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Chelsea now sit “above Barcelona and above Real Madrid” in the Champions League pecking order, says Glenn Hoddle, with the Blues considered to be serious contenders for a continental crown.

Frank Lampard’s side put another impressive European marker down on Wednesday as they thrashed Sevilla 4-0 at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Olivier Giroud got all four goals for the Blues, with the World Cup winner proving once again that he can play an important role for a star-studded Premier League outfit.

Confidence is building in west London when it comes to trophy bids at home and abroad, with Lampard’s side reaping the rewards of investing heavily over the summer.

Hoddle believes the Blues have risen above La Liga heavyweights when it comes to Champions League challengers, with there no reason why a repeat of their 2012 triumph cannot be chased down.

The former Chelsea player and coach told BT Sport: “Looking at the teams that are there, obviously Liverpool and Manchester City, they are going to be there or thereabouts.

“For City it's their No.1 priority, whether they tell you that or not, they want to win the Champions League. 

“You can't look past Bayern Munich because they are so powerful but you have got to put Chelsea up there. For me at this moment, they are above Barcelona and above Real Madrid. 

“They are two massive clubs but Chelsea's team is better than theirs. 

“In this moment in time I think they have got to be looking at going to at least the semi-final and when you get to a semi-final, anything can happen. 

“And they have international players who are going to get better as the season goes on and if the crowds are full and we are back to full houses - we haven't seen this Chelsea side inspired by a crowd and the bigger the occasion the better the best players are. 

“There is more to come from Chelsea.”

Lampard’s side are safely through to the last 16 of the Champions League, allowing them to divert their full focus to domestic matters.

They have a tricky home meeting with Leeds to come in the Premier League on Saturday and seven games across all competitions to take them through to the end of the calendar year – a run which includes a couple of derby dates against West Ham and Arsenal.

Sally Bolo has challenged the responsible authorities to improve their structures if they are to emulate Uganda as far as youth football is concerned.

Uganda have been dominating the region in youth football; after playing in the U17 Africa Cup of Nations, the team went on to win the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) U20 championship.

On Wednesday, the Hippos were crowned after beating hosts Tanzania 4-1 in the final.

"One notable thing in [Uganda] squad is that they had five players in the current squad who were part of the U17 side that played at the 2019 U17 Afcon in Tanzania namely Gavin Kizito, Jack Komakech, Isma Mugulusi, Ivan Asaba and Najib Yiga. Congrats to them," Bolo said on Thursday.

"This only means that there is consistency in team selection and progression as required by Caf Club Licensing.

"Uganda have football structures, we have witnessed they have leagues from Under 15, 17, and 20. We can pick some lessons from them."

The former Gor Mahia treasurer has also lauded South Sudan for their input in the game. They finished third in the competition after defeating Kenya's Rising Stars 2-1.

"The virgin land of South Sudan is also getting it right and you can see that from the on the pitch results," Bolo continued.

"Patience is also very important when building something. Let us not do things hurriedly and we will also start enjoying our fruits just like our neighbors are doing.

"There is no magic, we just need to get the basics right by developing football from the grassroots." 

Kenya fell in the third-place playoffs to South Sudan in Arusha to register a second loss in the annual competition after they had fallen 3-1 to Uganda in the semi-finals.

South Sudan went ahead in the second minute courtesy of Phillip Biajo’s goal but Stanley Okumbi’s side fought and equalised in the 10th minute when Nicholas Ochieng found the back of the net.

Nelson Elia scored five minutes prior to the half-time break to give South Sudan the lead yet again and Rising Stars’ concerted efforts in the second half were not able to help them level matters.

Uganda U20 coach Morley Byekwaso believes his charges had revenge after defeating Tanzania 4-1 to win the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) U20 championship.

The Hippos got the goals from Richard Basangwa, Steven Sserwada, Ivan Bogere, and Kenneth Semakule while the immediate former champions scored their only goal via Abdul Suleiman. It was sweet revenge for the Hippos who had lost 4-2 to Ngorongoro Heroes in last year's quarter-finals.

