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Republic of Ireland Star Could Miss Liverpool Clash

Republic of Ireland defender Andrew Omobamidele could miss out on selection for Norwich City in their clash against Liverpool due to a bout of tonsilitis.

The 19-year-old from Leixlip broke into the Norwich squad in the second half of last season as they won the EFL Championship in their first season after relegation from the Premier League.

His side host Liverpool at Carrow Road for the season opener with a capacity crowd expected to attend.

Head coach Daniel Farke said that the decision to include the uncapped Irish defender in the matchday squad or omit him will be made late.

The Kildare native made nine appearances for Farke’s side in the Championship in 2020/21, including eight-in-a-row at the end of the season.

The defender only failed to complete ninety minutes once in that span which saw him earn a place at the heart of the Norwich defence.

Omobamidele played in the Canaries’ final pre-season game against Newcastle United and was set to earn his first Premier League appearance this weekend against the 2019/20 champions.

Daniel Farke will also be without winger Przemyslaw Placheta and Sam Byram as well – the latter is recovering from a long-term injury.

Liverpool will be without Andy Robertson and Curtis Jones for the clash after he damaged ligaments in a pre-season clash with Athletic Bilbao at Anfield.

It is expected that the Greek full-back will step in for Robertson in competitive fixtures in his absence.

Tsimikas only made seven appearances for Liverpool in his debut season in England as a result of early-season injury problems and Robertson’s ever-presence in the squad.

However, the 25-year-old has had an impressive pre-season this summer and will look to carry over his form into the new season and get more appearances for the club that signed him last summer.

Norwich will host Liverpool in their Premier League season opener on Saturday, August 14th at 5:30 pm.

Leicester City v Wolves – Preview, Lineups, Betting, Where To Watch

Leicester City will kick off their third full Premier League season under Brendan Rodgers when they welcome Wolves to the King Power Stadium on Saturday at 3 pm.

The side will want to improve upon two fifth-place finishes in their last two seasons and look to break into the top four, with that journey starting against Bruno Lage’s Wolves.

Lage will coach his side for the first time in competitive football after an inconsistent pre-season.

New goalkeeper José Sá is set to make his debut for Wolves but the side has several injuries heading into the opening weekend of the season.

Striker Raul Jiménez is expected to play for the club in the Premier League in his first game after recovering from a fractured skull that ruled him out for the majority of last season.

Leicester are without Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans and Timothy Castagne for the game but still have a strong side in their absence.

Nampalys Mendy and James Justin are also out for the foreseeable future through injury.

New signings Boubakary Soumaré and Patson Daka will add excitement to the side – the pair impressed in the FA Community Shield win over Premier League champions Manchester City.

Ryan Bertrand will also give the side a recognised presence at left-back and his experience in the Premier League may prove useful.

Soyuncu and Pereira will be the only first-choice defenders available for the side against Wolves but Daniel Amartey is a capable back-up at centre-back.

The established presences of Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans offer fans of the Foxes recognisable and trusted midfield – Soumaré is expected to be involved in the game too.

James Maddison may play while transfer speculation about a move to Arsenal continues to gain traction.

Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho will be the likely duo in attack, with Daka coming in place of Vardy later on in the game.

Leicester have injuries but their quality will persevere unless Lage can make a statement.

Predicted Lineups

Leicester City (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel; Pereira, Amartey, Soyuncu, Bertrand; Tielemans, Ndidi; Iheanacho Maddison, Barnes; Vardy.

Wolves (3-4-3): Sá; Saiss, Coady, Kilman; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Ait Nouri; Traore, Jiménez, Trincao.

Betting

Leicester City 4/6

Draw 27/10

Wolves 4/1

Where To Watch

Leicester City v Wolves will not be broadcast on TV. You can follow the game live on social media through both clubs’ accounts or through Talksport.

Liverpool Defender Virgil van Dijk Signs New Contract

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has signed a new long-term contract with the club that runs until 2025.

The centre-back put pen to paper at Anfield on Friday morning and committed his future to the club.

Van Dijk has spent three-and-a-half years at the club, joining the side from Southampton in January 2018 for £75 million.

