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Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique has appealed to Lionel Messi to extend his stay at the club.

Out of contract in the summer, Messi has had a fractious relationship with the club for some time now. He pushed to leave on a free transfer after the season concluded and only stayed when he was told his contract was legally binding.

Although president Josip Maria Bartomeu has resigned his seat, forcing a presidential election scheduled for January, there is no guarantee that the new board will be able to talk him into staying, particularly as Barca are in the process of slashing their wage bill.

Pique, though, is not giving up hope that his old ally might be talked into staying at Camp Nou, having joined the club as in 2001 from Newell’s in Argentina.

Asked by Radio Marca if Messi is set to renew his deal, he said: “We’ll have to ask Leo, I don’t know. We hope that we will stay. It’s a very personal decision and we’ll see.

“As long as he continues at Barca, there is hope, and we hope that he can be seduced into staying.”

Meanwhile, Messi’s old attacking cohort Luis Suarez departed under a cloud in the summer, one of the actions that the old board took that riled the Argentine.

Pique admits it was difficult to see the Uruguay international depart for Atletico Madrid.

"I was very sorry when Luis left, he spent many years at the club and we shared many experiences,” he said. “You play with each other for 90 minutes, but you spend many, many hours with them. We see them every morning, we travel, we are in the hotels, it is as if they was a class-mate.”

Barcelona are enduring a difficult start to the season and presently lie 13th in the Primera Division standings, albeit having played one or two games fewer than virtually every other team in the league.

However, they already find themselves an intimidating 12 points off the pace of leaders Real Sociedad, having lost three of eight league fixtures under Ronald Koeman.

They play Osasuna at home on Sunday.

Former Gor Mahia striker Jacques Tuyisenge has revealed he would not celebrate should he score for APR in the Caf Champions League tie against his former team on Saturday.

Tuyisenge left Gor Mahia, after winning three Premier League titles and a Shield Cup, for Petro Atletico of Angola but returned to Rwanda in the previous transfer window when the army side acquired him.

The Champions League tie has offered him an opportunity to play against K’Ogalo for the first time but he has confirmed he would not celebrate should he find the back of the net.

“Personally, I will not celebrate if I score, but I am going to give it my best to win the game,” the Amavubi star told The New Times.

“It is a very important game for us because we want to take a good lead to the return leg.

“We are going to mean serious business – fighting for a win. It is going to be a special moment, and of course, accompanied by a lot of pressure.”

In a separate interview, the striker revealed he was ready for the preliminary encounter against Gor Mahia after shrugging off an injury.

“Yes, I got injured while I was with the national team Amavubi but since I arrived at the club I was put under good care. I am now in good form and I am training well,” Tuyisenge said.

“I am 100% ready to represent APR during the Saturday game.

“I will be there given that I have been exercising which means I am in good form. I have no problem now and I am sure I will be there.”

He was not involved in the midweek friendly match against Association Sportive d'Arta of Djibouti which APR won 2-0, in a game the team used to test their preparedness for the Saturday match.

“For now, I do not know what the coach’s plans are although he chose to bench me during the friendly,” he added.

“He is the one who knows why but that does not matter for me because I have to stick on what the coach plans.”

Gor Mahia captain Kenneth Muguna explained why they would not focus on Tuyisenge alone during the Kigali showdown.

“We are taking the game with a positive mindset but it is not about playing against Tuyisenge because we will be playing against the whole APR, not just one player,” Muguna stated.

“There are some dangerous players in the team and that is enough reason to focus on all of them and not just one person.”

Gor Mahia jetted out for the tie on Friday.

Gor Mahia’s Benson Omalla scored in a 2-1 win for Kenya against Sudan in the ongoing Cecafa U20 Championship at the Sheik Amri Abeid Stadium on Friday.

With the win, the Rising Stars have now qualified for the semi-finals courtesy of goals from the newly-called up Harambee Star and Fortune Omoto.