"Tanzania defeated us in Uganda and beat us 4-2 in the quarter-finals last year," Byekwaso said after helping his charges to victory in Dar es Salaam.

"They celebrated a lot, we had the pain and that is why we made terrible revenge [on Wednesday].

"The boys have fought from the beginning to the end, we were expecting a hard game and we knew it was going to be tough. It being a final, it was open to anyone.

"We thank God, the almighty for what he has done for us. I am so happy and grateful, I thank God once again for what He has done for me and what He has done for the team and nation at large."

In the final game, Uganda looked a dominant side all through and got the opener in the 12th minute from Basangwa’s strike. The Ngorongoro Heroes fought back and equalised at the half-hour mark from Suleiman’s effort before Sserwada scored the second for Uganda in the 44th minute.

The Hippos came from the half-time break more determined to bag the title and deservedly added the third goal in the 61st minute through Bogere. Semakule scored the final goal in the 72nd minute to seal Uganda’s victory against the hosts.

Both Uganda and Tanzania sailed to the final lap without losing a match, setting the stage for what was expected to be an epic final game in Arusha.

After reaching the finals, the two countries sealed their ticket for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

Meanwhile, Kenya were defeated in the third-place playoffs by South Sudan when they went down 2-1 at the same venue.

It was the second loss the Rising Stars registered in the tournament after Uganda had beaten them 3-1 in the first semi-final.

South Sudan went ahead in the second minute courtesy of Phillip Biajo’s goal but Stanley Okumbi’s side fought and equalised in the 10th minute when Nicholas Ochieng found the back of the net.

Nelson Elia scored five minutes prior to the half-time break to give South Sudan the lead yet again and Rising Stars’ concerted efforts in the second half were not able to help them level matters.

Arsenal need to be dropping “negative” Willian for a derby date with Tottenham, says Ian Wright, with Mikel Arteta urged to shuffle his pack in a contest that has a Gunners great feeling “afraid”.

North London rivalries are set to be rekindled at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Both teams have Europa League fixtures to take in before then, but attention is already starting to shift towards a heavyweight Premier League encounter.

Spurs head into the weekend sat the top of the English top-flight table, with Jose Mourinho inspiring a potential title challenge, while Arsenal have made their worst start to a season in 39 years and find themselves languishing down in 14th spot.

Wright admits something needs to be done in order for the Gunners to turn the tide, with a change of approach required from Arteta.

Experienced Brazilian forward Willian is among those who could see their position fall under threat, after making a slow start to his time at Emirates Stadium, and youthful exuberance may be the answer for Arsenal.

A Gunners legend has told Wrighty’s House Podcast: “I’d try to throw something else into the mix, Reiss Nelson or even [Bukayo] Saka on the right.

“But Saka’s going to be on the left so I’d put Reiss Nelson on the right instead of Willian because we know what Willian’s going to do.

“For me he’s been a little bit negative with the way he’s been playing, a lot of backwards passing.

“You need somebody who can at least get back and progress the ball.

“If Saka can go and really put pressure on [Serge] Aurier, that’s where I think, if we’re going to get any kind of joy, then I think Saka’s got to go up there and put pressure on him, then [Granit] Xhaka can pull in on the left, just to put that body in there, then [Mohamed] Elneny should hold.”

Wright added on the tension that is building ahead of an eagerly-anticipated encounter: “Going into the north London derby, I’m always nervous about it simply because for me it is one of the best games, I enjoyed everything about it.

“And when I went to Arsenal it was the game which meant the most to the fans and at the time to the players because we had a lot of players who came through that derby from the age of nine or 10.

“This is the first one I’m going to where I am afraid.

“I’m afraid simply because of where Tottenham are at the moment and we can’t ignore where they are at the moment, they’re in the ascendency.

“This is as afraid as I’ve been for a north London derby as I’ve been for a while and they’ve got Mourinho managing them. He wants to embarrass us.”

