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As the dust on this season’s Champions League draw settled, groups B and D stood out as the 'Groups of Death'.

Indeed, that query is undoubtedly subjective but Group D — comprising Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta and Midtjylland — seemed more exciting than the former — containing Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan and Borussia Monchengladbach….just.

While it’s played out differently in reality so far, with the Ukraine and German side respectively sitting in first and second place, Atalanta vs Ajax last week finally saw Group D come alive...which has whet the appetite before the Serie A side host the Reds on Tuesday.

On that night in Bergamo, Gian Piero Gasperini’s team fought from two goals down to draw 2-2 at the Gewiss Stadium, a game where both sides had significant spells in which the other was pinned back.

After showing the fighting spirit to fight back, technical ability and nous to stick to their principles for 90 minutes, Gasperini’s troops face arguably their toughest European test to date in Liverpool. This is, in part, due to the presence of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah for Jurgen Klopp’s side but also because of the Italian side’s bold approach.

Their courageous man-to-man marking style everywhere on the pitch, midfield pressing and relentless wave of attacks could cripple any side when it goes according to plan. Be that as it may, it could all go horribly wrong too, as Napoli proved recently, defeating La Dea 4-1 in Serie A.

In theory, Klopp’s deadly African pair will relish Tuesday night’s match-up, given their pace on the break and ability of players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Andrew Robertson to release them quickly into positions that’ll prove tricky to Atalanta’s backline.

The searing pace of the Egyptian and explosiveness of his Senegalese teammate means they’ll back themselves one-v-one against La Dea's defenders, who aren’t exactly the quickest.

Of course, the side from Lombardy will relish the opportunity of playing the Merseyside club and will hope for better fortunes this time against another English side.

Gasperini’s team faced Manchester City in their debut Champions League season but the Cityzens’ class and superiority told at the Etihad Stadium in a 5-1 win, while the 1-1 stalemate at San Siro, probably remembered for Kyle Walker’s cameo in goal, wasn’t as close an encounter as the final score implies.

Their confidence springs from the absences in the Liverpool defence and a particular tactical tendency of Klopp’s wide attackers which could be exploited.

The long-term injury of Virgil van Dijk means Klopp would be without arguably the world’s best centre-back, while Fabinho’s expected non-involvement means Joe Gomez and Nathaniel Phillips may continue at the heart of the rearguard, although Joel Matip’s return gives the German boss a huge lift in central defence.

As regards the freedom afforded to Liverpool’s widemen — usually Mane and Salah — to not track back as regularly as necessary suggests Atalanta’s predisposition to create overloads on the flanks could hurt the English champions.

This approach was apparent in last week’s entertaining draw with the Dutch side, as Gasperini’s team created situations where they had an extra man out wide, aided by the talismanic Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez, whose autonomy makes him hard to mark.

“You can see [Alejandro] Gomez’s role in midfield, which is a completely free, floating, whatever, genius running around everywhere making it really difficult to catch him,” Klopp stated on Monday. “They use the skills of the individuals in an incredibly smart way, so you can exactly see how they use the strikers, how they use the strikers in different ways.

“They are very well organised; play their system with 100 per cent conviction and know exactly what everybody has to do.”

An incredibly daring man-marking approach all over the pitch, a seemingly cavalier but calculative maverick with the freedom to wreak havoc and overloads out wide, Liverpool won’t have it all their way against the free-scoring hosts in Bergamo on Tuesday.

It promises to be one of this season’s rip-roaring European contests and with the adventurous approach by the Italians, don’t expect Mane and Salah to be passive observers...rather, they’ll be protagonists as the Reds seek to affirm their superiority.

When the Champions League draw was made in October, it seemed inconceivable to imagine Group B favourites Real Madrid and Inter Milan would be sat bottom and third respectively after the first two matchdays.

However, that’s the reality heading into Tuesday’s encounter at Estadio Alfredo di Stefano with both sides facing off in the first of potentially mouthwatering contests either side of the international break.

Buried amid the major storyline, where the clashes between the giants could either make or mar their immediate future in Europe’s premier club competition, is Achraf Hakimi facing off against old friends, with the first game seeing him return to the Spanish capital for the first time since departing for Milan.

Admittedly, Tuesday night’s meeting won’t be at Santiago Bernabeu and fans won't be in attendance in Valdebebas, still, a part of Hakimi would relish going up against his old side. Departing Los Blancos on a two-year loan to Borussia Dortmund was meant to complete the wide defender's development at the top level.

