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Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has said that it is unlikely the league will change its current stance and allow five substitutions per game this season. 

Premier League clubs voted down the use of five subs for this term, a rule that was utilised when the previous campaign resumed after the coronavirus-enforced break. 

Though several other leagues across Europe are allowing a maximum of five changes per game due to fixture congestion caused by a delayed start to the campaign, the Premier League has reverted back to the normal maximum of three.

It is a stance that has enraged several managers, including Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, who both complained about the rule after Liverpool and Man City drew 1-1 on Sunday. 

That game saw Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold injured, with Klopp feeling the fixture congestion will make more injuries inevitable.

"It's a lack of leadership," Klopp said in his post-match media conference over the league voting down the use of five subs. "Richard Masters sold it completely wrong.

"It's not an advantage [to be able to use five substitutes], it's a necessity. It happens in other countries, it was sold completely wrong and now you have this situation.

"Trent will be out for England, [he] will not be the last or only one [England manager] Gareth [Southgate] will have to deal with either."

Guardiola concurred with the Liverpool boss, saying: "Here we believe we are more special, we don't protect the players, so that is why it is a disaster."

Managers of smaller clubs, however, have expressed support for keeping the limit at three changes per game, with more subs believed to benefit bigger clubs with deeper squads.

Speaking at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport parliamentary select committee on Tuesday, Masters said that while he understood Klopp and Guardiola's concern, the rule was unlikely to change.

"There is an argument to be made that five substitutes change the competitive balance of the football match, versus the very real issues about player welfare," Masters said. "I think it's a finely balanced argument.

"We've had two votes on it at club level and both have been relatively conclusively supportive of three subs – ie, returning to that model, which has been the historic one.

"That has created some frustration in the system, which you are seeing, alongside discussions about the fixture scheduling, which again is a pandemic-related issue.

"So you can see why it is an issue for debate, particularly if you are, in Jurgen and Pep's case, competing in Europe."

Masters added: "It is busier and it's also coupled with the fact that we ended the season at the end of July and not the end of May, and the normal rest periods haven't been taken into account.

"So there's a real issue there and it has been discussed at length. I don't foresee it changing in the foreseeable future."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is “immortal, like Cristiano Ronaldo” – according to their former manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

The 39-year-old Ibrahimovic is leading the Serie A scoring charts and 35-year-old Ronaldo is in second, with Ibrahimovic’s form sparking a long-awaited title charge from AC Milan.

Ancelotti admits he thought Ibrahimovic’s career was coming to an end when he headed to MLS with LA Galaxy in 2018 but he has continued to shine since then, scoring 53 goals in 58 games in the U.S. and 20 in 29 since his return to Italy.

“When Ibra went to play in America I thought it was the final goodbye,” Ancelotti told Sport Mediaset.

“Instead, he scored in so many games. Now he’s back in Italy, I thought it was the end and, once again, he scores every Sunday. Ask him if I wanted him at Napoli.

“He is immortal, like Cristiano Ronaldo. Continuing to play is easy but they don’t just play, they always score and that's not easy.

“It never happened that I told Cristiano not to play because he is a better player than the others. You don’t have to be a scientist to understand it.”

Ibrahimovic’s goals have helped Milan top the Serie A table going into the international break, two points ahead of second-placed Sassuolo and four clear of champions Juventus.

Despite their good form, Ancelotti thinks there is still something missing from their squad compared to their title rivals.

“They have had great results but I think the Rossoneri are still missing something to be at the level of Juventus and Inter,” Ancelotti said.

“However, do not forget that this is a strange season everywhere in Europe, I’m seeing quite surprising results. Some league leaders would have been unpredictable at the beginning of the season. Anything can happen.”

Ancelotti also spoke about two more of his former players, Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo, who are now forging managerial careers of their own with Napoli and Juve respectively.

“There is a beautiful environment [at Napoli], like family. Naples is a beautiful city, with many contradictions. I had never lived in the South and it was an experience worth doing.

"Gattuso has personality, he made his experiences and I expected him to do a great job. Rino has the skills to do it.

“[Pirlo] doesn’t need advice but I want to give him one: if he has to fail, he must do it with his own ideas and not with those of others.”

South Africa head coach Molefi Ntseki has defended his decision to include Dean Furman in his latest squad.

The experienced midfielder currently plays for Carlisle United, who are campaigning in the fourth-tier of English football, League Two.

