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Nigeria take on Sierra Leone in an Africa Cup of Nations qualification game as the race for Cameroon 2022 gets fiercer.

Having won their first two games against Benin Republic and Lesotho, the three-time African champions would be gunning for victory as they hope to consolidate on their position as Group L leaders.

They come into this fixture well prepared following their recent international friendlies against reigning African champion Algeria and Tunisia in Austria.

Following their dreadful start to life in the qualifying series, John Keister’s men know that anything short of all maximum points against Gernot Rohr’s men would spell doom in their race to appear at the biennial African football showpiece for their third time ever.

WHEN IS THE GAME?

The Africa Cup of Nations qualifier has been scheduled for 17:00 (West African Time) on Friday, November 13.

WHAT CHANNELS CAN I WATCH THE GAME ON TV?

WHERE IS THE CLASH OF THE TITANS?

Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium

HOW CAN FANS GET INVOLVED?

Goal will be providing comprehensive coverage, news, interviews and features of the showdown.

Ahmed Musa has stated Nigeria will aim to secure victory over Sierra Leone even without their fans at the newly renovated Samuel Ogbemudia stadium, Benin City.

The Super Eagles will take on the Leone Stars in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Friday before facing the side again in the reverse fixture in Freetown on November 17.

The three-time African champions are leading Group L with six points after victories over the Republic of Benin and Lesotho.

Gernot Rohr’s men could qualify for the next edition of the continental tournament if they beat the Leone Stars home and away.

Aware of this, Musa has revealed his side will leave no stone unturned in their quest to secure maximum points in the double-header.

“It is true we don’t know much of the Sierra Leone national team, but we have resolved to play our best game to beat them at our home and away,” Musa told the media.

“Two victories over them will give us the ticket to Afcon, so we won’t joke with the games.”

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) recently set guidelines for the return of the Afcon qualifiers, which have been suspended due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and as part of the laid down rules, all matches will be played behind closed doors.

“Playing without our ever-supportive fans at the newly refurbished Samuel Ogbemudia stadium will not affect our games both in Benin City and Freetown,” he continued.

“It’s quite a pity that Edo fans will miss the opportunity of seeing us play live because of the pandemic but we shall try to win for them.

"For me and the team it is a very sad [playing without fans] moment because playing in Benin in the hometown of my mom, I'd love to see my family members watch but there is nothing we can do because of the situation in the country with the pandemic so we have to play like that."

The forward became a free agent after leaving Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr in October, but has promised his lack of game-time will not affect his performances for the Super Eagles while also assuring he would reveal his next destination soon.  

“Though I have parted ways with my club in Saudi Arabia [Al Nassr], I trained with them until I came down for this game. I am still myself and I will give my best on Friday,” he added.

“I will soon reveal my new club as soon as all the necessary details are completed. I hope to return to Europe as soon as possible.”

Musa has made 93 appearances for the Super Eagles, scoring 15 goals, and will hope to continue his consistent performances for the West African giants against Sierra Leone.

Harambee Stars coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee has been forced to make another change to his squad after recalling striker John Makwatta.

The former AFC Leopards man, who currently features for Zesco United in the Zambian Premier League, has been given the chance to replace Michael Olunga, whom Goal exclusively reported will miss the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Comoros.

“The coach has moved to fill Olunga void by recalling Makwatta to the team,” a source in the team told Goal on Tuesday. “It is unfortunate that Olunga, who is our key striker will not make it for the double-header.”

Olunga could not make it for the match set for Wednesday because his Japanese team Kashiwa Reysol currently had at least three players and their coach test positive for Covid-19.

As such the club has asked the playing unit to self-quarantine for 14 days and thus Olunga has missed the chance to travel to Kenya for the double-header.

On Monday, the FKF issued a statement stating Olunga had requested the technical bench to exempt him from the two matches against Comoros.

“Michael Olunga has requested to be exempted from the team due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country from which he plies his trade,” read the statement from the federation obtained by Goal.

