Man United kick off Premier League season before Man City face new-look Chelsea

Man United kick off Premier League season before Man City face new-look Chelsea
Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag with the trophy after winning the English FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in London on May 25, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 15 August 2024
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Man United kick off Premier League season before Man City face new-look Chelsea

Man United kick off Premier League season before Man City face new-look Chelsea
  • Manchester United’s shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City back in May went a long way to keeping Erik ten Hag in charge at Old Trafford
  • Arne Slot faces a tricky start to his Premier League career when Liverpool travel to an Ipswich side back in the top-flight

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Manchester United kick-off the 2024/25 Premier League season at home to Fulham on Friday before Manchester City begin the defense of their title at free-spending Chelsea on Sunday.

New Liverpool manager Arne Slot will be under the spotlight on Saturday with a trip to newly-promoted Ipswich for his first competitive game since succeeding Jurgen Klopp.

AFP Sports looks at what to expect from the opening weekend of the new season:

Manchester United’s shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City back in May went a long way to keeping Erik ten Hag in charge at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman has been backed by United’s new football operations hierarchy, led by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, and was handed a contract extension to 2026.

Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui have arrived to strengthen Ten Hag’s squad for around £150 million ($192 million).

But after finishing eighth last season — United’s worst ever Premier League finish — Ten Hag needs a fast start to the new campaign to dispell doubts he is the man to lead the club forward.

Fulham won at Old Trafford for the first time in 20 years in February.

Any repeat on Friday will have United fans fearing another season to forget.

Arne Slot faces a tricky start to his Premier League career when Liverpool travel to an Ipswich side back in the top-flight after a 22-year absence and buoyant after successive promotions.

Liverpool are yet to make a single signing in the transfer window but have been rampant in pre-season with eye-catching wins over Arsenal, United and Sevilla.

Victory at Portman Road would bring some relief to Liverpool fans still coming to terms with the end of Klopp’s iconic reign.

The Reds could then build some momentum with a comfortable run of fixtures to come before the October international break.

But Ipswich defender Axel Tuanzebe is confident of maintaining Ipswich’s proud home record over the past two seasons.

“We’re going to empty the tank and give everything we’ve got,” Tuanzebe told the BBC.

“They’re just humans” he added. “It is just 11 v 11 on the pitch. Not many teams win at Portman Road and we intend to keep it that way.”

New Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has a baptism of fire against his former club.

Maresca was part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at City before leading Leicester to promotion from the Championship last season.

The Italian inherits a chaotic situation at Stamford Bridge with a first team squad now boasting over 50 players and question marks over the future of most of them.

Chelsea’s issues were exposed in a torrid pre-season, that included a 4-2 defeat to City in the USA.

By contrast, there have been few changes for Guardiola’s champions.

Brazilian winger Savinho is the only new arrival, while Argentine forward Julian Alvarez departed this week for Atletico Madrid.

City’s England trio of Kyle Walker, John Stones and Phil Foden, plus Spanish midfielder Rodri, only returned to training this week after competing in the Euro 2024 final and are unlikely to start against Chelsea.

Fixtures:

Friday (all times GMT)

Manchester United vs. Fulham (1900)

Saturday

Ipswich vs. Liverpool (1130), Arsenal vs. Wolves, Everton vs. Brighton, Newcastle vs. Southampton, Nottingham Forest vs. Bournemouth (all 1400), West Ham vs. Aston Villa (1630)

Sunday

Brentford vs Crystal Palace (1300), Chelsea vs. Manchester City (1530)

Monday

Leicester vs. Tottenham (1900)


A new era in Asian football begins Monday when the AFC Champions League Elite debuts

A new era in Asian football begins Monday when the AFC Champions League Elite debuts
Updated 14 September 2024
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A new era in Asian football begins Monday when the AFC Champions League Elite debuts

A new era in Asian football begins Monday when the AFC Champions League Elite debuts
  • Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli are among the favorites to win next May’s final and reinforce the ambitions of the Saudi Pro League of becoming one of the best in the world
  • The Elite version replaced the AFC Champions League as the continent’s top tournament

The first edition of the AFC Champions League Elite begins Monday with stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Riyad Mahrez looking to lead their Saudi clubs to success in Asia.

Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli are among the favorites to win next May’s final and reinforce the ambitions of the Saudi Pro League (SPL) of becoming one of the best in the world.

In the summer transfer windows of 2023 and 2024, SPL clubs spent over $1 billion on transfers to bring top-level players from the big European leagues.

Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves joined Al-Hilal in 2023 from Wolverhampton Wanderers of the English Premier League for a fee of around $60 million and has no doubt that the SPL has enough quality.

“I have said this a few times — if you compare my data from English football to Saudi football, I run even more, but with the difference that I run in 40 degrees (Celsius, 104 Fahrenheit),” Neves said after helping Portugal to a 2-1 Nations League win over Scotland on Tuesday when Ronaldo scored the winning goal.

“I am in good shape physically. Both Cristiano and I proved today that Saudi football has quality.”