League Two has been likened to the SAB regional league in South Africa and Ntseki included Furman in the Bafana Bafana squad which will face Sao Tome and Principe in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers. 

“I think when it comes to that [the selection of Furman] we must look at ourselves through the mirror to say are we as a country are producing players that are playing in top leagues in Europe,” Ntseki said on Sowetan.

“If we have those players [playing in top leagues]‚ who are those players? If immediately you don’t get any of such players you’ll always go to the other countries that are not in the top five leagues in the world or in Europe.

“If you look at our team‚ all our players for the past years or so‚ especially if you’re talking of the past five years‚ they’re not in the top five leagues in the world."

Ntseki gave an example of Furman's Bafana teammates Kamohelo Mokotjo, Lebogang Phiri and Bongani Zungu. 

“Maybe they’re in the bottom five in terms of the top 10. So in understanding our players and the quality we have in the country‚ we have players coming from France and France is not in the top five," he continued. 

“We had players playing from England like [Kamohelo] Mokotjo who was playing for Brentford FC in the Championship League. Last season before he moved to FC Cincinnati in the US‚ he was not playing in the EPL [Premier League].

"We had Bongani Zungu playing in France [for Amiens in Ligue 2]‚ we had Lebo Phiri playing [for Guingamp] in Ligue 2‚ which is a lower league in France.”

Furman left SuperSport United in June 2020 citing family commitments as the main reason why he was leaving the Tshwane giants where he had a successful five-year spell winning two Nedbank Cups and two MTN8 titles.

Ntseki also reminded the public that Furman made his Bafana debut when playing for Oldham Athletic in the English third-tier, League One in September 2012.

“When we brought Dean Furman here for the first time‚ [he was] not playing in the Premier League but playing in the lower division‚” Ntseki said about Furman, who has 54 Bafana caps. 

“Since Furman came to South Africa he played in the Premier Soccer League and he’s been a regular performer for Bafana Bafana. And this is a Dean Furman who left the country last season.

"Are we now saying Dean Furman who played regularly for SuperSport‚ who won trophies for SuperSport and who has got so many caps in Bafana now all of a sudden when he goes to England and gets a team in the lower division is no longer the quality that we’re looking for?”

Bafana will host Sao Tome and Principe at Moses Mabhida Stadium on November 13, before taking the battle to Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium where they will technically be the away side on November 16.

Napoli's appeal over their 3-0 forfeit defeat to Juventus and subsequent one-point penalty has been rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Napoli were blocked from travelling to the October 4 match by local health authorities after two players, Piotr Zielinski and Eljif Elmas, tested positive for Covid-19 along with a staff member at the club.

Juventus did turn up to the match at Allianz Stadium, which was officially cancelled 45 minutes after kick-off by the referee.

Following an investigation, Serie A ruled on October 14 that Juventus would be be awarded a 3-0 win while Napoli would also be penalised one point for failing to turn up to the match.

In their ruling, Serie A said that "force majeure", the legal term for an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond any party's control, did not exist in this case.

On Tuesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport backed up the previous ruling from Serie A, indicating that Napoli had decided long before the match that they were not going to travel to Turin.

The court ruled that Napoli "deserve the sanction because it was not at all impossible for them to take part in the match, having instead pushed the situation in that direction in a voluntary and pre-ordained manner.

Azam FC have maintained they will continue to win their matches and will not look at what their rivals are doing in the Mainland Premier League.

The club’s Media Officer Thabit Zakaria has said the recent 1-1 draw between Tanzanian giants Young Africans (Yanga SC) and Simba SC, did not affect them in any way saying their plan is to win all their matches.

Yanga and Simba battled to a draw to allow Azam keep the top position in the 18-team league table with 25 points going into the Fifa international break.

“The fact that we are leading the table is not a guarantee that we will win the title since the marathon is still at a tender stage,” Zakaria is quoted by Daily News.

“We will be rotating the first position with other teams on the ladder and the side which will be leading the log towards the end of the season is the one likely to win silverware.

“For now, the most important thing is to cherish your team’s results and not what other teams are producing that is why for now, the top post at the table has no permanent occupant.”

Zakaria also confirmed most of their players did not receive call-ups to various national teams meaning they will be training ahead of the league's resumption.

“After our game against Dodoma FC, players were given a brief break and will report for training sessions on Monday for the continuation of training programmes,” Zakaria continued.

“The coach will use this period to repair the squad where necessary since if they can be left out without practicing, definitely, their level of performance can be dwarfed.”