Other strikers in the Kenya squad are John Avire and Masoud Juma.

Comoros are expected in Kenya on Tuesday, November 10, and will thereafter have a feel of Kasarani Stadium at 19:00.

It will be Kenya’s first match under new coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee, who was appointed a month ago to take over the mantle after the FKF parted ways with former coach Francis Kimanzi on mutual agreement.

The last time Kenya played against the island nation in Nairobi was in the 2015 Afcon qualifier on May 8, 2014, when they emerged 1-0 winners with the return leg ending 2-2 after goals from Victor Wanyama and Clifford Miheso.

Kenya are currently second in Group G after managing two draws from their first two matches, 1-1 against Egypt and the same scoreline against Togo.

Kei Kamara has confirmed his return to the Sierra Leone senior national team ahead of their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualification games against Nigeria.

The 36-year-old, who announced his retirement from international football in 2019, was among the 16 foreign-based professionals invited for the two-legged encounter against Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles.

In a statement released by the player per BBC Sport, the former Norwich City man expressed his delight getting a recall from coach John Keister, while vowing to do his best to ensure the West African nation is represented at the biennial African football showpiece.

"A year ago I made the decision to step away from our national team, and it was a decision I made with good intentions." Kamara wrote.

"During this year of being on the outside watching and listening, I can tell you it has not been easy.

"In the past few months I have heard some wonderful conversations with newly appointed head coach John Keister about his vision for the national team, and they're remarkable.

"I'm very honoured to be considered by Coach Keister as someone that could impact the team. To be included on the roster for the upcoming games is an invitation I have accepted.

"I'm very excited to wave the green, white and blue flag and will proudly represent my country. I'll do what I have always done- play my heart out for mama Sierra Leone. I look forward to joining the team in the quest for qualification."

Zoned alongside Lesotho and Benin Republic in Group L, Sierra Leone have made a poor start in the race to Cameroon 2022.

Having recorded a draw against the Crocodiles and defeat to the Squirrels, the Leone Stars sit at the base of the log with just one point.

They last featured at the 1996 edition staged in South Africa. There, they crashed out of the group stage after one win and two defeats.

The 33rd edition of the biennial tournament was due to begin in Cameroon on January 9, 2021, but has now been pushed to January 2022 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic across the continent.

Hyderabad have signed Spanish forward Francisco Sandaza who is expected to partner Aridane Santana upfront in the upcoming season of the Indian Super League (ISL). 

Sandaza is an atypical centre forward who will act as the target-man upfront, allowing Santana to take up a free role in the attacking third. 

Goal takes a closer look at the forward who has been a journeyman throughout his career. 

Jersey Number: 21

Youth Career and Professional Debut

Sandaza was born in Toledo, Spain. He spent his developmental years in Leganes and Coslada respectively. He started his senior career at Toledo Reserves and after a season, he was promoted to the senior team. 

He went on to join Valencia Reserves where he shared the dressing room with current FC Barcelona full-back Jordi Alba. In the final season, he scored 23 goals for the Valencia reserves. 

In 2008, Sandaza signed for Dundee United in Scotland on a three-year contract. He made his senior professional debut against Hamilton Accies on August 11, 2008. A week later he became an instant fan-favourite when he scored against Celtic in a 1-1 draw. He continued his rich vein of form, scoring a brace against Rangers, until December when he sustained an injury. In his first season at Dundee, he appeared in 31 matches and scored 10 league goals.

Injuries continued to trouble the 'braveheart' and he could make only seven appearances next season scoring just once. But he played 14 matches in the FA Cup and helped them clinch the title. Yet a move away looked inevitable and after his trial at Swansea City fell through, he was released as a free agent. 

A Globetrotter

After leaving Dundee, he joined Brighton & Hove Albion in League One. He made his debut against  Plymouth Argyle in a 2-0 win and a couple of games later he scored his first goal in a 2-1 win over Oldham Athletic. He carried his scoring boots in the FA Cup as well as he netted in two consecutive matches. At the end of the campaign, Brighton got promoted to Championship but the club chose not to renew his contract. 

