WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Manchester United’s injury problems in defence are easing in time for their trip to Wembley tomorrow to take on neighbours Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Lisandro Martinez played the full 90 minutes in the 2-0 win over Brighton with Raphael Varane also making his return off the bench, having been sidelined since early April with a muscle injury.

Any hopes Cape Town City have of ending Mamelodi Sundowns’ unbeaten run when they face them at Loftus Versfeld tomorrow have been hit by suspensions to Namibia midfielder Aprocius Petrus and leftback Marc van Heerden, who both miss the trip to Pretoria as a result.

Inter Miami centre-back Nicolás Freire is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024 MLS season after suffering a right-knee ligament injury. Freire got hurt last Saturday in the second half of Inter Miami’s 1-0 win over DC United. The veteran Argentine defender joined Inter Miami in January on a season-long loan from Liga MX side Pumas UNAM, ultimately playing in 10 matches.

Swedish champions Malmo will be unable to call upon the services of injured Daniel Gudjohnsen, Niklas Moisander, Oliver Berg and Stefano Vecchia for tonight’s home clash against second-from-bottom Kalmar. All are set to make their returns in early June.

Los Angeles FC have signed striker Olivier Giroud on a two-season deal with an option for 2026. He will join the club in July as a free agent from AC Milan and hook up again with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, his long-time France teammate who LAFC signed from Tottenham Hotspur before the start of the season.