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has dismissed claims the National Executive Committee is a divided body.

AFC Leopards’ NEC is a lean body made of only three officials; Shikanda as the chair, Maurice Chichi as the national treasurer while Oliver Shikuku is the Secretary-General. They were all elected into office in June 2019.

“We read in social media that NEC is divided and is rarely working together,” Shikanda told reporters.

“Why should we not work together and yet we are only three of us? What makes them think we are not working together? Those are wishful thinkers and are doing more harm to the club.

“AFC Leopards is not Shikanda’s club and it is not Maurice Chichi’s club. This AFC Leopards belongs to all members who support, relate and identify with AFC Leopards.”

The official also claimed those people spreading rumours of a divided NEC are jealous after seeing that the club has stabilised. Shikanda had also said a few people masquerading as members had threatened head coach Tomas Trucha and his agent.

AFC Leopards are expected to make a statement following the reported threat on Trucha.

“But now what they have decided is to stabilise the team and make sure that he does not operate peacefully,” Shikanda claimed on Wednesday. “I do not know what they want. The coach is definitely not happy with what is happening

“The same people were saying he does not have papers and that he is just a tourist. But when they saw his credentials they went silent.

“If I invite you to a place and people start threatening, will you be comfortable in that place?

“There are a lot of threats on our coach and his agent and the people who are bringing all these threats are also agents.

“There is a serious issue with the coach. We shall do a press conference and from here we will go and organise to get the nitty-gritty.”

The former Orapa United coach has only overseen one Football Kenya Federation Premier League game for Ingwe which they won 2-1 against Tusker on Saturday.

They will be up against Bidco United on December 6.

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial learned nothing from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and are not long-term options to fill a No.9 berth at Manchester United, says Paul Scholes, with a Red Devils legend hoping Edinson Cavani can mould Mason Greenwood into a central striker.

Since parting with Romelu Lukaku in the summer of 2019, those at Old Trafford have taken to experimenting in the final third of the field.

Rashford and Martial have both claimed in the past to see their respective futures operating down the middle.

A France international forward has been offered the opportunity to prove his worth in that post, with a person-best return of 23 goals recorded last season.

England star Rashford has also been used down the middle at times, but he has been nudged back to the flanks by club and country as his pace and creativity is considered to be a better fit for a wide attacking role.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has sought to bolster his crop of finishers by acquiring Cavani, with the experienced Uruguayan proving that he has lost none of his sharpness in the final third despite reaching 33 years of age.

Scholes hopes the South American can impart the kind of wisdom on young hopefuls in Manchester that Ibrahimovic was unable to get across to Martial and Rashford during his 18 months in England.

The United legend told BT Sport: “We talked so many times about United not having a proper No.9.

“This lad [Cavani] is a proper No.9 but it might only be for one or two years. We had the same with Zlatan a few years ago. Are we any further down the road?”

Fellow United great Rio Ferdinand replied: “I think Cavani, he would say himself, he's a stop gap, he's here to help support these guys.

“I think they've got to be sponges and take on a lot of elements of his game. That's what I would love to see.”

Scholes responded by adding: “What my point is, exactly what I said about Zlatan with Marcus and Martial - have they developed into centre-forwards, No.9s?

“I think they both like to think they're No.9s, but to me, they're both very dangerous wide players. Did they take anything from Zlatan? I'm not sure they did.

“Now we hope Mason does take something from Cavani.

“I think Mason, out of the three of them, he's the best finisher. He's got more of a chance than the other two to really develop into a proper No.9.”

Cavani started centrally for United in their Champions League home date with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, with Rashford getting the Red Devils’ goal in a 3-1 defeat for Solskjaer’s side.

Harry Maguire doesn't inspire those around him like Roy Keane or Bryan Robson, according to Andrei Kanchelskis, who says the Manchester United captain is too quiet and lacks aggression.

