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Alexis Sanchez set for Premier League debut, Klopp under pressure

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Sanchez is poised to make his Premier League debut for Manchester United against Spurs on Wednesday as Liverpool seek to halt a mini-slump after their spectacular win against Manchester City.

Elsewhere in a full set of midweek fixtures Chelsea host Bournemouth, runaway leaders Manchester City take on West Brom and Henrikh Mkhitaryan is set to make his debut for Arsenal against Swansea.

Here are some of the major talking points ahead of this week’s matches.

The Sanchez factor
A few weeks ago Jose Mourinho looked glum, forced to fend off rumours that he is unhappy in Manchester and that he was disappointed with the relative lack of spending power at his disposal. It’s probably too late for Manchester United to catch Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City but Mourinho is looking upbeat after signing a contract extension and boosting his firepower with the signing of Alexis Sanchez. The Chile international sparkled during the routine 4-0 FA Cup victory against lowly Yeovil Town on Friday but it was his hard work as much as his creative play that caught the eye of his new teammates. “Obviously we know his quality on the ball, he’s amazing, but his fight, the way he defends, he’s the first player to defend — I really like it,” said midfielder Ander Herrera

Guardiola wants player protection
Pep Guardiola has called for better protection for players after forward Leroy Sane injured his ankle in Manchester City’s FA Cup tie against Championship side Cardiff. But City are unlikely to get an easy ride against Alan Pardew’s West Brom, who have amassed the second-highest number of yellow cards this season in the Premier League (47). West Brom have three wins and a draw in their past four fixtures in all competitions, including Saturday’s 3-2 FA Cup win at Anfield. But despite their uptick in form, Pardew desperately needs the points to pull his side out of the relegation zone.

Liverpool must regain focus
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool were brought quickly down to earth after their stunning victory against Premier League leaders Manchester City, losing their next game against bottom club Swansea. That defeat brought an end to their 18-game unbeaten run and was followed by an FA Cup reverse to West Brom at Anfield. The Cup loss removes their best chance of silverware this season and will further focus minds on the need to finish in the top four. Liverpool are currently in fourth spot, two points clear of Tottenham and five ahead of Arsenal. Klopp admits his side does not have the luxury of time. “A long run starts with the first game and that’s on Tuesday,” he said.

Where will Mkhitaryan play for Arsenal?
Henrikh Mkhitaryan played second fiddle to Alexis Sanchez in the swap deal between Manchester United and Arsenal but he has a point to prove. The Armenia international found it difficult to nail down a starting berth at Old Trafford and may struggle to occupy his preferred creative number 10 role because of competition from the likes of Mezut Ozil. “He can play in different positions,” said Arsene Wenger. “But personally I see him first in a wide position, but I’m thinking about him a possibility to play through the middle.”

Fixtures (1945 GMT unless stated):

Tuesday

Swansea v Arsenal, West Ham v Crystal Palace, Huddersfield v Liverpool (2000 GMT)

Wednesday

Chelsea v Bournemouth, Everton v Leicester, Newcastle v Burnley, Southampton v Brighton, Manchester City v West Brom (2000 GMT), Stoke v Watford (2000 GMT), Tottenham v Manchester United (2000 GMT)

ENTERTAINMENT

Guinness World Record: Tunde Onakoya Is Yet To Be Defeated After 44 Hours Of Chess Marathon

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Tunde Onakoya To Break 58 Hours Of Chess Marathon | fab.ng

Nigerian chess champion Tunde Onakoya is trying to break the world record for the longest chess marathon! The record he is set to break is 58 hours.

Tunde Onakoya has already been playing in the chess marathon for approximately 44 hours straight. This is at the time of this writing. Starting on April 17th and going until April 19th, the event is happening in the famous Times Square in New York City.

 

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A post shared by Tunde Onakoya (@tunde_onakoya)

So far, Onakoya has beaten everyone he’s played, including a really good chess player from New York named Shawn Martinez.

