time," he added.

“I think Ofori also came back. Yesterday he had a problem with his eye, he got hit with a ball in his face. We have to check this, but I think he is fine for the weekend, I hope Maela is well.

"Mako has some swelling on the calf, but I think it’s also possible he could play on the weekend, but we are ready for the game."

Lamontville Golden Arrows head coach Lehlononolo Seema has vowed to deliver two trophies at the KwaZulu-Natal side.

The former Lesotho international was appointed by Abafana Bes'thende at the end of last season after he guided Chippa United to safety as they won the PSL promotion/relegation playoffs.

Seema replaced coach Mandla Ncikazi, who had steered Arrows to their highest finish in the PSL last term with the team finishing fourth.  

Abafana Bes'thende will now take on SuperSport United in the MTN8 quarter-finals at Princess Magogo Stadium on Saturday and Seema is setting his sights on winning the competition and the league title. 

“There's one thing we're looking at this season... [that one thing] is to challenge this league and push as far as we can," Seema told the media. 

"If the opportunity presents itself like this weekend [referring to the MTN8 first round], let's take a trophy or two and try to reward the chairlady [Mato Madlala].

“If we finished in position four last season, we can push for position three, we can push for position two and we can push for position one."

Seema, who has never won a major trophy as a coach, disclosed that he was not given a mandate by Madlala. 

"We have to set high standards for ourselves because expectations are there now," the retired central defender continued. 

"But one thing that I can tell you is that the chairlady didn't give me any mandate. This team is capable of surprising a lot of people.”

The former Orlando Pirates captain feels that SuperSport have an edge over his side due to their cup pedigree, but he promised that his charges will fight for a win. 

“We are looking at this game as our final before the final. In cup competitions, SuperSport have done more than we've done," he added. 

"So we go there as underdogs and we don't want to say 'no we have a good record against them'. Even so, we will fight.

“This [the MTN] is their territory that's why they've inherited the name “cup specialists”. It's going to be a difficult game.”

SuperSport have won two MTN8 titles in the last four years, but Arrows' only major cup win came in 2009 as they clinched the MTN8 trophy. 

AFC Leopards legend Charles Okwemba believes the failure to replace quality at Gor Mahia has led to their struggles.

K'Ogalo had not shown their best in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League, but won the FKF Shield Cup to earn the right to play in the Caf Confederation Cup next season. The former midfielder is not satisfied with the Nairobi-based charges.

Why are Gor Mahia struggling?

"Remember at some point we had real quality in the team; the likes of [Meddie] Kagere, [Michael] Olunga, [Jacques] Tuyisenge and the likes," Okwemba told Goal on Wednesday.

"All these were good players, but when they left, who replaced them? You cannot expect to retain your level without replacing quality with quality.

"It will be the same case next season, if they do not get quality players, they will definitely struggle to achieve their goals. Football is not rocket science, it is straight forward."

How will the financial struggles affect Gor Mahia and Leopards?

In the ongoing campaign, K'Ogalo have lost Charles Momanyi, Kenneth Muguna and are on the verge of losing Clifton Miheso whose contract with the club has expired.

It is not green on the other side; Ingwe are also suffering financially and many players are set to leave after the season concludes.

"Nowadays it is tough, without money you cannot convince a good player to stay," Okwemba continued.

"It is the reason why we have seen Gor Mahia losing some good players. If the two teams don't get a consistent source of income, then I do not expect them to attract quality players.

"But it does not mean they will not sign some good players, they will, especially those who are desperate to make it in football. They understand you have a chance to be spotted if you are playing for any of the two teams.

"I am not expecting Gor and Ingwe to drop into the relegation zone, but to be honest, they will struggle to match the teams that are doing well financially."

Chelsea are ratifying the final details of a €5 million (£4m/$6m) offer from Genk for striker Ike Ugbo, with the move expected to be completed in the next week.

The 22-year-old has been involved for Thomas Tuchel's side in pre-season but negotiations around his future have been going on behind the scenes.

The homegrown star had approaches from Fulham, Watford, Monaco and Anderlecht after an exceptional season on loan at Cercle Brugge. However, Genk's proposal was the strongest overall and ensured that they won the race for Ugbo.

What does it mean for Chelsea?

Chelsea lose a young striker who was with the club since he was nine years old but they continue to make money from their loan group and academy.

Having also sold the likes of Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi and Olivier Giroud this summer, Chelsea are expected to raise well over £100m in player sales.

This comes as Chelsea have accepted a £34m ($47m) offer from Roma for Tammy Abraham, although Ugbo's former strike partner has not yet agreed on personal terms.

These players sales are expected to cover the entire cost of the £98m ($136m) signing of Romelu Lukaku, with further business expected afterwards.

Sevilla defender Jules Kounde is a target for the west Londoners but the Spanish club have taken a strong stance on a £68m ($94m) price tag.

Who else is leaving?

Chelsea are set to allow both Trevoh Chalobah and Dujon Sterling to leave on loan despite impressing in pre-season.

Meanwhile, academy starlet Thierno Ballo is closing in on a loan move to Rapid Vienna.

Chelsea have a host of other players to offload, including the likes of Danny Drinkwater, Ross Barkley, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Davide Zappacosta among many more.

Further reading