Zaza set to pay on Juve trip to Frosinone

Emerging Italy striker Simone Zaza could pay for a moment of midweek madness when champions Juventus travel to Frosinone on Sunday looking to extend a new club record in a bid to keep tabs on Serie A leaders Napoli.

Juve striker Zaza saw red in the final minutes of Wednesday's 1-0 home win over Genoa after a needless challenge from behind on Armando Izzo.

Lambasted by Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri, the former Sassuolo front man is expected to be on the sidelines when the Turin giants travel south looking to avenge an early season draw with Roberto Stellone's men.

For Allegri, it is a double dilemma: although forced to punish Zaza, he could be robbing himself of the chance to rest either Paulo Dybala or Alvaro Morata ahead of next weekend's top-of-the-table clash at home to Napoli.

But the 48-year-old hinted Zaza, who is among the players fighting to be included in Antonio Conte's Euro 2016 squad this summer, will at least start on the bench.

"He has to learn to keep his head, whether he's playing regularly or coming off the bench," Allegri said.

"We have some young players at the club who maybe lack the experience of being in a big side like ours.

"But they have to grow up quickly. These kinds of tackles are useless, but Simone is an intelligent lad and he will understand and learn from this."

Juve set a new club record of 13 consecutive league wins to improve the previous record of 12 set under former coach Conte in 2013-2014.

The Turin giants will be expected to make it 14, but after Wednesday's bruiser, the champions face another rough and tumble encounter.

"These kinds of games often serve to remind you that it's never easy to win, they keep your feet on the ground," added Allegri.

If Napoli end their 26-year wait for the title they last won thanks to Diego Maradona, Frosinone coach Stellone will expect a share of the credit.

Frosinone held Juve to a 1-1 draw in Turin in their fifth match of the campaign to leave Juve winless after the champions had lost their opening four fixtures.

The Canaries boosted their survival hopes with a precious 1-0 win over Bologna in midweek and 38-year-old Stellone is hungry for more points, especially as he has a soft spot for Napoli.

"It will be a complicated because they're on a 13-game winning streak and in great form," said Stellone.

"But I was once a Napoli player, so hopefully I can give the fans of my old club some joy."

Napoli's hopes of a first title since 1990 seem to gather pace every time Maurizio Sarri's men lace up their boots.

Striker Gonzalo Higuain hit his 23rd league goal in as many games in a 2-0 win at Lazio in midweek that was marred by racist chanting aimed at Napoli's French-born Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

Lorenzo Insigne has hit 10 goals so far and is leading the league in assists (20), just ahead of Slovakian teammate Marek Hamsik (15).

The Azzurri will expect to account for struggling Carpi at home, but a seventh consecutive league win on Wednesday wasn't enough for Sarri – despite the fact Napoli last achieved that feat in 1988.

"All I can say is, we didn't win anything that season," said Sarri dryly.

AC Milan were champions in 1988 and although Sinisa Mihajlovic's men are well out of contention at 14 points adrift, a third consecutive win at home to Udinese would boost their bid for a place in Europe next season.

Elsewhere, Fiorentina coach Paulo Sousa will serve a one-game touchline ban for a tough trip to resurgent Bologna on Saturday when a win for the hosts would be welcomed by Inter Milan.

Inter sit fourth, one point adrift of Fiorentina, ahead of their visit early Sunday to Verona, who beat Atalanta 2-1 in midweek to claim their first win of the season.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Saturday

Bologna v Fiorentina (1700), Genoa v Lazio (1945)

Sunday

Verona v Inter Milan (1130), Frosinone v Juventus, AC Milan v Udinese, Napoli v Carpi, Sassuolo v Palermo, Torino v Chievo (all 1400), Atalanta v Empoli (1700), Roma v Sampdoria (1945)

Lwandamina backs Chan stars to shine

George Lwandamina believes his home-based Zambia players from the 2016 African Nations Championship (Chan) campaign have done enough to give their foreign-based counterparts competition for places.

Zambia started 2016 on a promising note when they reached the quarterfinals of the Chan tournament that is exclusively for home-based players in Rwanda.

