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In-form Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has been “even better than we thought”, admits Georginio Wijnaldum, with the Portugal international making an immediate impact at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp knew that he was getting another hard-working frontman when putting a £45 million ($60m) deal in place with Wolves.

The reigning Premier League champions had also seen Jota display a keen eye for goal during his time at Molineux, with life in England posing few problems to an ambitious performer.

Liverpool had been mulling over a deal for some time before finally making their move, with their show of faith now being rewarded with nine goals through 14 appearances.

Jota will be looking to add to that tally when taking in a reunion with Wolves on Sunday, and Wijnaldum believes the talented 23-year-old can hit even greater heights after proving his worth.

“I think he will be really happy to play against his old team,” Liverpool’s Dutch midfielder told the club’s official website.

“I'm always happy when I play against Newcastle because that's my only other team [in the Premier League].

“For him I think it's different because he played more seasons for Wolves than I played for Newcastle. For him I think it's much bigger than what I have with Newcastle. It's going to be a really, really big game for him and also a game he can enjoy.

“I'm really impressed because I already knew how good he was, but now I can see that he's even better than what we thought of him.

“Now we train with him, we play games with him, so we can really see what kind of player he is, what kind of quality player he is. I think he's showed it with the start he's had at the club.”

While Wijnaldum is enjoying working alongside Jota, he is hoping to see a fellow countryman rejoin the Liverpool fold before too long.

Virgil van Dijk is in the process of working his way back from knee ligament surgery, with a long road to recovery stretching out in front of him after suffering an unfortunate injury in a Merseyside derby date with Everton.

“In the beginning it was quite difficult because you don't know if you can call or it's better to leave him alone,” Wijnaldum said of his Netherlands international team-mate.

“I have to say that he makes it easier for me to call him because he was calling me most of the time and he was texting me most of the time. Normally what I did in the beginning was just a quick text message on WhatsApp that I was thinking of him and I prayed for him and those kind of things.

“It was also because I didn't know how he was feeling and everything, but now I see that he's quite good. He deals good with the situation, he's positive about the situation and everything.

“We call quite often now because I know that I can. But in the beginning for me it was a bit like, 'Can I call him or not?' because I can understand that in a situation he was in you also want a little bit of rest and moment for yourself.

“In the beginning it was a little bit searching for the right way to approach him. But now it goes really well.”

Ademola Lookman has been one of the biggest talking points on African Football HQ so far this season, with Malek Shafei and Ed Dove taking very different stances on the Anglo-Nigerian starlet.

There’s no doubt he had a point to prove when he arrived at Fulham on loan from RasenBallsport Leipzig at the start of the campaign.

While the Bundesliga upstarts enjoyed a successful season last time out—looking like title outsiders for much of the year and also enjoying a long run in the Champions League—Lookman was a peripheral figure throughout.

His move to Germany was meant to be a fresh start; the youngster had failed to make the breakthrough at Everton—only being used in fits and starts under Marco Silva—and a return to the Bundesliga made sense.

After all, Lookman had enjoyed some success in Germany earlier in his career—while on loan at Leipzig—and has rarely demonstrated that form since that temporary spell in the Bundesliga.

Moving to Fulham was a gamble, the Cottagers were almost everyone’s favourites to go down, but Lookman had the opportunity to prove he could be a difference-maker in the top flight.

His early successes—the fine strike against Sheffield United—was utterly undermined by his miserable outing against West Ham United, when he took one of the weakest penalty kicks you’re ever likely to see.

Lookman’s panenka fail threatened to define his career, as the youngster’s shocker cost Fulham a point and prompted an angry response from the usually mild-mannered Scott Parker.

The ex-England midfielder urged Lookman to learn from his errors and bounce back stronger, while the young forward took responsibility for his moment of madness and make amends moving forward.

Since then, he’s been in excellent form; scoring in defeat against his former club Everton, and then opening the scoring on Monday as Leicester City were dispatched.