More than a few eyebrows were raised when United forked out a world-record fee of £80 million ($107m) to sign Maguire from Leicester City in the summer of 2019.

The England international had shone during his time at the King Power Stadium, winning a regular spot in England's national team in the process, but had yet to experience club football at the highest level when he arrived at Old Trafford.

Maguire silenced his doubters initially as he quickly became the first name on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team-sheet while forming a solid partnership with Victor Lindelof in the heart of the defence.

The Norwegian boss was impressed enough to hand the 27-year-old the captain's armband following Ashley Young's move to Inter in January, and United went on to secure a third-place Premier League finish while also reaching three semi-finals.

However, Maguire has been far less reliable at the start of the new season, with the Red Devils allowing complacency to creep back in which has prevented them from re-emerging as a major force.

Solskjaer's side have conceded 16 goals in their first nine top-flight outings, and they shipped another three as Paris Saint-Germain earned a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Prior to that defeat, Kanchelskis called Maguire's leadership credentials into question, with the former Leicester star considered to be short on the kind of "determination" which defined some of the club's previous captains. 

Asked if the centre-back is the right man to skipper the team in the long-term, the ex-United midfielder told American Gambler: "I don’t know,"

"He’s not someone that inspires you like a Roy Keane. He’s a little bit quiet and doesn’t really sparkle.

"You look at how Roy Keane and Bryan Robson used to fight on the pitch, he’s a little bit quiet and needs some determination and be a bit more aggressive.

"This is football; it’s not ballet."

Kanchelskis was less negative about United's chances of competing for top honours this season though, as he pointed out the fact that results have been difficult to predict in the post-coronavirus lockdown climate.

Asked if the Red Devils can compete for the title, he responded: "Yes! Why not?

"With everything going on with Covid, you are seeing some teams are finding it difficult and some teams are playing badly, some teams play better with fans.

"I’ve seen the results and anything can happen. Liverpool lost 7-2 and United lost 6-1. With everything happening, it’s a good chance to win the title."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is at the same level as Marco van Basten, says Paolo Maldini, with the AC Milan legend seeing similarities between an enigmatic Swede and a “super champion” of the past.

The Rossoneri have been blessed with a wealth of attacking talent down the years.

At the peak of their powers in the late 1980s and early 90s, Dutch icon Van Basten led their line in style as he plundered 125 goals through 201 appearances.

Few have come close to matching the efforts of a classy finisher that saw his career cruelly cut short by injury.

Ibrahimovic is, however, another talismanic presence that has starred for Milan across two spells at San Siro.

He returned to Italy with unfinished business in January and is inspiring a bid for a first title triumph since 2011 – when he led the scoring charts for a team managed by Massimiliano Allegri.

Ibrahimovic has taken his goal return to 78 in 115 outings, with Maldini admitting that the evergreen 39-year-old deserves to stand alongside heroes such as Van Basten.

He told DAZN: “[Ibrahimovic and Van Basten] are two super champions. Ranking them is difficult.

“[Franco] Baresi and Van Basten were the ones who had something more than the others.

“Marco unfortunately had to stop in his best moment. Ibra, for what he has done and what he is doing, is undoubtedly at that level too.

“[Last year] Ibra was the right man to make that mix between youth and experience. But it was a risk for sure.

“He came from two years in the MLS, Serie A is a completely different thing.

“When we proposed an 18-month contract, he told us: ‘Let’s do six months because I don’t know what I can give you’.”

Ibrahimovic offered enough across the second-half of the 2019-20 campaign to earn an extended stay at Milan.

He is only committed to a deal through to the summer of 2021, but is playing his way into contention for further fresh terms that will take him beyond his 40th birthday.

An untimely spell on the sidelines is currently being taken in, as he nurses his way back from injury, but 11 goals have been plundered through 10 games and Stefano Pioli will be ready to welcome Ibrahimovic back with open arms once he returns to full fitness.

Tanzania Mainland League side Mbeya City have appointed Mathias Lule as their new head coach after recent struggles.