Onakoya’s manager, Taiwo, says the official rules allow for 5-minute breaks every hour. But Onakoya only took a total of 30 minutes of rest after playing 12 people in a row for 15 hours! That’s intense! He said he’s playing two sets of games at the same time, and he can’t lose any of them to win the record.

He wrote,

“The opponent on the first set is Shawn Martinez, a US National Chess Master, and he will play with Tunde throughout the attempt.

“Opponents in the second set are random players. He can’t lose any game on either set.

“Only Tunde’s match against Shawn Martinez is considered valid for the record. He is not competing in his simultaneous play against random opponents in the second set. NYC, come out and play regardless.”

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SPORTS

Fabregas Speaks On Coaching Premier League Club

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Fabregas Speaks On Coaching Premier League Club | Fab.ng

Cesc Fabregas, a retired football star who played mostly in the Premier League, wants to be the head coach of a top team there. Even though he has experience coaching Arsenal’s youth teams and Como’s U19 team, he doesn’t want to be an assistant coach.

Fabregas only coached Como’s U19 team for a month because he didn’t have the right licence. He’s been working on getting that licence and doing sports analysis while he waits.

Now 36 years old, Fabregas is taking a course to get his UEFA Pro licence to allow him to coach in the best European leagues, and his dream is to lead a Premier League powerhouse.

“You never know how the future will go, but I want to be a main coach. I am doing my own way at the moment.

“100 per cent my ambition one day is to coach a top club in the Premier League, the Champions League.

“But you need to respect the right steps. I feel I am ready to be a first-team coach already so I don’t want to go into these types of little coaching on the side or being an assistant. I have very clear things in my mind that I just want to be a main coach, a first-team coach, and that’s why I will do my own way until I am ready to jump onto a big train”, he said.

Check here for more sports news.

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NEWS

Manchester City Defender, Manuel Akanji Wants To Help Nigerian Kids; Talks Afrobeats And Burna Boy

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Manuel Akanji Wants To Help Nigerian Kids... | Fab.ng

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji is back on social media and using his platform to connect with his Nigerian roots. The Nigerian-Swiss player recently spoke about his passion for helping Nigerian children.

Akanji had a stellar season with Manchester City last year, helping them achieve a historic treble: the Premier League trophy for the third year in a row, the FA Cup, and most importantly, their first-ever Champions League win.

Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s manager, valued Akanji’s skills as a central defender who can also play the ball well. Akanji wasn’t afraid to take risks by pushing forward and joining the midfield when needed.

Manuel Akanji Wants To Help Nigerian Kids... | Fab.ng

Manuel Akanji wants to help Nigerian kids

Akanji’s off-field style is as progressive as his approach to the game, as evidenced by his recent collaboration with Hypebeast, a fashion trendsetter.

Since joining Manchester City, he’s been a rock star on the pitch, consistently delivering top performances.

Hypebeast recently interviewed Akanji at Manchester City’s training ground, where they discussed his life in Manchester, the influence of manager Pep Guardiola on the team’s fashion sense (they’re apparently known for being very stylish), the new Netflix documentary, “Together: Treble Winners,” and more.

One topic particularly close to Akanji’s heart is his Nigerian heritage. He spoke about his desire to help underprivileged children in Nigeria who weren’t as fortunate as him growing up in Switzerland.

He said,

 “In Nigeria, I like to help kids who didn’t have the same luck that I had with growing up in Switzerland.”

Manuel Akanji Wants To Help Nigerian Kids... | Fab.ng

Manuel Akanji on Burna Boy and Afrobeats

The conversation also touched on music. When asked about Afrobeats, Akanji said…

“My favourite artist is Burna Boy.

I spoke with him after the Champions League final. I love listening to Afrobeats.”

While Manuel Akanji has a strong connection to his Nigerian heritage, as evidenced by his desire to help children there, he ultimately chose to represent Switzerland on the international football stage.

This is likely due to growing up in Switzerland and potentially coming up through their youth development system.

Check out more sports updates here.

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