On their next league match against second-placed Yanga, Zakaria said: “We will approach the game knowing we have a good team which can give us tangible results to make our fans happy since our target to be crowned champions at the end of the season is unchanged.”

The game against Yanga will be played at Azam Complex with the winner increasing the chance of winning the league title.

Yanga are now second on 24 points while the champions are third on 20.

Maduka Okoye should be in goal when Nigeria take on Sierra Leone in Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone, according to seasoned football administrator Adam Mouktar Mohammed.

The Sparta Rotterdam goalkeeper showed a glimpse of his class during the Super Eagles’ recent international outings against Algeria and Tunisia. In those games, he won the hearts of several fans owing to his awe-inspiring saves as well as his poise that rubbed off positively on the defensive line.

With the return of the established Daniel Akpeyi to the Nigerian team, Gernot Rohr is expected to have sleepless nights while deciding on who stands between the goalposts.

Nevertheless, the FCT FA boss is sticking out his neck for the 21-year-old who ‘is playing at a high level’.

“Okoye is an exciting talent and he is coming from a country known to produce great goalkeeping talents – which is Germany,” Mohammed told Goal.

“So, I think it’s time that you should not take too much risk, but we’ve seen him and he looks like a safe pair of hands, so why not [put him in goal]?

“These are the kind of matches that will give him confidence and would also reassure Nigerians that he is one for the future and that he can play at that high level.

“I think we should give Okoye a chance and that would cement his place and then the competition can pick up from there.”

The administrator downplays talk that Okoye is inexperienced and as such could cost the three-time African kings if placed in goal against the Leone Stars who are in dire need of a win in Benin City while stating that Nigeria will be home and dry come Friday.

“I don’t think so because he is playing at a high level and he has had the schooling and he has passed through that rudiments at a high level. I think he is going to be able to stand on his own,” he continued.

“Gernot Rohr has obviously scouted him for a long time, so for him to bring him in, he must have done his due diligence to know that he can withstand the pressure because goalkeeping is a very important position where the team builds up and gets the confidence. That is a critical position for the country.

“There are no minnows now in African football, Nigeria is always a tricky match. You are going there you don’t know what you are going to see and what you are going to get.

“They are going to be fighting for name and pride, so, we have to go in there, do the business early and pick the points. Its not going to be easy but I think we should be able to get something out of this.”

Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has resigned from his position after making a series of controversial comments in a meeting in parliament on Tuesday.

Clarke referred to “high-profile coloured footballers”, said more South Asians than Afro-Caribbeans work in the FA’s IT department because they have “different career interests”, referred to gay players as making a “life choice” and claimed young female goalkeepers do not like having balls hit hard at them.

Kick It Out chairman Sanjay Bhandari criticised Clarke for his use of what he called “lazy racist stereotypes” and “casual sexism”, saying the comments were “staggering” from a man in the chairman’s position.

A statement from the FA confirmed that sports lawyer Peter McCormick OBE will take over the role as interim chairman with immediate effect, with the search for a permanent replacement now underway.

The statement added: “We would also like to reaffirm that as an organisation, we are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to promote diversity, address inequality, and tackle all forms of discrimination in the game.”

The FA also provided the following statement from Clarke: “As a person who loves football and has given decades of service to our game, it is right that I put the interests of football first.

“2020 has been a challenging year and I have been actively considering standing down for some time to make way for a new Chair now our CEO transition is complete and excellent executive leadership under Mark Bullingham is established.

“My unacceptable words in front of Parliament were a disservice to our game and to those who watch, play, referee and administer it. This has crystallised my resolve to move on.

“I am deeply saddened that I have offended those diverse communities in football that I and others worked so hard to include.

“I would like to thank my friends and colleagues in the game for the wisdom and counsel they have shared over the years and resign from the FA with immediate effect.”

Clarke had attracted criticism in recent weeks over his involvement in the failed ‘Project Big Picture’ plan to transform the English game, but on Tuesday he rejected claims that the plan was a ‘power grab’ from the Premier League’s biggest clubs.

Sergino Dest is looking forward to teaming up with Christian Pulisic with the U.S. men's national team, saying the Stamford Bridge star can be "almost unstoppable" when on form. 

Both Dest and Pulisic were called into the USMNT roster for the team's matches against Wales and Panama this international break. 

Pulisic, though, may not be ready to play with U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter calling him "day to day" after his recent hamstring injury with Chelsea.