Sandaza returned to Scotland and joined St. Johnstone where he enjoyed a fruitful spell in his career. In 29 matches, he scored 14 goals. This prompted Rangers to offer him a pre-contract. But the forward rejected the approach and was set to sign an extension with the Saints. But the deal could not go through and he ultimately signed a three-year deal for Rangers in August 2012. 

He started on a bright note but suffered a broken cheekbone injury after a clash of heads with Motherwell's Shaun Hutchinson which ruled him out for more than two months. He was catapulted to the centre of controversy in Rangers when he admitted in a hoax call that he was playing for money and if a suitable offer arrived, he would have no qualms in leaving the club. Soon after, Rangers terminated his contract. 

After the 'hoax call' fiasco, he returned to Spain and joined CD Lugo. During this stint, he scored against Barcelona reserves but could not show consistency as he once again got injured in the middle of the season which sidelined him for months. He was released at the end of the season in which he scored five goals. 

Sandaza went on to join Girona where he enjoyed the best days of his career. He was an undisputed starter for the Catalan club and during the course of the season, he made 38 appearances and scored 16 goals. In spite of having a good season, he decided to have a fresh challenge and looked East to join FC Tokyo in Japan. 

But the striker could not find his feet in Japan and after a disappointing two-year spell, he came back to Girona. He recovered his form to some extent in familiar conditions and fired his side to a runner-up spot in the Segunda Division which helped them earn a spot in La Liga. But he could not play in La Liga as he was loaned out to Al Ahli SC (Qatar) but once again he got injured and had to spend a lengthy period in the sickroom. 

In 2018, he joined Chinese side Qingdao Huanghai FC and he looked to be getting into his groove with five goals from 12 matches. But a turn of events saw him return to Spain and join Alcorcon in a two-and-half-year deal. He made 31 appearances and scored four goals before terminating his contract prematurely in September 2020, to join ISL side Hyderabad FC. 

The middle third of the pitch is where Kerala Blasters are stacked with talent, going into the seventh season of Indian Super League (ISL). 

If the rest of the ISL teams were all given a chance to sign a Kerala Blasters player before the season kicks off, most of them are likely to go for a midfielder. And their choice wouldn't be a foreign player. 

When you look at the Kerala Blasters midfield lineup, you see highly talented youngsters like Sahal Abdul Samad, Arjun Jayaraj, Givson Singh, promising players such as Ritwik Das, Rohit Kumar and there is also experience in Seityasen Singh.

Also part of the setup is Spanish midfielder Sergio Cidoncha, who is the only foreign player to be retained after the team's seventh-placed finish under Eelco Schattorie last season. 

With Kibu Vicuna in charge of the first team and sporting director Karolis Skinkys taking care of football decisions, Blasters' recruitment process seems to have been well thought out over the summer.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown all over the world affected scouting, communication and impacted the team's ability to wrap up deals but in Vicente Gomez, they may have found the right formula for success. 

Gomez fills a position on the field that Kerala Blasters have struggled at since the departure of Mehtab Hossain four years ago - the defensive midfield. They have tried to fill the hole with several foreign players - Keziron Kizito, Moustapha Gning, Nikola Krcmarevic - but all of them struggled to properly bridge the defence to the attack.

They also tried to get defenders Gianni Zuiverloon and Wes Brown play that role and the worst case was when Victor Pulga was signed for a second stint in the second half of the 2017-18 season and he ended up playing a total of 69 minutes. 

The likes of Jeakson Singh, who is young and talented, will offer defensive stability, as he proved during a good 2019-20 debut season. However, he and the others can learn a thing or two from the former Las Palmas captain who has faced off against the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga. 

Arriving from the Spanish football school, Gomez is well-versed with the art of passing the ball and will keep things nice and solid at the heart of the midfield for Vicuna. 

