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The first LaLiga El Clasico of the 2020/21 season sees both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid come into the game after suffering surprise defeats last weekend, when the ultra-competitive nature of LaLiga Santander was again shown by deserved victories for Getafe CF and Cadiz CF.

Defending champions Real Madrid remain just a point off the top of the early LaLiga Santander standings after losing 1-0 at home to newly promoted Cadiz last Saturday, while Barça’s defeat by the same scoreline at a typically rugged Getafe leaves the Catalans a further three points back, down in an unfamiliar ninth position.

Another factor to consider is the staggered start to the 2020/21 campaign meaning that Los Blancos still have one game in hand on current joint leaders Real Sociedad and Villarreal, while Barcelona have played two games fewer at this point.

Zinedine Zidane’s side also picked up some new injury worries on Saturday, with club captain Sergio Ramos leaving the game at half-time with a knee injury which makes him a doubt for this weekend’s game at the Camp Nou. Zidane is already without Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal for the first El Clasico of the new campaign, but has better fitness news with Eder Militao and Marco Asensio back available again after recent absences.

New Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman also has his selection issues ahead of the game, including left-back Jordi Alba being in a ‘race against the clock’ to be ready for Saturday. Either way new blaugrana full-back Sergino Dest looks set to become the first ever USA international to play in ElClasico, having settled very well since arriving from Ajax late in the transfer window.

Sure to feature is Barca club captain Lionel Messi, whose 18 goals in 27 LaLiga El Clasicos is an all-time record.

Koeman will be looking forward to his first ElClasico as a manager, having picked up five wins and scored five goals in his 11 LaLiga meetings with Real Madrid during his time as a Barca player. The Dutchman scored a double as the Catalans won his first 3-1 at the Camp Nou in October 1989, and also found the net in the historic 5-0 for Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ in January 1994, although he was on the other end of the same ‘manita’ scoreline the following season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

As a coach Koeman has faced the reigning champions just once: a 3-2 victory at the Bernabeu when in charge of Valencia in March 2008, a game in which Ramos and Marcelo both featured for Los Blancos. Zidane had retired as a player by then but has his own enviable record in El Clasico since becoming a coach. The Frenchman has lost just two of nine meetings with Barca across his two spells, and his two wins and three draws from five visits to the Camp Nou is the best record of any Real Madrid coach in history in this fixture.

Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory in the most recent LaLiga ElClasico, thanks to goals from Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz, means the Bernabeu outfit have moved just ahead in the all-time head to head record – 73 wins to 72.

There have also been 35 draws - the latest of which was a tightly fought 0-0 at the Camp Nou last December. That game was an outlier given the fixture has regularly produced goals in recent seasons, as well as lots of drama, including Barca’s 5-1 home victory in October 2018.

Saturday will see a potential 650 million fans around the world tuning for the eagerly awaited match-up. The staggered start to 2020/21 has made it difficult to judge the teams so far, but a winner on Saturday would immediately become favourite to win this year’s LaLiga Santander title, while a loser would already have a lot of ground to make up.

Troy Deeney says social media companies don’t do enough to combat racism on their platforms, and has called on the FA to hand out mandatory lifetime bans for abusers.

The Watford captain says he regularly reports racist abuse on Instagram, only to be told the messages he reports don’t qualify as hate speech.

“Do these companies even want to change things? Do they want to stop the abuse?” Deeney questioned in the Sun.

“If a high-profile black player such as Raheem Sterling is experiencing racial abuse then everyone piles in and that drives traffic, which increases their advertising and profits.

“If I scroll down my Instagram replies, the tenth one down features a racist emoji — which is not unusual.

“So I follow the protocol, which is to block the user and report the message under the category of ‘hate speech and symbols’.

“Then I am told that an emoji with a monkey and a banana is not considered racist.

“I’ve even reported being called a ‘black c***’ and been told that isn’t hate speech either.

“They need to change their algorithms to reflect what are obviously racist posts — but do they even want to?”

Deeney also believes the punishments for players found guilty of racist abuse in English football aren’t severe enough.

Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla was found guilty of using racist language towards West Brom forward Jonathan Leko in 2019, and was banned for eight games.

Leko later said he was disappointed by the lengthy process required to reach a verdict – during which Casilla remained first-choice as Leeds won promotion – and would think twice before reporting such an incident again.

“There have been lifetime bans handed down by clubs, but not in all cases, and the FA and the leagues should insist on that being mandatory,” Deeney said.