Dest has only played with Pulisic once with the USMNT, as the Chelsea attacker and Barcelona full-back both saw the field in a 3-0 defeat to Mexico in September 2019.

Along with players like Dortmund teenager Giovanni Reyna, Dest and Pulisic are expected to lead the USMNT to on-field success in the future after the country's shocking failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Dest is relishing the chance to link up with Reyna and Pulisic as U.S. fans dream of a bright future with the trio, along with young stars like Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams. 

"I haven't met Gio Reyna, so I don't know him as a person, but I played with Pulisic," Dest told ESPN. "He's a really good player, they're both really good players. I hope they keep working and we can reach something nice in the coming years.

"Pulisic is a really great player, he's fast, [and] really good at dribbling. I saw in the first couple of [U.S.] training sessions before I made my debut against Mexico, he was so good, you know, in the training. I had some recovery sessions so I was just looking at the training, but he was almost unstoppable.

"And then in the games you see it, he plays really well. Hopefully we can get a good connection on the field and can play with each other really well."

Dest believes the U.S. can achieve big things with their young core, which also includes his Barcelona team-mate Konrad de la Fuente and Bayern Munich defender Chris Richards.

"These guys are growing, they're coming," Dest added. "They're close to reaching the senior team and Konrad [has just had his first senior call-up]. There's also Chris Richards at Bayern Munich. Hopefully everyone will keep working hard. I think we will have a really good team in the future."

Dest was born in the Netherlands but opted to play for the USMNT after representing the U.S. at various youth levels. The full-back said he is happy with his choice, which he made in part to reward the U.S. for identifying and sticking with him as a youth player.

"When I had to choose between the Netherlands and the U.S. I had that in the back of my mind: 'OK, [I have] two options, but what are the advantages in Holland and advantages in the U.S.?'

"In the U.S. [there is] more for me and I played my whole youth in the U.S., so it was also a little bit of loyalty. I made a good choice and hopefully I can get big in the U.S."

Ghana are refusing to rule Arsenal midfielder Thomas Teye Partey out of their upcoming 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying assignments despite reports of the player having pulled out of the games against Sudan.

The midfielder sustained a thigh injury while in Premier League action for Arsenal against Aston Villa on Sunday, leading to his substitution at half-time.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta failed to rule out the 27-year-old from Ghana's games after the final whistle, opting to wait until the player undergoes a medical scan to ascertain the nature of the injury.

However, media reports on Monday indicated the club has decided to keep the midfielder in London during the international break to monitor his situation, effectively ruling him out of his country's November Afcon qualifiers.

“We’re expecting information on Thomas Teye Partey today from Arsenal,” Ghana Football Association (GFA) Communications director Henry Asante Twum told Nhyira FM on Tuesday.

“We’re waiting on whether he will be available for the Black Stars ahead of the doubleheader against Sudan in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

"Whether he comes or misses the game, I don’t think it will affect us too much. I don’t also think the exemption of some players will affect the results but I think it will rather be an opportunity for the new players to prove their capabilities."

Ghana are set to host Sudan in a Group C matchweek three showdown in Cape Coast on Thursday, five days before travelling for the reverse fixture.

"We have to scan him tomorrow or the day after and see what he felt straight away. Let's wait and see what the magnitude of the injury is," Arteta said after his side's 3-0 home loss on Sunday.

Asked whether Partey stood a chance of joining up with Ghana during the upcoming international break, Arteta replied: “I don't know. As I said, the doctor will have to have a look at him and probably scan him. Then we will decide what to do with him.”

Ghana deputy captain Partey joined Arsenal in a long-term deal worth €50 million from Atletico Madrid in September. He has made five league appearances in all competitions so far for The Gunners.

Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Teboho Moloi has taken a swipe at Kaizer Chiefs' senior players, saying they are to blame for the team’s struggle for form and not coach Gavin Hunt.

Chiefs have started the 2020/21 season on a low, having won just two of the six matches they have played across all competitions so far.

Glaring defensive frailties have defined Chiefs' term so far together with what appears like a toothless strikeforce where no forward has a goal to their name.

Criticism is mounting on Leonardo Castro who has missed clear-cut chances as well as his attacking partner Khama Billiat.

Lebogang Manyama and Bernard Parker have also not been spared of the disapproval, while at the back Ramahlwe Mphahlele, Daniel Cardoso and Yagan Sasman have received some condemnation for their performances.