It’s done enough to earn the respect of some portions of the Fulham fanbase, and while he may not be entirely redeemed just yet, he’s at least offering hope that the Londoners can beat the drop.

Admittedly, they may come crashing back down to earth against Manchester City on Saturday, but with Lookman on song, they at least have hope of beating the drop.

It’s been a bruising week for Real Madrid, as a testing season has taken another turn for the worst.

Last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat against Deportivo Alaves came on the back of recent losses against Cadiz, Valencia and Shakhtar Donetsk, but it represented a new nadir for Zinedine Zidane’s troops.

Real were outthought, outmuscled and outplayed, and even Casemiro’s late consolation goal proved too little too late, as the minnows stunned the reigning Spanish champions.

Los Merengues needed to bounce back against Shakhtar in the Champions League in midweek, but they ultimately proved unable to learn their lessons from the Alaves debacle and fell to a 2-0 defeat in Ukraine.

Real have now won just one of their last five matches, losing four in the process, and the impressive 2-0 victory away at Internazionale has been the only positive of a testing month in which they’ve also lost Eden Hazard to a thigh injury for much of the rest of 2020.

The game against Sevilla now takes on titanic proportions for Real, who simply cannot afford to let this crisis continue when they return to domestic action…particularly with tough games against Borussia Monchengladbach, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao on the horizon.

Sevilla may have been humbled 4-0 by Olivier Giroud-inspired Chelsea in the UCL in midweek, but domestically, they’re in fine fettle, having won their last three games on the bounce.

However, while they were impressive going forward against Osasuna—who were defeated 4-2—they toiled against Huesca last weekend, requiring a late winner from Youssef En-Nesyri to seal all three points and move up to fifth place on 16 points.

They head into this match against Real only one point behind the champions, having played a game fewer, and would leapfrop Zidane’s side with victory at home on Saturday.

Sevilla will be without Sergio Escudero, while goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is still recovering from coronavirus and the likes of Tomas Vaclik, Marcos Acuna and Suso are all doubtful.

Real, however, have problems of their own…beyond Hazard’s latest setback.

Dani Carvajal is injured again, meaning Zidane could turn to either Nacho or Lucas Vazquez to fill in at right-back.

Federico Valverde will also miss out, while Luka Jovic and Alvaro Odriozola are also doubts. There are also question marks against Sergio Ramos—who faces an anxious wait to see if he can turn out against his former club—and Zidane may need to partner Eder Militao with Raphael Varane in the heart of the backline.

With Hazard absent, Martin Odegaard could be in line to support the influential Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio, while youngsters Rodrygo, Mariano and Vinicius Junior may also have a big role to play as Real look to get back on track.

Real won on their last visit to Sevilla—a 1-0 triumph in September 2019—and have a strong recent record away in Andalusia, having won four of their last five games in the region.

Sevilla’s recent home record, however, is strong, having lost just one of their last 15 matches—against Eibar in October—although Zidane knows how to get the better of them, having won seven games in all competitions (out of 10) against Los Nervionenses .

Real have never failed to win in four consecutive La Liga matches during Zidane’s tenure, and that’s the ominous landmark they will be desperate to avoid against Sevilla this weekend, having lost two and drawn one of their last three matches.

It’s been a bruising week for Real Madrid, as a testing season has taken another turn for the worst.

Last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat against Deportivo Alaves came on the back of recent losses against Cadiz, Valencia and Shakhtar Donetsk, but it represented a new nadir for Zinedine Zidane’s troops.

Real were outthought, outmuscled and outplayed, and even Casemiro’s late consolation goal proved too little too late, as the minnows stunned the reigning Spanish champions.

Los Merengues needed to bounce back against Shakhtar in the Champions League in midweek, but they ultimately proved unable to learn their lessons from the Alaves debacle and fell to a 2-0 defeat in Ukraine.

