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You would have received long odds on the first real transfer saga of the summer involving a Nigerian player...but here we are.

There is one thing that is known about Victor Osimhen for sure. He will not begin the 2020/21 season with Lille, or in Ligue 1 for that matter. Les Dogues have a model that is hinged on buying low and selling high, and have reportedly begun to plan for a future without their sought-after number nine.

Where will he play then?

At this time, Napoli hold the best hand. They received Osimhen in Naples last week, ostensibly to hammer out personal terms, but as part of a charm offensive. Being a showbiz man, president Aurelio De Laurentiis knows a thing or two about entertaining in style.

And yet, doubts remain. Not least for the player himself, who has previously expressed admiration for Chelsea, and is reportedly holding out for interest from the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur enquired, but were rebuffed in the understanding that, with Harry Kane as club captain and first-choice centre-forward, playing opportunities would be scant. The truth, heartbreaking as it might be for Osimhen, is that none of England's top sides have a pressing need for a starting striker.

As such, it seems only a matter of time before the transfer to Napoli finally gets over the line.

That logically leads to the next consideration: just how good a move is it?

Well, it depends on what the indices are. In terms of history, Napoli is very attractive, both as a home and a launch pad for a number of great players down the years. Diego Maradona is the most obvious one, but even narrowing it down to just strikers – Careca, Edinson Cavani, Gonzalo Higuain, Dries Mertens – leads one to conclude there is a fine tradition there into which Osimhen can immerse himself.

The club's profile in Europe is also very respectable. Per Uefa's club coefficient, they are ranked 16th in Europe—just outside the true elite, but still one of the heavyweights. Make no mistake, there will be pressure at a club of this level, but perhaps not the cloying, intrusive kind that is characteristic of the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United, for instance.

Napoli is also a club that has shown a willingness to embrace its own. All the aforementioned forwards mentioned have enjoyed almost godlike adulation in Naples, and Osimhen's earnest play, work rate and humility would no doubt endear him to the Neapolitan crowd. "He will become their superstar," Lille president Gerard Lopez told La Voix De Nord.

That is not to say it is all positive, of course.

Despite a revival under Gennaro Gattuso, the club will not be playing Champions League football in 2020/21. That is far from a deal breaker, but it is an important stage for the very best players in Europe, and one on which Osimhen already excelled with a callow Lille side last year. In that sense, and that sense alone, the Europa League (if they qualify for that) would represent a real step down.

There is also a concern over the continued viability of the Napoli project.

For all his good work so far, it is simply impossible to accurately parse Gattuso's influence on the actual mechanics of the team's play. Sure, he has made them grittier and more solid defensively, and there seems a real calcification of their overall mental approach to the game.

That said, a lot of the play still draws heavily on the influence of former manager Maurizio Sarri. The combinations are not as crisp, of course, but the muscle memory remains, as does the system.

What happens when that wears out?

The timeline for this is short too, as a rebuild is afoot at Stadio San Paolo. The likes of Jose Callejon, Kalidou Koulibaly and Allan are set to depart; all were stalwarts under Sarri, steeped in his ways. Beyond the concomitant instability that is associated with the process of a rebuild, this drain could expose Gattuso's lack of an attacking strategy even more.

A look at the Expected Goals numbers for Serie A is revealing: Napoli have an xG of 49.9, a tally only good enough for sixth in the league. With few(er) chances created comes greater pressure on the centre-forward to be perfect, hardly an optimal situation for a young striker still learning his craft and figuring out how to best utilize his admittedly considerable gifts.

It is a potentially precarious situation into which Osimhen would be walking. However, the 21-year-old is nothing if not resilient; so far in his career, he has shown the capacity to rise to the level required, and the aptitude to learn quickly. As Lopez said, "Victor has the strength to perform under pressure."

It is a strength he will need to summon if he is to succeed in Italy. For all that Napoli are enamored with him now, there are enough caveats that suggest it might not be plain sailing all the way through.

Paul Pogba is enjoying watching Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United and claims the Red Devils remain “the biggest club in England”.

The arrival of another playmaking midfielder in the January transfer window threw down the gauntlet to the World Cup winner at Old Trafford.

