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

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Manchester United kick-off the 2024/25 Premier League season at home to Fulham on Friday before Manchester City begin the defence 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:

Ten Hag needs fast start

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.

Ipswich plan Slot shock

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.”

Chelsea chaos v City continuity

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 v Fulham (1900)

Saturday

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

Sunday

Brentford v Crystal Palace (1300), Chelsea v Manchester City (1530)

Monday

Leicester v Tottenham (1900)

Sports

Benue Governor Alia dissolves Lobi Stars FC board

The decision is aimed at repositioning the club for greater efficiency, accountability, and better performance in both the Nigeria Premier Football League and other competitions.

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Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has dissolved the Board and Management of the state-owned Lobi Stars FC, Makurdi.

Lobi Stars FC were relegated last season after a 27-year stay in the Nigeria Premier Football League, following a run of poor performances.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, announced the governor’s approval of the dissolution in a statement issued on Thursday and made available to journalists in Makurdi.

The move was described as part of ongoing reforms to reposition the club for “greater efficiency, accountability, and better performance” in the Nigeria Premier Football League and other competitions.

The decision is aimed at repositioning the club for greater efficiency, accountability, and better performance in both the Nigeria Premier Football League and other competitions,” the statement read.

Governor Alia directed that “all members of the dissolved management should hand over all official documents, assets, and responsibilities to the Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Creativity with immediate effect.”

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Davido Chairs Osun Sports Trust Fund

“Davido has been appointed to chair the Sports Trust Fund, and he did not hesitate in accepting the appointment. His intervention would attract funds that would impact Osun sports positively.”

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Davido and Osun Governor, Ademola Adeleke. Photo Credit: X

The Osun State Government has appointed Afrobeats star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, as chairman of the Osun Sports Trust Fund.

The government said that the move was aimed at raising funds to transform the state sports sector.

It also reaffirmed its commitment to completing the ongoing renovation and rehabilitation of the Osogbo Township Stadium, assuring that the upgraded facility will meet Olympic standards upon completion.

The Guardian Nigeria reports that the state deputy governor, Kola Adewusi, who doubles as the Commissioner for Sports, said the state government under Governor Ademola Adeleke is determined to transform the stadium into a world-class sports arena that will not only host national events but also attract international competitions.

He said, “Ongoing renovation and rehabilitation of the Osogbo Township Stadium to meet Olympic standards — a project that will be completed in the shortest possible time.

“I am pleased to inform you that plans are in advanced stages towards the establishment of the Osun State Sports Commission, which will serve as a central body for sports administration, development, and policy implementation.

“Davido has been appointed to chair the Sports Trust Fund, and he did not hesitate in accepting the appointment. His intervention would attract funds that would impact Osun sports positively.”

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Dembele returns for PSG after six weeks out

Dembele, 28, has been out since injuring a hamstring while on international duty with France in early September.

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Dembele

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele was on Monday included in Paris Saint-Germain’s squad to face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League after a six-week injury layoff.

According to AFP, Dembele’s return for Tuesday’s league stage game will come as a welcome boost for coach Luis Enrique, whose side has been struggling with injuries this season.

Dembele, 28, has been out since injuring a hamstring while on international duty with France in early September.

He had been recuperating at a specialist clinic in Qatar and returned to training last week.

He missed out on PSG’s entertaining 3-3 draw against Strasbourg on Friday but could play some role in Germany as the European champions seek to make it three wins out of three in the Champions League so far this season.

Leverkusen centre-back Loic Bade, Dembele’s teammate in the France squad, told reporters Monday there was “no secret recipe” to stopping the PSG forward, calling him “a complete player with several qualities”.

“He won the Ballon d’Or — of course he’s got a lot of quality. He’s good with both feet. I don’t think he’s got a weak side,” Bade said.

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