“He [Hunt] has to blend in those youngsters with the senior players and the senior players need to pull their weight, they need to lead by example. I won’t pull any punches back, senior players are letting him down,” Moloi told Marawa TV.

“I looked at the transition when they lost the ball to let Pirates score the first goal in the derby [MTN semi-final, second leg]. You look at their central midfielders, you look at [Eric] Mathoho and Cardoso, they were still positioning themselves when that counter-attack took place.

“For players that have been with Chiefs and in the PSL for so many years with the experience they have, they know that they are the two most experienced defenders. They need to guide from the back, they don’t need to be found in sixes and sevens and even when they had to chase, to try and not to concede, you could see it was a half-hearted performance.

“He [Hunt] needs to start from scratch, to start with the defence. He needs to teach them the principles of defence, he needs to get into their heads to get the experienced players to pull their weight.

“He should tell everyone that I’m starting from zero with the youngsters that I believe, that in defence, they will do certain things for me. Then you move now to the next stage with your team.”

While senior players have been fingered for Chiefs’ woes, Hunt has expressed his faith in youngsters he says he will hand as much game time as possible.

This has seen Njabulo Blom being preferred to a veteran like Willard Katsande, while Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and 17-year-old Keletso Sifama are also enjoying some playing minutes whenever they are fit.

Netherlands manager Frank de Boer admits he "said some bad words" when he saw Virgil van Dijk suffer a serious injury in action for Liverpool.

Van Dijk is likely to be out for the rest of the season after sustaining significant damage to his anterior cruciate ligament in last month's Merseyside derby.

The 29-year-old centre-back was on the wrong end of a dreadful challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who remarkably avoided a red card.

Of course, Van Dijk's absence does not only impact Liverpool. It also affects the Netherlands, who could ultimately be without him for next year's delayed European Championship.

"I saw it live. I was shocked. I said some bad words," De Boer said on Tuesday ahead of a friendly against Spain on Wednesday.

"It was a shock, because he's such an important player, our captain, and he's so important in our squad. We will miss him."

De Boer also said that Van Dijk's Liverpool team-mate, Georginio Wijnaldum, would take the captain's armband during the current international break.

Wijnaldum spoke about Van Dijk's absence on Monday, saying he felt the defender was 'going through hell' but was strong enough to return in time for Euro 2020 .

The midfielder also said he wasn't concerned by the extra workload of the international break in the middle of an unusually busy season, but De Boer doesn't seem to share his calm attitude on the matter.

"The players have to play so many matches, we now sit waiting for the next injury. That says something about the schedule they face,” he said.

"What I can do as a trainer is highlight the problems. It would be best if the football associations work together and take a stand together.

“But money rules and the show must go on, that’s just the way it is. As coaches, we also have to take this into account.

“I look very closely at the amount of time that the players have played and then based my selections on that.”

The Netherlands play Spain in a friendly match on Wednesday, before Nations League fixtures against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland.

Sergino Dest has said he relishes being part of the next generation of stars at Barcelona as the full-back quickly adapts to life at Camp Nou this season. 

Dest has become a key figure at Barcelona since his summer move from Ajax, starting four matches so far including El Clasico against Real Madrid last month.

The 20-year-old is part of a talented group of youngsters at Camp Nou, which also includes teenage stars Pedri and Ansu Fati.

As key figures like Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets approach their mid 30s, Barca will increasingly lean on their younger options moving forward. 

And Dest has said he is looking forward to growing at Barca with his talented young team-mates.

"It's really nice to be part of that generation," Dest told ESPN. "I think it's also good to play with a couple of young players so that they can adjust to the level.

"That way, [Barca] already have players for the future. I think it's really smart that Barca does that right now and gives us the chance to improve quicker."

Dest has already shown his versatility under Ronald Koeman this season, being deployed both as a left-back and a right-back. 

Though the U.S. international has admitted he prefers playing on the right, he is happy to play anywhere his manager puts him on the pitch. 

"Left or right-back, for me it doesn't matter," Dest said. "I play where the coach needs me. If I have to play left wing, I play left wing. It doesn't matter – I just want to play, but to be honest I think I am more comfortable on the right side."

Dest is adjusting quickly to Barcelona but has admitted it's still hard to avoid being star-struck when he looks around during games and at training.

"I am always going out with my own quality and trying to play with that. Sometimes, when I look at [my team-mates] on the pitch I'm like, 'Wow, a couple of years ago I watched you guys on TV.' 

"Now I play with the best player in the world (Lionel Messi). That's amazing!"

