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Former Nordsjaelland assistant coach and current Right to Dream head of football Mas-Ud Didi Dramani believes Stade Rennes sensation Kamaldeen Sulemana will need time to find his feet in Ghana’s national team.

The 19-year-old has made a return to international duty for Ghana’s 2022 World Cup qualifiers which begins with a home fixture against Ethiopia on Friday.

It is his second time with the Black Stars since joining up for two friendlies, against Mali and Qatar last year.

“I expect him to modestly get into the team. He’s a kid that has not had the opportunity of transiting from youth team to the other,” Dramani, who worked with Kamaldeen during their time together at Danish Superliga outfit Nordsjaelland, told Citi TV

“His first call-up was straight into the friendly against Mali in Turkey. So a person of that kind doesn’t know the culture of the Black Stars.

“But I know that Dede Ayew and the others will take care of him. He needs to be integrated and then adapt into the team.”

Dramani also shared his thoughts on the rocky relationship between former club Asante Kotoko and present head coach Mariano Barreto who recently publicly took a swipe at the ‘bad’ nature of the side’s management.  

“I don’t know what the exact issue is, but it is not the best to wash your dirty linen in public. Some of these things have to be dealt with within the organization,” Dramani stated.

“It is not possible to find just any individual by the way side and bring him into an organisation. Due diligence is always done before hiring an individual. He [Barreto] should’ve been aware of the situation at Kotoko before he took the job.

“When such utterances are made it asks serious questions about the future of the head coach.

“Does he [Barreto] want to leave, or he wants things to be fixed? But the bottom line is it shouldn’t have been public because it looks bad on the club.”

After lighting up the Danish league, Kamaldeen became the subject of transfer speculation, owing to reported interest from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Ajax and Rennes.

Ultimately, he settled for the Ligue 1 side, for whom he signed a five-year deal in July.

After Friday’s clash with Ethiopia, Ghana will make their way to Johannesburg for a matchday two showdown with South Africa at the FNB Stadium.

West Ham United's Said Benrahma has been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month award for August.

The Algeria international will compete with teammate Michail Antonio, Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood, Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier, Everton’s Demarai Gray, and Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso.

“Michail Antonio and Saïd Benrahma have both been shortlisted for the EA Sports Premier League Player of the Month for August,” a statement from West Ham United website read.

“The West Ham United pair were both recognised for their outstanding starts to the 2021/22 campaign by being named among six players nominated for the award.”

Since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, the African star has been in terrific form scoring twice in three English top-flight matches.

Having found the net and provided an assist in the Hammers’ 4-1 decimation of Leicester City on August 23, he improved on his impressive Premier League record.

With that, the former Nice and Brentford star racked up seven goal involvements for the Londoners in his last seven English elite division appearances (three goals and four assists) after registering no goals and four assists in his previous 25 games in the competition.

Voting is open now and will end by 12 noon on Monday 6 September. The winner will be announced four days later.

While on-loan from Brentford, the Algerian played 30 league matches for David Moyes’ men, scoring just once, and assisting six.

In a recent interview, Moyes stated that Benrahma struggled in his first stint at the club because he did not realise he is part of the team.

"I think Said [Benrahma] needed to take stock and settle in and realise he had to be a team player as much as an individual," he said as quoted by FootballLondon.

"I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I think that he had not realised that he is part of a team and we have to do all the right things together and because of that he's actually getting these goals, he's making goals, which is what we brought him for."

After the international break, West Ham – who are unbeaten in their last 13 games in all competitions travel to St. Mary’s to square up against Southampton on September 11.

Manchester United have revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo will don his favourite No. 7 shirt for the 2021-22 Premier League season. 

Ronaldo's blockbuster return to Old Trafford from Juventus was one of the biggest stories of the summer transfer window. 

And the club have now unveiled his new shirt as he awaits a second 'debut' with the Red Devils. 

More to Follow...

Uruguay will hope to wrestle back momentum in their quest for Qatar 2022 World Cup qualification when they face Peru in a CONMEBOL qualifier at Estadio Nacional in Lima this week.

Watch Peru vs Uruguay on fuboTV (free 7-day trial)

La Celeste are on a three-game winless streak in qualification, but will fancy their chances against La Blanquirroja, who remain rooted to the foot of the table.

Ahead of the game, Goal has the details of how to watch on TV, stream online, team news and more.

