Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho confirmed on Thursday (Aug 18) that record signing Paul Pogba will make his second debut for the club in Friday’s Premier League home game with Southampton.

Pogba, 23, returned to United from Juventus in a world-record £89 million (€105 million, US$116 million) transfer last week, four years after leaving the club.

He has not played competitively since France’s defeat by Portugal in the final of Euro 2016 on July 10, but Mourinho says he is ready to return to action at Old Trafford.

“Yes, he is ready to play,” Mourinho told journalists at United’s Aon Training Complex in Carrington, west of Manchester.

“Ninety minutes, I don’t believe. Super performance, I don’t believe. But in conditions to accelerate his process of integration in the team, that’s for sure.

“Paul is training for more than a week, around 10, 11 days. The adaptation is really easy because he’s a boy from here.

“He knows the club, he knows everybody – (there is) no need of time to adapt. He needs time to build his condition and his understanding of the way the team plays or tries to play.”

Pogba thrived in a three-man midfield at Juventus, but United have started the season playing a 4-2-3-1 formation and Mourinho said he would not alter his approach just to accommodate the Frenchman.

“If you are expecting us to change dramatically the system to fit the player, we are not going to do that,” he said.

As well as Pogba’s second debut, Friday’s game will also see Zlatan Ibrahimovic make his first competitive home appearance for the club.

The Swedish striker, 34, scored in last weekend’s 3-1 win at Bournemouth and afterwards suggested that he could stay at United for three years or longer.

The former Paris Saint-Germain striker signed a one-year contract with an option for a further year and Mourinho fully expects him to see out a two-year deal.

APPEAL TO FANS

“I see him happy. Because I know how important it is for a family guy like he is, I ask every day about his wife, kids, integration, house. Everything is fine. Everybody’s happy,” Mourinho said.

“His motivation is really high. So yes, I see him here for the next two years no doubt.”

United have been linked with a move for Southampton’s Portuguese centre-back Jose Fonte.

Southampton manager Claude Puel suggested this week that United were seeking to unsettle the defender, but Mourinho refused to be drawn on the Frenchman’s comments.

“I don’t comment, I don’t care,” he said. “I’m very happy with the players I have and I don’t speak about players from other clubs.”

Southampton have won 1-0 on both of their most recent visits to Old Trafford, which in the past three seasons has not seemed to intimidate opposing teams as it once did.

United have lost 12 home league games since Alex Ferguson retired as manager in 2013, having taken eight years to lose the previous 12.

But in a clear challenge to United’s fans, Mourinho said that his side could not hope to turn their ground back into a fortress without boisterous home support.

Asked if he alone could restore the Old Trafford fear factor, he replied: “Not me. The team yes, and the fans too.

“I think everything starts there. The relation between the team and the fans. If at Old Trafford a couple of thousand away supporters can be more supportive and noisy than 70,000, then we are in trouble.

“It means there is no connection between the team and the supporters. If there is connection, I think that factor of being really strong at home has to be back.

“But everything starts with that relation between the team and the fans. If the fans feel that connection, they want also to play and if the fans play, no chance for the opponent.”

Source AFP

 Ten-man Roma held on to draw 1-1 at Porto in the first leg of their Champions League play-off on Wednesday (Aug 17), while Bernardo Silva gave Monaco a 2-1 victory over Villarreal in Spain.

Luciano Spalletti’s Roma are looking to reach the group stages for the third time in a row, and they took a 21st-minute lead at the Estadio Dragao when Porto defender Felipe put through his own net.

But the momentum swung four minutes before half-time when Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen, making his debut following a loan move from Barcelona, was sent off for a second yellow card.

The hosts still struggled to break their Italian opponents down, but were awarded a penalty when Emerson handled in the area.

Striker Andre Silva, 20, smashed the spot-kick home to draw Porto level, but Roma held on to a draw to leave the 2004 champions with plenty to do in the second leg next Tuesday at the Stadio Olimpico.

Monaco took control of their clash with Villarreal, as they looked to bounce back from losing at this stage to Valencia a year ago.

Brazilian full-back Fabinho put the Ligue 1 side ahead with a third-minute penalty, only for Alexandre Pato to equalise nine minutes before half-time on his Villarreal debut.