The talent that emerged in 2017/18 grew exponentially in North Rhine-Westphalia and the feeling was that Zinedine Zidane would empower the Moroccan upon his return to Madrid, particularly after an amazing 2019/20 season where he became one of the accomplished full-backs in Europe.

This was the dream for Hakimi, too, with the North African being a product of the Real academy. However, Zidane refusing to promise the 21-year-old a first-team spot, the presence of Dani Carvajal and the apparent preference for Alvaro Odriozola — who spent the second half of 19/20 at Bayern Munich — meant the African wideman wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the team.

For those who thrive on schadenfreude, the recent troubles of the 1998 World Cup winner to find at right-back in recent games — which included natural left-back Ferland Mendy moonlighting on the opposite flank vs Shakhtar Donetsk — might lead to questions over the sale of the former Dortmund man. Easy to say in hindsight.

In fairness, Hakimi’s qualities, especially going forward, meant he was always going to be marketable despite the coronavirus’ impact on clubs’ finances...and so it proved.

A switch to Inter to play under the passionate Antonio Conte seemed to be the right fit for everyone involved given the Italian manager’s inclination to utilise a 3-5-2. Hakimi was set to be a beneficiary of his new coach’s extreme dependence on wing-backs in the build-up and attacking phase, and he’d shown at Dortmund with his underlying numbers why he could be the Serie A team’s most-important arrival.

Without question, the turbo-charged 21-year-old has had a profound impact in Inter’s season so far, even though results deserted them in October. The continuing frustration for Conte wouldn’t be in his team’s general performances domestically and on the continent but in their growing pattern to be profligate up top and then let in cheap goals at the back, an oversimplification of their recent run of one win in six matches.

This was the case again in Saturday’s 2-2 draw vs Parma, where Hakimi was somewhat culpable in the two areas of growing concern for the Nerazzurri boss. The wing-back failed to convert two huge headed chances in both halves and his natural inclination to push forward was exposed for Gervinho’s first goal seconds into the second half.

Inter’s dominance on the evening saw them rack up 25 attempts to Parma’s five, edge the xG 3.05 to 0.76 and miss a plethora of chances, only to rely on a late Ivan Perisic header to level. For a side tipped to end Juventus’ dominance in Italy, their persistent inability to put teams away and let in avoidable goals has seen them fall five points behind rivals AC Milan after only six games.

It’s been the story of their season so far and broadly speaking since Conte took charge last year. Thus, after exiting the Champions League at the group stage previously, the Italian coach is in danger of having the ‘not good enough in Europe’ trope regurgitated if they’re eliminated yet again.

That makes getting a result in one or both of their meetings with Real imperative, but this comes with the known caveat that Zidane’s side are in the same boat having suffered a shock 3-2 defeat by Shakhtar before fighting back from two down to secure a 2-2 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach last week.

Despite the tricky nature of the draw, the expectation was for the meeting between these clubs to decide who comes out on top of the group. Yet, after two rounds of games, one of them looks in danger of exiting early if the next 180 minutes of European action ends badly in their meetings and indeed if, for instance, Gladbach and Shakhtar get a win apiece in their head-to-head.

Having said that, Inter’s performances, on the whole, this season have been better than the Spanish outfit’s despite the absence of results.

Regardless, the expected absence of Romelu Lukaku leaves them without their most-potent attacker, while the presence of Sergio Ramos, aura and personality of Karim Benzema and return of Eden Hazard mean the hosts will back themselves for a win.

It’ll be up to players like Hakimi to step up in the Belgium superstar’s absence, and the Moroccan won’t lack the motivation to thrive on Tuesday night.

In a sense, both Conte and the wing-back have a point to prove at Estadio Alfredo di Stefano: the manager, in silencing critics who question his European pedigree, while the wide defender seeks to show the most successful side on the continent what they’re missing out on as Inter look to show they can be equal to or greater than the sum of their parts.

Express FC midfielder Tonny Mawejje has welcomed his return to the national team, Uganda Cranes' squad and promised to use his experience to help the side.

While naming the 22-man provisional squad of local-based players, coach Johnathan McKinstry shocked many when he handed the veteran midfielder a place in the team that will face South Sudan in the Africa Cup of Nations double-header set for November.