TV channel, live stream & how to watch

In the United States (US), Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (watch with a 7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

Team news & rosters

With no uncapped players in their squad for the September international break, La Blanquirroja know they will have to rely on experience if they are to turn a miserable start in qualification for Qatar around.

Having appeared at their first World Cup since 1982 at Russia 2018 three years ago, a repeat seems unlikely this time around, unless Ricardo Gareca can spin things around drastically.

Predicted Peru starting XI: Gallese; Corzo, Abram, Callens, Lopez; Tapia, Yotun; Carrillo, Pena, Cueva; Lapadula.

*denotes uncapped player

The inclusion of six novice faces in Oscar Tabarez's latest squad suggests something of a post-Copa America sea change, where La Celeste fell short on penalties to Colombia.

Veteran talents such as Diego Godin remain in command at the back, however, suggesting that their path to next year's tournament will be back on course by the end of this month, even without Luis Suarez or Edinson Cavani among their ranks.

Predicted Uruguay starting XI: Muslera; Nandez, Gimenez, Godin, Vina; Valverde, Vecino, Bentancur; De Arrascaeta; J. Rodriguez, Gomez.

Last five results

Head-to-head

France and Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe is heading home after sustaining an injury while on international duty, the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed on Thursday. 

The striker played almost all of his nation's 1-1 draw with Bosnia & Herzegovina before being taken off in injury time. 

But subsequent examinations revealed he had suffered a calf problem and will not be available for Les Bleus' next World Cup qualifiers. 

What was said? 

"On Wednesday in Strasbourg, at the end of the match against Bosnia-Herzegovina (1-1), Kylian Mbappe felt a pain in his right calf which does not allow him to participate in the next two matches of the French team, in Ukraine on Saturday and against Finland in Lyon-Décines next Tuesday," the FFF announced in a statement published on the federation's official website.

"The Paris-SG striker has been made available to his club. He will leave the group in the evening and will not be replaced for the trip to Ukraine."

The bigger picture 

Wednesday's match was Mbappe's first since the end of the summer transfer window, which closed without the star making a widely reported move to Real Madrid. 

Now PSG will hope that, having secured his presence for at least another season, the calf injury will not affect the forward's availability once the international break comes to an end. 

The French side are back in action in Ligue 1 on September 11, when they host Clermont at Parc des Princes. 

And four days after that clash Mauricio Pochettino's men begin their Champions League quest away to Club Brugge. 

France, meanwhile, remain top of Group D with eight points in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers despite failing to win in their latest outing, and would further cement their grip on the summit with victory over Ukraine, their nearest challengers on four points. 

Further reading 

Borussia Dortmund's 16-year-old prodigy Youssoufa Moukoko became Germany's youngest-ever goalscorer at Under-21 level on Thursday as he opened his account with two goals against San Marino. 

Moukoko, who burst onto the scene at just 15 at Signal Iduna Park, has already sent a number of records tumbling at club level in his short career. 

And he looks set to do the scene on the international stage as he showed he has made a full recovery from recent injury woes. 

A debut to remember

Moukoko, who had previously represented Germany at U16 when he was just 12 years old, received his first U21 call-up back in March 2021. 

The teenager then suffered a serious ligament injury which stopped him making his bow and also ruled him out for the rest of the 2020-21 season. 

Now back to full fitness and raring to go, having featured in all three of Dortmund's Bundesliga matches so far this term, Moukoko started against San Marino on Thursday in his side's opening European Championship qualifier. 

Having become the nation's youngest-ever U21 participant 16 years and 286 days when the game began, he notched twice in the first half to ensure he would also bag the record of youngest goalscorer. 

The forward already holds the distinction of being the youngest player to feature in the Bundesliga and the Champions League, as well as the youngest scorer in the former.

Tough times

It has not all been easy for the youngster, however. 

Moukoko admitted that the pressure of bursting onto the scene at such a tender age was almost too much for him, and made him consider cutting short his professional career. 

“In the beginning, the reports were very stressful for me, especially when my age was discussed," the teenager told German publication WAZ.

"I didn't want to do this to myself anymore. I wanted to quit, but my trainer helped me a lot, he supported me. I could forget everything on the pitch."

Further reading 

William Troost-Ekong has stated his birthday wish is to see Nigeria qualify for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

Troost-Ekong, who doubles as the Super Eagles' vice-captain, turned 28 on Wednesday and he was celebrated by his international teammates at their base in the Eko Hotel and Suites, in Lagos.

After singing the chorus of birthday songs, Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi prayed for the celebrant before he was asked to state his wish.