Omoto gave Kenya the lead in the 28th minute before Sudan equalised in the 85th minute from Al Gozoti Nooh’s strike. Omalla gave the Rising Stars a late win when he drove past Sudan’s backline and fired a low drive into the bottom right corner in the 90th minute.

The goal is the second for the former Western Stima striker who also earned two assists in their opening game. Ronald Reagan and Enock Wanyama as well Omalla scored against Ethiopia in the opener and that means Kenya are undefeated so far.

The group meeting between Kenya and Sudan was their second encounter in a matter of weeks since they faced off in a friendly tie in Nairobi before the Cecafa tournament.

The Stanley Okumbi-led side finished as Group B leaders and will face arch-rivals, the Hippos of Uganda, in the first semi-final on Monday.

In another match, South Sudan powered past Burundi with a 4-0 scoreline in the second match of Group B that was played at Sheik Amri Stadium too. The huge win saw the junior Bright Stars finish as the best losers and qualified for the penultimate stage.

William Kundu and Khamis Atari handed South Sudan a 2-0 lead before the half-time break while Japhet Ntunzwenimana’s own goal made it three-nil for them. Phillip Biajo scored the fourth one to hand South Sudan their first biggest victory and a second clean sheet in the tournament after they held Uganda to a goalless draw in the opener.

They have four points, same as Uganda, but an inferior goal difference meant they would finish second and will face the hosts and the reigning champions Tanzania in the second semi-final.

South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda will fight for the two positions that will guarantee nations the available slots in the 2022 U20 African Cup of Nations.

The Cecafa final and play-off will be played on December 2.

Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania have all dropped on the latest Fifa standings.

The three neighbours registered different outcomes in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.

The Harambee Stars have dropped one position to 104th with 1187 points, 18 points fewer than what they had last month. The drop has been caused by a poor outing against Comoros where the team managed to get just one draw.

In the first game played at Kasarani on Wednesday, November 11, M'changama Youssouf put Comoros ahead from a free-kick which was expertly taken, wrong-footing Arnold Origi in the Kenya goal, but Masoud Juma equalised for in the second half, after going down to the visitors who had to play with 10 men for the better part of the game.

In the second match played four days later in Moroni, Mohamed Ben El-Fardou and Mattoir Faiz scored the goals for Les Coelacantes and the Harambee Stars denied them a clean sheet courtesy of Cliff Nyakeya’s effort.

Uganda have dropped three positions. They are now placed in the 79th position with 1307 points.

The Johnathan McKinstry-led charges won against South Sudan in the first match by a solitary goal.

Second-half substitute Halid Lwaliwa struck late to ensure the Cranes picked up a 1-0 win over their opponents at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.

In the second match played at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, the Bright Stars won by the same margin. The win, courtesy of a goal scored by Gor Mahia’s new star Tito Okello, ensured the hosts picked up a maiden group win while Uganda suffered an unlikely first loss in the qualifiers.

The Taifa Stars, on their part, have also dropped by one position. They are placed 135th with 1085 points. 

The Etienne Ndayiragije-led team fell by a solitary goal away to Tunisia before settling to a 1-1 draw at home.

In North Africa, captain Youssef Msakni converted from the spot in the 18th minute after he was fouled in the box.

At the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Feisal Salum cancelled out Saifeddine Khaoui’s opener as the two teams shared the spoils. 

Ghana’s stunning loss to Sudan has had a negative effect on the nation’s standing on the Fifa world rankings as the Black Stars have fallen down the pecking order by four.

Five days after registering a 2-0 home win over the Falcons in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CK Akonnor’s side received a shock in the reverse fixture in Omdurman as Mohamed Abdelrahman’s injury-time effort ensured a 1-0 triumph for the home side.

At the time, Ghana were ranked 48th on the world order while Sudan occupy the 128th spot.

In the latest ranking, however, Ghana have moved down out of the Top 50 to 52nd on the world. The Black Stars’ loss was Sudan’s gain as the latter moved up by one spot to the 127th position.

Ghana’s new position see them between Costa Rica (51) and Greece (53). At continental level, the Black Stars have dropped down by two places from sixth to eighth, just ahead of Mali (57) and Burkina Faso (58) in Africa’s Top 10.