Mawejje last featured for Uganda three years ago and recently he was given a lifeline after Ugandan Premier League (UPL) Express signed him on a two-year contract and also handed him the captaincy armband ahead of the 2020-21 season set to kick-off in December.

The player has now said he is happy to have earned a return to the national team squad saying he will use his experience to cement his place in the team.

“I am glad that I have returned to the national team setup,” Mawejje told Fufa official website. “It seems a surprise to many but I expected it. I am in the best shape to deliver like before.

“My role is to train, follow instructions and the technical team does the selection. My vast experience with the national team has to create an impact.”

Mawejje made his Cranes debut in 2008 in a 3-1 defeat to Mauritius away from home and last featured for the Uganda Cranes on January 25, 2017, against Mali in an Afcon qualifying match.  

The squad of local-based players started training at the Lugogo Stadium on Monday under coach McKinstry, his assistants Abdallah Mubiru, Charles Livingstone Mbabazi, and physical fitness trainer Alex McCarthy.

Uganda will host South Sudan in the first meeting on November 12 at St Mary’s Stadium Kitende (4 pm) before they face off again five days later in Kenya.

Players in camp: Goalkeepers: Alionzi Nafian (URA FC), Lukwago Charles (KCCA FC), Mutakubwa Joel (Kyetume FC).

Defenders: Ndahiro Derrick (SC Villa), Galiwango Disan (Vipers SC), Willa Paul (Vipers SC), Mandela Ashraf (URA), Iguma Denis (KCCA FC), Kato Samuel (KCCA FC), Juuko Murushid (Express FC), Lwaliwa Halid (Vipers SC), Mbowa Patrick (URA FC).

Midfielders: Mawejje Tony (Police FC), Kyeyune Saidi (URA FC), Kagimu Shafiq (URA FC), Watambala Karim (Vipers SC), Owori David (SC Villa), Anukani Bright (KCCA FC).

Forwards: Oriti Ibrahim (Vipers SC), Karisa Milton (Vipers SC), Mukwala Stephen (URA FC), and Ahebwa Brian (KCCA FC).

Benfica head coach Jorge Jesus dismissed speculation linking La Liga giants Barcelona with Darwin Nunez.

Nunez became Benfica's most expensive signing when he arrived from Almeria in a €24 million deal in September.

The 21-year-old forward opened his account with a hat-trick in the Europa League last month, while the Uruguay international has netted four goals across all competitions.

Jesus was asked about Nunez and rumoured interest from Barcelona following Benfica's shock 3-0 Primeira Liga loss to Boavista on Monday.

"There is no point in talking about it, it could just be sports news. I don't comment, I was more interested in commenting on Benfica's victory than Darwin," Jesus said.

The Catalans are reportedly interested in Nunez, who has been tipped by Jesus to surpass Joao Felix as the club's most expensive sale following the latter's €126 million transfer to Atletico Madrid last year.

"We got it right. We must not forget that he is a kid, he is 21 years old, there is a lot about the game that he does not know yet. He will learn with me and Benfica," Jesus told SportTV last month.

"All this decision-making ability, finishing and speed...He was Benfica's most expensive purchase, and when there is no pandemic, he will be the most expensive sale. He will be a world-class player.

"Unfortunately for me, maybe I will lose him in a short time."

Nunez only joined Segunda side Almeria for the start of last season from Uruguay's Penarol - where he plundered 16 goals to 30 league appearances to earn admiration all across Europe.

His performances with Uruguay's youth teams earned him a call-up to the senior national team in September 2019, scoring on his debut in a draw against Peru.

Benfica suffered their first league defeat of the season after succumbing to goals from Angel Gomes, Alberto Elis and Yanis Hamache.

The result left Benfica second and a point adrift of unbeaten leaders Sporting CP through six matches.

Benfica lost a Primeira Liga game by a margin of three-plus goals for the first time since October 2015, per Opta. Only Boavista and Sporting CP have won multiple league fixtures against Benfica by three or more goals in the 21st century.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday has issued a statement that he is seeking to tighten the restrictions on sports under the current Covid-19 lockdown orders.

Several areas of the country are currently under different stages of lockdown. For example, the Klang Valley area has been under a lockdown since mid-October that sees office employees having to work from home, while sporting matches including those of football have been prohibited, with training limited to only groups of 10.