Real have now won just one of their last five matches, losing four in the process, and the impressive 2-0 victory away at Internazionale has been the only positive of a testing month in which they’ve also lost Eden Hazard to a thigh injury for much of the rest of 2020.

The game against Sevilla now takes on titanic proportions for Real, who simply cannot afford to let this crisis continue when they return to domestic action…particularly with tough games against Borussia Monchengladbach, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao on the horizon.

Sevilla may have been humbled 4-0 by Olivier Giroud-inspired Chelsea in the UCL in midweek, but domestically, they’re in fine fettle, having won their last three games on the bounce.

However, while they were impressive going forward against Osasuna—who were defeated 4-2—they toiled against Huesca last weekend, requiring a late winner from Youssef En-Nesyri to seal all three points and move up to fifth place on 16 points.

They head into this match against Real only one point behind the champions, having played a game fewer, and would leapfrop Zidane’s side with victory at home on Saturday.

Sevilla will be without Sergio Escudero, while goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is still recovering from coronavirus and the likes of Tomas Vaclik, Marcos Acuna and Suso are all doubtful.

Real, however, have problems of their own…beyond Hazard’s latest setback.

Dani Carvajal is injured again, meaning Zidane could turn to either Nacho or Lucas Vazquez to fill in at right-back.

Federico Valverde will also miss out, while Luka Jovic and Alvaro Odriozola are also doubts. There are also question marks against Sergio Ramos—who faces an anxious wait to see if he can turn out against his former club—and Zidane may need to partner Eder Militao with Raphael Varane in the heart of the backline.

With Hazard absent, Martin Odegaard could be in line to support the influential Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio, while youngsters Rodrygo, Mariano and Vinicius Junior may also have a big role to play as Real look to get back on track.

Real won on their last visit to Sevilla—a 1-0 triumph in September 2019—and have a strong recent record away in Andalusia, having won four of their last five games in the region.

Sevilla’s recent home record, however, is strong, having lost just one of their last 15 matches—against Eibar in October—although Zidane knows how to get the better of them, having won seven games in all competitions (out of 10) against Los Nervionenses .

Real have never failed to win in four consecutive La Liga matches during Zidane’s tenure, and that’s the ominous landmark they will be desperate to avoid against Sevilla this weekend, having lost two and drawn one of their last three matches.

It’s been a bruising week for Real Madrid, as a testing season has taken another turn for the worst.

Last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat against Deportivo Alaves came on the back of recent losses against Cadiz, Valencia and Shakhtar Donetsk, but it represented a new nadir for Zinedine Zidane’s troops.

Real were outthought, outmuscled and outplayed, and even Casemiro’s late consolation goal proved too little too late, as the minnows stunned the reigning Spanish champions.

Los Merengues needed to bounce back against Shakhtar in the Champions League in midweek, but they ultimately proved unable to learn their lessons from the Alaves debacle and fell to a 2-0 defeat in Ukraine.

Real have now won just one of their last five matches, losing four in the process, and the impressive 2-0 victory away at Internazionale has been the only positive of a testing month in which they’ve also lost Eden Hazard to a thigh injury for much of the rest of 2020.

The game against Sevilla now takes on titanic proportions for Real, who simply cannot afford to let this crisis continue when they return to domestic action…particularly with tough games against Borussia Monchengladbach, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao on the horizon.

Sevilla may have been humbled 4-0 by Olivier Giroud-inspired Chelsea in the UCL in midweek, but domestically, they’re in fine fettle, having won their last three games on the bounce.

However, while they were impressive going forward against Osasuna—who were defeated 4-2—they toiled against Huesca last weekend, requiring a late winner from Youssef En-Nesyri to seal all three points and move up to fifth place on 16 points.

They head into this match against Real only one point behind the champions, having played a game fewer, and would leapfrop Zidane’s side with victory at home on Saturday.

Sevilla will be without Sergio Escudero, while goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is still recovering from coronavirus and the likes of Tomas Vaclik, Marcos Acuna and Suso are all doubtful.