Senegal (20), Tunisia (26) and Algeria (31), still lead the table on the continent, followed by Nigeria (35), Morocco (35), Egypt (49) and Cameroon (50).

Back on the world table, there was no change among the top six as Belgium still lead the pack as the number one nation in the world, followed by France, Brazil, England, Portugal and Spain.

Argentina moved one place up to seventh, displacing Uruguay one spot down to eighth. Mexico (ninth) and Italy (tenth) each moved two places up to join the Top 10.

In November 2019, Ghana, then under the leadership of Kwasi Appiah, were placed 47th on the rankings.

Ghana do not return to action until March 2021 when the next international break comes around, their next set of games fixed against South Africa (away) and Sao Tome and Principe (home) in the Afcon 2022 qualifiers.

Ghana’s highest-ever placing since the ranking’s introduction in August 1993 remains 14th in February 2008, while their worst placement was an 89 position, reached in June 2004.​

The next rankings will be released on December 10.

Second-half goals by Roy Krishna and Manvir Singh gave ATK Mohun Bagan the victory against East Bengal in Indian Super League's first Kolkata derby on Sunday. 

The Red and Golds showed a lot of promise on the field but couldn't beat the Bagan defence which stood strong till the end. At the other end, Krishna's quality came to the fore and proved to be a big difference between the two teams. 

Antonio Lopez Habas made three changes in the ATK Mohun Bagan lineup that beat Kerala Blasters 1-0 in the season opener. Jayesh Rane and David Williams came in place of Pronay Halder and Edu Garcia and Subhasish Bose replaced the injured Michael Soosairaj.

Robbie Fowler's side commanded the game for most of the first half and attempted to be fluid in their forays forward. Anthony Pilkington came close to scoring the opening goal in the seventh minute when he received a through ball from Matti Steinmann inside the box. The former Norwich City winger did well to go past Pritam Kotal but delayed his final effort and allowed Tiri to intercept and clear. 

The only proper chance ATK Mohun Bagan had was in the 36th minute when Javier Hernandez received the ball inside the box from a corner. He kept his shot on target but Debjit Majumder did well to parry the ball out for a corner.

Roy Krishna finally broke the deadlock in the 49th minute with a clinical finish. Jayesh Rane initiated the move with a pass to Javier Hernandez at the edge of the box. The Spaniard took a touch and squared the ball for Krishna who found the back of the net with a quality strike. 

Fowler tweaked his tactics after conceding the goal as he East Bengal shifted to a four-man defence and introduced Abhishek Ambekar on the left flank.

Balwant Singh should have restored parity in the 59th minute when he received a pass and entered the box through the left side but he failed to keep his shot on target.

In the 83rd minute, Pilkington unleashed a cracking shot on target from the edge of the box but Arindam Bhattacharya pulled off a brilliant save to deny the winger from scoring on his debut.

Two minutes later, Manvir Singh sealed the fate of the game with a quality goal from a solo effort. The forward went past Narayan Das on the right flank before cutting into the box and finding the back of the net with a swerving shot.

ATK Mohun Bagan bagged the bragging rights and also climbed to the top of the league table after today's match with six points from their first two outings.

Baroka FC central midfielder Goodman Mosele is looking forward to facing an in-form Orlando Pirates side on Saturday.

The two teams are scheduled to meet in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match at the Mecca of South African football, Orlando Stadium.

Baroka have a good record against Pirates as they are undefeated against the Buccaneers in their four competitive matches - registering three draws and one victory.

However, Mosele insists that they won't be motivated by their good record against Bucs as he is expecting a tough match. 

“We must not think that we played well against them in the past and it would be the same thing again this time. It can work against us,” Mosele told Sowetan. 

“We must tell ourselves that we are going there to play our normal game. We must not look at history, things can change at any time. We need to stay positive and play our normal game.”

Pirates will be looking to maintain their good form having won their last four matches across all competitions. 