Four Malaysian league clubs that are based in the Klang Valley; Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, UiTM FC and Petaling Jaya City meanwhile will have to play their Malaysia Cup matches this weekend in other states.

"I expressed [to National Security Council] my worries regarding the current nationwide pandemic situation, with cases still increasing.

"The actions we have taken have been somewhat successful in reining in the spread of Covid-19, but the current situation calls for a mitigations and interventions that are faster and more effective.

"I have ordered the MKN (National Security Council) to look into tightening restrictions on social and sporting activities, in order to break the chain of new infections.

"MKN will present the proposal in a meeting tomorrow, November 3. I hope it will be executed due to the worrying fact that the infection has been spreading at an alarming rate," wrote the Pagoh member of parliament.

If the restrictions on sporting activities are issued by MKN, it is believed that this season's Malaysia Cup, which is set to kick off this Friday in an already truncated format, will also be affected.

After a decade-long experience in the A-League, 31-year-old Australian right-back Scott Neville has joined East Bengal on a season-long deal and will compete in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season.

Neville re-unites with his former boss at Brisbane Roar, Robbie Fowler, who has joined the Red and Golds as their manager this season. With over 200 A-League matches in his kitty, the defender brings a lot of experience to the ISL new entrants.

Debut

After graduating from Perth Glory’s youth system, Neville joined Sorrento FC in 2006 which competed in the National Premier Leagues Western Australia (a regional league). He spent two seasons there, playing 46 matches.

The defender returned to his parent club Perth Glory and made his professional debut for the club in 2008 against Central Coast Mariners. He was there at the club for the next four seasons, playing in 68 A-League matches. He scored four league goals during that time. He had also become the youngest ever player to captain an A-League side as he had led Perth Glory in 10 matches at the age of 21.

 In 2011, Neville was handed a trial opportunity with English club Portsmouth FC who were competing in the Championship at that time. The defender had trained for two-weeks with Pompey but couldn't land a deal.

In 2012 he joined Newcastle Jets where he spent three seasons before heading to Western Sydney Wanderers ahead of the 2015-16 season.

He returned to Glory for two more seasons in 2017. During his second stint, he appeared in 41 league matches and scored two goals. He was also a part of Perth Glory’s A-League Premiers winning side in the 2018-19 season.

The defender has appeared in five AFC Champions League matches, four with Western Sydney Wanderers in 2017 and one with Perth Glory in 2018.

Before the start of the 2018-19 season, Perth Glory had played a pre-season friendly game against Premier League giants Chelsea FC in which Neville had featured.

International football

While Neville has never played for the Australian senior national side, he has represented the nation at the U20 and U23 level.

Last Stint

Scott Neville had joined Brisbane Roar from Perth Glory ahead of the 2019-20 A-League season. He appeared in 25 league games last year and had also scored two goals. They reached the semifinals of the Finals series.

Barcelona presidential candidate Pere Riera said he "wouldn't pull out all the stops" for Lionel Messi to stay at Camp Nou.

Josep Maria Bartomeu quit as Barca president last week , ahead of a vote of no confidence against his leadership, along with the entire board of directors.

Following Bartomeu's decision to quit it has been reported Barcelona's presidential elections will be held in the second week of January, with Riera announcing his candidacy.

Messi's future remains an important topic at the embattled La Liga giants after the six-time Ballon d'Or winner handed in a transfer request following a tumultuous 2019-20 season .

The Barca captain was tipped to join Premier League powerhouse Manchester City before opting to remain in Spain in an exclusive interview with Goal .

Asked about Messi, Riera told Radio Marca: "In my opinion, Messi has to stay at Barcelona and not with history. It's not good for anyone.

"In the end, it's Messi who decides [his future]. I very much doubt that Messi wanted to leave Barcelona [in the summer].

"I wouldn't pull out all the stops for Messi."

It has been a difficult start to the campaign for Messi, as he has now gone 877 minutes without scoring in open play. 

Messi's last open-play effort came against Napoli in the Champions League back in August, although he has scored three penalties and one free-kick since then.

In an interview with former Real Madrid and Spain coach Vicente del Bosque for El Pais, former Barca coach Quique Setien spoke about the difficulty of managing a player like Messi.

"I think Messi is the best of all time," Setien said. "There have been other great players who have been great, but the continuity that this boy has had throughout the years has not been had by anyone.

"Leo is difficult to manage. Who am I to change him! If they have accepted him as he is for years and have not changed him.