“And when the Leeds keeper was found guilty of calling an opponent a ‘n*****’ — the worst term of racial abuse — then how can an eight-match ban and a £60,000 fine be enough?

“What sort of message does that send?”

Casilla returned to the Leeds starting XI after serving his suspension last season, but has since been replaced by Illan Meslier.

Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt says he would have preferred to open their 2020/21 Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign against any other opponent besides Mamelodi Sundowns.

Chiefs host Sundowns at FNB Stadium on Saturday in the highlight of the opening weekend of the league race.

It would be Hunt’s first league match in charge of Chiefs and the four-time championship-winning coach would have loved to have another opponent on his debut.

“It is not ideal to start the season with this kind of a match,” Hunt told the Kaizer Chiefs website.

“I am sure the opponents feel the same. But that is how fixtures are and we must be prepared and ready for the match. It is important to start well in the league and that is what we have planned to do this afternoon.

“It is going to be an interesting encounter. We are playing a Sundowns team that you will never know who they will be fielding today. I do not have much to say because this is the first match of the season.

“I am working with my team and pulling all stops to bring the best out of everyone. We cannot say we are settled or have a settled team yet. I know our shortcomings and we are working on every aspect of our game.”

Chiefs welcome back midfielder Willard Katsande and attacker Lebogang Manyama who were both suspended for last week’s MTN8 quarter-final match against Maritzburg United.

Eric Mathoho is still out injured which could see Ramahlwe Mphahlele again starting as a centre-back partnering Daniel Cardoso.

Kenyan midfielder Anthony Akumu is doubtful but Hunt might not be worrying himself much as he has already stated that Njabulo Bloem is fit for the defensive midfield role.

“We are ready,” declares Hunt. “The mood in the camp is good and we have gone through the training sessions very well. Again, we cannot wait to get on the pitch to kick off and see how it goes.”

Meanwhile, new Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Richard Ofori could made his debut against AmaZulu on Saturday.

Pirates travel to Jonsson Kings Park Stadium as they kickoff their bid for a first league title since 2012.

Ghana goalkeeper Ofori was signed on Tuesday and has already been in full swing training, in the process lining himself up for selection against Wayne Sandilands and Siyabonga Mpontshane.

“Training has been good,” Ofori told the Pirates website.

“I have been welcomed in the team with open arms by everybody here which has been great. Everyone here is very friendly. The organization and professionalism have been of international standard.

“As for training, well what I can say is that the intensity is very high, but I am adapting well. I’m also getting accustomed to a different methodology of training under the goalkeeper coach Jyri [Nieminen] which has been good.”

It is yet to be seen who coach Josef Zinnbauer would start in goal between Ofori and Sandilands.

Pirates go into this match on a high after eliminating Cape Town City from the MTN8 seven days earlier.

Kenya international Michael Olunga scored his 23rd goal of the J1 League current season in Kashiwa Reysol's 2-1 loss to Gamba Osaka on Saturday.

An own goal from Kim Seung-Gyu and then Ademilson Junior’s goal was enough for the hosts to grab the win while a goal by Olunga denied them a clean sheet.

After the first half ended in a 0-0 draw, Seung-Gyu’s unfortunate own goal in the 52nd minute broke the deadlock before second half entrant Junior scored the winning goal for Gamba Osaka in the 89th minute.

Olunga, the clear leader in the Golden Boot race, scored the only goal for Kashiwa Reysol in the 80th minute but a late concession denied them at least a point away from home.

He scored his 22nd goal of the season against Shonan Bellmare when they were defeated 3-2 on October 18.

Olunga has been in impressive goalscoring form in the J1 League after he found the back of the net with a brace to help Kashiwa Reysol down Vissel Kobe 4-3 on October 10.

It was the second straight time that the former Tusker and Thika United striker scored a league brace as he had achieved the same feat against Yokohama FC on October 1.

His form is expected to be key in Kenya’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) back-to-back qualification quest.

Harambee Stars head coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee said he is hopeful the former Thika United and Gor Mahia striker could be available for the Comoros November double-header.

He did not travel for the Zambia friendly which Kenya hosted and defeated Chipolopolo 1-0 at Nyayo Stadium on October 9.

“I am happy our top striker Michael [Olunga] called to congratulate me on my appointment. He’s promised to turn up for us against Comoros. It is an exciting moment for most of the players,” Mulee told Goal recently.