Gomez is 32 what he does bring with him is a wealth of European experience and the ability to consistently play matches. The midfielder from Las Palmas has played 21 or more league games in every single season since 2010 - and three of those were in the top tier of Spanish football. 

He has started 118 league games since 2014. Kerala Blasters, since its inception, have played 108 matches. 

"I see this as an opportunity to maintain a high level of football across the season as there are only a few games," Gomez told Goal about what is set to be an unusual season for him, not only due to the fewer number of matches in an Indian football season but also because it will all be played behind closed doors in Goa. 

Kerala Blasters will begin the season with an opening game against Antonio Habas' ATK Mohun Bagan on November 20. 

Andy Robertson can help propel Scotland to a first major tournament for over two decades when he leads his nation out against Serbia this week, according to Kenny Dalglish.

The Liverpool defender sits on the cusp of helping Steve Clarke's team achieve history, with a place at Euro 2020 at stake when they face off behind closed doors with Ljubiaa Tumbakovic's team on November 12.

Scotland have not reached the finals of a major knockout competition since they made it to the 1998 World Cup in France, but now face their best shot for years in Belgrade as the November international break gets underway.

Reds man Robertson, who succeeded Scott Brown as skipper of the national team two years ago, has enjoyed near-unparalleled success at club level since, with Premier League and Champions League crowns to his name.

But Dalglish feels that he can write himself into Scottish football folklore if he can take the team to next year's rearranged tournament, set to be played across Europe, including potential home ties at Hampden Park.

The former Reds legend and boss pointed to Robertson's prolonged career path, which saw him travel through the lower leagues after he was let go by Celtic as a teenager, as crucial to his influence in the game.

"Andy's a great advert for people who think maybe they've lost their way a wee bit in football," the 69-year-old was quoted by the Glasgow Times.

"We all know he got released from Celtic and off he went to Queen's Park and then onto Dundee United and Hull City and then onto Liverpool. He has been absolutely fantastic since he's come to us.

"So people who might be doubting themselves a wee bit can look up to Andy, and they can say if they've got the same drive and a wee bit of good fortune that everybody needs, then they can be an Andy Robertson as well.

"It would mean a lot to everybody [if he leads Scotland to a tournament]. Success is hugely important and for Scotland to have eight games undefeated, you would never have anticipated that.

“I know the levels of the team we've played aren't that great, but there have been some good ones in there and we've come out in front of them.

"The most important thing is that the players have the belief in each other to do what they're doing and if they continue to do that then they have a chance of winning this match.

"As for Andy, he's the leader. He's the one who would be getting the abuse if they weren't successful.

“Andy has probably sat back a wee bit and not been as adventurous with Scotland as what he is at Liverpool, simply because he understands the situation.

"That's great credit to him and to every one of the players, but more importantly, great credit to Steve Clarke.

"Fingers crossed we get the result. To get this close is a huge improvement to what we've had in the past."

Emiliano Martinez has revealed he asked Mikel Arteta in a text to let him join Aston Villa after failing to get the assurances he needed that he would be Arsenal No.1 this season.

The Argentine keeper returned to his former club for the first time on Sunday night following his £20 million ($26.5m) switch to Villa Park and helped his new side to a convincing 3-0 victory.

It was Martinez’s fourth clean sheet in seven games this season and his exit in the summer remains a source of frustration for many Arsenal fans, who believe the club should have done more to make him stay.

But speaking after Sunday night’s game, Martinez opened up on his decision to leave after more than 10 years in north London and revealed he was determined to move on, having been unable to overtake Bernd Leno in the pecking order at Arsenal despite his superb form during the final months of last season when he stepped in for the injured German stopper.

“I told him [Arteta] I wanted to play week in, week out and he couldn’t guarantee who was going to start,” said the 28-year-old.