Asked how it felt to have inked the fresh terms, Van Dijk told Liverpoolfc.com: “Amazing. It is something to be very proud of, that I am very proud of, that my wife and my kids are very proud of and obviously my agency.

“All the hard work we’ve put in so far continues and I am looking forward to what the future brings together with Liverpool. I’m delighted, very happy and proud.”

Van Dijk has been an established figure in the side’s defence and has made 130 appearances for the club.

In that time, the defender has scored 13 times for Liverpool and has picked up winner’s medals in the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Individually, he was voted the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year and UEFA Defender of the Season for 2018-19, while he finished second in the 2019 Ballon d’Or and The Best FIFA Men’s Player in 2019.

“Since day one when I joined the club, I felt so much appreciation from the fans and from my teammates and the staff, that I could be a very important member of this football club,” Van Dijk continued.

“It has been going well; unfortunately last season for me personally has been a season to forget, to learn from and take with me, but I have enjoyed my time here and will keep enjoying it in the next couple of years altogether with all of you.”

Van Dijk is currently working his way back to full fitness after knee surgery last October curtailed his 2020-21 season prematurely.

The 30-year-old heads into the new campaign – which begins on Saturday for the Reds at Norwich City – with a full pre-season under his belt and three friendly runouts.

Van Dijk said: “I feel good. Obviously [they were] friendlies, you get your match fitness up, get into repetitions of doing things again and again.

“I feel like I am ready for the weekend, so we’ll see what the manager decides. It is going to be a totally different atmosphere and mindset for me personally as well. It is something we fight for, for the points, and hopefully we can get a positive result out of it.”

Five Chelsea players nominated for Champions League awards

This Friday, UEFA announced the 12 nominees, three for each position, that could receive awards based on last years performances

The 12 players were decided by a voting system. The jury was made up of coaches from the 32 clubs and 55 journalists representing UEFA’s member associations.

The five players that were nominated for champions Chelsea were Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Antonio Rudiger, and N’Golo Kante.

This has been an unpredictably amazing year for Jorginho who struggled for game time at the start of the season. He has now become the driving force that won Chelsea a Champions League and Italy win the Euro 2020.

Many are claiming that the Italian maestro deserves to be in with a shout for the Balon d’Or award this year for his achievements.

Runners-up Manchester City who lost the final 1-0 to a Kai Havertz finish also has three players named on the list: Ederson, Ruben Dias, and Kevin De Bruyne.

The beaten semi-finalists Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain each have one player on the list, Thibaut Courtois and Kylian Mbappe.

Two Bundesliga strikers finished the list, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. The young Norweigan forward finished as last years Champions League top goalscorer.

Some notable exclusions from the nominees’ list are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar.

Messi finished in fourth place in the voting as Barcelona was knocked out by Chelsea in the quarter-finals. Ronaldo did not even manage to finish in the top 10 as Juventus crashed out to Porto in the quarters.

Neymar on the other hand was considered to not have made a major impact on PSG’s season. He did manage six goals and two assists for the club in nine games as he neglected to play in the French league.

The winners of the best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, and forward award will be announced at the Champions League group-stage draw in Istanbul in two weeks’ time.

List of nominees

Goalkeeper: Ederson (Man City), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid).

Defender: Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea), Cezar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Ruben Dias (Man City).

Attacker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich).

 

Spurs v Manchester City – Preview, Lineups, Betting, TV Coverage

Manchester City will travel to White Hart Lane for their season opener against Spurs on Sunday, August 15th at 4:30 pm.

Manchester City will come into the game even stronger than they were last season, with £100 million signing Jack Grealish on their books.

Spurs have added Olympic silver medallist Bryan Gil to their ranks alongside on-loan Atalanta duo Pierluigi Gollini and Cristian Romero

The side has got rid of Toby Alderweireld, Erik Lamela, Juan Foyth and Joe Hart.

Harry Kane is one of the players still on their books and the 28-year-old will play against a team interested in prying him away from the clutches of Daniel Levy this summer.

City are planning to bid £150 million plus add-ons for the English international before the window closes, per Fabrizio Romano.

Kane would add more firepower to an attack that includes Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez, to name a few.