"There's another facet beyond just the player and it's more difficult to manage. Much more difficult. It's something inherent in many athletes that can be seen in the Michael Jordan documentary ("The Last Dance"). You see things you don't expect.

"He's very reserved but he makes you see the things that he wants. He doesn't talk much."

Barca equalled their worst tally of La Liga points after six games since the Spanish competition reverted to three points for a win.

Ronald Koeman's side drew 1-1 with Deportivo Alaves on Saturday, meaning they have just eight points so far in the early stages of the 2020-21 campaign.

That is the same total as Barca managed at the start of the 2002-03 campaign when another Dutchman, Louis van Gaal, was in charge. 

Arashpreet Singh is set to join Mohammedan Sporting for the upcoming I-League season,  Goal  can confirm. 

The defender was plying his trade for Real Kashmir FC in the previous season of the I-League. 

He began his career with Minerva Punjab in the I-League 2nd Division. Singh was also a member of the I-League winning squad of Minerva Punjab back in 2017-18. Minerva Punjab had the third best defensive record that season in the I-League, conceding just 16 goals in 18 matches. 

He is known for being strong in the air and Mohammedan will hope the central defender can play a huge role in their return to the I-League after seven years.

The Black and Whites have already signed Arijit Bagui, Manoj Mohammed in defence. And they have also roped in Nigerian forward Raphael Ownrebe from Sheikh Russel in Bangladesh. 

The Nigerian forward had been plying his trade in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) since 2017 when he joined Sheikh Jamal. In his maiden season in Bangladesh, he was the top-scorer of the league with 15 goals. He also had nine assists to boot.  In the next season, he was snapped by Sheikh Russel FC. He continued his rich vein of form in his new stomping ground as well. He bagged 22 goals in the 2018-19 season and once again won the golden boot for the second time in a row. 

Mohammedan Sporting have already announced Jose Carlos Rodriguez Hevia as their head coach for the 2020-21 I-League season. The 48-year-old previously held the post of technical director of coaching and youth development at Shillong Lajong FC until August this year.

Having started his coaching career in Spain with clubs such as UD San Claudio, CD Manuel Rubio and A.D.Gigantes, Jose's first expedition in India was as technical director of the Arsenal Soccer Schools based in Pune back in 2014. During this stint, he was also associated with the FC Pune City (now Hyderabad FC) support staff.

Tajikistan winger Komron Tursunov has agreed to sign on the dotted line for TRAU FC, Goal has learnt. 

He was a regular in Mohun Bagan's title-winning I-League campaign under Kibu Vicuna. 

He made eight appearances for the Mariners after joining the team in January as a replacement for injured winger Julen Colinas. During his short stint, he scored two goals and provided two assists. 

Tursunov started his career at Regar-TadAZ Tursunzoda club in Tajikistan. He joined Istiklol FC in 2018 after scoring 23 goals in 57 matches.

Tursunov made his Tajikistan senior national team debut on October 2, 2018, against Nepal. Till now he has 15 caps and four goals to his name in national colours. 

He has played against India in the Intercontinental Cup and even scored a goal. 

After signing for TRAU, he is all set for his first full season on Indian soil. 

He will not be the only Tajikistan player in India this time around. His national teammate Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev has also made the journey to India and will play for Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL). 

Diego Maradona has been admitted to hospital in his native Argentina, according to local media reports.

The legendary former Argentina international, who turned 60 last month, has reportedly been taken to the Ipensa clinic in La Plata, about an hour from Buenos Aires.

Although there has been no official word, Ole are reporting that his condition is not serious and is not related to Covid-19 as he had tested negative in recent days.

Maradona, who coaches Gimnasia y Esgrima, was last seen in public on Friday, the day of his birthday, and he was presented with a commemorative plaque ahead of his side’s game with Patronato.

The World Cup winner did not stay to watch the game, with it reported that he had been feeling unwell for a few days.

Maradona has had a number of health scares down the years.

He was admitted to hospital in January 2019 with internal bleeding in the stomach, while he fell ill at the 2018 World Cup in Russia - being filmed passing out at the game between Argentina and Nigeria.

Maradona is widely considered to be one of the greatest to play the game. He rose to prominence at Argentinos Juniors, before a spell at Boca Juniors earned him superstardom and a move to Barcelona in 1982. 

He joined Napoli two years later and helped the club win the Serie A title in 1987 and 1990.