Ahead of their Group C qualifiers opener against Liberia, the former Udinese defender has his sights on playing in another World Cup after his maiden outing in the tournament in Russia 2018 where the Super Eagles did not make it past the group stage.

"My birthday wish is that we qualify for the World Cup and we can do something special as a team,” Troost-Ekong said.

“I'm really proud to be part of this team. I love you guys and it is like celebrating my birthday with my second family.”

The Watford star has been a regular fixture in Gernot Rohr’s team since he made his debut appearance in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad in June 2015.

He is among the key players who could feature against the Lone Stars at the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Friday but he has been ruled out of the trip to Cape Verde on Tuesday alongside other Premier League stars like Everton’s Alex Iwobi, Leicester City duo Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi. This is because their clubs have refused to allow their players to travel to the red-listed countries in England's coronavirus watch.

“They are two defensive midfielders but have few chances to play tomorrow [on Friday] because we have all the UK based players around,” Rohr said in his press conference on Thursday.

“Also, none of the UK-based players will be with us for the second game. They have to leave after the match tomorrow against Liberia.

“They will not be in Cape Verde which means there will be another team but for the moment, we will only focus on the first game.”

Argentina will aim to maintain their Copa America form when they meet  Venezuela  in a Qatar 2022 World Cup CONMEBOL qualifier at Estadio Olimpico de la UCV in Caracas this week.

Watch Venezuela vs Argentina on fuboTV (free 7-day trial)

The Albiceleste finally delivered Lionel Messi a senior international honour in July, and will now be out to make it an easy trip to next year's showpiece tournament against La Vinotinto.

Ahead of the game, Goal has the details of how to watch on TV, stream online, team news and more.

TV channel, live stream & how to watch

In the United States (US), Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (watch with a 7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

Team news & rosters

*denotes uncapped player

Since their first attempt to qualify for England 1966, La Vinotinto have tried and tried to reach the World Cup - only to fall short each and every time, finishing bottom of the CONMEBOL pile for Russia 2018.

One win from six in qualifying this time has seen coach Jose Peseiro quit the fold, leaving interim boss Leonardo Gonzalez in charge with what could well be an audition for the top job.

Predicted Venezuela starting XI:  Farinez; Rosales, Ferraresi, Villanueva, A. Gonzalez, Hernandez; Savarino, Moreno, Castillo, Rincon; Hurtado.

*denotes uncapped player

After over a decade of heartbreak and near-misses, the Albiceleste finally delivered silverware for arguably the game's greatest player when they triumphed 1-0 against Brazil in this year's Copa America final.

Now, Lionel Scaloni will lead the bulk of his title-winning squad - including Lionel Messi - into a potential banana-skin trip where they will hope to avoid slipping up against their unfavoured hosts.

Predicted Argentina starting XI:  E. Martinez; Montiel, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; De Paul, Paredes, Lo Celso; Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Di Maria.

Last five results

Head-to-head

Chelsea have announced the departure of Tino Anjorin to Russian Premier League side Lokomotiv Moscow on loan.

Despite his immense talent, the Nigeria prospect has been unable to break into Thomas Tuchel’s squad.

However, in a bid to taste first-team action, he will represent the Steam Locomotive for the 2021-22 campaign.

“Tino Anjorin, the 19-year-old attacking midfielder who made three men’s first-team appearances last season, is embarking on his first loan, with Lokomotiv Moscow his destination,” a statement from the Blues website read.

“An Academy product, who played a starring role in a PL2 title-winning season and has represented England up to U19 level, Anjorin made his senior Chelsea debut during the 2019/20 season in a big Carabao Cup win over Grimsby.

“That was followed up with his first Premier League appearance later that campaign, as a substitute against Everton in the final game before the pandemic.

“He was rewarded that summer with a five-year contract and played a part in last season’s Champions League success, starting a group stage game against another Russian side, Krasnodar, as well as playing two games in the FA Cup run to the final. He became a regular in Thomas Tuchel’s squad.”

He has been handed the no. 10 jersey in Moscow and becomes the third African in Marko Nikolic’s squad after Francois Kamano (Guinea) and Ze Luis (Cape Verde).

Manager Tuchel had hoped to see more from the teenager during Chelsea’s pre-season campaign, but he was out due to Covid-19.

“I’m a bit sad because he trained so well for us in the last half a year and then the race for the top four was on and there was so many decisive matches every three days, so there was not actually the moment to try stuff with young players,” the German explained.