Real, however, have problems of their own…beyond Hazard’s latest setback.

Dani Carvajal is injured again, meaning Zidane could turn to either Nacho or Lucas Vazquez to fill in at right-back.

Federico Valverde will also miss out, while Luka Jovic and Alvaro Odriozola are also doubts. There are also question marks against Sergio Ramos—who faces an anxious wait to see if he can turn out against his former club—and Zidane may need to partner Eder Militao with Raphael Varane in the heart of the backline.

With Hazard absent, Martin Odegaard could be in line to support the influential Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio, while youngsters Rodrygo, Mariano and Vinicius Junior may also have a big role to play as Real look to get back on track.

Real won on their last visit to Sevilla—a 1-0 triumph in September 2019—and have a strong recent record away in Andalusia, having won four of their last five games in the region.

Sevilla’s recent home record, however, is strong, having lost just one of their last 15 matches—against Eibar in October—although Zidane knows how to get the better of them, having won seven games in all competitions (out of 10) against Los Nervionenses .

Real have never failed to win in four consecutive La Liga matches during Zidane’s tenure, and that’s the ominous landmark they will be desperate to avoid against Sevilla this weekend, having lost two and drawn one of their last three matches.

Simba SC defender Joash Onyango is fit to play Plateau United in the second leg of the first preliminary round of the Caf Champions League.

The two teams will meet on Saturday at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium with the Tanzanian outfit having a first-leg advantage. A Clatous Chama strike was all the Wekundu wa Msimbazi needed in West Africa to get a vital win.

The Tanzania Mainland League champions were sweating over the fitness of the 27-year-old who had an ankle injury.

"Onyango is in good condition and has been training with the team from Arusha and now Dar es Salaam," Simba SC team doctor Yassin Gembe updated.

"It is the same case with [Chris] Mugalu; he has been in a good condition for the team and was training well in Arusha. About him not being used in the first leg, only the coach can answer that since he is the one responsible for who to field."

Meanwhile, Simba SC have confirmed unspecified disciplinary action has been taken against their spokesperson Haji Manara over his statement that rival fans would not be allowed to attend the Caf Champions League tie against Plateau United.

Simba will host Plateau United on December 5 for the return leg of the preliminary round of the continental encounter, enjoying a 1-0 advantage. Manara had stated rival fans, especially Yanga SC supporters, would not be allowed at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. 

"Simba would like to confirm that the statement issued that intimated some fans would not be allowed into the stadium to watch the game against Plateau United were made without the direct approval of the club," a statement obtained by Goal read.

"The statement did not reflect the culture and the traditional values of the club that abhors discrimination of rival fans and barring them from attending our matches.

"The club has taken an internal disciplinary move in order to make sure that such a thing does not happen again."

According to Simba, even those who are going to come and support Plateau United are welcome but stated their main aim is to beat the Nigerian side and shame Tanzanian supporters.

"We would also like to state if there is any Tanzanian who would like to come and see Simba fail to progress by supporting the rival team, Simba would not bar anyone from attending and in that process, no one will be victimised by our own fans," the statement concluded.

Klopp, who has been fierce in his criticism of Brexit over the past few years, has blasted the decision to leave the EU again, and indicated that only negotiation from key figures at the top of the game managed to curb additional restrictions from the Home Office.

“[Liverpool sporting director] Michael Edwards was involved in a lot of these discussions and the clubs fought pretty hard for a solution – kind of a good solution or as good as possible,” the German was quoted in the Guardian.

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Jurgen Klopp has spoken out against Brexit once more in the wake of the Football Association's announcement of transfer ramifications in English football, indicating that the British government would have delivered heavier restrictions were it not for fierce resistance from clubs.

The sport’s governing body, alongside the Premier League and EFL, confirmed a raft of constraints for teams ahead of the January transfer window, the first to take place following the conclusion of the United Kingdom’s transition window to withdraw from the European Union on December 31.