They can live without him this weekend though, with Gabriel Jesus and their impressive false-nine system both options for the focal point of the attack.

However, fitness doubts could weaken the Manchester City machine temporarily.

Kevin De Bruyne is one of the doubts for the weekend while Phil Foden has been ruled out for three to four weeks.

Ederson, Jesus, Sterling and Kyle Walker all returned to training following the loss in the FA Community Shield and will be available for selection.

Aymeric Laporte has only returned to training recently as well after being on the same flight as someone who tested positive for Covid-19.

Yet, manager Pep Guardiola may stick with players who have been in camp longer and the Citizens could field a weakened team in their first game of the season – by their standards at least.

With Spurs yet to plug all their holes, the weekend side may be enough for the Premier League champions.

Predicted Lineups

Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Doherty, Romero, Sanchez, Reguilon; Hojbjerg, Ndombelé; Moura, Alli, Son; Kane.

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Cancelo, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko; Rodri, Gundogan, Grealish; Mahrez, Bernardo, Sterling.

Betting

Spurs 4/1

Draw 3/1

Manchester City 8/13

TV Coverage

The match will kick off on Sunday, August 15th at 4:30 pm and will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.

Meslier signs deal till 2026 at Leeds

Illan Meslier has put pen to paper to extend his stay at Leeds United until 2026

The Whites have confirmed that the French shot-stopper has renewed his contract at the club in a five-year deal.

Meslier had a record-breaking season for the club last season and he is still only 21. He managed to keep a remarkable 11 clean sheets while between the sticks.

This is considerably more impressive in the Leeds United team where their high-intensity style of play gets them a lot of scores but also can leave their defense vulnerable to counterattacks.

Meslier joined the club last year from Ligue 1 side Lorient while they were in the middle of promotion from the championship. He is believed by many to be the signing of the summer, until costing the White’s £5 million.

Speaking to Leeds Live about the goalkeepers at his club, Marcelo Bielsa said:

“A lot of what Meslier could achieve this year is linked to how Casilla lived through it with him.

“The way he collaborated with him, the keepers are a group within the group with a special coach and keepers where they spend two hours together between four of them, not 20.”

“They need each other. The climate of training is responsible for very few people. His support was very influential in this,” added Bielsa.

“It gave me great pleasure to see him play the game without having played against Southhampton.”

After signing from the club, Meslier ousted Spanish keeper Kiko Casilla from the position and it has been that way since. Casilla left for Elche on loan this season while the club signed a new young replacement goalkeeper, Kristoffer Klaesson from Valarenga in Norway.

Meslier will begin his second season in the Premier League this Saturday in Old Trafford against Manchester United at 12:30.

Ulster Rugby And Deloitte Renew Sponsorship

Deloitte has extended its deal with Ulster Rugby as the lead sponsor of the Ulster Women’s team, the Ulster U18 Girls team, and Ulster Rugby’s women’s domestic competitions for another two years.

Both the Ulster Women and U18 Girls squads are in the final stages of preparations for the eagerly anticipated 2021 interprovincial series, following a year’s absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The senior team will kick off their campaign on Saturday 28 August, hosting Munster at the Kingspan Stadium. They will then face away trips to Leinster and Connacht in Rounds 2 and 3.

Ulster U18 Girls will face the same opposition on the same weekends, with the full details of the fixtures still to be confirmed.

At domestic level, 2021/22 will see the largest-ever number of teams competing in the provincial league and cup competitions, while the showpiece Deloitte Women’s Junior Cup Final is once again set to be played at the home of Ulster Rugby, Kingspan Stadium.

Commenting on the announcement of the renewal, Jonny Petrie, Ulster Rugby CEO, said: “Since Deloitte first came on board in 2017, women’s and girls’ rugby has developed into the fastest growing area of our game, and we are delighted to continue on this journey with such an invested and passionate sponsor.

“Like Ulster Rugby, Deloitte has a strong commitment to diversity, opportunity and excellence, so I am excited to see how we can continue to work together to grow the female game at both elite and grassroots level over the next two years.”

Jackie Henry, Office Senior Partner at Deloitte in Northern Ireland and Managing Partner for People and Purpose at Deloitte UK said: “The sponsorship is a perfect fit with Deloitte’s commitment to support sport at all levels and aligns to the core value of diversity and inclusion.