On training with Messi, Dest added: "Yeah, he is really, really good. He has some unbelievable moments, just a joy to watch."

Netherlands manager Frank de Boer says he isn’t concerned about Donny van de Beek’s lack of game time at Manchester United.

The midfielder, a pre-season arrival from Ajax, has been a bit-part player for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this term, making only four starts across all competitions – none of which have been in the Premier League, where he has seen just 75 minutes of action.

De Boer acknowledged that the player has reason for frustration but urged patience.

When asked in a press conference if he wanted to give the 23-year-old a sympathetic hug, De Boer said: "I can't hug him right now of course! I try to give him as much confidence as possible, which I showed by starting him against Italy.

"I think he did well in the games he played, I saw him a few times at United. He's doing well, but they have a great midfield with [Bruno] Fernandes, [Paul] Pogba, Fred, [Scott] McTominay and [Nemanja] Matic.

"It's difficult, but I'm sure he will play his minutes. I can understand he wants to feature more frequently, but on the other hand, it's always normal that you have to adapt when you go to a new league.

"Let's hope he will get his playing time. I am happy that he's well-rested. We can use him here."

After the international break, Van de Beek will likely target Pogba's position in the United team.

The Frenchman has created just two goalscoring chances in the Premier League this term, only one more than Van de Beek despite playing 298 more minutes than him.

Pogba also has no goals in the top flight – Van de Beek netted his first for the club against Crystal Palace.

Pogba’s international manager, Didier Deschamps, made headlines on Monday when he suggested the midfielder couldn’t be happy with his current role at Old Trafford.

Deschamps said he is keen for Pogba to rediscover his rhythm at United, but his comments did little to quiet talk linking him with a move away from the club.

United, meanwhile, are facing an injury headache with Luke Shaw ruled out for the next month – possibly handing an opportunity to summer signing Alex Telles.

Luke Shaw has been ruled out for at least a month with a hamstring injury he picked up in Manchester United's 3-1 win against Everton at the weekend.

The left-back was replaced by Axel Tuanzebe in the 67th minute having picked up a knock. Following an assessment, the club have now confirmed that he faces four weeks on the sidelines to recover.

Solskjaer had hammered the authorities for the scheduling of the game which saw United playing at 12:30pm UK on Saturday lunchtime despite only arriving back from their Champions League clash in Turkey at 4am on Thursday morning. 

The United boss was furious following his side’s win at Goodison Park and pointed the finger at those in charge of scheduling for not thinking about the welfare of his players.

“They set up the boys to fail,” Solskjaer said. “We have got Luke Shaw injured because we have played loads of games this season already, been to Turkey on Wednesday, got back at 4am on Thursday and we are playing a lunchtime kick-off on Saturday.

“It is an absolute shambles and I cannot praise the boys enough for the character they have shown. That is all I want to talk about. Those boys deserve better than being thrown out here to fail today. The authorities set us up to fail.”

United will have Alex Telles available after the international break. The summer signing has missed the last five fixtures, having made his debut against Paris Saint-Germain, as he tested positive for Covid-19 and was forced to self-isolate for two weeks.

Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford is still being monitored by United’s medical staff following the shoulder injury he picked up on Saturday. 

The England national team confirmed that they are expecting the striker to link up with them on Thursday following additional tests on his injury – but there has yet to be confirmation on whether or not he will be available.

United face West Brom at Old Trafford in their next game in the Premier League and Solskjaer will also be keeping a close eye on Victor Lindelof, who the manager confirmed still had a slight back problem despite featuring in the 3-1 win over Everton.

The Swede is expected on international duty this week, although he won’t be meeting up with his team-mates in Denmark due to current Covid-19 quarantine restrictions. He is expected to fly to Stockholm to meet up with the group later in the week.

Ashley Cole has praised the contribution of Hakim Ziyech to Chelsea and believes he is a big player for the club.  

The winger teamed up with the Stamford Bridge outfit from Dutch side Ajax in the summer, having previously agreed with the switch in February.

Ziyech has been turning heads since overcoming his injury problems, which saw him missed the Blues opening six games.

The Morocco international opened his goal account for Chelsea in his first start for the club against Krasnodar in a Champions League game.

The 27-year-old winger then scored his second goal for Frank Lampard’s men and his first Premier League strike against Burnley last month.

The forward delivered another eye-catching performance in Chelsea’s victory over Sheffield United last weekend, bagging two assists in the outing.