While Baroka are wounded after losing 1-0 to their Limpopo rivals Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) in a league encounter last weekend.

Mosele revealed that their upcoming encounter with Bucs reminds him of the 2018 Telkom Knockout final in which Baroka stunned a much-fancied Pirates side to lift the trophy. 

“Coming from a defeat to go and play a big team, it is something difficult but we are going there to fight and we will see what happens,” Mosele said.

“For me, it is going to be difficult. It reminds me of the Telkom Knockout final. It was a tough match. So I’m expecting more of the same this time.

“But we have to get back to winning ways and we need to fight for the team. I enjoy playing big teams and I’m looking forward to the match. Everyone is excited about playing Pirates.”

Mosele played the entire match as Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele drew 2-2 with the Buccaneers in an enthralling Telkom Knockout final at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Baroka went on to win 3-2 on penalties and they clinched their first-ever major trophy. 

A limited number of fans will be allowed to return to Premier League games in December, with the UK government announcing new coronavirus restriction tiers.

The tiers vary across England, based on the severity of the situation in each region, but, while not all stadiums will see supporters return, it will be a welcome development for football in the country nonetheless.

Under the new system, a maximum of 4,000 supporters will be allowed into games in Tier 1 regions, though that won't be applicable in the Premier League just yet.

So, which tier are the Premier League clubs in and how many supporters will they allow into games? Goal brings you all you need to know.

What lockdown tier is each Premier League club in?

Every Premier League club is either in Tier 2 or Tier 3 and, interestingly, a 50-50 split has emerged, with 10 clubs based in Tier 2 regions and 10 clubs based in Tier 3 regions.

In a football context, Tier 2 restrictions allow for a limited attendance at games, specifically up to 50 per cent of capacity or 2,000 people - whichever is lower.

Considering that the capacity of most Premier League stadiums is in the thousands, the maximum number in all cases is 2,000.

Tier 3 restrictions, meanwhile, do not permit the admittance of any spectators at games, so clubs who are within that zone will have to continue playing games behind closed doors.

The 10 clubs which will be allowed to facilitate that number of supporters at games are: Arsenal, Brighton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Southampton, Tottenham and West Ham.

Supporters of Aston Villa, Burnley, Leeds United, Leicester City, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United and West Brom will have to wait for now.

When will fans be allowed into games?

The new restriction tiers will come into effect from December 2, 2020 - when the national lockdown concludes across England.

As a result, the first elite-level game that could see supporters return to stadiums in England is Arsenal's Europa League showdown with Rapid Wien at the Emirates Stadium on December 3.

The first Premier League games that would see supporters back in attendance come that weekend, on December 5 and 6.

Chelsea's game against Leeds United and West Ham's meeting with Manchester United could well be played in front of fans on December 5.

The next day, the north London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal can have 2,000 fans, as can Liverpool versus Wolves at Anfield. Fans will also be allowed in to watch the derby match between Brighton and Southampton on December 7.

It is unclear when the 10 clubs in Tier 3 will be allowed to permit the attendance of fans at games, but the UK government has indicated that restrictions will be reviewed every 14 days.

That means there is a slight possibility that fans will be in attendance at games during the traditionally busy Christmas and new year period.

Lockdown tiers & how they apply to football

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has come to the defence of his former mentor Jose Mourinho ahead of the top of the table with Tottenham on Sunday.

Mourinho has faced increasing scrutiny over his tactics and his style of man management, but his Spurs side have answered the critics in recent weeks.

In his first spell at Chelsea, Mourinho helped develop Lampard into a world class player which allowed him to become the club's all-time leading scorer with 211 goals.

Lampard believes Mourinho remains a top manager even after a difficult end of his second spell with Chelsea and problems during his time at Manchester United.

"Of course he is [still a top manager]," Lampard said in his pre-match press conference. "You don’t have a record as decorated as Jose Mourinho has a manager without being a very talented coach.

"For all of us, the game is so reactionary at the moment and particularly in the modern era with social media reactions form will always be judged very harshly for any manager. Tottenham are in good form. They are on a good run; they have good players, they have a good manager.