“But he showed his quality in every training, so when the season ended, we both agreed that he stays for pre-season and he will get his minutes that he deserves.

“Unfortunately, before the first friendly starts, Tino was the guy to catch the Covid virus and really suffered for 10 to 12 days.”

Born to a Nigerian father in Poole, Anjorin is eligible to play for the Super Eagles despite featuring for England at U17, U18 and U19 levels.

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If you grew up in the '90s, you'll have loved tuning into Channel 4’s Football Italia on a weekend. Since then, Italian football has remained something of a romance for many fans.

In the modern age, Italy is still the home of defensive masterpieces and chess-like tactics – though gone are the days of door-bolt football. Recently, Italy are playing some fantastic and flamboyant football, even taking home the Euros title this summer under the management of Roberto Mancini. 

These 12 books are written by authors who have discovered something unique and special in Italian society and realised how it translates into their football. After reading them, you may want to book a ticket to Italy to find out what all the fuss is about for yourself.

Tim Parks writes with wit and realism about his adoptive country, Italy, in a season-long account in which he traveled both home and away to support every Hellas Verona match. The book documents all the highs and lows of a Serie A season that went right down to the final whistle, whilst shedding light on the not always pretty side of Italian fan culture.

Get it from Amazon for £7.99

Italy’s Ultras are known globally as some of the most violent football fans the world has to offer. Tobias Jones digs deep to discover where the political thuggery ends and the passion for football begins. In his discovery of the darker side of football, he discusses not only the big clubs such as Juventus and Roma, but smaller ones like Catania and Cosenza.

Get it from Amazon for £7.99

Calcio (meaning ‘football’ in Italian) is one of the most successful books out there on Italian football. John Foot is a professor of Modern Italian History so he really knows his onions. Written in the aftermath of Italy’s World Cup victory that saw Zinedine Zidane’s swan song red card, Calcio tells the humorous story of Italian football from 1890 to the present day.

Get it from Amazon for £11.99

Irish journalist Paddy Agnew moved to Rome in 1985 in pursuit of Italian football and has lived there ever since, assimilating himself so well that he’s now a commentator for national TV station RAI. His fascinating book, Forza Italia, is filled with interesting knowledge from how Berlusconi went from AC Milan owner to Prime Minister, to how Maradona became the “uncrowned king of Naples”. 

Get it from Amazon for £10.55

Joe McGinniss’s classic book follows the small club Castel Di Sangro, “a team and a town with no aspirations, just a passion for the game”, as they rose to the top of Serie B in their inaugural season against seemingly impossible odds. It’s described as a modern football fairytale that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Get it from Amazon for £9.34

Swedish loudmouth Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s autobiography is fantastic for so many reasons, it transcends categories at times. Taking after his idol Ronaldo as one of the few players audacious enough to represent both AC and Inter Milan at the San Siro, Zlatan tells the story of how he managed to win over Milan’s Ultras with heart and humour.

Get it from Amazon for £8.19

Andrea Pirlo is one of the finest footballers of his generation, a true gentleman and icon of the game. He was awarded man of the match in Italy’s 2006 World Cup victory over France. The Italian playmaker tells his story in his own words and candidly takes the reader behind the scenes at three of Italy’s biggest clubs - Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus.

Get it from Amazon for £7.79

Carlo Ancelotti has been touted as one of the most underrated successful managers in recent history. Free from touchline histrionics, Ancelotti has steered many teams to success and won titles both domestically and in European competitions as a player and manager. In his autobiography, Carlo Ancelotti gives leadership and managerial advice that can be applied in everyday life as well as on the pitch.

Get it from Amazon for £9.34

Herbie Sykes gives insight into the Italian football dynasty of Juventus who are still owned by the Agnelli family, despite the fact their name has been synonymous with corruption and match-fixing for 100 years. This book explores the scandalous history of Turin’s greatest club, warts and all.

Pre-order on Amazon for £9.67 (release 21 October 2021)

Legendary Italian player Gianluca Vialli partnered up with sportswriter Gabriele Marcotti to create an analysis of football itself. They compare Italian Calcio with the English game to see what similarities and differences come from the two football-mad countries, and if “the national stereotypes of Italians as passionate, stylish lotharios and the English as cold-hearted eccentrics still hold true when they kick a ball around?”

