African players to watch this weekend

Mane, Salah & Keita vs Aubameyang & Pepe

Having ended last season as champions for the first time in three decades, Liverpool enter this year’s Community Shield as Premier League holders rather than domestic cup winners.

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita will look to begin the English football season on a positive note against an Arsenal side that defeated them when both teams faced off post-lockdown.

While Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was only introduced in that game after the break, the club captain had a strong finish to the previous season, essentially winning the Gunners the FA Cup having scored all four of their goals in the semis and final vs Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.

Even though Nicolas Pepe didn’t score in those games, his influence in both wins were noteworthy, and he also set up Auba’s winner against the Blues.

Having enjoyed a good run at Wembley in recent games at the Home of Football, the North Londoners will believe they can upset Jurgen Klopp’s troops in the traditional season curtain-raiser.

Maxwel Cornet & Karl Toko Ekambi

After a bittersweet ending to 2019/20, Lyon return to Ligue 1 action this weekend for their first game in the top flight since football’s suspension in March.

Cornet and Ekambi ought to feature in some capacity as Rudi Garcia attempts to mastermind a victory over a Dijon side that lost 1-0 against Angers last time out.

Games between both sides tend to promise goals, so Friday’s game at Groupama Stadium should be entertaining.

Boubakary Soumare

Even though Soumare was restricted to a watching brief for just over 80 minutes in Lille’s opening day draw with Rennes, the midfielder will be pushing to start in Les Dogues’ gameweek two encounter with Reims.

The hosts threw away a two-goal advantage in their first game back to draw 2-2 vs Monaco, and the fact neither side has kept a clean sheet in three successive Ligue 1 games suggests Sunday’s meeting ought to be exciting.

Having scored on his first appearance of the season, Reims’ El Bilal Toure will hope to pick up where he left off against Lille.

Patson Daka

Daka was in fine form as Red Bull Salzburg played out a 2-2 draw with English champions Liverpool during the week. Unsurprisingly, the forward scored a brace as Salzburg raced into a two-goal lead at Red Bull Arena.

Die Mozartstadter face SW Bregenz in the first round of the Austrian Cup and the Zambia star is expected to feature for the competition’s defending champions against the amateur outfit.

Salzburg are overwhelming favourites to progress and it’ll certainly be shocking if they fail to pick up an expected win.

Krepin Diatta

Club Brugge’s poor start to the new season continued last time out, as they suffered a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of high-flying new boys Beerschot, who sit atop the Belgian top flight after three games.

For Diatta and his teammates, two losses from three games wasn’t how they imagined they’d begin this campaign and they need to reverse this term’s poor start promptly.

The Senegal international is expected to feature as Philippe Clement’s side play Genk, who claimed the league two years ago and are currently unbeaten this season with five points from an available nine.

The last seven games have seen both sides hit the back of the net, so another high scoring game is expected in Genk on Sunday afternoon.