“We are really proud and excited to be renewing our sponsorship of these Ulster Rugby teams.”

Chris Sloan, Partner at Deloitte who is leading on the sponsorship said: “It is hugely encouraging to see Ulster Rugby prioritising the growth of the women’s and girls’ game and putting in place both plans to increase female participation in rugby, and pathways and other mechanisms to boost team performance.

“We want to play our part in supporting the development of the sport in Northern Ireland and helping boost the team’s performance.

“Maintaining the naming rights for all domestic competitions means we’ll be able to keep supporting the game at a grassroots level and hopefully introduce rugby to more young people, who may well be looking to give new sports a try as pandemic restrictions ease.

“There is a real buzz around female sport at the moment and this sponsorship renewal reinforces our support for diversity for all genders and for all sporting levels.”

Deloitte’s sponsorship also includes the naming rights to the following domestic competitions:

League Competitions:

  • Ulster Rugby Premiership
  • Ulster Rugby Championship
  • Ulster Rugby Conference


Cup Competitions:

  • Junior Cup
  • Junior Shield
  • Suzanne Fleming Cup
  • Suzanne Fleming Shield

Arteta believes Aubameyang will be back in the goals this year

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that he hopes captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will recover his world-class form this season

The Gabonese striker, now 32, was made famous in Borussia Dortmund and in early seasons at the Emirates for his speed and finishing. Last season he began to show signs of decline with his age.

Over a year ago, Aubameyang signed a huge £250,000 per week contract at Arsenal and his goalscoring prowess seemed to disappear. It does not help that this dip in form coincided with the Gunners’ worst league finish in 25 years.

In the entire season, playing mainly on the wing but also as a striker, he scored 10 goals and got three assists. This tally is even worse than his first season at the club where he joined them in the January transfer window, that year he scored 10 and assisted four.

Speaking at a press conference, Arteta was asked about his captain’s current slump in form:
“I don’t know – last season and everything that happened individually, collectively around the club for everybody, it was difficult to measure if that’s a trend or a one-off.”

The main problems for the talismanic player were that he was not getting himself in goalscoring positions, only taking two shots every 90 minutes and his finishing was below par with a less than 20 percent conversion rate.

The manager still has confidence in his captain and will most likely be giving him a major role in their opening game of the season.

“Our job is to help the players get the best that they have, and we know that with [Aubameyang] we are stronger. He scores goals and that’s one of the most important things in this game,” added Arteta.

Arsenal will begin their Premier League resurgence tonight away to Brentford at 20:00.

Brentford v Arsenal – Preview, Lineups, Betting, TV Coverage

The opening game of the Premier League season will see Arsenal take on Brentford in Brentford Community Stadium on Friday

The match will kick off at 20:00 on Friday 13th August. Sky Sports Premier will show live coverage of the match for those at home.

This is Brentford’s long-awaited return to the English top-flight, the last time they were in this league was in 1947. They made it up by the skin of their teeth after winning the play-off finals.

The Bees are an attack-minded side that successfully blends a strong pressing game with patience in possession. This attack is spearheaded by record goalscorer Ivan Toney, he managed 31 goals in 45 Championship games last season.

Arsenal, instead, is a team that has been in the Premier League since its inception but are at their lowest point in recent history.

Manager Mikel Arteta is attempting to bring this club out of its slump using Arsenal’s youth. Now, he is mixing in new transfers, expect to see former Brighton defender Ben White and Anderlecht midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga make their competitive debuts for the club.

Both sides will be hungry for the win this evening so if the game is not nervy then it should be full of entertainment.

Predicted Lineups

Brentford

Formation

3-5-2

Predicted Starting 11

Raya (GK), Ajer, Jansson, Pinnock, Roerslev, Janelt, Onyeka, Norgaard, Henry, Mbeumo, Toney

Injuries

Dasilva, Jensen

Arsenal

Formation

4-2-3-1

Predicted Starting 11

Leno (GK), Tierney, Mari, White, Saka, Lokonga, Xhaka, Aubamayang, Smith-Rowe, Pépé, Lacazette

Injuries

Nketiah, Gabriel, Holding, Partey

Betting

Brentford is underdogs with odds of 7/2 to win today.