The Mbeya Tax Collectors have not started the season as they had anticipated and the team's Board has decided to make changes in the technical bench to change the club's fortunes. The changes have been confirmed by the team ahead of their Saturday outing away to Coastal Union.

"Mbeya City have confirmed Mathias Lule as the new head coach effective immediately," the club confirmed through a statement signed by CEO Emmanuel Kimbe and obtained by Goal.

"14 coaches - four Tanzanians and 10 foreigners from Burundi, Mexico, Portugal, Rwanda, Burundi, and Italy, had shown interest in the job and had sent their CVs. 

"However, a special committee and the members chose Lule by giving him 41 votes."

Lule now takes over from Amry Said Juma who was fired in October after a series of poor performances.

"Mbeya City have ended the contract of our coach Amry Said Juma effective immediately," the club had said in a statement.

"The decision to part ways was reached between the two parties after lengthy talks and it was all because of the poor performances the team has been posting in the Mainland Premier League.  

"Said joined the team in December 2019 during the second round of the top-flight and we now wish him well as he leaves to get a new job elsewhere.  

"We take this chance to thank Said for the good job he rendered to the team and we will always remember him for the good things he brought to the team while in charge."

Since Juma's dismissal, the team has been under assistant coach Mathias Wandiba.  

The 41-year-old Lule has initially served as the assistant coach of Uganda Cranes. He has also coached the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Express FC, Entebbe FC and Proline FC.

He is coming to the team which is currently in 15th position with 11 points. They have managed to win just two games this season and drawn five while losing the remaining six out of the 13 played.

Mbeya City have also scored just six goals this season and conceded 15.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been urged to axe "pathetic" Fred after Manchester United's defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, with Michael Owen claiming the midfielder "would never play for me again".

United missed the chance to book their place in the Champions League knockout stages after suffering a 3-1 defeat to PSG at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Neymar volleyed the visitors into a sixth-minute lead in Manchester, and they almost added to their tally moments later when Alessandro Florenzi's fierce shot was parried away by David de Gea.

The Red Devils were lucky not to be reduced to 10 men 20 minutes into the contest, as Fred escaped a red card after pushing his head against Leandro Paredes, with the referee only handing out a yellow to the Brazilian after checking his VAR monitor pitchside.

Solskjaer then saw his side draw level on the half-hour mark when Marcus Rashford's deflected effort trickled into the net after deceiving PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas, setting up an enthralling second half.

Anthony Martial should have put United into the lead minutes after the restart when Rashford set him up in front of goal only for the Frenchman to blaze over the bar from five yards out.

Edinson Cavani came even closer to completing the turnaround when his delightful chip over Navas bounced back off the bar, before PSG made the hosts pay for their wasteful finishing.

Neymar whipped in a corner in the 68th minute which caused havoc in the Red Devils penalty area, and Marquinhos managed to capitalise on the chaos by turning the ball past De Gea from close range.

Fred then picked up a second yellow card for a rash tackle on Ander Herrera, leaving his team with a mountain to climb in the final twenty minutes.

United pushed hard for a crucial second goal but ended up being caught on the break in stoppage time, with Neymar tapping home his second of the game to wrap up the victory for Thomas Tuchel's men.

Owen thinks Fred should be dropped for his ill-discipline, but also admits that Solskjaer deserves to take a share of the blame after failing to use one of his five substitutions  to take 27-year old out of the firing line.

"Mistakes all round really," the ex-United striker told BT Sport .

"It [the clash with Paredes] was a red card. You’re a grown man, you don’t need to do a petulant thing like that to put your team at risk.

"If I was a manager, and one of my players did that, he would never play for me again. It’s pathetic. Overall you have to blame Fred but also Solskjaer.

"The manager has to protect him and the team in that situation so they’re both to blame."

PSG are now favourites to qualify from Group H as they look ahead to a home fixture against Istanbul Basaksehir on matchday six, while United will travel to RB Leipzig knowing a defeat will send them out of Europe.