“Even before the Community Shield, he didn’t know who was going to play in goal. After 10 years at the club, I didn’t want to wait until Friday night, the day before the game, to know whether I was going to play against Fulham [on the opening weekend] or not.

“So I just texted him to say I was going to Aston Villa, so please help me and let me go.”

Martinez traveled up to Birmingham while Arsenal were beating Fulham at Craven Cottage on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign and completed his move to Villa Park soon after.

The popular keeper insists he holds no grudges over failing to oust Leno in the battle to Arsenal No.1 and has thanked Arteta for allowing him to leave when the opportunity arose.

“He was very honest and very open with me,” said the keeper. “He helped me to leave the club after so many years.

“Obviously I have ambitions and he couldn’t help the ambitions that I wanted, so we had a clear conversation. He’s a very honest man and a great leader.

“I’ve already said how grateful I am for that and how pleased I am about how well he is doing at Arsenal. I’m so happy he is the leader of the club.”

Martinez added: “When I decided to come to Villa it was because I trusted the manager and the club’s ambitions, and I knew how big Villa were.

“Some people do not realise how big Aston Villa are. They were all saying it was a step down in my career, but I always said it was a step up.

“They called me from day one after the win against Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

“I just wanted to play first-team football and Arsenal could not guarantee me that. They would not say I was going to play in the first game of the season against Fulham so when I had that doubt I had to leave. And Villa were the first option and the only one for me.”

Spain defender Hector Bellerin struggled to accept being out of international football for such a long time.

The Arsenal right-back was called up to Spain's squad for the first time in four years after Sevilla's Jesus Navas was ruled out through injury.

He won the last of his three caps for La Roja in a friendly against Georgia in July 2016 and, although he made Spain's squad for Euro 2016, he did not feature at the tournament.

Bellerin, however, was given a recall by coach Luis Enrique for his side's friendly with the Netherlands plus the Nations League fixtures against Switzerland and Germany.

The 25-year-old has been one of Arsenal's most consistent performers this season and played every minute of their eight Premier League games.

He has made 12 interceptions and eight tackles with a success rate of 88 per cent in those matches, helping the Gunners to keep two clean sheets.

"Yes, I am so happy getting back home. It has been almost five years since the last time, so I am very happy," Bellerin said in an interview with the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

"They have been tough years, and they always are when you cannot join the national team, but I am very proud and happy now. I can't wait to start."

Another player thrilled to be recalled by Luis Enrique after a break is Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke, who last featured for Spain just over two years ago.

Koke, 28, has not featured for Spain since a 4-1 friendly defeat of Wales in October 2018.

"I am very happy to be here again with the national team," Koke explained.

"It has been a long time, but I do have the same excitement that I had on my first day and I am looking forward to helping the team win the games."

Spain are top of Nations League Group A4 with seven points but saw their 13-game unbeaten run (W10 D3) in competitive matches ended last time out with a surprise 1-0 loss to Ukraine.

Left-back Jose Luis Gaya has warned his team-mates not to let any complacency seep into their forthcoming performances.

"It is true we are still first, and that gives us a little advantage. But we know how football is and everything can happen," added the Valencia defender.

"We need to try on winning all the games, that's what this jersey demands.

"Therefore, we cannot get relaxed and we have to face two official games plus the friendly one as they were finals."

The 2022 World Cup might still seem like a ways away, but qualification for the group stages is already underway for some footballing federations as we all inch ever closer to the Qatar tournament.

The 2022 iteration will be the first World Cup competition to not be held in the summer, and will take place in December 2022 due to the cooler temperatures in host nation Qatar.

So far, the only nation confirmed for the tournament are hosts Qatar, who qualified automatically.

Here are all the dates for each federation's qualification games for the group stage as the road to World Cup 2022 continues.

Europe group stages (UEFA)

UEFA's qualification to the World Cup officially begins on March 24-25, 2021.

The qualification will depend on results from the 2020-21 Nations League, but to a lesser extent than Euro 2020.