“It is a tricky situation now dealing with foreign-based players, I say tricky because some clubs will not want [or will not be comfortable] to release their players to honour national team duty owing to the Covid-19 restrictions.”

The Saturday win saw Gamba Osaka go third with 48 points while Olunga’s side is eighth with 37 points after 24 games.

Manuel Neuer kept a record-breaking 200th clean sheet for Bayern Munich against Atletico Madrid in midweek , and the former record holder has backed him to keep 100 more.

Bayern legend Sepp Maier recorded 199 shut-outs for the Bundesliga giants in 651 appearances between 1962 and 1980, but has seen Neuer overhaul his total in just 394 games.

Now 34, Neuer has recovered his best form after a difficult spell, and came third in the UEFA Player of the Year award for 2019-20 .

"I am sure that he can even go past 300 clean sheets. He can do that," Maier told Sport1 . "He will still perform outstandingly at the age of 39. I trust him to do that."

However, even the German goalkeeping icon admitted Neuer isn’t the only man to thank for Bayern’s defensive prowess.

"Neuer is not the only one to thank for keeping so many clean sheets,” Maier said. “The defence has a 50 per cent share in it.

“If they know that they have a good goalkeeper behind them, they automatically play better. If there's a liability in goal, that's bad for the defenders. But with Neuer they know he's world class, so the ball can go through to him.”

Neuer’s long-term future at the Allianz Arena seemed to be in doubt this year. In signing Alexander Nubel from Schalke , Bayern bought one of Germany’s most highly-rated young keepers.

Nubel made his debut in the DFB-Pokal win over fifth-tier FC Duren earlier this month, but Maier thinks the 24-year-old should have been sent straight back out on loan.

"The transfer made sense from Bayern's point of view. He's a great talent, but he should have been loaned out straight away because he has to play regularly.

"It would have been best to go back to Schalke. That would have been the best way to get match practice. Bayern already had a great number two in Sven Ulreich.

“I think Manuel wants to play every game - and that's right. He always plays well, so why should he sit out [cup games]?

“I can't sympathise with a goalkeeper only playing in the cup. I always wanted to play. You just have this ambition as a goalkeeper. It doesn't matter whether you're 21 or 39 years old. It was the same with Oliver Kahn.”

Simba SC midfielder Clatous Chama has assured the club’s fans they will bounce back in a historic way after losing their first Mainland Premier League match.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Tanzania Prisons on Thursday, to drop to third position on the log, eight points behind table-toppers Azam FC.

Chama, who was voted the best player and midfielder of the year in the 2019-20 campaign, has now taken to his social media pages to assure fans they will bounce back.

“The comeback will be historical,” Chama wrote on his social media pages. “We are Simba.”

While the defeat against Prisons was painful, the club also suffered a blow after defender Shomari Kapombe joined the growing list of injured players at the club.

Kapombe was stretchered off during their match against Tanzania Prisons as Simba went on to lose their first match of the season 1-0 and also relinquish second position to rivals Yanga on the 18-team table.

Goal can now reveal Kapombe has joined the list of injured players at the Wekundu wa Msimbazi, others being striker and captain John Bocco, Meddie Kagere, Chris Mugali, and Gerson Fraga.

Simba coach Sven Vandenbroeck has maintained a brave face, insisting losing the match was not a big issue but all he wants to see is how his players will respond to the defeat.

“We have to accept and move on and I have already asked my players to shift focus to the next league match,” Vandenbroeck is quoted by the club’s official website.

“In football, we have three results, you either win, lose or draw and it has happened that we lost our match, and it means we start preparations there and then for the next match and that is what I have told the boys, they should not cry over spilt milk, they should dust themselves up and focus.”

The defeat also came after Simba had picked up a 4-0 win against JKT Tanzania before the break. Their next two matches will be against Ruvu Shooting and Mwadui FC before facing Yanga in the Kariakoo Derby on November 7.

Simba will next face Ruvu Shooting on Monday.

Former Real Madrid midfielder Mutiu Adepoju believes the Blancos and Barcelona stand an equal chance in El Clasico on Saturday.

Zinedine Zidane’s side go to Camp Nou on the back of two straight losses – a 3-2 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and a 1-0 loss to newly-promoted Cadiz in their last La Liga outing.

Barcelona, on the other hand, suffered a 1-0 loss against Getafe in a league game last Saturday but they recovered with a 5-1 win over Ferencvaros in their first Champions League match this season.