"It will be a very difficult game for us. I played in the fixture many a time, and the fact we're in good form towards the top of the table adds spice, we're in positions we want to be in and we're all fighting for those.

"So it's a game that remains special for those reasons, and the league positions, of course, all eyes will be drawn to it."

The positive words come after a touchline row between Lampard and Mourinho at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Carabao Cup this season.

Last season, Mourinho used his trademark mind games on Lampard and claimed he knew the line up his former player would use. After losing the match, he went onto say that Lampard claimed success by using 'the Conte formation'.

Having seen him use similar tactics on other managers as his player, Lampard says it doesn't damage his relationship with Mourinho.

"I am not surprised about anything in management," he added. "We all have similar jobs to do. We all sit in these press conferences and have our own personalities. I have got respect for Jose as a manager. That's just how it is.

"I didn't take any offence to the fact I used 'Antonio Conte's system' or whatever. I play that system clearly a lot differently to how Conte would have done. Jose can have his opinions but I have got respect for him and it is nothing contentious for me."

Thomas Tuchel says he "understands" criticism of Paris Saint-Germain but dismissed its credibility when coming from fans and journalists watching from a "sofa".

PSG were out of sorts in the Champions League on Tuesday, as last season's beaten finalists scraped a narrow 1-0 win at RB Leipzig.

The decisive goal, an 11th-minute Neymar penalty, was one of just three shots on target mustered by PSG over the course of the match.

Tuchel said after the game that he would not apologise for winning in a somewhat ugly fashion, with Leipzig enjoying 63 per cent of possession and managing 15 shots in total.

He put the underwhelming performance down to fatigue caused by the team's packed schedule, though it was not their only unimpressive display in recent months.

Before Tuesday, PSG had lost three of their previous seven matches across all competitions and Tuchel has had to contend with questions about his future, but the German was keen to remind fans and reporters that they do not see everything he sees.

"If it [criticism] hits the locker room, it'll tighten us up," he told reporters ahead of Saturday's visit of Bordeaux. "For me it is very clear. I can understand the criticisms, but we have different positions. The critics are supporters, journalists, but I'm not [watching] on TV, or on my sofa.

"I'm with my team, I live every pass, every sprint with my team and you have a completely different feeling after a match like that than in front of a TV.

"I can accept the criticism, but you can also accept that we have another feeling. I had the feeling that the journalists wanted to convince me of their opinions, but I did not have the same opinion because I am a small part of this group."

Saturday's game is quickly followed by a vital Champions League trip to Manchester United on Wednesday, with PSG still fighting to qualify for the last 16.

PSG confirmed on Friday that defender Marquinhos will miss the Bordeaux game as a precaution following an adductor "twinge" – he has not been ruled out of the trip to Old Trafford, however.

Mauro Icardi and Marco Verratti are likely to get the chance to increase their involvement ahead of that journey as well, with the Argentinian striker missing since early October due to a knee ligament injury, while the Italy international returned from a month-long layoff to make a cameo against Leipzig.

"[Verratti] can change everything on the pitch. In 12 or 14 minutes he showed an extraordinary impact [against Leipzig]," Tuchel said. "We decided in the morning that he would be on the bench because he only did half a workout. Now he can play maybe a half against Bordeaux and that gives us a lot of possibilities and confidence on the pitch."

Regarding Icardi, he added: "We decided yesterday on the field if he could make strikes. We took the risk, he trained and there was no reaction.

"We'll see what he can do in training. If he can [train], we can put him on the bench and give him a few minutes, because he has been training hard for many weeks and it's hard for a player like Mauro, who lives to win."

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane is adamant his team's inconsistency is not down to an attitude problem in the squad.

Defending Liga champions Madrid have been wildly erratic in 2020-21, producing some under-par performances despite also celebrating some commendable wins, such as the 3-1 Clasico victory and Wednesday's Champions League triumph at Inter.

Among their more disappointing results have been home defeats to Cadiz and Shakhtar Donetsk, plus the 4-1 thrashing by Valencia prior to the international break.

