Spanish La Liga defending champions, Real Madrid kick off their league campaign with a goalless draw against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta Stadium on Sunday night.

Sociedad goalkeeper, Alex Remiro had an outstanding performance as he denied Los Blancos on different occasions, but the best chance in the game fell to the home side, as Alexander Isak’s clear cut chance was stopped by Thibaut Courtois, who spread his body well to block from the young Swedish striker.

The hosts now have 2 points in their first two matches, after a 1-1 draw in their first game, while the Merengues have just 1 point as they started their campaign this past weekend.

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal as Juventus started their Serie A campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win against Sampdoria at the Allianz Arena on Sunday night.

Dejan Kulusevski scored the opening goal with a beautiful low curler in the 13th minute. Leonardo Bonucci scored the second in the 72nd 2 meters from goalline before Ronaldo scored the third and final goal in the 88th minute.

Juventus are on the hunt for their 10th straight Scudetto and are joint top of the table with Genoa who defeated Simy Nwanwko’s Crotone 4-1, while Sampdoria are 19th on the log after matchday 1.

Liverpool made it two wins in two matches after Senegalese forward, Sadio Mane scored a brace to give the defending champions all 3 points against 10-man Chelsea to win 2-0 at the Stamford Bridge.

The Bleus were reduced to 10 after Andreas Christensen received a red card just before the break. Sadio Mane headed home in the first goal inside the box from a Firmino cross in the 50th minute. The Senegalese scored his second 4 minutes later, following a howler from goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. Chelsea had the chance to pull one back from the spot, but Alisson Becker saved the penalty from Jorginho in the 75th minute.

The Reds are now only the 4th team with 100% record so far in the Premier League with 6 points, while Chelsea sit 10th for now.

Super Sunday will see the battle between the big spenders and the champions, as Chelsea will welcome Liverpool to the Stamford Bridge in the clash of the titans.

There have been 56 Premier League meetings between these two teams, Chelsea have won 20 matches, while Liverpool have won 20 games, with the other 14 ending in a draw. The Reds have won their last 3 ties.

Chelsea could be without Christian Pulisic due to a hamstring injury. New signing Thiago Silva could make his debut, while Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell’s fitness will be monitored. Timo Werner suffered a small injury on his debut but should be fit to play. Liverpool, on the other hand, could have Kostas Tsimikas available as he’s back in training after a period of self-isolation for testing positive for COVID-19. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Xherdan Shaqiri are out due to injury.

Both teams struggled to get all 3 points on matchday and will be hoping to take an early lead. A win for either of them will be key, but Chelsea may just edge it because they will be playing at home.

You can catch the game live on DSTV channel 203, SuperSport Premier League on Sunday September 20 2020, by 4:30pm Naija time.

Real Madrid will face a tough challenge in their bid to defend the La Liga title with a trip to the Anoeta Stadium to face their long-time nemesis Real Sociedad on Sunday night.

In the last 24 meetings between these two teams, Real Sociedad have won just 4 matches, while Real Madrid have win 18, with the other 2 ending in a draw. Both teams have won 3 games each in their last 6 ties, with 4 wins going to the away side.

Sociedad missed some players due to positive COVID-19 tests, including David Silva, captain Mikel Oyarzabal and striker Willian Jose, but could have all of them available for this clash. Real Madrid, on the other hand, have a few players who are battling for fitness. Eden Hazard, Martin Odegaard, Marco Asensio, and Isco, but they will be assessed before the game. Gareth Bale is also expected to miss out, as he is close to returning to Tottenham.

La Real will likely face one of their best players if Odegaard plays for the Blancos, and Zinedine Zidane’s men will want to take an early advantage over Barcelona with a win. It will be an interesting game, but Real Madrid will edge it.

You can catch the game live on DSTV channel 204, SuperSport La Liga on Sunday September 20 2020, by 8:00pm Naija time.