Ahead of Saturday’s encounter at Camp Nou, Adepoju predicts a tough outing which would be decided regardless of their previous results.

“El Clasico is another game entirely and the form of both teams doesn't matter,” Adepoju told Goal . “It is unfortunate that Real Madrid lost their last two games but El Clasico is always a keenly contested match.

“Although Barcelona won their Champions League match during the week, they lost their last league game too so it does not matter. It does not matter who is in winning form.”

Zidane is reportedly under-fire at Real Madrid after back-to-back defeats, but Adepoju who spent three years at the Santiago Bernabeu, thinks a win on Saturday might ease the pressure at the helm.

“He shouldn't be [under pressure] but looking at the way things are at the moment with the kind of board at Real Madrid, even at Barcelona if you lose games consecutively, there would be questions and there might be pressure,” he continued.

“It could be that Zidane's job will be under pressure with this game.

“Every game is a new opportunity, and this kind of game is one that can revive the team. If they win it, it will down the tension and make people believe in them. Definitely, if they win, the pressure will be reduced.”

Real Madrid are third in the La Liga table with 10 points after five matches while Barcelona are 10th with seven points with four games.

Ugandan Premier League champions Vipers SC have confirmed the St. Mary’s Stadium is ready to host and offer classic services during international matches.

The Ugandan national team is expected to face South Sudan at the Kitende facility for the Group B match of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier in mid-November.

“St. Mary’s Kitende Stadium is poised to offer nothing short of top-class service and amenities when it hosts two continental fixtures later this year,” Vipers statement read.

Caf has approved St. Mary’s to host international matches and the Afcon qualifier is set to be the first high-level engagement there. Caf inspectors Emmanuel Newton Dasoberi and Daniel Owofen Amokachi gave the green light for St Mary’s to host those games early in the year. Since then, Vipers have gone on to make major improvements to the facility.

Uganda, who took a week-long training camp trip in Dubai during the international break, will host the northern neighbours for the third match of the group.

They are leading with four points after an away goalless draw against Burkina Faso and a 2-0 win over Malawi at home.

“This great news [Caf approval] comes in a time when the stadium has just undergone upgrades following the expansion of its VIP wing where more seats were added in June 2020, among other things to give it a whole new different look,” the club added.

The South Sudan encounter will be the second match for the Cecafa record champions at St. Mary’s as the first one was the African Nations Championship (Chan) 2018 qualifier between Uganda and the Amavubi of Rwanda.

“The facilities; from the turf, dressing rooms, parking and routes to the stadium are all set and we are excited to welcome everyone at our home,” St. Mary’s Kitende Stadium manager Edward Junior Mulindwa said.

“We have been working and improving on many things in the past few months and we can confirm most of it is done as we prepare for the coming season as well.”

Mandela National Stadium in Namboole and the StarTimes Stadium in Lugogo have always hosted Uganda international matches but the Kitende stadium will now provide a better alternative.

Vipers will also host the Champions League rivals at their own home. They have done this before when they played Platinum Stars of South Africa, El Merriekh of Sudan, Algeria’s CS Constantine and Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien.

Sofapaka FC defender Mike Kibwage has revealed opponents will have a tough time playing against his side once the 2020/21 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season starts. 

The Nairobi-based charges have been strengthening the team ahead of the forthcoming campaign and the former KCB defender is among the new players on board. The 22-year-old has also explained why John Baraza is rated as one of the best upcoming coaches in the country.

"[Baraza] is very good at his job and he is always free with players," Kibwage told Goal on Saturday.

"He knows how to relate with all players and since I moved in, I find it easy to settle in his environment. He is so understanding, concerned, and very wise.

"[Baraza] is also tactical; if you have not understood something, he will come and explain to you until it sinks in. On a good day, his tactics will cause problems to opponents meaning Sofapaka will cause problems to teams."

The youngster will also be working with former Kakamega Homeboyz coach Mike Mururi who is working under Baraza.

"I am happy to get a chance to work with Mururi again," Kibwage, who also played for AFC Leopards, revealed.

"While at Mukumu High School, I had a chance to work with him, at the time I was with Kakamega Homeboyz's U20 team.

"I like him because he dwells more on defending and since I am a defender, his training sessions are a blessing to me since I learn every day."