It was during his spell with Napoli that Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986. He scored one of the great goals of all time against England in the quarter finals, along with the infamous Hand of God goal.

His five goals and five assists at Mexico ‘86 earned him the tournament’s best player award, and while he did not find the target in the final, he created the winning goal for Jorge Burruchaga.

Argentina came up short in the defence of their crown at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where Maradona was hampered by an ankle injury.

Maradona took his place in the squad for the 1994 World Cup in the United States, but his tournament ended in disgrace as he was sent home after failing a drugs test.

Samuel Chukwueze has put an end to his LaLiga goal drought as Villarreal overpowered Real Valladolid 2-0 on Monday night.

The 21-year-old Nigeria international had gone on a 12-month run without finding the net, however, he rediscovered his scoring form against the White and Violets.

His 21st minute strike propelled Unai Emery’s men to their fourth victory of the 2020-21 Spanish topflight campaign.

Alfonso Pedraza had the first chance at goal - trying his luck with a powerful left-footed shot which drew a fine save from goalkeeper Jordi Masip.

The hosts’ persistence eventually paid off in the 20th minute thanks to Chukwueze’s cool finish after connecting to a low cross from Pedraza.

Emery’s team doubled their advantage in the 37th minute courtesy of Pau Torres who converted Paco Alcacer’s flick off Moi Gomez’s corner kick.

Early in the second-half, Valladolid missed a chance to reduce their deficit after Shon Weissman’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Asenjo.

Gerard Moreno got the Yellows’ third goal in the 64th minute but VAR replays cancelled the effort due to a foul in his build-up to the strike.

Despite a late rally from Sergio Gonzalez’s team, scores stood at 2-0 after full time as Villarreal reigned supreme at Estadio de la Ceramica.

After an impressive shift, Chukwueze was replaced in the 64th minute by on loan Real Madrid midfielder Takefusa Kubo, while Moroccan defender Sofian Chakla was an unused substitute. Chakla’s compatriot Jawad El Yamiq was not dressed for action by Real Valladolid.

Chukwueze, who has been called up for Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualification versus Sierra Leone next week, would be hoping to take his scoring form to the Europa League when his Spanish outfit host Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Thursday.

Tottenham outcast Dele Alli can work his way back into Jose Mourinho's first team, according to Eric Dier.

Alli has only played 243 minutes under the Portuguese manager in all competitions this season and has been left out of the squad for Spurs' last three Premier League matches.

The 24-year-old started last Thursday's Europa League contest against Antwerp but was hauled off at half time as the Londoners crashed to a 1-0 defeat.

Mourinho insists the reason for Alli's exclusion is because of the array of attacking stars he has at his disposal - with the likes of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, Gareth Bale and Lucas Moura all ahead of the former MK Dons player for selection.

However, Dier believes his England international team-mate has the ability to resurrect his career under Mourinho - but his fate is solely in his own hands.

"Yeah, of course Dele has the capacity, we all know his quality, we all know what he brings - he’s shown that in the past," he said.

"It’s really up to him to put in the work, the effort, the commitment and I’m sure he will do that.

"That’s who he is, he’s always had that drive. It’s up to him, it’s in his hands and it’s in all of our hands. 

"Individually, we all have to perform, we’ve got a very big squad and we all have to perform at the highest level if we want to play."

Tottenham are flying high in third position on the Premier League table, two points behind leaders Liverpool after seven matches.

Dier intimated that Spurs feel they could be leading the title race but the team was pleased with their start to their campaign.

"We’re happy with where we are but we could be happier," Dier said. "If you look at some games - the Newcastle game with the penalty was very difficult to understand.

"The Everton game wasn’t acceptable and then the West Ham game was the same, [it was] really frustrating to be 3-0 up and it was really important for us to get off the mark at home, get the win.

"Obviously we’ve improved massively away from home which was really our downfall last season.

"It’s great to be up and running with a win at home now and we’ll just look to keep working hard, keep pushing forward.

“It’s very early on but our motivation is clear. For us, we’re going into every game to try and win. We know that’s not possible but that’s our ambition. We’re going into every game, no matter the competition believing we can win."

Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham missed an opportunity to take their squad to the next level when they built their new stadium – but he is hopeful Jose Mourinho can lift a trophy at his old club.

Pochettino believes the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is now one of the best arenas in Europe, but he rued the effect the move had on both his squad and his transfer budget.