Al-Hilal is the most successful team in Asia with four continental titles and starts its campaign against Al-Rayyan of Qatar. Ronaldo won five UEFA Champions Leagues but has yet to win a major trophy with Al-Nassr and he will face Iraq’s Al-Shorta while Mahrez and Al-Ahli hosts Persepolis of Iran in Jeddah.

As well as the big stars, also reinforcing the chances of the giants from Jeddah and Riyadh, is that from the quarterfinal stage on, all games will take place in Saudi Arabia.

There are bigger changes, however. The Elite version replaced the AFC Champions League as the continent’s top tournament.

The number of teams participating has reduced from 40 to 24. Instead of 10 groups of four, there are two groups of 12, divided into east and west geographic zones, with teams playing eight games with the top eight progressing to the second round.

In the east zone, China, South Korea and Japan all have the maximum allocation of three teams though Australia has only the Central Coast Mariners.

Clubs from the A-League have struggled in the Champions League in recent years but if the Mariners can succeed, there may be more places for Australian teams in the future.

“We know if we perform and we carry out our game plan and play our way, we know we can compete,” Central Coast head coach Mark Jackson said. “We’ve shown that. Whether we can compete consistently on that front, again with the size of squads these teams have, how they can travel because I’m sure these teams travel in a different way to how we travel.”

The Elite tournament has become more lucrative with the winner receiving $10 million in prize money, an increase from $4 million last season.


Messi set to return after two-month lay off

Messi set to return after two-month lay off
Updated 13 September 2024
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Messi set to return after two-month lay off

Messi set to return after two-month lay off

MIAMI: Lionel Messi is set to return to action with his club Inter Miami on Saturday after spending over two months out with an ankle injury, Miami coach Gerardo Martino said on Friday.
“Yes, he is fine,” Martino said before training Friday. “He trained (Thursday), he is in the plans for the game. After training we will figure out the strategy for him, but he is available,” added the Argentine.
Inter Miami, who lead the Eastern Conference and are top of the overall standings, host the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
Messi injured his right ankle during the final of the Copa America on July 14 when he helped Argentina to victory over Colombia.
Since then he has missed eight MLS games for his club and this month’s World Cup qualifiers for his country.
“To get back the best player in the world to our team, which was already on a good run, we are all very happy with this situation,” said Martino.
Inter have already booked their place in the MLS Cup playoffs although their seeding will depend on how they finish the regular season which concludes on October 19.
The playoffs begin the following week and conclude with MLS Cup on December 7,
Miami’s Finnish winger Robert Taylor concurred said Messi’s return to training had given the team a boost.
“We’re already confident, but he gives us even more confidence now that he’s back training and hopefully he’s ready to play soon,” Taylor told the Miami Herald.
“He brings a lot of leadership. The way he’s competitive in training is really, really amazing to watch. He wants to win every little thing we do in training, whether it’s football tennis, rondos, small-sided games, he just wants to win everything. So that boosts everyone to try to match that level,” he said.
Taylor doesn’t expect to see any lasting impact of the injury on the record eight-times Ballon d’Or winner.
“Of course, two months is a long time, for anyone, but he’s the best player there is. So, I don’t think we’ll see much of a different Messi than we’ve seen before,” he added.


Guardiola ‘happy’ Man City hearing finally set to start

Guardiola ‘happy’ Man City hearing finally set to start
Updated 13 September 2024
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Guardiola ‘happy’ Man City hearing finally set to start

Guardiola ‘happy’ Man City hearing finally set to start
  • City face 80 breaches of financial rules between 2009 and 2018, plus a further 35 of failing to cooperate with a Premier League investigation
  • “Start soon, and hopefully finish soon,” Guardiola said of the hearing at his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of Brentford’s trip to the Etihad

MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he is pleased that the club’s long-awaited hearing into 115 charges brought by the Premier League is set to start on Monday.
City face 80 breaches of financial rules between 2009 and 2018, plus a further 35 of failing to cooperate with a Premier League investigation.
The English champions stand accused of failing to provide accurate financial information between 2009 and 2018, including revenue from sponsors and salary details of managers and players.
City have vehemently denied any wrongdoing and Guardiola has backed his superiors when pressed about the charges in the past.
“Start soon, and hopefully finish soon,” Guardiola said of the hearing at his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of Brentford’s trip to the Etihad. “I am looking forward to the decision.
“I’m happy it’s starting on Monday. I know there will be more rumors, new specialists about the sentences.
“We’re going to see. I know what people are looking forward to, what they expect. I know what I read for many, many years. Everybody is innocent until guilt is proven. So we’ll see.”
If found guilty on some or all of the charges, City face a severe points deduction and possibly even expulsion from the Premier League.
The hearing is set to last at least two months, with a decision not expected until 2025.
The Premier League brought the charges in February 2023 but there has been a lengthy wait for the case to proceed before an independent commission.
In the meantime, City have lifted two more Premier League titles and the club’s first ever Champions League last year.
Since a 2008 takeover from Sheikh Mansour, a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family, City have been transformed into the dominant force in English football.
They have won eight of the last 13 Premier League titles, including a record four consecutive league crowns in the past four seasons.