As a result, English clubs will be unable to sign foreign players until they are 18, or more than three overseas players under the age of 21 in a single transfer window. Further rules include work permits for all transfers from EU nations, to be allocated on a points-based system.

Klopp, who has been fierce in his criticism of Brexit over the past few years, has blasted the decision to leave the EU again, and indicated that only negotiation from key figures at the top of the game managed to curb additional restrictions from the Home Office.

“[Liverpool sporting director] Michael Edwards was involved in a lot of these discussions and the clubs fought pretty hard for a solution – kind of a good solution or as good as possible,” the Guardian quotes the German as saying.

“Without the discussions it would have been worse. I am still waiting for the first advantage of Brexit that someone can tell me. What really improves after Brexit?

“It’s obviously not my thing to judge, but as an interested person I just wait until the first really positive impact of Brexit. Maybe I didn’t read it because I’m too much in football, but I don’t remember a lot, to be honest.”

Though the plan to restrict the arrival of young foreign players is designed to help bolster homegrown youth, Klopp further feels that English academy products are thriving because of partnerships with talents from across the EU, decrying the decision as a lost opportunity.

“People – the FA or whoever – want to make sure that the clubs don’t sign too many players from other countries because they are afraid that not enough English talents will make their way,” he added.

“But if you look at the English youth national teams at the moment they are in the top two or three – if not the top – in nearly all age groups; talent-wise they are 100%, and that is with the way we did it before.

“So let’s think about why that happened. They had a lot of players around them that played good football as well. It’s helpful. We cannot just create more talents because we deny other talents.

“But, as I say, it’s not my thing to judge. It’s just one of the smaller problems which we will all be aware of when Brexit is finally there.”

Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Cedric Kaze has admitted the giants will need to be more patient to land the Mainland Premier League title.

The Burundian tactician who was appointed to handle the Jangwani giants on October 14, 2020, following the exit of Serbian Zlatko Krmpotic, has revealed the Tanzanian league is very competitive, as every team is fighting to achieve the same goal, hence it is not easy to win the league.

“I know the happiness of every fan and our bosses is to see that we win the league but we still have a lot of work to do, and also the competition is very stiff,” Kaze, who is still unbeaten since joining Yanga, told Sokalabongo.

“Every team that we play against is fighting very hard to beat us, they want to get a good result against Yanga, I know we are still leading the tale but we are not there yet, we need to keep fighting and make sure we win our matches.

“I also urge the fans not to have pressure, I know everything is possible but their work is to come in large numbers and support us in every match we play, they should always come to rally behind us, we need them as they are pushing us to do well.”

Yanga are currently topping the 18-team table on 31 points from 13 matches and are the only unbeaten side in the top-flight.

They have managed to score 15 goals and are yet to win the league title for the last three goals, with their rivals Simba taking it consecutively.

Azam, who started the season on a high by winning seven straight matches, are second on the table with 26 points from 13 matches while Simba are third on 23 points from 11 matches.

Yanga are currently preparing to face Ruvu Shooting, who are placed fourth on the table, at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

In their last match, Yanga beat JKT Tanzania 1-0 with Deus Kaseke. Yanga’s rivals Simba have already lost two matches against Tanzania Prisons and Ruvu Shooting, and it gives them an advantage in the title race.

It has been than a year since Malaysia had played an international match but when Tan Cheng Hoe's side return to action in March in the World Cup qualifier, they will be playing in a brand new attire.

On Friday, Nike unveiled the brand new kits to be used by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for the national team and it is a combination of two major colours in black and yellow.

In designing the new kits, Nike looked to celebrate the heritage and evolution of the Malaysia national team by staying true to the colours while bringing in a modern design.

The home kit is a return to the iconic yellow with black sleeves and featuring a collar design that was last seen in the 2014 version, albeit in the blue away kit at that time.

Adding the collar to the home kit brings about a certain class of yesteryears with the yellow base colour offering a minimalistic look and feel to the jersey.