With Fernandes hitting the ground running, questions were asked of whether Pogba could raise his game when fully fit and form a devastating partnership with the Portugal international.

The early signs have been encouraging, with United stretching their unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted to being hopeful when it comes to thrashing out fresh terms with Pogba, bringing the endless speculation regarding his future to a close, and the 27-year-old feeling good again about his game.

The mercurial Frenchman has told United Review: “From behind I just enjoy it. I’m enjoying just watching Bruno, [Marcus] Rashford, [Anthony] Martial and Mason [Greenwood], who all played the last game [a 5-2 win over Bournemouth], and seeing them score goals. You just keep applauding, it’s beautiful… they make me enjoy football every time!

“As well though there is the defensive work that people don’t talk about - they do it. The pressing - they do it… that’s what you maybe don’t see that much. Football fans who know football see that and that’s the difference that we have and it’s great to see them at their best.

“I think it’s about the mentality – the attacking and defending that they do every time – that helps us, it helps the midfielders and the defenders and obviously the talent speaks for itself - the goals and the action and the football, everything.”

United remain in the hunt for a top-four finish this season, along with FA Cup and Europa League glory.

Hitting all of those targets would make the 2019-20 campaign a productive one, despite the many challenges that have been faced, but there remains a desire on the part of all concerned at the Theatre of Dreams to come back into contention for the most prestigious of prizes.

Pogba believes the Red Devils are capable of doing that, saying of the 13-time Premier League champions: “To become a top, top team we just need to forget about the last game. We do it, we play well, we do great but then we forget about it and we think about the next one.

“We have to always keep having the goal to improve ourselves and never get satisfied with what we did.

“For example, Martial scored three goals [against Sheffield United], his first hat-trick, then he goes again, you have to carry on… he wants to take another ball home, you know! You have to have this mentality, score a goal and do it again and again.

“Bruno, Rashy, Mason… hey if you got two goals, great, but go for three, why not. You have to keep this mentality, keep a clean sheet too, we want to keep working on this and we have the mentality to do it.

“That’s also the mentality of this club, it’s always been like that. We’re never satisfied with one trophy or one game we win or two games or 10 games, you want more, you always want more. That’s what makes Manchester United the biggest club, for me, in England.”

Barcelona coach Quique Setien insists he's not blaming Ansu Fati after the young star was shown a red card in his side's 1-0 win over Espanyol.

Fati was brought on as a substitute in the second-half with the game still goalless but just five minutes after coming on, the teenager was heading off again, a VAR review upgrading his caution to a red card as he was punished when a high right foot caught Fernando Calero.

Barcelona still managed to grind out a narrow win courtesy of a goal from Luis Suarez and Setien was pleased by Fati's reaction to his sending off. 

"He was very humble afterwards," Setien said of Fati. "He came to talk to me. He felt very bad about what happened.

"He wasn't provoked. He went in to win the ball. After I watched it, the challenge looked harder than it actually was. It's a moment that could have been avoided. When he goes to win the ball I saw he tried to fold his leg back so there wouldn't be any contact, but the decision was made.

"He'll be affected by this and we'll see what the punishment is but it's a moment that I don't blame him for."

Suarez, meanwhile, surpassed Ladislau Kubala with his 195th Barca goal from 278 appearances. Only two players have scored more goals for Barca – superstar captain Lionel Messi (630) and Cesar (232).

Setien was full of praise for Suarez, who arrived from Premier League giants Liverpool in 2014.

"It wasn't difficult to figure out Luis Suarez was eventually going to score goals again as he continues to play games," Setien told reporters.

"When you're not playing for a while you need time to get back into your rhythm. That's something you only get through minutes on the pitch.

"He knows how to score goals and he's always showed that throughout his career. He did it, which moves him up to third in Barcelona's all-time scoring list and you can't take that away from him."

Barca moved within a point of bitter rivals and leaders Real Madrid, who have a game in hand as they prepare for Friday's match against Deportivo Alaves.

Setien's Barca are nine games unbeaten following back-to-back wins, though they were far from their best after Sunday's 4-1 rout at Villarreal.