A draw has odds of 5/2.

Arsenal to win away from home has odds of 4/5.

Score Prediction

This will be a nervy game for Brentford, this first game back in the Premier League. Arsenal, on the other hand, is starting another rebirth in hopes of getting back to European football.

This game will be close but the Gunners will take a 2-1 win to earn their first three points.

Manchester United v Leeds United – Preview, Lineups, Betting, TV Coverage

Manchester United will host old rivals Leeds United at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the 2021/2022 Premier League season.

This game will mark the return of Premier League football for both Manchester United and Leeds United.

Man United will hope to hit the ground running after the acquisitions of Jadon Sancho and soon-to-be Raphael Varane. Making them title favourites alongside Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Finishing second last year, 12 points off Manchester City, The Red Devils will be eager to cut the deficit down this season.

Rivals Leeds enjoyed an exciting return to the Premier League last season, finishing 9th, with an impressive 59 points.

An old rivalry will resume at Old Trafford with a mouth-watering tie here.

Manchester United Retrospective

United’s summer transfer business has been a successful one so far, bringing in long-time target Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and on the verge of announcing Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.

Sancho’s arrival fills up the much-needed wide play-maker that has frustrated United going forward for years.

In recent weeks, rumours of potential outgoings (Paul Pogba) and incomings for the central midfield spot have taken over much of the transfer speculation.

Leeds United Retrospective

Marco Bielsa’s Leeds finished in the top half of the Premier League table since being relegated in the 2003-2004 season.

Playing thrilling all-out attack football has impressed neutral fans alike.

Showcasing a brand of high-tempo football that sometimes has given Leeds fans chaotic yet exciting football.

They come into this season with the hope of progressing further into the European places, with some young left sided-players bought for a combined £26 million.

Bielsa has recently signed a new one year contract that keeps him at Elland Road.

Date, kick-off time and venue

This old English rivalry will resume with Manchester United and Leeds United set to kick-off at 12:30 pm BST (British Summer Time) on Saturday, August 14, 2021, at Old Trafford.

Where to watch Manchester United vs Leeds United

TV Channel: This match will be televised live in the UK via BT Sport 1, with coverage starting at 11:30 pm.

Manchester United vs Leeds United team news

Coming into this match, Man United will be without attacker Marcus Rashford for the first 2-3 months of the upcoming season with a shoulder injury and is set for surgery.

New signing Jadon Sancho will hope to make his debut in front of the Old Trafford fateful and is in contention.

Dean Henderson and Jesse Lingard are out after contracting COVID-19, while Alex Telles (ankle), Phil Jones (knee) and Eric Bailly (Olympic duty) are all unavailable.

For their opponents, Leeds have no serious injury concerns to look out for. £13 million summer signing Junior Firpo could be included in the matchday squad after returning from injury alongside Jamie Shackleton.

Manchester United vs Leeds United prediction

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a lot to prove in what will be his 3rd season at the helm. Winning a trophy will be their main objective this season, albeit the Premier League or a domestic trophy.

The last time these two sides met saw Manchester United thrash Leeds 6-2, when they faced off at Elland Road, it was a dull 0-0 draw, so predicting this match-up is a toss of a coin.

With the inclusion of Jadon Sancho and the incoming arrival of Raphael Varane, the confidence and hope around United are justified.

The Red Devils will fancy their chances here.

Prediction: Man United 2-0

Predicted Line-Up

Manchester United Predicted XI – (4-2-3-1)

D.Gea, W.Bissaka, V.Lindelof, H.Maguire, L.Shaw, Fred, S.McTominay, M.Greenwood, B. Fernandes, P. Pogba, E.Cavani.

Leeds United Predicted XI – (4-1-4-1)

I.Meslier, L.Ayling, R.Koch, L.Cooper, J.Firpo, K.Phillips, S.Dallas, M.Klich, Rafinha, J.Harrison, P. Bamford.

Betting Odds

Manchester United To Win: 1/2

Draw: 10/3

Leeds United To Win: 9/2

 

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