Well worth noting that the last time that Malaysia had a collar on the kit, they reached the final of the 2014 AFF Championship and perhaps that could be a good omen for the forthcoming edition in 2021.

Meanwhile the away kit will be the reverse version of the home kit with a stripe design of black and yellow that takes inspiration from the stripes from the Malaysia flag.

Previous iterations of the stripes designs have all been a vertical one, this marking the first time that an angled stripes design has been used in the national team kit.

The new Malaysia national team kits are available on Nike.com and selected retailers from Dec 4 onwards.

Barcelona interim president Carles Tusquets has attempted to clear up comments regarding the future of Lionel Messi, stating that the Argentine's popularity alone pays his hefty salary, yet also doubling down on his assertion that the club would be more financially stable without him.

Tusquets made headlines earlier this week when he stated that he would have sold the Blaugrana captain during the off-season, had he been in charge at the time.

Messi attempted to force a move away from Camp Nou following a barren season for the club, having become disillusioned with its direction under then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

The 33-year-old was unable to secure his release however, with Barca indicating that a clause in his contract allowing him to seek pastures new was no longer valid.

Even with Bartomeu now deposed at the top of the hierarchy at the Catalan outfit, Messi's future is still the topic of much debate, with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City viewed as likely destinations should he leave the club.

Barca boss Ronald Koeman was less than impressed with Tusquets' comments when asked about them on Friday, with the Dutchman attempting to draw a line under the debate ahead of a crunch game with Cadiz, as the Blaugrana look to reverse ailing fortunes in La Liga.

But Tusquets has endeavoured to tone down the severity of his original comments, stressing that his discussion about the striker's position was merely on the measure of economic impact.

"I didn't say that I would've sold Messi; I said that, financially, him leaving would have been good for the club," the 69-year-old told Catalunya Radio.

"We'd be better off because we said that his salary is the highest in the world. Nothing could be truer. But I'm nobody, the decision is his and the managing board cannot take these decisions.

"If it's necessary, I'll tell Koeman that he has misunderstood what I said. I was just doing the maths.

"What Messi generates for the club makes up for the cost [of his contract], but Barcelona aren't dependant on just one person."

Barca, who have two games in hand over league leaders Real Sociedad, are currently 10 points adrift of the summit and face an uphill battle to wrestle back their domestic crown this season.

AFC Leopards legend Charles Okwemba has urged all football-loving fans in Kenya to rally behind Gor Mahia as they take on APR of Rwanda in the second leg of the first preliminary round of the Caf Champions League.

K'Ogalo will be hosting the Rwandan champions at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday from 4 pm (EAT) hoping to overturn a 2-1 loss suffered in the first leg. Niyonzima Seif and an own goal by Andrew Juma gave the hosts victory while the only goal for the Green Army was scored by Kenneth Muguna.

The former Ingwe midfielder believes rivalries should be put aside since it is not only Gor Mahia who will benefit.

"This is a big match not only for Gor Mahia but in Kenya as a whole," Okwemba told Goal on Saturday.

"We might not be in the stadium cheering them but we should send positive messages to motivate the players. Remember, they are going to represent the country and if they advance and do well in the competition, Kenya will benefit.

"Let us put our rivalry apart and support Gor Mahia in this competition."

The 41-year-old is optimistic K'Ogalo can get the needed result to advance to the next round of the annual competition.

"An early goal will be key for the team, it will give them motivation and put the visitors under pressure," Okwemba continued.

"The goal they scored in the 2-1 loss is vital because it gives the team an advantage. A 1-0 win will work; it does not mean they should score and defend, but they can push and get more.

"Gor Mahia have players who can help the team get a win to make it to the next stage."

Meanwhile, stand-in coach Sammy Omollo could not hide his excitement after Benson Omalla joined the team after serving the Kenya U20 team in the recently concluded Cecafa U20 championship.