They head into Saturday's clash with Deportivo Alaves on the back of a 1-1 draw at Villarreal in their previous league outing, meaning another failure to win will see them drop points in three successive Liga games.

Madrid have already conceded 10 goals from their first nine matches, the joint-most at this stage in 12 seasons, but Zidane is refusing to put it down to the team's collective mentality.

"It is not an attitude problem because we always want to give everything," he told reporters. "You asked me so I have to answer, but this is football, there are a lot of factors at play in a game and sometimes you can't understand it.

"The only thing we know is that, if we do things together, we are very difficult to beat but being consistent in football is the most difficult thing to achieve and we try to work on it every day, concentrating and working on all that we can. We have little time to prepare, but in the end that's what we want, to do well."

It has been suggested that Madrid are nearing the end of an era, with many players approaching the end of their careers - Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema are already well into their 30s - but Zidane dismissed this notion and made no pledge to bring in reinforcements in January.

"No, it's not the end of an era here. You always have to fight, be concentrated – we never stop in that sense," he added.

"There will always be changes in a squad from time to time, but the players want to compete and now we have this squad. Until when, I don't know, but we have to do it until the end of the season with the squad I have, and we don't have to change anything."

Zidane also confirmed Dani Carvajal is set for another period on the sidelines due to an adductor injury, while Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos remain absent for the time being.

"Dani has something and we are going to do the examination now. It seemed like nothing but now it does – we'll examine him but I don't know how long he'll be out, I'm not a doctor. He has a niggle, that much is true," Zidane said.

"Karim's injury was bigger than it seemed – we have a lot of games, training, at the end a player has to be physically alright to play.

"Sergio the same – we won't rush him. The feeling with him is good, so we'll see when he returns to the team, but for the moment he is out."

Jurgen Klopp needs to stop “moaning” about Liverpool’s schedule says Danny Murphy, saying no-one on the Reds’ playing staff will be whinging about the hectic fixture list.

Frustration has started to boil over at Anfield on the back of a recent run of untimely injuries.

The reigning Premier League champions are not the only side to have seen key men ruled out, but they have been hit harder than most.

With games needing to be squeezed in after coronavirus-enforced calendar issues, Murphy wants to see those at Anfield save the energy they are wasting on complaining for competitive action.

The former Reds midfielder told talkSPORT when asked whether Klopp should be venting his anger or knuckling down: “The latter, for me. I very rarely hear players moaning about it, it’s the coaches.

“Of course you’re going to get frustrated when there’s a few injuries, especially muscle injuries, but it’s part and parcel and it has been for years.

“This ongoing argument about too many games – look, we’re in a bizarre time, the season finished late, the new one started early, we’ve got the Euros coming up - the games have got to be played, it’s as simple as that.

“He might, as he has done before, just have to sacrifice the lesser competitions and just stay focused on the Prem and the Champions League, and not worry about the others.”

Murphy added when quizzed on Liverpool’s strength in depth: “I mean, time will tell, they can’t be having any more injuries because they are pushing it, but Jordan [Henderson] is back training, Thiago is back and might play and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] is not that far away, so they are getting players back.

“I think [Diogo] Jota coming in has helped massively, and I’ve spoken to a couple of people who have all said [Xherdan] Shaqiri looks really sharp, he got a little knock on international duty but I’m expecting him to have more of an impact this season.

“So I think they can [rotate when required], yeah. They’ve just got to be careful what games they mix and match and rotate.

“I think in the Champions League group stages you can get away with the odd game and mix your team up, like against Atalanta this week, but I don’t see a problem for them in the Premier League as they try and recapture the title.”

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City have plenty of time to have “fair talks” with Sergio Aguero over his future and first wants the striker to get back to full fitness.

The 32-year-old is the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium but has played only 190 minutes this season, after knee surgery in the summer and a hamstring setback in October.

Aguero, who is City’s record all-time goalscorer, played 12 minutes as a substitute in the Champions League victory over Olympiacos on Wednesday.