South America group stages (CONMEBOL)

CONMEBOL's qualification stages runs from October 2020 to June 2022, recheduled from March 2020 to November 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

CONMEBOL's teams will play in a round-robin format with home and away games, with the top four teams qualifiying for the World Cup - and the fifth-placed runners entering the inter-confederation play-offs.

North America, Central America and Caribbean group stages (Concacaf)

Concacaf's qualification stages to the World Cup will begin on March 2021, previously rescheduled from October and November 2021.

Africa group stages (CAF)

The first round of the CAF group stage qualification phase finished in 2019, with the second round due to begin in 2021.

Asia group stages (AFC)

The second round of the AFC group stage qualification will start in 2021.

Oceania group stages (OFC)

Oceania's World Cup 2022 group stage qualification stages will start in 2021.

Fiorentina have appointed Cesare Prandelli as their head coach for a second time after the Serie A club sacked Giuseppe Iachini.

Prandelli previously managed La Viola between 2005 and 2010 before he left to take over from Marcello Lippi as Italy's national team boss.

The 63-year-old had been out of management since his contract with Genoa was terminated in June 2019, but he returns to the Artemio Franchi following Iachini's dismissal.

Iachini was relieved of his duties on Monday after Fiorentina picked up only eight points from their first seven Serie A games this season, having finished 10th last season. Their most recent result was a 0-0 draw away to Parma before the international break.

Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso said in a statement: "Unfortunately, the current results require a change of technical guidance.

"We believe that his skills, his professional history and his humanity, recognised and appreciated by the whole world of football, make Prandelli the most suitable person to sit on the Viola bench.

"I shared the management's choice to focus on Prandelli as the new coach, considering him the ideal candidate for his experience and his maximum motivation to return to work for us."

Fiorentina did not confirm the length of Prandelli's contract, which will likely be revealed when he is presented to the media on Tuesday.

Prandelli will have the chance to settle back in to familiar surroundings during the international break, with time to work with his new players before their next game.

Fiorentina host minnows Benevento on November 22, before a Coppa Italia fourth-round tie away to Udinese and a trip to high-flying AC Milan before the end of the month.

Prandelli has had a long managerial career since beginning with the Atalanta youth side in 1990, and he has branched out in recent years.

Before taking the Italy job, he has never managed outside of his home country but has since taken charge of Galatasaray, Valencia and Dubai-based Al-Nasr.

His most recent job was a short stint at Genoa between 2018 and 2019, though he only managed four wins from his 24 games in charge.

Sulayman Marreh refused to be critical of his Gent side after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Percy Tau’s Anderlecht in Sunday’s Belgian topflight clash.

The Buffalos were hoping to return to winning ways having lost 2-1 to Red Star Belgrade in a Europa League game on Thursday, however, the keenly contested ended on a no winner, no vanquished note at the Ghelamco Arena.

Vincent Kompany’s men took a well-deserved lead in the 44th minute courtesy of Michael Murillo who profited from Yari Verschaeren’s assist to fire past goalkeeper Sinan Bolat.

Nevertheless, the hosts levelled matters in the 89th minute through Roman Yaremchuk who found space in the visitors’ goal area before heading home a cross from Iranian defender Milad Mohammadi.

The Gambia international who was in action from start to finish for Wim De Decker’s team was pleased with the point and highlighted that the absence of key players prevented them from picking all points at stake.

"We knew this wasn't going to be an easy game," Marreh told club website.

"A team like Anderlecht is always difficult to fight. Although, despite the many absences, we have enough quality in the team to make it difficult for our opponents and to take victory.

“That was our goal [on Sunday] but in the end, we got a point which was not bad. But it was very frustrating that we were behind just before half-time."

"It is true that the results are not as we had hoped at the moment, but hopefully we can turn this all around quickly. We keep going!"

The 24-year-old defensive midfielder played as a centre back against Anderlecht combining effectively with Bruno Godeau and Andreas Hanche-Olsen.