"I think Benson [Omalla] coming in will give us a lot of options especially in the attacking area because he is a very good player, a very good finisher and that is one player we missed when we played in Rwanda," Omollo told reporters at Nyayo Stadium.

"So I have a strong belief that the chances that will come tomorrow [Saturday], the boy [Omalla] is going to use them, so we are really relying on him for the goals and I know he will deliver. He will give us what we missed in Kigali."

Vialli Bainomugisha has pegged his hopes on a project he had at Mbarara City to help turn Onduparaka FC into a great force in the Ugandan Premier League.

The new coach at Arua stated he is happy the players he handled at Mbarara City have enjoyed a steady career growth and hopes the same can be achieved at Onduparaka.

“This is the same project I had at Mbarara City FC in 2017, now see how Brian Aheebwa and Ibrahim Orit have progressed,” Bainomugisha told Sports Nation.

“It has been a short time I have been with these players but I am doing my best, it is challenging.”

The first test for Bainomugisha will be an opening tie against Express FC and he has explained how their preparations for the game have been.

“I have already prepared my players mentally, psychologically and physically for the game against Express,” he said. “They know the importance of the match, and we want to promise our fans that we will represent them well.

“Right now, I have to wait for the Covid-19 results because we had our tests yesterday [on Friday], and also the CEO to avail me with the licenses. Anything that comes out, we will have to plan again accordingly.”

Moses Okot, Noel Nasasira and Ronald Odokonyero, Emmanuel Oketch, Gabriel Matata, Jerry Jakisa, Bony Musema, Augustine Opoka, Shaban Wasswa and Oscar are the new Caterpillars and Bainomugisha is confident they are ready to learn and be better.

“These are young and talented boys who are willing to learn. They have responded well at least from the recent friendlies. My target is to get a good place at the end of the season,” he concluded.

In an earlier interview ahead of the Onduparaka clash, Express head coach Wasswa Bbosa stated his core target in the 2020-21 season.

“It still remains my target, and for the next season, winning the league is a priority but a top-three finish is my target,” Bbosa said.

“Honestly, all our departments are strong because we planned our recruitment although every team has to be solid at the back and that I am sure of. 

"The forward line is good too. In Frank Kalanda, new signing George Ssenkaaba, Eric Kambale, and Mustafa Kiragga we’re sure about [getting] goals."

Onduparaka emerged winners in the opening game of last season while the second tie went to Express.

FC Goa coach Juan Ferrando is focussed on preparing well for the clash against Kerala Blasters at the Fatorda stadium on Sunday evening as his team is yet to register a win. In fact, both Goa and Kerala have not picked up a win yet in the current edition of the Indian Super League (ISL).

The Gaurs have just two points from three games and Ferrando is not willing to settle with anything less than a victory in their next game. 

"I have pressure every day. I know that we have only two points but we have a plan. For me, the important thing is to improve the team day by day because you may have six points (now) but after three-to-four games you have a problem. So for me, it's important that all the problems are solved now and we are very strong for the future.

"I'm thinking all the time about the last part of the pitch. Sometimes we are good at building (moves) and with positional play but it is most important to find the space and convert our chances," he stated. 

Given that Kerala Blasters, like Goa, like to keep possession of the ball, the Spaniard feels that it will be important to take charge of the proceedings from the onset.

"I think it's very important to control [the game against Kerala]. When you watch Kerala, they have quality players and are totally different (game plan) from NorthEast [United]."

FC Goa forward Igor Angulo, who has looked good in the opening matches, is eager to come on top in the game against the Blasters, showing little concern about the handful of offside decisions going against him.

"We have been dominating all the games and we had control of the games but we couldn't win. For me, it was a good start to the season because I scored three goals in the last three games. But the most important (thing) is to win. So I think it's going to be a key match for winning and raising our confidence. 

"Kerala has a style more or less like us. They want to keep the ball and the way they attack but I think tomorrow is going to be different and let's see who can overcome the situation. 