Inter and AC Milan reject plan to renovate San Siro

Inter and AC Milan reject plan to renovate San Siro
Updated 13 September 2024
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Inter and AC Milan reject plan to renovate San Siro

Inter and AC Milan reject plan to renovate San Siro
  • “The two clubs said no to the restructuring of San Siro proposed by (construction group) WeBuild,” Sala said after a meeting with officials of the two clubs
  • The two clubs would, however, be ready to relaunch the initial project of a new stadium in the immediate vicinity of San Siro
“The two clubs said no to the restructuring of San Siro proposed by (construction group) WeBuild,” Sala said after a meeting with officials of the two clubs
The two clubs would, however, be ready to relaunch the initial project of a new stadium in the immediate vicinity of San Siro

MILAN: Inter and AC Milan on Friday rejected the project to modernize and restructure the iconic San Siro stadium which they share, city mayor Giuseppe Sala announced.
“The two clubs said no to the restructuring of San Siro proposed by (construction group) WeBuild,” Sala said after a meeting with officials of the two northern Italian clubs.
“They provided detailed analyzes of technical and economic feasibility and their conclusions are that this project cannot be carried out at a sustainable cost and that they do not wish to move in this direction.”
The two clubs would, however, be ready to relaunch the initial project of a new stadium in the immediate vicinity of San Siro, according to Sala.
“We are not starting from scratch on this subject, but there is resistance from local residents,” Sala pointed out.
“They must present us with a project within a fairly short time frame, but building stadiums in Italy is never easy, it is always very complex.”
To increase their commercial revenue both clubs, who have been crowned European champions 10 times between them, have announced that they wish to leave the San Siro, which is owned by the city of Milan.
Officially known as the Giuseppe-Maezza stadium, the 80,000 capacity San Siro is a spectacular concrete structure built in 1926 but which no longer meets their needs.
The two clubs also each have a stadium project in their pipeline.
Earlier this year AC Milan bought land in the suburb of San Donato Milanese, to the south-east of the city, as part of a plan to move away from the San Siro and outside the official boundaries of the city of Milan.
Reigning Serie A champions Inter have their sights set on the towns of Rozzano and Assago, just south of Milan, after having also sounded out the possibility of building on former industrial land in populous northern suburb Sesto San Giovanni.
In 2026, San Siro will host the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
It should also be the scene of the 2027 Champions League final, which according to the Italian press could be called into question amid the ongoing uncertainty over the stadium’s future.

Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss

Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss
Updated 13 September 2024
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Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss

Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss
  • Alonso said Friday he was trying to restore concentration and focus that seemed to be lacking in a game where Leverkusen had 27 shots
  • “We need to have better control when we don’t have the ball,” the coach said

DUESSELDORF, Germany: Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen have experienced almost everything soccer has to offer over the last year. Having to rebound from a loss, not so much.
Leverkusen go into Saturday’s game against Hoffenheim having lost their last league match 3-2 to Leipzig. It was the first Bundesliga game Leverkusen had lost since May 2023.
Alonso said Friday he was trying to restore concentration and focus that seemed to be lacking in a game where Leverkusen had 27 shots, but Leipzig’s sudden, incisive counterattacks made the difference.
“We need to have better control when we don’t have the ball,” the coach said Friday. “We have to be stable without the ball, we have to be aggressive, not too passive. I think we conceded chances too simply and that is a football topic but also a mental topic, too.”
Leverkusen’s unbeaten run last season was no ordinary streak. So often did Alonso’s team score late goals to save a point or win a crucial game that it began to feel inevitable, even like part of their identity — like a Hollywood director whose movies all feature improbable final-act twists.
Leverkusen’s unbeaten run in all competitions ended at 51 games when the team lost to Atalanta in May in the Europa League final. Their unbeaten record in German competition hit 15 months before the loss to Leipzig, including the only unbeaten Bundesliga season by any team in history.
The recent international break means Alonso and his team have had two weeks to mull over the Leipzig loss ahead of the away game at Hoffenheim — and a Champions League visit to Feyenoord on Thursday — but there’s been little face-to-face contact between Alonso and his many players on international duty.
“It’s express preparation, express conversation,” he said. “It’s not so many things but there are important things to improve. We had enough time to analyze and to show that and to discuss how we can do that better, so hopefully we have a better, more complete performance.”
Alonso had words of support for defender and vice-captain Jonathan Tah, who was substituted at halftime in Germany’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on Tuesday after struggling at times to deal with the Dutch forward.
Tah is a “top player” who returned to the club with a positive attitude after the game, Alonso said.
Like Leipzig, Hoffenheim are another team that Leverkusen beat implausibly late last season.
Back on March 30, Hoffenheim were on course for a 1-0 win that would have shocked European soccer. But then Robert Andrich scored in the 88th minute and Patrik Schick in the 91st, and Leverkusen won 2-1. It was just another gravity-defying feat in a season that was full of them.