"PSG are going to go through so basically it’s a shootout between Manchester United and RB Leipzig," Owen added.

"Both teams can score but both teams look vulnerable. United should not go there with any fear.

"I think they will score goals in Germany so I still fancy Manchester United to get a draw or a win but they’ve made it dangerous for themselves."

Manolo Marquez was in a predicament, going into Hyderabad FC's encounter against Jamshedpur FC on Wednesday evening. 

He could field only three overseas players in the starting line-up against Jamshedpur after Lluis Sastre, Joel Chianese and Francisco Sandaza were sidelined with injuries. 

In such a circumstance, the manager could have whined about the situation and cursed his luck. It would've been understandable. But the Barcelona-born tactician took the challenge head-on and dealt with it like a professional. In the absence of his regulars, he put his trust in his young domestic talent and they delivered. 

Akash Mishra is playing his debut season in the Indian Super League (ISL), but the young left-back has already been a revelation and did pretty well against a more experienced campaigner like Jackichand Singh. In fact, Owen Coyle took Jacki off at the hour-mark as he was not able to make an impact on the match. 

Mishra's Indian Arrows senior Asish Rai also played with elan on the opposite flank. He looked solid defensively and also provided support to Liston Colaco in attack with his overlapping runs. In fact, he could have well ended up on the scoresheet if he had shown better decision-making skills as he was late in pulling the trigger in a one-on-one against Pawan Kumar.

But the two best Indian players on the pitch were undoubtedly Halicharan Narzary and Mohammed Yasir. Both players worked tirelessly on the pitch and were inventive in the attacking third which troubled a shaky Jamshedpur defence. 

Narzary's pace on the left flank troubled Laldinliana Renthlei. The India international would often cut inside from the wide areas and have a crack at goal or set up a cross for a prolific Aridane Santana. It was one such shot from Narzary which was pushed onto Santana's path by Pawan Kumar that resulted in Hyderabad taking the lead.  

If the 26-year-old winger had luck on his side he could have opened his goalscoring account much earlier, only to be denied by the woodwork. 

Meanwhile, his teammate Yasir also stepped up on the occasion and put in one of the best displays of his career so far. It is not often that you see an Indian in the number 10 role in an ISL match but the young midfielder hardly put a step wrong. He was allowed the freedom to drift wide and one he had the ball in the flanks he would swing it inside the box targetting Santana. 

He brought cohesion and composure in Hyderbad's midfield and was also not afraid to try his luck from distance when he was getting a glimpse at goal. His understanding with Narzary and Colaco reflected on the pitch as they would often swap positions which bothered Jamshedpur's backline. 

Without a proper preseason, most teams have been plagued by injuries and Hyderabad have been the worst hit. In times of crisis, a team's character comes to the forefront and Marquez's men have stood up to the task. Credit must be given to the manager who has rallied behind his troops.

Bengaluru FC haven't got off to an ideal start in the Indian Super League (ISL). They've played out two consecutive draws, with the latest one a boring goalless affair against Hyderabad FC. They could not muster a single shot on target and coach Carles Cuadrat is aware that they need to improve in attack. 

Ahead of a crucial match against arch-rivals Chennaiyin FC, the Spanish manager is confident that his team will bounce back. 

"The opposition is not creating many chances against us. But we have to improve on some aspects. The problem is we are not winning many duels in the attacking third. We are lacking the last pass. We are showing consistency. We showed how we want to play. But we are not making it count.

"But I think we will shift the momentum after the next game and be the protagonist," he stated. 

He felt that team still has to mature physically and mentally and as the season goes on, their game will also improve. 

"We need to improve our scoring chances. The game against FC Goa (2-2 draw) was very matured. They arrived in our box for the first time only in the 46th minute. We are very close to getting that last pass. We need to be a little bit fresher physically and mentally. In training, I see we have players who can do that. I am sure it will happen. Most teams are shoeing glimpses but with no consistency," said a hopeful Cuadrat. 