When asked about how he felt playing in an unfamiliar role, the former Eupen and Almeria player said: "I've already played there, so I don't have a problem with it.

“It is not my normal position, but as long as I can help the team, I will.”

With this result, Gent stay 12th in the Jupiler League with 13 points from 12 games while Anderlecht are seventh having garnered 21 points from the same number of fixtures.

Christian Pulisic’s fitness is ‘day to day’, according to U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter.

The winger has only made five appearances for Chelsea this season after suffering a fresh injury setback shortly after his return from a long-term lay-off.

Pulisic pulled up with a hamstring issue during the warm-up before Chelsea’s 3-0 win away to Burnley at the end of October. He had previously been out for around two months after tearing his hamstring in the FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal, in which Pulisic scored the opening goal.

The current international break sees the USMNT play their first fixtures since February, with friendly games against Wales and Panama.

Pulisic joined up with Berhalter’s squad for the games despite his lack of fitness, and the coach has praised his commitment to the cause.

"Christian is in camp and is listed as day-to-day," Berhalter told Fox Sports.

"It really says a lot about Christian that he wasn't playing for Chelsea but he wanted to come into this camp and be around the team and his status is day to day."

Former Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole said he expects Pulisic to give manager Frank Lampard ‘a good dilemma’ once he is back to full fitness.

Pulisic starred at the end of last season and, with Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner finding their feet in the Premier League, things are looking up at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Berhalter was also pleased to welcome Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie back to the squad, though he won’t have Josh Sargent at his disposal for the upcoming games.

Sargent was not permitted to leave for international duty by his club Werder Bremen, citing Germany’s current coronavirus restrictions. That had led to some concern that McKennie, who recovered from Covid-19 after testing positive in October, might also struggle to link up with his international team-mates.

"With Weston, we were able to get him out of Italy and the situation is changing by the hour,” Berhalter said.

“Josh Sargent wasn't able to join the team but Weston is able to come.”

The USMNT will be looking to hit form before their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign begins in the new year.

Liverpool are set to be without Trent Alexander-Arnold until December after he suffered a calf injury in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

The right-back went down holding his leg off the ball midway through the second half, and received treatment on the pitch before being replaced by James Milner.

Alexander-Arnold will likely miss the upcoming games with Leicester, Atalanta and Brighton, and could also be doubtful for the fixtures with Ajax, Wolves and Midtjylland at the beginning of December.

Jurgen Klopp confirmed in his post-match press conference that Alexander-Arnold would miss England’s fixtures with Ireland, Belgium and Iceland during the international break, and a scan revealed the extent of the injury on Monday.

The news hasn’t improved Klopp’s dim view of the decision to return to three substitutes per game in the Premier League, after the switch to five post-lockdown.

The German was outspoken in his criticism of Premier League CEO Richard Masters after the City game, saying Alexander-Arnold would not be the last player to suffer from the heavy workload this season.

While Milner was the obvious replacement off the bench at the Etihad, Alexander-Arnold’s absence could present a first-team opportunity to Neco Williams.

The 19-year-old has made four first-team appearances for the Reds so far this season, most recently coming on as a late substitute to make his Champions League debut in the 5-0 win over Atalanta.

He also started in the Community Shield against Arsenal and played 90 minutes in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup games against Lincoln and Arsenal.

Liverpool are, of course, already without defensive lynchpin Virgil van Dijk and his initial replacement Fabinho.

Georginio Wijnaldum said on Monday that Van Dijk is ‘going through hell’ with his long-term knee injury, but backed him to recover in time to join him at Euro 2020 with the Netherlands.

The news of Alexander-Arnold’s absence at Liverpool will be softened by the fact it is now the international break, but it presents a new headache for England boss Gareth Southgate.

The Three Lions are at least well stocked at right-back with Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Reece James all called up in the initial 29-man squad.

Chelsea defender James is only available for the first fixture, a friendly with Ireland, as he is suspended for the UEFA Nations League games with Belgium and Iceland.