Guardiola says he is not yet fully fit but believes he will still make a major impact this season once he has recovered his sharpness.

“He's going to give us a good moment this season,” the City boss said ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Burnley when asked about contract talks. “He is still not in his best condition - we cannot forget how long he was injured and come back and then injured again.

“In the middle of the season, he's a guy who needs to be so sharp but the quality to score in the box is always there, always was and always will be. We don't have doubts about that, but he needs a little bit of time to get in the training sessions and the minutes [on the pitch], and after we have seven months ahead.

“He's a guy who deserves with the club, fair talks to do what is the best for him for the club and for everyone. In that you should not doubt.

“As I said many times, I was lucky to play as a football player and manager with incredible football players. He's one of these ones, for sure, but especially as a human being. I never found a bigger star like him to be to be like Sergio is.”

Aguero has also been personally been touched by the death of Argentinian Diego Maradona, who was the grandfather of his son Benjamin.

Maradona’s death following a cardiac arrest was announced shortly before the Champions League win over Olympiacos.

Aguero has since paid tribute to his former father-in-law and Guardiola believes he will be ready to play this weekend despite the news.

“It's difficult for me to talk about his feelings,” the City boss said. “I saw him good and of course the impact on the day of the game against Olympiacos was hard, especially for his son.

“He knew Maradona quite well and he was the grandfather of his son. It's a sad situation unfortunately for his family but he's okay. But it's a question for him it's difficult for me to answer.”

Guardiola will be keen to have the striker back at his best as soon as possible with City struggling to score with just 10 goals from eight Premier League matches compared 27 at the same time last season, but the Catalan expects the goals to come with City creating plenty of chances, including 22 shots in the 1-0 victory over the Greek champions.

“In the last games we played we created much more than the opponents,” he said. “You can win the game or lose it but you are closest to winning if you have more than the opponents. In the Champions League to have 20 shots is an achievement. One day we will break and put on the table what we deserve.”

Wayne Rooney does not consider himself to be Manchester United’s “greatest goalscorer” despite hitting the target on 253 occasions for the club.

That return has him sat at the very top of a notable chart at Old Trafford.

Nobody in the Red Devils’ illustrious history has recorded more efforts for the club than Rooney – who spent 13 memorable years in Manchester between 2004 and 2017.

A man who is also the all-time leading marksman for England could have posted even better numbers for United had he been deployed in a No.9 role for the majority of his career.

Rooney is, however, adamant that he was never that kind of striker, despite his numbers suggesting otherwise.

A Red Devils legend told the UTD Podcast when asked if he could have been even more prolific: “I know what you’re saying, but I think I’ve had time and I’ve obviously had a long career to get the Man United record and the England record, and to become the most-capped outfield player for England. 

“For instance, in two years’ time, Harry Kane will, barring injury, pass my England goals record because he is more of a natural goalscorer than I am.

“Ruud van Nistelrooy, if he had more time here, he would have gone on to get the United record. Obviously it is great and I am really proud to have those records, but it is not something I look at. It says ‘Man United’s greatest goalscorer’ but I wouldn’t say I am Man United’s greatest goalscorer.”

Rooney, whose remarkable return for United was achieved through 559 appearances, added: “I’ve never looked at myself, ever, as a natural goalscorer.

“Obviously I have scored a lot of goals in my career, but I would never say I was a Michael Owen, a Gary Lineker, or a Harry Kane type of player. I have enjoyed the game too much to be that. I have done it twice at Man United in two seasons, when I was the No.9, a solo No.9, and I scored a lot of goals.

“But to be honest I remember coming off the pitch and thinking ‘I didn’t enjoy that, I didn’t enjoy the game’. I enjoyed scoring, obviously, and winning the game if we won, but I didn’t enjoy the game and I found it difficult to just wait up the pitch.

“It is important to be patient and that, but I like to get involved a bit more and that has obviously allowed me over the last few years to drop back into midfield and be able to play there as well.”

Rooney won five Premier League titles during his time with United, along with three League Cups, the FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League and FIFA Club World Cup.