He revealed that influential midfielder Dimas Delgado is nearing match fitness and will be ready to get more minutes under his belt against Chennaiyin. 

The Blues have revamped their foreign contingent with the likes of Fran Gonzalez, Cleiton Silva, and Kristian Opseth coming in. The coach feels that the players will start delivering sooner rather than later, as they train more. 

"I am very happy. When you ask a player to play with just 10 days of training, it is difficult. Many players would ask for more weeks to get ready and to avoid injuries. But from the first day, they are ready to give their all. The four (Fran Gonzalez, Cleiton Silva, Deshorn Brown and Kristian Opseth) of them have given everything to the team in conditions that they were not ready for.

"For the Indian contingent, they have had training. For foreigners, they will need time. Indians are giving more in the 90 minutes. There are still some players who are not ready. We are trying to get ready as soon as possible. Matches give you the extra preparation you need and we will be playing a couple in the next week," stated the ISL winner. 

A few days earlier East Bengal coach Robbie Fowler grabbed headlines when he questioned the quality of Indian players in his team. But Cuadrat stated that he thinks that they have improved a lot in the past few seasons and spoke highly of Chennaiyin's Indian contingent which comprises of the likes of Anirudh Thapa and Lallianzuala Chhangte. 

"We are expecting a tough game. They have good foreigners and good Indians in Chhangte and Thapa. In general, the Indians are performing a lot better since the last three seasons. A good sign for Indian football. Players like Suresh (Wangjam) and Ashique (Kuruniyan) have improved so much and they joined us last season, It is really good for Indian football," signed off Cuadrat. 

Uganda international Uche Ikpeazu is yet to feature as Wycombe Wanderers fell 1-0 to Stoke City in a Championship encounter on Wednesday.

Nick Powell headed home to hand Stoke City the all-important win at Adams Park as Ikpeazu’s side failed to pick up a win in the last five games now. The Craen forward remains sidelined from before the November international break.

Stoke City got the opener in the 72nd minute when James McClean delivered a cross that was met by Powell who slotted home as Josh Knight of Wanderers failed to stop the ball from crossing the line.

Ryan Allsop saved Wanderers from conceding again in the 83rd minute after Tyrese Campbell moved fast into the area but his deflected effort was saved by the goalkeeper.

Wanderers failed to produce a positive result in the first match where 1000 fans were allowed at the stadium after nine months of suspension.

Wanderer's manager Gareth Ainsworth said he was proud of his players despite going down to the Potters and also faulted the referee for some decisions.

“We were just done by one touch of class, there was nothing in it,” Ainsworth told Sky Sports .

“I think our fans have seen that we can compete at this level - I've been saying it on camera and our fans have been saying 'Well, we want to see it.'

“They've seen it and our fans can compete at this level as well because they were awesome. I'm really proud of the players, but it was just that one moment of quality.

“We've had a couple of shots, we hit the post in the first few minutes and there are some serious decisions the referee had to make.

“There was a potential red card on Fred [Onyedinma], there was a handball at the end that could have been a penalty, while Jason McCarthy has been dumped WWF-style and has had to come off injured."

On his part, Stoke's Michael O'Neill largely chose to talk about the attendance of fans.

“It was positive, really good,” O’Neill said. “We've been playing now for so long in empty stadiums and, at times, it's a little bit soulless, but tonight, even though there were only 1,000 people in the ground, we had a bit of an atmosphere.

“They were contesting the decisions, obviously, the referee was giving for and against them and, overall, I feel it was positive that they were back.

"There's been a lot talked about teams that will be permitted, fans and teams that won't be permitted. I don't really have any strong opinion on that - we're not permitted fans at Stoke, for example - but it was good to see fans here tonight."

With the win, the Potters moved themselves to within a point of the play-off places.

Former Zambia national team defender George Lwandamina has arrived in Tanzania ready for his appointment as Azam FC coach.