"My style of play is to be behind the line of the stoppers all the time, confusing them. Of course, I may get more offsides than other strikers but sometimes I may score more goals because of this. In the end, my way of helping the team is by scoring goals. The statistics of offsides is not as important as scoring goals and taking the points," said the prolific striker. 

Horta coach Victor Valdes possesses a "lack of humility" and thinks that he is "playing FIFA" when it comes to his managerial style, claims former player Sergi Moreno.

The former Barcelona goalkeeper took charge of the Tercera Division outfit ahead of the 2020-21 campaign and has overseen a mixed start to the new season, taking just two wins from his first seven games in charge.

That form led to the club, under Valdes' direction, to unexpectedly fire three players this week, including Moreno, who only arrived from Sant Andreu ahead of the current term, with five games under his belt before his exit.

Now, speaking to local station BTV, the 28-year-old has blasted the ex-national team shot-stopper, stating that Valdes treats his squad as if they were cards in a game.

"We were in the gym and, at the end of the session, Victor came in and told us that we weren't in his plans anymore, that we weren't what he was looking for footballing-wise," Moreno said.

"[He told us] to pick up our things and leave, that we weren't to train because he wanted to sign other players. Clubs should at least warn you and give you time to react.

"[Valdes has a] lack of humility and [he's] egocentric. He thinks he's playing FIFA, as if we, the players, were playing cards."

Moreno further rallied over the abrupt exit from a game where he has made his career, stressing the manager's arrogance, adding: "We're people before anything else and, with Victor Valdes, I felt treated like a piece of sh*t.

"I make a living off of this and now how am I going to pay everything I have to pay?"

Valdes - who enjoyed a prolific decade-plus career with the Blaugrana before concluding his playing days in English football - returned to Camp Nou as a youth coach last year.

He only lasted three months before he was let go and subsequently returned to management in the Tercera Division this year.

During his playing days at Barca, he was a six-time domestic champion in La Liga and was also a member of Spain's 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012-winning squads.

Police FC head coach Abdalla Mubiru has claimed kindergarten mistakes are to blame for the Ugandan Premier League's 0-0 draw against Wakiso Giants on Friday.

The draw was registered as the two sides battled in the season-opening tie and Mubiru, who is also the assistant coach at the national team side, said the performance was good.

The Cops were unable to turn a number of key chances into goals as they wasted another opportunity to register a first-ever win against the Purple Sharks in the Premier League.

One of the most open chances came in the ninth minute when Frank Tumwesigye and Mubarak Nsubuga made their way into Wakiso Giants’ area but the former failed to beat goalkeeper Derrick Emukule who was the last hurdle.

Tom Ikara also saved the day for Police as he kept them in the game with some superb moves notably when he stopped Abdulkarim Ndugwa’s header at close range. The debutant also made another great save when he stopped Yassin Mugume and Ndugwa’s quick efforts in the last minutes of the encounter.

“I thought we had a good performance but registered a very poor result,” Mubiru said after the match as per Football256.

“I don’t think we deserved to draw this game, we wasted our chances in the first half and then nearly lost everything in the dying minutes.

“I think they were very kindergarten mistakes from us. However, we thank God that we managed to pick up something from the game.

Eyes were on Police’s captain Tony Mawejje who returned to the club since he last played for them in 2006. The experienced midfielder was, however, substituted after 45 minutes as he walked out seemingly injured after a collision with Wakiso’s defender Edward Satulo.

“The only worry is about the injury to our captain Mawejje, and we hope that it is not as bad and that he recovers on time,” Mubiru said on the Mawejje setback.

Frank Tumwesigye, Eric Ssenjobe, and Hassan Muhamood were given their debuts for Police as they are among the new signings. Wakiso Giants gave debuts to Rahmat Ssenfuka and Joshua Lubwama.

The next assignment for Mubiru and his boys will be an away game against Malaba Youth Development Association (MYDA FC) on December 8.