Get it from Amazon for £9.52

Zonal Marking is an incredibly well-researched book that strips apart national footballing identities over the years to see what they have contributed to the modern game. It gives a good analysis of the tactically advanced Italian league in the 90s and how we can still see echoes of it across the game. 

Get it from Amazon for £8.99

New Manchester United signing Cristiano Ronaldo has been granted an early release from international duty, Portugal confirmed on Thursday. 

The striker, 36, is yet to feature for the Red Devils after moving back from Juventus for a second spell at Old Trafford last week. 

But he will now have extra time to prepare for his return to the Premier League due to the yellow card he picked up against Ireland. 

What was said? 

"Cristiano Ronaldo was excused from his stay with the national team on Thursday," the Portuguese Football Federation explained in a statement. 

"The yellow card he saw against Ireland, as it was the second in this qualifying phase, forces him to serve a one-match suspension, which will take place against Azerbaijan. 

"This morning, the national team captain formed part of the group of players who carried out regenerative exercises in the hotel." 

Portugal's hero

Ronaldo endured a frustrating evening against Ireland, missing an early chance to take the lead from the penalty spot. 

The visitors took full advantage and led for almost the entire second half following John Egan's strike just before the break.

Just when it looked like the Boys in Green would be taking a famous victory, however, the United star sprung into action. 

Two headers in the dying minutes changed the course of the game and gave Portugal their third win of the qualifying campaign, consolidating their position at the top of Group A.

His first goal, moreover, put him clear as the highest scorer in men's international history.  

But the forward paid a stiff price for celebrating his 96th-minute winner, picking up a yellow for removing his shirt and ruling himself out of contention for Tuesday's visit to Azerbaijan. 

The upshot, of course, is that Ronaldo will have more than a week to prepare for his second United 'debut', with the Reds returning to action in the Premier League on September 11 against Newcastle United.

Further reading 

Coach Gernot Rohr defended his decision of not inviting Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi for the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde.

The former Liverpool forward has been in fine scoring form in the 2021-22 campaign – finding the net five times in his last five matches for the Iron Ones across all competitions.

Even at that, he was not found worthy to be called up for the assignments against the Lone Stars and the Blue Sharks.

Having in mind that the three-time African champions would be without their England based stars against Cape Verde on September 7 in Mindelo, the German tactician was queried on his decision to leave out the Bundesliga star.

In his defence, the former Burkina Faso and Niger Republic handler claimed his team already had four centre forwards and as such, there was no place for Awoniyi.

“There are people calling for Awoniyi while also there are those calling for other players,” Rohr told the media during Thursday’s press conference.

“We can only bring three centre forwards, we have already [Victor] Osimhen, we have Paul Onuachu, we have [Terem] Moffi who is doing well in Lorient and we even have Kelechi [Iheanacho].

“So, which one do you want me to bring out to put in Awoniyi?”

Victory over Liberia will boost Nigeria’s chances of picking a ticket for Qatar 2022, and Rohr warned his side against underrating Peter Butler’s side.

“We played against them in a friendly in Monrovia two or three years ago, and from that team, they still have some players,” he continued.

“Also, we watched their three friendly games in June. They played in Tunisia twice and the one other game in Algeria.

“They have some players playing in big clubs like [Oscar] Dorley playing in Slavia Prague and [Allen] Njie in Switzerland.

“They have a good centre forward [Kpah] Sherman playing in Malaysia. So, I think we know them and I have talked to my players that they are a good team and we should never underrate them.”

The Indian football team were held to a 1-1 draw by Nepal in an international friendly at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Thursday.

Anjan Bista (36th minute) scored the opening goal from a failed back pass from the Indian defence as he ran past a charging Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to find the back of the net before Anirudh Thapa (60th) restored parity for India in the 60th minute.

The midfielder, who was brought on as a substitute by Igor Stimac, found the net from close range from a rebound after the Nepal custodian Kiran Limbu palmed away a fierce strike from Sunil Chhetri.

It was not a result that the Indian football team desired but their head coach Igor Stimac believes that the fixture was a good exhibition for the spectators and the Blue Tigers deserved more. 

What did Igor Stimac say? 

"I think it was an exciting game, a good game of football, I must say, considering everything. The game of football today was good for the spectators, who are at home and everyone who was coming here at the ground," Stimac said at the press conference. 

"I think the Indian team deserved more, considering we created a lot of clear chances, we gave a silly goal and again we had few good chances. I have a feeling that we deserved more," he added. 

The Blue Tigers will next take on Nepal again in the second international friendly on Sunday.