It was first time a senior Zambia team had reached the knockout phase of a Caf competition since winning the 2012 Africa Cup.

Lwandamina said he now has solid base of domestic players to work with for next month’s top-two clash against Congo-Brazzaville in the 2018 World Cup Group E qualifier doubleheader at home on March 23 and away on March 27.

“What is good after this tournament is that competition for places in the main national team will be very stiff,” Lwandamina said without indicating whether veteran stars Christopher Katongo or Isaac Chansa who both shined at Chan are among the possible call-ups.

“I can see that players that were at Chan will give stiff competition to the professionals.”

Three players are certainly guaranteed of their places in the clash against Congo and they include goalkeeper Jacob Banda.

The Zesco United goalkeeper was unbreached in open play for four straight matches before Zambia succumbed 5-4 post-match penalties in the quarterfinals that finished scoreless in extra-time against Guinea.

Banda’s teammate and playmaker Cletus Chama who created both of Zambia’s goals at the tournament and Power Dynamos defender Christopher Munthali are the others who produced notable performances in Rwanda.

Sundowns to play at Luveve Stadium

Mamelodi Sundowns will not be playing in Bulawayo’s fabled Barbourfields Stadium next weekend when they open their African Champions League campaign but rather the smaller Luveve Stadium in Zimbabwe’s second city.

Sundowns were expecting to be hosted by Zimbabwe champions Chicken Inn at Barbourfields, which is a 30 000-capacity venue with a formidable atmosphere and has been the venue of many key African club competition matches in the past, plus success for the Zimbabwe national team in the Cosafa Castle Cup.

But next Saturday’s game will go at Luveve Stadium, which is Chicken Inn’s home ground and which has been passed for use by the Confederation of African Football after a recent refurbishment.

It has a capacity of 10 000 and reports say the pitch conditions are better than that of Barbourfields, which is used as a home by Highlanders, who used to be a perennial title contender in Zimbabwe but have since fallen on hard times.

Luveve is also used for home matches by another Zimbabwe top flight team How Mine.

Sundowns are to fly to Bulawayo next Friday and return again on Sunday, limiting their time in Zimbabwe for the first leg tie, which kicks off at 3pm and will be handled by referees from Botswana.

Chippa coach not concerned about title

Dan Malesela says he is not concerned about being named permanent coach of Chippa United, saying his current moniker of caretaker coach makes no difference to his work.

Malesela has been in charge of the Eastern Cape club since the suspension of Roger Sikhakhane for alleged drunkenness in December.

“I’m taking charge of the team, I’m coaching the team at the moment. I’m not officially head coach but I’m in charge of the team at the moment,” he told SuperSport.com.

“But it’s not about positions and titles,” he added. “I don’t care about positions and stuff like that. You’ve got to deserve to be a head coach and it’s not up to me to decide because I don’t own the club. The club will see if and when. Obviously there are issues that we all know of but until those are properly dealt with the club won’t do anything.”

Sikhakhane is supposedly facing an internal disciplinary hearing and was asked for a written explanation of his behaviour after being accused of being drunk on the bench for a friendly that Chippa played in Mthatha in December

Sikhakhane has denied the allegations and Chippa officials have been evasive about the process. Chippa United owner Siviwe Mpengesi said: “We have a disciplinary committee working on this matter and they will decide”.

Malesela has had six games in charge since taking over in his first top flight assignment. He has won three and lost three, the last two defeats in a row away at Mpumalanga Black Aces and Mamelodi Sundowns.

Koeman, Aguero win monthly awards

Southampton's Ronald Koeman has been named Premier League manager of the month for January, becoming the first Saints manager to receive the award on three separate occasions, while Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero won the players' award.

Koeman steered the Saints to three Premier League wins out of a possible four in January, beating Watford, West Bromwich Albion and Manchester United. Their only defeat came against Norwich City on Jan. 2.

"I'm very pleased because it's always nice to win awards," said Koeman, who fended off competition from Manchester City counterpart Manuel Pellegrini, Tottenham Hotspur's Mauricio Pochettino and West Ham United's Slaven Bilic.

