Category: Sports

Manchester City Might Be Without Six-Star Players Against Arsenal

The 2023-2024 Premier League game between Manchester City and Arsenal on Sunday, March 31, might be coming too early for coach Pep Guardiola and his boys.

Manchester City and Arsenal are two of the major contenders for the Premier League title which means that the game is like a final for the two clubs.

Arsenal are going into the matchday 30 Premier League encounter on top of the league table, a point above third-placed Manchester City. This means that if City win and second-placed Liverpool lose to Brighton at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Pep Guardiola will end the weekend on top of the league table.

Unfortunately for Pep Guardiola, Manchester City are going into the league game with a series of injuries woes mostly from the just concluded FIFA international break.

Three Manchester City key players, defensive trio Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Manuel Akanji ended the international break with different degrees of injuries. They are likely to miss the top-of-the-table clash if they are not certified fit before Saturday.

Walker sustained a hamstring injury during England’s 1-0 defeat to Brazil on March 23, while Stone suffered an injury in England’s 2-2 draw with Belgium on March 26.

As for Akanji, he suffered a knock while on international duty with Switzerland. He returned to the Etihad earlier than expected to commence his recuperation.

The aforementioned players are expected to undergo further examination to determine their availability for the clash at Etihad on Sunday which will kick off at 4:30 p.m.

Pep Guardiola could also be without Ederson, Kevin de Bruyne, and Jack Grealish who are still battling to return to full fitness long before the international break.

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Finidi George Insists He Is Not Desperate To Head Super Eagles

The interim manager of the Super Eagles, Finidi George, has stressed that he is not under pressure to become the head coach of the team.

The Nigerian Super Eagles have been without a permanent coach since Jose Peseiro’s contract expired on February 29, 2024, over two weeks after the national team finished second in the 2023 AFCON.

Initially, the Nigeria Football Federation made efforts to extend Peseiro’s contract but he reportedly refused to accept the pay package of the football body.

Hence, the NFF had to call on interested coaches to apply for the vacant position, and several head coaches, including coach Finidi George, have applied.

Interestingly, George, who served as Jose Peseiro’s assistant coach, was appointed as the Super Eagles’ interim head coach, pending the appointment of a new permanent coach.

His first assignment was to lead the Super Eagles against Ghana in an international friendly, and his team won 2-1, motivating many football stakeholders that the Enyimba head coach will be given the coaching job.

Unfortunately for the 52-year-old former Nigeria international, the Super Eagles lost 2-0 to lowly-rated Mali in their second friendly game barely four days after their victory over Ghana.

How they lost to Mali made many believe that coach Finidi George has reduced his chances of being named the head coach of the team.

“I felt really good when I was told to take charge of the team. I have been with the team for almost two years, I know all the players, their strengths, and their weaknesses but I am only here to serve Nigeria the way I know how to do stuff”, he told Modo TV.

“I will just take these two games and go back to my club. Whatever the decision is taken after, so be it. I’m not under pressure to say I must get the role permanently.”

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Real Madrid’s Vinicius Left In Uncontrollable Tears In Press Conference [Video]

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior was left in uncontrollable tears after a pre-match press conference turned into an event for mostly questions about racism.

Vinicius Junior is currently with the Brazil national team for the FIFA international break in March. He created the chance that earned his countryman, Endrick his first goal for Brazil’s national team against England at Wembley Stadium on March 23. The goal helped Brazil to beat England in front of a capacity filled Wembley Stadium.

Ahead of Brazil’s friendly game against Spain at the Santiago Bernabéu by 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, Vinicius represented his country at the pre-match press conference.

Most of the reporters at the press conference made virtually all their questions about the racial attacks he has been battling with at Real Madrid.

Recall that since last season, the 23-year-old right-winger has been engulfed in racial abuse, especially by fans of opposition clubs in Spain.

A couple of sanctions have been slammed on fans and clubs over the racial abuse targeted against the Brazil international.

Hence, reporters took advantage of his appearance at the press conference ahead of the Brazil vs Spain clash to ask him questions concerning the racial attacks. And obviously, that didn’t go down well with him.

After managing to control himself, Vinicius Junior said: “I’m sorry but I just want to play football, do everything for club and family, and never see black people suffering”.

Note that Vinicius has scored 18 goals and provided 8 assists in 28 games for Real Madrid so far this season.

Watch as Vinicius cry below: 

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William Troost-Ekong Says He Played 2024 AFCON With Injury, Reveals Return Date

Super Eagles vice-captain William Troost-Ekong has stressed that he played in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with an injury as he revealed when he is likely to return to full fitness.

William Troost-Ekong finished the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast as the best player of the tournament after leading the Super Eagles to a second-place finish.

The 30-year-old PAOK Salonica of Greece defender scored three goals during the tournament but couldn’t stop the hosts of the tournament, Ivory Coast from scoring two goals in the final.

Over a month after the tournament which ended on February 11, 2024, William Troost-Ekong revealed to CNN World Sports how he managed to play the 2023 AFCON with a torn bicep femoris.

He said, “I had a torn bicep femoris, which is basically the outside part of the hamstring. It happened during the tournament and I think I had a small tear initially in the second group stage game against Cote d’Ivoire. I managed to play on and then after the final I had another MRI, and we realised it was really ruptured.

“It was very sore playing with it, and I couldn’t really train after the second group game. I was just trying ice to keep the swelling down.

“I might do half an hour of training the day before each game, and then during the game, a combination of painkillers and adrenaline means you can get through it. The day after each game it was definitely showing as I was struggling to walk.”

William Troost-Ekong is currently undergoing a recovery process after he was operated on to treat a lingering injury.

Troost-Ekong told CNN that he is expected to be fit enough to return to the field in May which means that he is expected to be ready for football before the commencement of the 2024-2025 season.

This also means he should be available for the Super Eagles of Nigeria when the team take on South Africa and Benin Republic in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in June 2024.

“I should be back and fit again in May, but I think it’s probably season over. You never know how rehab will go but I don’t want to rush it because, at my tender age of 30, you have to be smart about these injuries,” Troost-Ekong said.

“I want to be 100% for next season, 100% right. If I can play at the end of this season that’s great, if not then I will be ready for next season.”

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Two Super Eagles Players Leave Camp Ahead Of Clash With Mali

An injury crisis has hit the camp of the Super Eagles of Nigeria ahead of their international friendly game against Mali at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26.

Naija News has earlier reported Fulham defender, Calvin Bassey sustained an injury ahead of the Super Eagles of Nigeria’s friendly game against their West African rivals, the Black Stars of Ghana.

The former Ajax defender didn’t train a day before the game on March 22 but made the substitutes roaster for the game. In his absence, Nigeria beat Ghana 2-1.

Calvin Bassey’s injury has forced him to return to England on Sunday, March 24, for further medical examination and treatment.

Aside from him, Frank Onyeka has been ruled out of the international friendly game against Mali at the Grand Stade de Marrakech on Tuesday.

Unlike Bassey who sustained his injury during training, Naija news gathered that Onyeka sustained his injury during the Super Eagles’ 2-1 win over Ghana on Friday.

Though the nature of Onyeka’s injury has not been disclosed just like in the case of Bassey, the severity of the injury can’t permit him to feature for Nigeria against Mali.

Hence, the Brentford midfielder has returned to the United Kingdom for further examination and further treatment as the Premier League entered the last phase of the 2023-2024 season.

With this development, Super Eagles interim coach, Finidi George who has promised to make some changes in the team that will face Mali, is left with no choice but to shake up his starting lineup against the Malian team on Tuesday.

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