Juventus’ quest to win a 10th straight Serie A title will begin at home, as the Old Lady will welcome Sampdoria, who finished 15th last campaign, to the Allianz Stadium on Sunday night.

In the last 24 meetings between these two teams, Juventus has won 13 matches, while Sampdoria have won 5 games, with the other 7 matches ending in a draw. The Turin giants have won 4 of their last 5 ties.

Juventus will be without Matthijs de Ligt due to injury and will hope Paulo Dybala and Federico Bernardeschi return to full fitness before the game. Sampdoria on the other hand will be without Kristoffer Askildsen due to suspension and Felice D'Amico due to injury.

The Old Lady are expected to have a winning start against Sampdoria, and with Cristiano Ronaldo coming in from a brace with the national team, you will not bet against the home side.

You can catch the game live on DSTV channel 208, SuperSport Variety 3 on Sunday September 20 2020, by 7:45pm Naija time.

Naija midfield marshal Wilfred Ndidi played as a central defender in Leicester City’s 3-0 away win over West Bromwich Albion. Here we take a look at his performance in the match.

Ndidi is arguably the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League and for three years in a row, he has had more tackles than every player in the division, but with the Foxes facing a defensive crisis, Ndidi was played in defence.

It is important to note that Ndidi started his playing career as a defender, and he played in defence for his former club Genk before joining Leicester City in 2017. The opening match against West Brom was the first time he played there for the Foxes, and he did not disappoint.

The 23-year-old attempted more 93 passes and 10 long balls more than any other player. 2 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 blocked shot, and 4 clearances, more than any player. He did not commit any foul in the entire 90 minutes. Brendan Rodgers will want to try him again.

Do you think Ndidi did well as a Central Defender?

Former Chelsea defender, Branislav Ivanovic has returned to the Premier League, after signing for West Bromwich Albion to play along with Naija Super Eagles star, Semi Ajayi.

The 36-year-old played for Chelsea from 2008 to 2017, with 377 appearances in nine years for Chelsea, winning the EPL, FA Cup, the Champions League, and Europa League, where he was teammates with former Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi, before joining Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Ivanovic has now signed a one-year deal with West Bromwich Albion, who just gained promotion back into the Premier League, and is expected to pair with Nigeria’s Ajayi in defence.

On his return to the Premier League, Ivanovic said: “The Premier League is the best league in the world. I need to challenge myself and I am ready for the challenge. I am really happy to be back playing in the Premier League.”

image source: thesun.co.uk

It was a goal-fest at the Mestalla Stadium as Valencia beat local rivals Levante 6-2, to start the 2020-2021 La Liga at the top of the Table.

The visitors took an early lead in the first minute through Jose Luis Morales, but Gabriel Paulista equalized for the home side 11 minutes later. Morales scored again to give Levante the lead in the 36th minute, but the lead lasted just 3 minutes, as Maxi Gomez levelled it for Valencia. Two second-half goals from Manuel Vallejo gave the hosts a flying start to their season.

Valencia suffered a financial crisis and had to sell their key players, with many tippinged them to be relegated this season, but a 4-2 win on opening day will see them start at the top, while Levante are rock bottom after matchday 1.

Do you think Valencia will be relegate?

Coach of Naija Super Eagles Gernot Rohr and the lover of the national team have received a piece of bad news, as versatile midfielder Joe Aribo has been ruled out of the 2 international friendly matches in October.

The 24-year-old midfielder, who picked up an injury a month ago, has now been ruled out of Nigeria’s friendly matches against Ivory Coast and Tunisia, after Rangers manager Steven Gerrard confirmed that Aribo will be out for 4-6 weeks.

Joseph Oluwaseyi Temitope Ayodele-Aribo was born in Camberwell, England, and he became an instant revelation in the Naija national team, scoring on his debut against Ukraine and then Brazil. He has featured 4 times for the Super Eagles, scoring 2 goals.

Who do you think will replace Aribo in the Naija Super Eagles?

image source: punchng.com