The position fell vacant after the dismissal of Romania coach Aristica Cioaba owing to poor results. The tactician will hold a meeting with the Chamazi-based officials before being unveiled.

The 57-year-old is not new in the Tanzania Mainland League having coached the 27-time champions Yanga SC from 2016-2017, helping them win the league title. He then left for Zesco United of Zambia where he served from 2018 to September 2020.

The tactician was fired after an inconsistent 2019/20 season in which Timu ya Ziko finished fifth and missed out on representing the country in Caf competitions for the first time in eight years.

"Zesco United management and club head coach, George Lwandamina have mutually agreed to separate with immediate effect," the Zambian outfit announced when making the changes.

"Zesco United would like to thank coach George [Lwandamina] for his services in the last three seasons which resulted in the team winning two league titles and one Absa Cup trophy."

Lwandamina has also coached Mufulira Wanderers, Green Buffaloes, Red Arrows and Chipolopolo. 

The Zambian coach will take over from Vivier Bahati who has been coaching the 2014 champions on an interim basis. The Burundian led Azam to a 1-1 draw in his first game in charge a couple of days ago.

The Ice-cream Makers came into the match hoping to give the interim coach a positive outcome after Cioaba's dismissal. 

Despite being away, the 2014 champions played well but struggled to finish the chances they created.

It all changed in the 20th minute - Obrey Chirwa miskicked the ball, but fortunately for him, it went into the right area. The defenders failed to clear it and Lyanga, eventually, managed to tap in from close range.

It happened to be the only goal in the first half.

After the break, the Francis Baraza-led charges came back stronger hoping to get an equalizer.

Their zeal paid dividends in the 58th minute. The Chamazi-based charges committed a foul just outside the 18-yard area, and from the position, Owenga unleashed a shot that Israel Mapigano could not keep out.

The team will take on Gwambina FC in their next assignment.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt Fred's tackle that saw him sent off was "nowhere near a foul" but said the midfielder may have been lucky earlier.

Fred was sent off in the second half of United's 3-1 Champions League loss at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

The Brazilian was booked in the first half for an apparent headbutt on Leandro Paredes, before getting his second yellow card after appearing to win the ball ahead of Ander Herrera.

Fred conceded four fouls but his eight possessions gained were the equal most at Old Trafford despite seeing red with 20 minutes remaining.

Solskjaer lamented the decision that saw the midfielder sent off, although admitted he may have been fortunate earlier.

"We spoke to him at half-time – and be sensible – and I thought he was. I thought he played really well," he told a news conference.

"I thought he was very, very sensible in the second half and he covers the ground, he gets up to men without trying to tackle. The ball that he actually gets a yellow card for though, the tackle, that's nowhere near a foul. So, if you see that again, that's a mistake by the referee.

"But that's also human error, it's allowed. You can't, I can't sit there and complain about that now. I thought Fred was unlucky there, but he was probably lucky enough to come off for the first half."

Neymar's brace and Marquinhos' goal was enough to move PSG onto nine points, alongside United and RB Leipzig, in Group H.

Marcus Rashford had equalised for United in the first half, becoming the first player to score in all three home games for the club in a single group stage in the Champions League since Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2004-05.

Solskjaer was pleased with the forward, who has scored more goals in five Champions League games this season (six) than he managed in 18 appearances in the competition across his previous two campaigns.

"He's really taken to that role really well. And he's certainly giving us threat down the side, penetration, crosses, finishes. I've been very pleased with Marcus on there," he said.

"I know sometimes a right-footed striker would like to play on the left to come inside and score goals, but he's proving very efficient from the right side as well.

"And through the middle, he's played through the middle this season, as well, really well. So he's developing really well into the top forward for us."

Rashford was substituted with 16 minutes remaining and Solskjaer revealed the England international is struggling with a shoulder problem ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to West Ham.

"It's just niggling him, that shoulder injury," Solskjaer told BT Sport. "Let's see how quickly he can recover. Let's hope he can be ready for the West Ham game. But we don't know."