Portuguese winger Silva came off the bench at the weekend to score the equaliser in Monaco’s Ligue 1 opening draw with Guingamp, and he restored their advantage at El Madrigal on Wednesday.

Leonardo Jardim’s away side closed out the victory despite having Benjamin Mendy sent off late on.

Tom Rogic, Leigh Griffiths (twice), Moussa Dembele and Scott Brown were all among the goals as Celtic put in their best performance since Brendan Rodgers took over as manager with a 5-2 thrashing of Israel’s Hapoel Beer Sheva at Parkhead.

Elsewhere, Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad saw off Viktoria Plzen 2-0 with goals from Cosmin Moti and Virgil Misidjan, while Irish side Dundalk will need a famous win in Poland next week if their dream run is to continue after a 2-0 home defeat to Legia Warsaw.

Champions League first leg play-off round:

Celtic (SCO) 5 Hapoel Beer Sheva (ISR) 2
Villarreal (ESP) 1 Monaco (FRA) 2
FC Porto (POR) 1 Roma (ITA) 1
Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL) 2 Viktoria Plzen (CZE) 0
Dundalk (IRL) 0 Legia Warsaw (POL) 2

Source AFP

Sergio Aguero brushed off two missed penalties to score a hat-trick as Manchester City outclassed Steaua Bucharest 5-0 on Tuesday (Aug 16) in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie in Romania.

The result means that new City coach Pep Guardiola can breathe a huge sigh of relief as the Abu Dhabi-backed club have one foot in the lucrative group stage.

David Silva fired City into a 13th-minute lead either side of two failed spot-kicks from Aguero, before the Argentine atoned with the visitors’ second goal just prior to half-time.

New signing Nolito then scored his first City goal early in the second half with Aguero netting twice more as Guardiola’s side seized complete control ahead of the return leg in Manchester in eight days’ time.

“We are almost in the Champions League. That was our target,” Guardiola told BT Sport. “It was a great performance, great attitudes. The result is amazing; I am so satisfied with the way we played – a big compliment to these fantastic players.”

England goalkeeper Joe Hart was again left on the bench by Guardiola, with Nicolas Otamendi and Pablo Zabaleta drafted into the City defence as last year’s Champions League semi-finalists embarked on their latest European adventure.

Raheem Sterling won an early penalty for City, just as he did in Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League victory at home to Sunderland, when he was clattered by Muniru Sulley inside the area.

But Aguero saw his spot-kick turned away by Steaua keeper Florin Nita, with Nolito firing the rebound against the crossbar.

City though capitalised on more sloppy defending from the home side shortly after as Sterling stole the ball from Alin Tosca, the winger squaring for Silva to drill beyond a helpless Nita.

Gabriel Enache handed Aguero another chance from the penalty spot with just 20 minutes gone when he crudely upended Aleksandar Kolarov, but this time the Argentine blazed well over.

AGUERO REDEMPTION

However, the striker redeemed himself with a superbly placed finish four minutes before the break after Sterling had cushioned the ball into his path on the edge of the area.

Guardiola spoke of his desire to play a brand of football that will captivate the club’s supporters, and the Spaniard will have been delighted with his side’s performance as they showed Steaua no mercy in the second half.

Nolito, played through by Kevin de Bruyne, rounded Nita to add City’s third and open his account for his new club after arriving from Celta Vigo in the summer.

Aguero rounded off a flowing move of one-two passes with an arrowed low strike into the corner on 78 minutes, and he completed his hat-trick a minute from time after racing clear of the Steaua defence.

Elsewhere, Borussia Moenchengladbach won 3-1 away to Young Boys of Switzerland, while four-time European champions Ajax were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Russian outfit Rostov.

Dinamo Zagreb drew 1-1 with Salzburg while FC Copenhagen secured a narrow 1-0 victory over APOEL Nicosia in Denmark.

On Wednesday, Scottish champions Celtic host Hapoel Beer-Sheva of Israel in Glasgow, while twice former winners Porto are at home to Roma and Monaco visit Villarreal.

Dundalk continue their improbable bid to become the first League of Ireland club to reach the Champions League group stage when they take on Legia Warsaw in Dublin.