Apart from Kibwage, the 2009 league winners have signed seven more players in the current transfer window - Lawrence Juma from Gor Mahia, veteran striker Paul Kiongera, former APR Rwanda captain Isaac Mitima, Nigerian Michael Karamor, Michael Bodo, Roy Okal, and Kevin Omondi.  

Club president Elly Kalekwa revealed they are not yet done bringing in players.

"We have done most of the business in the current transfer window and we are almost there," Kalekwa told Goal on Saturday.

"But we are in the market for one more player; a defensive midfielder to help balance our team. Once we manage to get him, we will be done.

"Of course we have identified our target and we are negotiating, hoping to bring him on board. But if it does not happen, I think we can still do with what we have."

Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane insists his players are yet to reach the competitive level he desires despite reaching the Caf Champions League final following a 5-1 aggregate victory over Wydad Casablanca.

The Cairo giants dismissed Wydad 3-1 in the semi-final, second leg encounter at Cairo International Stadium on Friday courtesy of goals from Marwan Mohsen, Yasser Ibrahim and Hussein El Shahat.

Zouhair El-Moutaraji struck back for Wydad’s consolation goal.

Friday's result was a follow up to a 2-0 away victory in Casablanca six days earlier, but Mosimane is still to be pleased with the manner in which his players executed themselves, saying they “still have a lot of work to do.”

“We had an overall good performance but we played better in the first leg than in Egypt,” Mosimane said after the game as per Al Ahram.

“We haven't reached the performance I want from the players, even concerning our passing game. We still have a lot of work to do, we will turn Wydad's page and start preparing for the final.”

Having completed the double over Wydad, this marks a turnaround in fortunes for Mosimane who struggled to beat Wydad with his former club Mamelodi Sundowns in recent years.

Passing the semi-final hurdle saw Al Ahly reaching their third Champions League final in four years after losing to Wydad in 2017 and then to Tunisian giants Esperance in 2018.

The eight-time African champions last won the Champions League in 2013 after beating Orlando Pirates.

“Ahly have reached the final several times over the past seven years but they weren't lucky. I hope this time God will help us,” said Mosimane.

The former Downs coach is just four weeks into the Al Ahly job and is seeking a second Champions League title while the Egyptian giants are bidding for a ninth elite continental crown.

Mosimane is yet to taste defeat while at the helm of the reigning Egyptian Premier League champions.

Al Ahly now await the result between Zamalek and Raja Casablanca in another semi-final encounter.

The match has been postponed by Caf after eight Raja players tested positive for the coronavirus. Zamalek lead 1-0 from the first leg played away in Morocco.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson says Virgil van Dijk has “radiated positivity” at the club since suffering his potentially season-ending injury against Everton last week.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are looking to regroup without their star defender and started positively in midweek, with Fabinho stepping into defence and impressing in the 1-0 win away at Ajax.

Henderson accepts Liverpool face a challenge without the Dutchman, but insists his side won’t keep feeling sorry for themselves about it.

“He’s the best defender in the world. Of course he is,” Henderson wrote in Liverpool’s matchday programme.

“I think I’d go further and say he’s in the running for the best player in the world, regardless of position.

“But it’s his presence and personality that will leave a hole on matchdays and in the training sessions. As important as the fans think he is, to us as team-mates it’s even more so.

“It was typical of Virgil that after digesting the news, one of the first messages he sent to us – all of us – was upbeat and inspirational. The exact content will of course remain private, but there wasn’t one word in there feeling sorry for himself. It was all about looking ahead and making sure he comes back better and stronger.

“Likewise, when he came to Melwood on Tuesday he just radiated positivity. That’s the big man. And it’s on us to take his lead and only think about the positive impact we can all have from this moment on.”

Henderson also believes Liverpool are well-stocked when it comes to stand-ins for Van Dijk during his absence.

“I look at the players we have who can play that position and I wouldn’t swap them for anyone else. Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Fabinho are international-quality players who have produced for us as a team time and time again.

“Nat Phillips is nearly back to full fitness and has the making to be a very good centre-half. Rhys Williams has impressed me so much with his attitude and his mentality. Billy Koumetio and Sepp van den Berg likewise. All learning in the best environment there is.

“Are any of them Virgil van Dijk? No... but they don’t need to be. They just need to be themselves and give everything they have for this club, be it in training or when called upon in games. And the rest of us have to be there to help.”

One out of two. 