Cole, who is currently the coach of the Blues academy, is impressed with the impact of the winger at the club so far.

“We saw the quality of him last year in the Champions League and the impact he had at Ajax, and he has gone under the radar a bit due to the injury,” Cole told the club website.

“But he has come back now and he looks fit, he looks like he is enjoying the way Frank plays, and enjoying playing with his team-mates here.

“He is using that wand of a left foot to perfection at times and he pulled the strings [against Sheffield United]. So I think he is a big player for Chelsea.”

Cole, who spent eight years at Stamford Bridge, has also lauded the productive partnership between the Morroco international and Reece James.

“The relationship they had in the game, they are starting to really forge a good partnership,” he continued.

“Ziyech likes to pop inside and give James the space to attack which is a strength of his, and it is difficult to mark when you come into those little pockets and little areas.

“Then when Ziyech gets on his left foot, he has great runners like Timo Werner who loves to run off the centre-back’s shoulder with the quality that he has, so it is exciting watching them in attacking form.

“But also I am happy that yes, Chelsea conceded a goal, but they are definitely looking defensively stronger and more solid as a unit now.”

Ziyech has scored two goals and provided three assists in seven games across all competitions for Chelsea and will be expected to continue his sterling performances after the international break.

The 2020-21 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) is set to begin on November 20 with the new entrants ATK Mohun Bagan taking on Kerala Blasters in the opener in Goa. 

11 teams will be competing in the upcoming edition of the ISL with Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan set to make their debut in the league this season.

While Mohun Bagan entered the league by entering into a merger deal with ISL champions ATK that resulted in the new entity ATK Mohun Bagan. East Bengal have roped in Shree Cement Limited as their investor to facilitate their entry into the league.

East Bengal play their maiden ISL match on November 27 against arch-rivals ATK Mohun Bagan in ISL's first Kolkata derby.

Most of the ISL teams have started playing pre-season friendly matches against each other to sharpen their claws ahead of the new season.

With the teams inside a bio-secure bubble in Goa, they have to resort to playing friendly games amongst each other during pre-season. Find the list of friendlies played so far below. 

October 25: Kerala Blasters 2-0 Hyderabad FC

October 30: Kerala Blasters 0-0 Mumbai City FC

November 1: FC Goa 3-2 Jamshedpur FC

November 2: Mumbai City FC 1-0 Chennaiyin FC

November 7: Bengaluru FC 1-1 Hyderabad FC

November 8: FC Goa 3-0 Chennaiyin FC

November 10: SC East Bengal 3-1 Kerala Blasters

November 10: Mumbai City FC 3-2 Odisha FC

November 10: NorthEast United FC 0-0 Jamshedpur FC

Upcoming friendly matches

November 11: FC Goa vs Hyderabad FC

November 13: Bengaluru FC vs Mumbai City FC

November 14: FC Goa vs ATK Mohun Bagan

November 14: Kerala Blasters vs Jamshedpur FC

November 15: Odisha FC vs Chennaiyin FC

November 20: SC East Bengal vs Jamshedpur FC

Vipers SC head coach Fred Kajoba believes his team have what it takes to perform well in this edition of the Caf Champions League.

In the first preliminary round, the Uganda champions have been drawn with Sudanese giants El Hilal. The tactician believes this is a good chance for the Venoms to perform well in the continental competition.

"It is another great opportunity to revive our fortunes in this competition," Kajoba told the club's website.

"We have what it takes to get past our opponents because the team has been at this level before and we have been preparing for this for many months. We have a good team and we believe that with determination and character, we shall get where we want to be."

The club's assistant captain Geoffrey Wasswa also opined on what the 2018/19 Uganda Premier League (UPL) champions need to do to stand a chance of advancing.

"We have been there before and believe it will be a good experience facing our opponents in a familiar place. The teamwork, commitment, and determination are all we need to progress."  

Venoms custodian Bashir Sekagya has stated the game against the Sudanese champions will be a challenge considering the UPL has not yet started, but exuded confidence his team will perform well.

"We have been preparing ourselves for this moment despite the fact that the Uganda Premier League has not started yet," the experienced goalkeeper said.

"It is a real test but we are set and even motivated by the return of our teammates who have been sidelined with injuries." 

Midfielder Abraham Ndugwa gave his opinion as well saying there are qualities that will determine the team to advance.

"Some people may argue about the experience but we have the desire, hunger, and will to compete highly." 