Spurs were temporarily re-homed at Wembley, where results stagnated and their Premier League rivals continued to spend big. Tottenham beat Liverpool 4-1 in October 2017 but two months later, Jurgen Klopp’s side signed Virgil van Dijk and haven’t looked back since.

“I think the third season, 2016-17, when we finished second, this was the season where afterwards we moved to Wembley,” Pochettino said on Sky Sports.

“It was a season where we won 17 games and had two draws in the Premier League.

“The team was doing a fantastic job but that was the season when we started to build the new stadium and we moved to Wembley with all the circumstances.

“If you remember ‘the ghost of Wembley’, [people were saying] ‘if you play at Wembley it’s going to be a disaster’. The energy wasn’t great.

“The feeling… you understand the fans love to go to White Hart Lane, and to have to move to Wembley was a massive step for everyone. But the team kept going and doing well.

“But that I think was the point where maybe we missed [the chance to] improve the squad and the team a little bit so we could be close to winning a big trophy. Afterwards, we had the chance with the final of the Champions League but I think that was the highest point of that amazing journey.”

Pochettino has been away from the game for almost a year after being sacked by Spurs, and his replacement, Mourinho, has added to his squad impressively in recent months.

Tottenham have been touted as outside contenders for the Premier League title, and Pochettino would like to see them lift a major trophy – providing he isn’t managing a rival team by then.

“It was an amazing journey, we enjoyed it a lot,” he said of his time at the club.

“We only felt sad that we could not provide, for the club and for the fans - and because this group of players deserved to be recognised - a trophy.

“I hope in the future it will be possible for them to win a trophy with Jose. It would be amazing for the fans and for the group of players.”

Rio Ferdinand has called on Manchester United captain Harry Maguire to show he is worthy of the armband, urging the England international centre-back to “get a hold of that team”.

Recent good work, notably wins over Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig in the Champions League, was interrupted by a 1-0 home loss to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

It was a lacklustre performance against the Gunners at Old Trafford, and Red Devils great Ferdinand feels there was a lack of leadership on show.

“We're lacking confidence in certain areas. We gained a bit of confidence in midweek but do they get too overconfident?” he said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE YouTube channel.

“I saw Harry Maguire and a couple of his comments after the game saying maybe they were patting each other on the back too much. Get a hold of that team - he's the captain.”

Ferdinand feels Maguire would do well to look back at past captains of United for inspiration.

He added: “I hope he's getting in there and getting round people and telling people 'listen, we aren't the finished article, we've got loads to do, there is more from us to come, pull your socks up'.

“I don't know if that's going on. The captain of Man Utd. There's always been leaders in that changing room who would be going round and drilling people, either one-to-one or in front of the group. Pulling people aside, having little conversations to get people up, to make sure they stay on their game.

“I remember Nani, I didn't chat to him really, it was two or three words, 'assists and goals' or 'shoot on sight'. Boom, that's it. It doesn't need an essay of words. Sometimes it's short and sharp, punchy little things.

“Are these conversations going on? It isn't just for the management to deal with that, sometimes the players in that dressing room need to stand up and put it on people.”

While United are well placed in the Champions League, with two wins from as many games in Group H, they languish in 15th place in the Premier League.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United can shift focus away from their domestic troubles on Wednesday when they face Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League. 

A win at the Fatih Terim Stadium in Turkey would leave the Red Devils well placed to advance to the knockout stages, but they will need to bounce back from their poor effort against Arsenal on Sunday.

Erling Haaland will eventually end up at Liverpool, according to the sporting director of his former club Red Bull Salzburg.

The Norwegian sensation left Salzburg for Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of 2020, and has scored 24 goals in his first 27 games for the club.

Haaland is hoping to challenge for the Bundesliga title with Dortmund but Salzburg chief Christoph Freund believes the striker will eventually take another step up the footballing ladder.

He appeared on Sky Sports alongside Germany legend Lothar Matthaus and, when Matthaus suggested Liverpool as a potential destination, Freund seemed to agree.

"That's where he will land," said Freund. "He can play for any club in the world. With his mentality, his will, with his self-confidence he can make a mark on European football in the next ten years."

Matthaus added: "Dortmund is one of the top 10 teams in Europe, but there are five or six better teams and that is where he will play at some point.

"I'm thinking of the top clubs; not necessarily Bayern Munich, because Robert Lewandowski will be playing for the next two or three years and Haaland will probably not stay in Dortmund that long."