Champions League play-off first leg results:

FC Copenhagen (DEN) 1 APOEL Nicosia (CYP) 0
Ajax (NED) 1 FC Rostov (RUS) 1
Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) 1 Salzburg (AUT) 1
Steaua Bucharest (ROM) 0 Manchester City (ENG) 5
Young Boys (SUI) 1 Borussia Moenchengladbach (GER) 3

Source AFP

Diego Costa thrust himself back into the headlines with an 89th-minute winner as Chelsea edged West Ham United 2-1 in Antonio Conte’s first Premier League game as manager on Monday (Aug 15).

Eden Hazard, symbol of Chelsea’s slump from champions to a 10th-place finish last season, opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge with a penalty early in the second half, before James Collins equalised in the 77th minute.

Costa arguably should have been shown a second yellow card after catching West Ham goalkeeper Adrian with a late challenge, but he stayed on to steer a dramatic winner into the bottom-left corner from 20 yards.

The bruising Spain striker’s goal capped a positive night for Conte, who handed a full debut to former Leicester City man N’Golo Kante and saw another debutant, substitute Michy Batshuayi, set up the winning strike.

But it was a bitter defeat for West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, who lost debutant Andre Ayew to an apparent right thigh injury in the 34th minute.

With both managers spending the entire match on the edge of their technical areas, suited and gesturing animatedly, the game was characterised by hasty, imprecise football and full-blooded tackling.

Kante started at the base of midfield in the only change to the Chelsea team that started last season’s opening game — a 2-2 draw with Swansea City that gave the first hints of the rot that was about to set in.

Bilic fielded two debutants in Ayew and left-back Arthur Masuaku, but the former was forced into a premature exit after injuring himself chasing after the elusive Hazard.

The hosts’ high defensive line prevented West Ham bringing lone striker Andy Carroll into the game and the early chances were all Chelsea’s.

ANTONIO STORMS OFF

Branislav Ivanovic drew a save from Adrian at his near post, Hazard curled a shot a foot wide following a probing run and Willian obliged Adrian to palm a dipping free-kick over the bar.

West Ham’s resistance was broken two minutes into the second half after Cesar Azpilicueta charged down an attempted clearance by Michail Antonio on the edge of the visitors’ box.

In seeking to atone for his error, Antonio succeeded only in blundering into Azpilicueta from behind, obliging referee Anthony Taylor to point to the spot.

Hazard thundered the penalty into the roof of the net and within four minutes Antonio had been replaced by Sam Byram, the former Nottingham Forest player storming past Bilic and straight down the tunnel.

With West Ham offering next to no attacking threat, Chelsea continued to attack, Willian working Adrian with a crisp shot and John Terry heading over.

But the hosts should have been reduced to 10 men when Costa, booked in the first half for dissent, caught Adrian with an ugly late challenge as the West Ham goalkeeper dallied over a clearance.

West Ham looked to have pulled off a smash-and-grab with 13 minutes remaining when Chelsea failed to clear a corner and Wales international Collins lashed a left-foot shot past Thibaut Courtois.

But with full-time looming, former Marseille striker Batshuayi flicked on a long ball to Costa, who steadied himself before guiding a shot between Collins’s legs and beyond Adrian’s despairing drive.

Source AFP

 Luis Suarez and Munir El Haddadi shot down Sevilla to give Barcelona a comfortable victory in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday (Aug 14).

The Uruguayan opened the scoring early in the second half, making amends for two misses earlier in the game, before Munir sealed the win when he ran on to a Lionel Messi through-ball.

Having been beaten 4-0 by Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of last year’s final, Barcelona were determined to improve on that showing and have set themselves up nicely for the second leg at Camp Nou on Aug 17.

Luis Enrique sprang a surprise with his selection, picking Jeremy Mathieu at left-back and Arda Turan at left-wing in place of the absent Neymar, with all four summer signings left out. Sergi Roberto was also chosen out of position at right-back, ahead of Aleix Vidal.

However, by the 35th minute both Lucas Digne and Denis Suarez had to be brought on for their official debuts, with Jeremy Mathieu and Andres Iniesta injuring their hamstring and knee respectively.

Iniesta was making his 594th appearance for Barcelona, taking over from Carles Puyol as the player with the second most appearances for the club, behind Xavi Hernandez, but it was ended prematurely after a fierce challenge by Gabriel Mercado.

The first period saw few chances created, although the best of them fell to Luis Suarez in the sixth minute. Sergio Busquets played him in and after spinning masterfully away from the defence his low strike was saved well by goalkeeper Sergio Rico.