The last time Vipers played an opponent from Sudan was in the 2018/19 season when they were paired with Al-Merrikh SC. They lost 2-1 away before winning the second leg at home by a solitary goal. 

Ndugwa scored the only goal that took the Venoms to the next phase of the competition. However, they were eliminated by Algerian side CS Constantine in the second preliminary round.  

Kaizer Chiefs captain Itumeleng Khune has reflected on his friendship with former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa.

Khune and Meyiwa had a competitive rivalry since their days in the Chiefs academy and Pirates academy respectively as budding keepers. 

The duo went on to captain their respective Soweto giants with Khune having been handed the skipper's armband at Amakhosi in 2011, while Meyiwa captained Bucs in the absence of Lucky Lekgwathi.

Meyiwa was sadly shot and killed in Vosloorus, Gauteng on 6 October 2014 at the age of 27 and his murder became a mystery until five men were charged last month.

"My friend passed away when he was on top of his game, and what pains me the most is he didn't achieve more than what he deserved," Khune said at Meyiwa's tombstone unveiling in Durban on Tuesday. 

"I hope justice will be served because he deserves that. Lala kahle, mngani wami [Rest in peace my friend], I still miss you and we had a vision."

Before becoming Bafana teammates, Khune and Meyiwa were part of the South Africa under-20 and under-23 national teams.

Khune shared his memories with Meyiwa during their time together with the under-23 team where they were coached by Steve Komphela. 

"We had some good memories with my friend. I remember we were in Botswana for the national team and because we were inseparable because of our talent, we gave coach Steve Komphela stress," he continued. 

"Coach Steve would start selecting the team from defenders without including keepers and asked players to vote on who should be in the starting line-up between the two of us.

"They couldn't separate us. At some point, they were hoping to use us both."

Khune also revealed that he and Meyiwa damaged their hotel room while on national duty in Botswana. 

"In that Botswana camp, as we were very competitive, we were playing TV games and because we didn't want to lose we damaged our room," he added. 

"Every time I scored he would throw a chair and I would also do the same with the bed. 

"When we were leaving the hotel, we were called upon and the coach told us to avoid such. He would separate us whenever he called up the team."

Khune became the first-choice keeper and later captain after breaking into the Bafana squad in 2008, while Meyiwa only made his senior national team debut in 2013. 

However, Meyiwa was South Africa's first-choice keeper during Bafana's successful 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign and also got a chance to captain the national team. 

Thiago Silva says his early Premier League appearances have left him with headaches, but he is looking to earn a contract extension at Chelsea.

Silva joined Chelsea on a free transfer in August, having not had his contract extended at Paris Saint-Germain.

The ex-PSG captain is 36 yet has quickly had an impact at Stamford Bridge, avoiding defeat in his first eight games in all competitions and helping the Blues climb to fifth in the Premier League, a competition that has already left an impression on the centre-back.

Away with Brazil on international duty, Silva was asked how English football compares to Ligue 1 and Serie A, where he played for Milan.

"They are three very different football schools," he told a news conference. "I have had a great learning experience in Italy, one of the best schools for the back line and defensive phase.

"I also had great companions in my early days like [Paolo] Maldini and [Alessandro] Nesta, with whom I played for two years, so I was able to learn a lot from them.

"The French championship is a little more physical, stronger and now PSG has a dominance over the opponents and we had to risk a little more.

"And now in the English championship, the last two games I ended up with a lot of headaches because there are aerial plays at all times and, with a very high pace of play, it is very different from the other two leagues.

"I have learned from all that and I put it into practice to help the younger players."

Silva has contested five aerial duels in each of his past two Premier League appearances, against Sheffield United and Burnley, having had five in total across his first three games in the competition.

The Brazil international has won eight of his 15 aerial duels this season.

In Ligue 1 in 2019-20, Silva contested five or more aerial duels on four occasions, winning 31 of 50 across the campaign - the lowest totals of his time at PSG.

Silva has seemingly not been disheartened by his initial experiences at Chelsea and instead has his sights set on an extension to the 12-month deal he signed in August, which has the option of a further year.

"This is my first experience in the Premier League but I hope to continue doing well and to have a contract renewal as well," he added.

Silva has made five blocks so far this season, the most of any Chelsea defender, while only centre-back partner Kurt Zouma (36) can better his 18 clearances.

Fikayo Tomori (96.6 per cent), who has played just 45 minutes, is the sole team-mate who beats Silva's passing accuracy of 92.8 per cent.