As Malaysia anticipated two Malaysian professional footballers to get their European bow in the early hours of Saturday morning, only one of those wishes were fulfilled.

Safawi Rasid was not part of the Portimonense squad that lost 1-0 to Tondela as the spotlight fell on 18-year-old Luqman Hakim who got his very first minutes of Belgium top flight football.

Kortrijk were already trailing 3-0 at home to Anderlecht currently under the guidance of former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany when Yves Vanderhaeghe called upon the club's number nine to get ready for duty.

Luqman was introduced with 15 minutes of normal time left to play and Vanderhaeghe asked the youngster to operate wide right.

The instructions for the Malaysian Under-23 international were to keep it simple as Luqman got into good positions and did not take more than a few touches before releasing the ball to a teammate.

He was part of the move that earned Kortrijk a spot kick which Ilombe Mboyo converted in the 87th minute and showed plenty of enthusiasm in his pressing.

There could yet be more opportunities for Luqman in the future with Vanderhaeghe seemingly rather impressed with what the youngster have shown in training and well and in friendly matches before

"Luqman is really making progress and also scored the winning goal with the reserves at Beerschot. He shows really beautiful things in training, especially in the finish. 

"He is very focused and has a lot of speed. When he can make his debut depends on who is fit. Maybe he can do that tonight. He's not ready to play 90 minutes yet. 

"He is also small in stature, but if we need someone to counterattack , he can certainly take care of it," said Vanderhaeghe before the match.

The defeat left Kortrijk in 8th spot and will travel to Zulte Waregem in the next match that will be played on November 3.

Miralem Pjanic has hit out at Maurizio Sarri, saying the former Juventus coach didn’t trust his players and questioned their professionalism.

Sarri lasted only one season in Turin and, while he won Juve a ninth consecutive Serie A title, he was sacked after being knocked out of the Champions League by Lyon.

Pjanic eventually followed him out of the club, and could make his Clasico debut for new club Barcelona on Saturday – but his experience with Sarri still rankles.

“What I still regret now is that Sarri did not trust the players, which concerned me,” Pjanic told Tuttosport.

“It is a shame when you evaluate people wrong; every player in that dressing room always gave and will always give their best for the club and for the team.

“You might not get along with one or two players, but this would never affect their commitment because every player wants to win. They are incredible professionals who want to pursue their goal.

“Well, if the coach questions this, then that spark which the president talks about doesn’t happen. Nobody doubts Sarri’s qualities as a coach, but there was that problem.

“In the end, though, we took home another Scudetto which is never something to be taken for granted.”

In moving from Juve to Barca, Pjanic became one of a select few footballers to have played alongside both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

“Incredible,” he said of the pair. “In the truest sense of the word, because in a few years, when they have retired, we will realise what goals they have reached, what level their football has been at, what kind of unattainable champions they are.”

Over the summer, Juventus were also interested in a move for Pjanic’s international team-mate, Edin Dzeko, but the deal eventually fell through as they moved for Alvaro Morata instead.

“It would have been a pleasure to see a Bosnian at Juve after me,” Pjanic said.

“I know they were very close, I was in contact with him. I explained to him what Juventus was like, where the club was going. I don't know exactly what happened, it is not my concern.”

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has written to the Ministry of Sports seeking permission to organise the play-offs between Kisumu All-Stars and Vihiga United.

Kisumu All-Stars were 16th when the league was cancelled and will now get a chance to fight for their Premier League survival against Vihiga United who were third in the National Super League.

FKF was forced to reschedule the play-offs after the state failed to lift the ban on contact sports earlier and have now moved to seek direct permission from the government as they plan to play at the end of October and in early November.

“Football Kenya Federation wishes to seek the Ministry’s approval for the organisation of the FKF 2019/20 end of season play-off matches between Vihiga United and Kisumu All-Stars FC to be held in Mumias and Kisumu on October 30 and November 3, 2020, respectively,” an FKF letter to the Ministry of Sports obtained by Goal read.

“In this regard, the aforementioned dates are guided by the fact that the new league season is scheduled to kick-off on November 20, 2020, in line with the Confederation of African Football calendar and we, therefore, request your good office to allow the two matches proceed so as to give the two teams adequate time to prepare for the season.”

The local FA has promised to see the matches are organised in a manner that respects the coronavirus containment protocols put in place.

“In light of the foregoing, the federation would like to assure the ministry that the matches shall be organised and played under strict compliance to the protocols issued by the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Health which include mandatory testing of all participants and matches being played behind closed doors to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus,” the letter concluded.