"It's of course a personal prize but it's great for the whole technical staff, all the players, the people in the club and the fans that we win again."

Aguero also wins the award for the third time in his career, after scoring five of City's eight Premier League goals in January and registering one assist as City took eight league points out of a possible 12.

Reds plan protest over ticket prices

Liverpool could suffer the embarrassment of a mass exodus on Saturday with supporters' groups calling on fans to leave their seats during the Premier League match against Sunderland at Anfield to protest a rise in ticket prices.

Two prominent groups have urged spectators to walk out in the 77th minute to express discontent at the club's decision to charge 77 pounds ($112.09) for the most expensive ticket in Anfield's redeveloped main stand next season, up from 59 pounds.

Liverpool also announced this week that some season tickets for the 2016-17 campaign would be priced at more than 1 000 pounds for the first time.

A group representing fans' interests has been in talks with the club over ticket prices for more than a year and expressed disappointment earlier this week at Liverpool's failure "to lead in a fairer approach to ticket prices".

"LFC thinks its acceptable to make more money than ever before from supporters... Let's make sure the owners know this is unacceptable. On 77 minutes, leave your seat and walk out," the supporters' group Spion Kop 1906 said in a statement on Twitter.

Africa vote key to Fifa top job

African soccer officials will decide on Friday which of Fifa's presidential candidates they will back as the campaign to replace Sepp Blatter at the helm of the sport's troubled ruling body reaches the home straight.

With 54 voting nations, Africa's choice at a meeting in Kigali, Rwanda will be crucial in the ballot of 209 member associations on February 26 in Zurich.

Fifa is voting for a new leader amidst its biggest ever corruption scandal which has seen 41 people and entities indicted by the US Department of Justice.

Leading contenders Gianni Infantino, the Swiss general secretary of European soccer's ruling body Uefa, and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, are both in Kigali ahead of the CAF meeting.

CAF president Issa Hayatou, who is also Fifa's acting chief, told French newspaper L'Equipe his confederation was originally behind Uefa president Michel Platini before the Frenchman was banned from football for eight years by Fifa's Ethics Committee.

"If Platini had been a candidate Africa would have voted for him that is sure," said Cameroonian Hayatou, who raised the prospect of Bahraini royal Salman being the preferred choice.

"If we decide to support Salman is it a crime? Who can prevent us from doing this?" he said.

South African Tokyo Sexwale and Frenchman Jerome Champagne are also expected to be in Rwanda but fellow Fifa presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan will not be attending, his spokesman told Reuters.

Last month Uefa's executive committee gave unanimous backing to Infantino while Salman has the support of the AFC executive.

Although member associations do not have to follow their executive committee's voting recommendations in the secret ballot to decide the Fifa president, the two leading candidates are expected to have the bulk of their own continent behind them - making the battle for Africa even more crucial.

SEXWALE INFLUENCE

Infantino has won the backing of CONMEBOL, the 10 member confederation for South America, and seven Central American FA's have also publicly supported him but the Salman camp is confident ahead of the African vote.

South African businessman and politician Sexwale could have an influence on CAF's decision as he will face pressure to withdraw from the Fifa race before Friday's vote if it becomes clear he does not have the support of his own confederation.

Sexwale, an apartheid-era political prisoner who was jailed alongside Nelson Mandela, recognised that possibility when he said in a radio interview last week that he would like to see Fifa's next president be "an African or an Asian".

"Tokyo Sexwale represents South Africa which is a great ally of CAF," said Hayatou.

"We can't be at odds with him but if he withdraws... we are not against Sexwale but we are waiting for the decision of his own federation who say his campaign has been too low-profile," he added.

A spokesman for Sexwale told Reuters that he had not yet made any decision on whether to withdraw.

After the CAF meeting, the next key date for the candidates is February 11 when they will give presentations to the CONCACAF confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean at a meeting in Miami.

CONCACAF has 35 member associations with votes in the Fifa election.

Uefa president Platini was banned along with Fifa chief Blatter after a Fifa Ethics Committee investigation of a 2011 payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.01 million) made by the world governing body to the former France captain.