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Eyes on Conte as Napoli begin title defence

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Napoli travel to Sassuolo this afternoon for their opening game of the 2025-26 Serie A season, with Antonio Conte’s side eager to defend their Scudetto title.

Speaking to the press ahead of today’s match, Conte discussed several topics, including the injury suffered by Romelu Lukaku, Napoli’s place as favourites and his club’s summer transfer market.

With quotes taken via the Corriere dello Sport, Conte kicked off the conference by discussing Lukaku’s injury: “It is a significant injury for a player who had a specific importance for the team. We know full well that situations like this can arise throughout the year. Something similar happened last year too and I am not just talking about injuries but also the transfer market.

“The lads showed last year that they can cope with anything. We must not complain but instead find solutions. I haven’t even spoken to the lads about it because injuries are part of the game. Now we need to work to make our players shine.”

Conte’s Napoli won the Scudetto last season, narrowly pipping Inter to the title on the final day of the season. Much of the Neapolitan side remains the same, with no star player sales aside from Victor Osimhen, who was already not involved in the squad during the 2024-25 campaign.

Talking about his squad, Conte said: “This group does not need to repeat the work they did last year. We are talking about responsible guys who want to work hard and improve day after day. What I have highlighted is historic, because Napoli have never won two consecutive Scudetti. Let’s remember that Napoli finished tenth in the season before last, having only sold Kim; that must be clear. We must win and lose together. It will be a tough championship with many well-equipped teams and our job will be to do our best.

 

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Man Utd cruise to third EPL straight win

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Bryan Mbeumo scored twice as Manchester United survived a late scare against Brighton to claim a third successive Premier League win for the first time since February 2024, moving them up to fourth on the EPL table.
United were cruising after an hour, thanks to goals from Matheus Cunha, who broke his 16-match scoring drought by netting for the first time for his new club, Casemiro’s deflected effort, and Mbeumo’s neat finish.
But Danny Welbeck’s brilliant free-kick pulled one back against his old club with 16 minutes left. Then, two minutes into the seven added, Charalampos Kostoulas flicked home a near-post header.
A later effort from Mbeumo, drilled into the roof of the net from 12 yards, put the match completely to rest, securing the maximum three points for Manchester United.

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Manchester United’s Patrick Dorgu explains his Nigerian name

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Manchester United and Denmark full-back Patrick Dorgu has revealed the meaning of his Nigerian name and why it holds significant meaning for him.
The 20-year-old was Ruben Amorim’s first signing since he took over the coaching reins at Old Trafford in November 2024.
Although he achieved a lifelong dream by joining the three-time UEFA Champions League winners, Dorgu hasn’t had it easy in United, as he’s constantly come under scrutiny for his indecisiveness in the final third during games.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Nigerian parents, the former Lecce man has maintained his Nigerian roots, despite choosing to play for the Danish Dynamites internationally.
After joining Manchester United, he made an important request to officially acknowledge his Nigerian heritage by incorporating his middle name, Chinazaekpere, into his details.
Recently, in a local church, the blistering full-back discussed his beliefs and shared the meaning of his Igbo name, a sect of Nigerians located in the south-eastern part of the country.
“Chinazaekpere means ‘God answers prayers. That’s what my parents gave to me when I was born,” the former Nordsjælland FC man said in quotes revealed by Manchester United’s official website.
“Religion means a lot to me; it’s always been a big part of my life and my family’s.
“I’ve always been praying since I was young, and I keep praying.
“Family and the community are what I’ve grown up with in Denmark, so it’s good to try and maintain it here [Manchester] too.
“I come to pray at this church on Sunday if I have the time and we don’t have a game; I try to be here as much as I can,” Dorgu continued.
Quizzed if his prayers give him and his teammates an edge whenever they play against their opponents, the 1.85m tall defender said:
“I don’t know if it [religion] has an advantage [on the pitch]. It’s about always believing, believing that God has a plan for me, and for my career.
“United is a massive club, I knew it would be a great opportunity, and I always think that God has a plan for everything.
“The fact that United were the only team in for me in January meant, for me, it has to be here.
“I’ve had ups and downs. It’s just about always believing in myself and believing that I can always get better by getting top moments on the pitch.
“It’s about learning from my mistakes. It’s about me always giving my best and giving the best side of me,” Dorgu concluded.
Since Ruben Amorim took over the coaching reins from Erik Ten Hag at Manchester United, the Red Devils have yet to win consecutive Premier League games.

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Arsenal’s ‘scary show of strength’ as Madueke shines

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Arsenal came into this season on the back of a busy summer transfer window where they spent around £250m and brought in eight players to propel another push for the Premier League title.
As they swept aside Nottingham Forest 3-0 with five of those new signings starting, the Gunners showed why such aggressive recruitment was justified.
Mikel Arteta’s side were without key trio Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and William Saliba through injury, while skipper Martin Odegaard limped off in only the 18th minute.
But it mattered little as Arsenal showed their strength in depth to cruise to an impressive success.
Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi were their statement signings and likely to start regardless of the opposition.
But with Declan Rice named as a substitute, manager Arteta has ripped up his tier system for this campaign, where he had a number of players who were guaranteed starters and expected to play most of the games.
And despite their injury troubles, Arsenal have won three of their first four league games and are yet to concede a goal from open play.

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