At the other end Jorge Sampaoli’s team worked their way into the game but despite plenty of possession in dangerous areas, they couldn’t create any clear-cut chances to worry Claudio Bravo.

After Gerard Pique half-cleared the ball Vitolo fired in a stinging drive but Javier Mascherano was alert, bravely blocking the forward’s effort.

Luis Suarez spurned another good chance at the start of the second half when Rico saved his flicked effort, but it was third time lucky for the Uruguayan. Denis Suarez lofted a neat ball into the area and Turan chested it home for the forward to finish with aplomb.

Messi should have doubled the lead moments later, but Rico made a fine stop from his dinked effort, after good work by Turan and Suarez carved the Argentine an opening.

Eventually substitute Munir El Haddadi managed to, after Messi fed through an inviting through-ball which he stroked past Rico with the outside of his left boot.

It was evident that neither team were as fit as they would have liked, with Sevilla energy levels falling away in the second half, no doubt as a result of playing 120 minutes against Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup earlier in the week.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are still below their best, with Messi struggling to get into the game at times, although he still put the second goal on a plate for Munir.Source AFP

Carlo Ancelotti claimed his first title as Bayern Munich coach on Sunday as a 2-0 victory at Borussia Dortmund gave last season’s double winners the German Super Cup.

The 57-year-old has succeeded Pep Guardiola, who won seven titles in three years as Bayern coach, and Ancelotti made a flying start on his first competitive match with Munich.

This was the 18th title of the Italian’s coaching career after stints at Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid.

Ancelotti has broken Bayern’s run of four straight defeats to claim their first German Super Cup title since 2012 – a trophy Guardiola never won with Munich.

After Arturo Vidal’s opening goal, early in the second-half, Thomas Mueller, who failed to score for Germany at last month’s European championships, grabbed the second.

With less than a fortnight to go until Bayern open the new Bundesliga season at home to Werder Bremen on August 26, Munich will be chasing a fifth straight crown.

This was the eighth time Bayern and Dortmund have met in a final in the last four years.

Bayern have now won four of the showdowns, including May’s German Cup final, which Munich won on penalties to sign off Guardiola’s three-years with the league and cup double.

There was plenty of added spice before kick-off at the sold-out Signal Iduna Park in front of 81,360 fans.

Ex-Dortmund captain Mats Hummels made his first return in the Bayern shirt since his 35 million euros ($39m) transfer back to Munich.

Likewise, Dortmund’s new signings Ousmane Dembele, the 19-year-old French wonder winger from Stade Rennes, made his competitive debut along with ex-Barcelona centre-back Marc Bartra.

But Germany’s World Cup winner Mario Goezte spent the game on Dortmund’s bench after rejoining Borussia following three frustrating years at Bayern.

Both Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel and Ancelotti opted for a 4-1-4-1 formation.

Tuchel used Dembele and Colombia’s Adrian Ramos as wingers while Ancelotti opted for Franck Ribery on the left and Thomas Mueller on Bayern’s right.

There were five yellow cards in the first 45 minutes in a highly-charged opening half.

Dortmund dominated the early stages with both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Dembele going close on two occasions each, keeping Bayern’s Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer busy.

Bayern’s best chance came on 38 minutes when Javi Martinez’s superb cross allowed Vidal a bullet header, but Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki got his glove to the ball.

But the live-wire Chile international was not to be denied after the break.

Robert Lewandowski’s pass found Vidal in space and although his first shot from outside the box was blocked, he drilled home the rebound on 58 minutes.

Mueller made the result safe when Hummels rose highest at a corner and his Germany team-mate was on hand to tap his shot past Burki on 79 minutes.

Source AFP

It was over lunch at his villa outside Milan with soccer “super-agent” Jorge Mendes that Italian tycoon Silvio Berlusconi realised an unpleasant truth: his storied club, AC Milan, needed cash, and plenty of it.