Haaland announced himself to European football with 28 goals in 22 games in his first full season at Salzburg – and it would prove to be his only full season at the club.

However, Freund says this sort of situation is quite normal for a club of Salzburg’s standing.

“Erling was not a special story in this respect," Freund told Goal and SPOX. "That doesn't hurt us at all, it makes us proud because it's part of our concept.

“The player can take the next step, we get income through a transfer, which we can invest in scouting and new talent, among other things.

“In addition, there is again a free place in the squad that the next talent can take. It is a confirmation for us that we are on the right path and that we are on the right path.”

Over the summer, fellow forward Hwang Hee-chan left Salzburg for RB Leipzig, but Freund says the connection between the clubs doesn’t mean Salzburg are forced to sell their star assets to Leipzig.

“No. We are an independent club and we make our own decisions.”

Inter midfielder Arturo Vidal has added incentive to target victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, as it would bring joy to fans of his former club Barcelona.

Chilean star Vidal spent two seasons with Barca before making the move to Inter in the summer, and he is well aware of the rivalry between the Catalans and Real.

His focus is on securing three points for his current side, but he would celebrate victory at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium with fans of Inter as well as Barca.

"It's a great match," Vidal said at a press conference on Monday. "I spent two great years at Barcelona, so I hope to be able to celebrate a win with Inter and Barcelona fans."

Vidal does not have a great record against Real. He was sent off in their Champions League semi-final defeat against them during his days at Bayern Munich in 2017, while his two meetings with Los Blancos in La Liga last term resulted in a draw and a defeat.

At 33, Vidal does not have the engine he once possessed but Inter manager Antonio Conte feels the midfielder is still capable of operating at the highest level, and he is looking to repay the faith.

"I’m happy to be here and to do what the coach asks of me,” Vidal said. "Before, I scored a lot of goals, now I have to give my all, do what the coach asks and always putting the team first.

"For us, whether it’s in the league or the Champions League, all matches are like a final. Tomorrow will be a very intense match, it’s always nice to play a strong team like Real Madrid but for us, all the matches are like a final."

Vidal's experience of big European nights will be important on Tuesday, as defeat for either Inter or Real would be a hammer blow.

Real prop up Group B with a single point to their name from two games, while Inter are only a point better off. Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach are first and second respectively and they meet in Kiev on Tuesday.

Conte’s Inter travel to the Spanish capital as underdogs, and their task has been made more difficult by the absence of striker Romelu Lukaku on account of a thigh injury.

Paris Saint-Germain wanted to sign Thiago before he moved to Liverpool, the player’s father has said, but the Ligue 1 side signed his brother Rafinha instead.

PSG brought Rafinha in from Barcelona at the end of the summer transfer window after seeing Thiago opt to leave Bayern Munich for Liverpool.

Thiago’s move dragged on throughout the summer but by the time PSG got in touch, an agreement was already in place to take him to Anfield.

“I had spoken with [PSG director] Leonardo some time ago, but it was for Thiago,” Mazinho, father of Thiago and Rafinha, told France Football.

“Leonardo wanted to sign him for PSG, but Thiago had already made a deal with Liverpool.

“We then talked about Rafa, but he was not part of Leonardo's plans at that time. I think he must have thought about it, that he saw the nature of the opportunity and it would be a blow to sign him.

“When he started talking again, Leonardo had changed his mind. And it all sped up on the last day. It was Monday that we had to work hard to convince both clubs.

“We were scared, but thank God, five or six hours before the deadline, we made a deal. Leonardo wanted Thiago, he got Rafinha. And for Rafa, it was a dream to join such a club.”

Rafinha is bedding in at PSG, clocking up his fifth appearance for the club in Sunday’s 3-0 away win at Nantes in Ligue 1.

His father doesn’t think he will have any difficulty getting used to life under Thomas Tuchel, with there plenty of similarities between PSG and former club Barca.

“PSG often play in a 4-3-3 that looks like Barca's. Rafa knows a lot of players like Neymar, but also [Mauro] Icardi, [Pablo] Sarabia. It's not going to be hard to fit in.

“He will have to understand the dynamics that the coach wants, but I'm not worried. He is tactically well prepared and is always trying to figure out what the manager wants. He can play three places in the middle, and three places in front. He did it at Barca, he was trained like this.”