The schedule for the 2020/21 season has already been released by the league managers. Vihiga United and Kisumu All-Stars will have to wait and see if the FKF request is granted before they learn the fate of the highly-anticipated play-offs.

The 2019/20 season was Kisumu All-Stars’ maiden appearance in the league while Vihiga United dropped to the NSL after struggling in the 2018/19 season.

Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana believes correcting the mistakes they made against Bloemfontein Celtic last weekend will carry them past Kaizer Chiefs in Saturday’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) opener at FNB Stadium.

Downs go into this match fresh after being eliminated from the MTN8 by Celtic last weekend after losing 1-0.

“We were disappointed with the result. We watched the match and we were happy with a lot of things we achieved during that match,” Kekana told the Sundowns media.

“The new guys adapted very well. They showed that they are in it. Obviously, the result was not what we expected but that is football for you. We are looking forward to the next match. We will try and rectify some of the mistakes that we made against Celtic and I think we still have a good opportunity to correct them.”

While Sundowns would be trying to recover from the Celtic setback, Chiefs will be out for revenge after they were denied the league title by the reigning PSL champions, in agonising fashion, on the final day of last season.

The last meeting between the two giants saw Sundowns edging Chiefs 1-0 during the PSL bio-bubble, a result which aided the Brazilians to the champions podium.

“It is going to be a match of a lot of emotions. On their side obviously, they lost the league on the last day of the season and for us we will try and do the business,” said Kekana.

“We were fortunate to win the league in the manner we did because we were doing well. They spent about 12 months in position one and I believe they could have won the league but we did the business for the club.

“I believe we still stand a chance of winning against them. It is a match everyone is looking forward to. As players, we will be very motivated to play against Chiefs at this moment because I believe we will give a good performance.”

Sundowns are now under new technical leadership following the departure of former coach Pitso Mosimane.

Co-coaches Manqoba Mngqithi and Rhulani Mokwena are at the helm, as well as Steve Komphela who is the senior coach.

The trio received sharp criticism after Downs lost to Celtic last weekend but Kekana has faith in their coaches.

“The leadership has been with us for the past eight years. So for us it is just to continue with the philosophy that coach Pitso left,” Kekana said.

“The principles have to be the same for the club. We will try to work on continuity and I believe a lot of the senior guys are there to help the new guys. It is not much really but to really show them how we do things and how we want to win matches every time. Obviously, it comes with pressure because we have to continue doing well.” 

Chiefs go into this match on a high after beating Maritzburg United in last weekend's MTN8 quarter-final match.

Diego Simeone trusts Atletico Madrid to show their character and bounce back from a heavy loss to Bayern Munich when they take on Real Betis on Saturday. 

Atletico suffered their first defeat of the 2020-21 season on Tuesday, going down 4-0 to Bayern in their Champions League Group A opener at the Allianz Arena  – their joint-heaviest defeat of Simeone's nine-year tenure. 

Taking on Betis at the Wanda Metropolitano is their next task, and by avoiding defeat they would make it a club-record 21 games unbeaten in La Liga. 

Manuel Pellegrini's team undoubtedly pose a threat, though. They have had a league-high 76 shots on goal this season, while the 57 chances they have created is only matched by Real Madrid. 

However, Atleti have conceded just one goal in their four La Liga games this term and Simeone is expecting them to produce a positive response after the disappointment of their defeat to Bayern. 

"I absolutely trust the team, despite the painful, heavy defeat in Munich," Simeone told a news conference on Friday. 

"I got a lot of positive things from the game and I totally believe in the team we have. I see them play with great enthusiasm, with great intensity and eager to be the protagonists. 

"Tomorrow we will see it [the team's personality]. I absolutely believe in my players, I know their quality. We face a team that with Manuel have improved a lot, especially their enthusiasm, defence, and the confidence you can see in Betis beyond the results. 

"They won twice away from home, so they are a dangerous team. Maybe, if I am not wrong, they are one of the teams who have created the most chances in La Liga." 

After Tuesday's defeat, Atletico midfielder Hector Herrera said he would take positives from being beaten by the team he believes are the best in the world.

"We played the champions face to face, the best team in the world," the Mexico international said. "With the score against us, we did not stop fighting and looking for the game.

"We had our opportunities and we did not take advantage of them in key moments. If we had done it would have been another story."