Mendes, a source familiar with the matter said, was discussing the potential sale of Colombian star James Rodriguez from Real Madrid for 85 million euros ($95 million)- cash that loss-making, debt-burdened AC Milan simply did not have.
Weeks later, Berlusconi became the latest European club owner to sell out to Chinese buyers, in a shopping spree that has caught up clubs from England’s Aston Villa to France’s OGC Nice and adds up to around $3 billion since December alone.
AC Milan, if the preliminary agreement announced last week is confirmed, will mark one of the largest club deals to date in European football – valuing the “rossoneri” – or “red and blacks” – at 740 million euros ($825 million), including 220 million of debt.
Yet the buyers – Li Yonghong, Li Han and Haixia Capital, and a handful of other entities not named by former Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi’s firm – are unknown and untested in European football.
There was no public signing or press conference to herald the deal – only a handful of photographs released after a private handshake at Berlusconi’s Sardinia villa.
Other Chinese buyers of rival clubs over the past months, their cash promising to shake up the game, are similarly little known in the sport, including a packaging firm, an eco-city builder and a maker of food additives.
“If I’m honest, I haven’t got a clue who Li Han and Li Yonghong are,” said Lou Yicheng, a veteran sports commentator in China who has been in the business for more than 20 years. “There are certainly lots of questions that still need answering.”
Sino-Europe Sports Investment Management Changxing, the vehicle used for the AC Milan deal, says it has support from local government in China – which president and soccer enthusiast Xi Jinping wants to turn into a football superpower by 2050.
A spokesman for the local Changxing government said it had no financial connection with Sino-Europe Sports and was not directly involved in the deal. He declined to comment further.
No European football association has yet raised major concerns about the influx of Chinese money, though most, like England’s Football Association, do have some provision to consider if new owners are “fit and proper”.
Carlo Tavecchio, Chairman of the Italian Football Federation, said this week there were some “strange situations” arising from the flush of cash from China.
“If China intends to host the World Cup in 2030 then it means it will invest in Europe,” he told reporters. “Unlike the past, this sector now attracts and includes a series of people who are not part of the football sector.”
A quick buck
With all but Europe’s very richest clubs struggling to compete in the transfer market for the best talent, the lure of Chinese cash is strong.
A sped-up AC Milan deal could help the 18-times Italian champions fund player acquisitions to bolster a squad that ended up in a lowly seventh position last season and failed to qualify for the lucrative UEFA Champions League.
A source involved in the deal said the Chinese group, advised by investment bank Rothschild, would provide a 100 million euro shareholder loan to finance new players. A deposit of 15 million euros paid by the buyers, to be followed by a further 85 million euros next month, could also be used to secure transfer deals.
For China, it is about boosting its clout in an almost universally popular sport, encouraged by President Xi Jinping, who has made it a goal to host and win the World Cup.
“It has become increasingly clear that China intends to become a major force in world football,” said London-based football finance specialist David Bick.
It is also about taking opportunities – getting a slice of the lucrative global love affair with live sports, for which sponsors and TV and internet viewers will pay up.
In England, for example, a bumper new TV deal guarantees that even the team finishing last in the Premier League will earn 100 million pounds ($130 million).
The unlikely triumph of Leicester City – owned by a Thai duty free magnate – last season has also boosted the appeal of less fashionable teams.
“Aston Villa is at the lowest ebb in its history,” said new owner Xia Jiantong after a deal to buy the English club earlier this year. The club were relegated from the Premier League last season after winning just three matches.
“For me it’s a challenge but also a huge opportunity.”
But the buyers have many fans and industry veterans stumped.
AC Milan’s city rival, Inter Milan, was bought by giant Chinese electronics retailer Suning for more than $300 million in June. Suning, better known for its microwaves and rice cookers, now wants to create a global soccer empire stretching from clubs to broadcasting.
Beijing certainly has big aims: to grow the domestic sports market to 5 trillion yuan ($753 billion) by 2025, about five times its current size. And it certainly has clout among its business community.
Industry insiders and investors themselves, however, said the motivation is often simpler: cold, hard returns.
“We’re not buying OGC Nice just because we want to, instead we see opportunities and we have made a 3-5 year plan,” Chien Lee, co-founder of hotel group 7 Days Inn and the French club’s new chairman, told Reuters in an interview in Hong Kong.
Lee, who led a group of Chinese and U.S. investors to buy an 80 percent stake in OGC Nice in June, added it would help his firm promote sports tourism in the coastal city of Nice and create package tours to nearby Monte Carlo and Cannes.
“I see it as a business opportunity and so I invest.” ($1 = 6.6410 Chinese yuan) ($1 = 0.8969 euros) ($1 = 0.7716 pounds)

Source TTN