"I think we certainly weren't brilliant," Setien said. "It was a difficult match. We managed to win and we'd all like to repeat, of course, the same performance we produced against Villarreal but it's not easy.

"You always need to take your opponents into account. In any case, I'm very happy with the win because I watch practically all the matches in La Liga and I see a lot of teams are winning 1-0 and finding it a struggle. It's a very level playing field right now."

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said the Bundesliga side are targeting attacking players in the case Manchester United target Jadon Sancho leaves.

Sancho has been heavily tipped to join Premier League giants United, while the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid have also emerged as possible destinations.

Dortmund reportedly want around €120 million (£108m/$136m) for the England international star, who arrived from Manchester City in 2017.

Asked about Sancho and a potential departure, Zorc told Kicker: "If Jadon left, we would do something again in the offensive area.

"There are certainly one or two players we are targeting."

Sancho scored 17 goals and supplied 16 assists as Dortmund finished second behind Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich this season.

The 20-year-old attacker scored 20 goals across all competitions in 2019-20.

Dortmund, meanwhile, are reportedly on the verge of signing Birmingham City sensation Jude Bellingham ahead of United.

"When you don't have a billionaire or a state backing you up, then you need to be careful how you will invest your money," Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke is quoted as telling Kicker.

"We don't have an end date for corona, without that we simply have no planning security. Should we sell Sancho, then every player will cost €5-10m more. We have nothing to give away."

While Manchester United have been strongly linked with a summer move for Sancho, former striker Dimitar Berbatov believes the Red Devils don't need any more attackers. 

"Looking at how the squad are doing at the moment I don't think signing Sancho is necessary,” Berbatov told the Mirror.

"Look at the front three from the other night, the speed of Martial, Rashford and Greenwood was great to watch, their link up play was fantastic.

"Football is a funny thing, you have a great young player in Sancho, but at the same time you have a great young player in Greenwood.

"United have to question if they are ready to sacrifice and halt the development of Greenwood, one of their own, to bring Sancho in. They could have both and rotate not only them two, but Martial and Rashford."

Napoli head coach Gennaro Gattuso admitted Arkadiusz Milik "wants a change of scenery" as the star forward eyes an exit.

Milik's current deal expires at the end of 2020-21 and the Poland international is no closer to signing an extension amid links to Serie A champions Juventus, La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid and Premier League side Tottenham among others.

As speculation mounts over Milik – who has scored 37 league goals since arriving from Ajax in 2016 – Gattuso was asked about the 26-year-old following Wednesday's 2-1 win over Genoa.

"It's difficult to find someone better than Milik," Gattuso told Sky Sport Italia post-game.

"However, when a player believes his time at a club is over and he wants a change of scenery, you have to listen to him.

"You can't try to keep someone against their will, or it's difficult to get them to listen or have the right mentality. You have to respect the wishes of the player."

While Milik is nearing a departure, Napoli are reportedly trying to sign Lille star Victor Osimhen as his replacement.

Osimhen has been touted to join Napoli, with reports suggesting he has met with president Aurelio De Laurentiis and Gattuso.

The 21-year-old has flourished in Lille after arriving from Belgium's Sporting Charleroi at the start of the season, scoring 18 goals across all competitions.

On Osimhen, who has also been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, Gattuso said: "He's different, but I don't want to talk about that. If and when Osimhen joins, then I'll explain the changes."

Napoli claimed a 2-1 win over Genoa on Wednesday with Gattuso's side rising to sixth in Serie A ahead of a crunch match against AC Milan on Sunday. 

“I am happy with the game, although we could’ve done better at the start of the second half, which reminded me of the way we lost to Atalanta,” Gattuso said of the win. 

“We’re pleased to be doing well, but still have areas where we need to improve. The objective is to create a strong, winning mentality, playing a certain type of football. We must prove that we can play well for 95 minutes.

“The table says we are 12 points off Atalanta, but there are great players here and we cannot be that far away from them. That means we should look at the Serie A table every day and think about what we did wrong, what we did right and what we can do better.”

Ghana international Jonathan Mensah has opened up on what life is like inside Walt Disney World’s bubble.

After four-month hiatus owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the Major League Soccer launched the MLS is Back Tournament.

The month-long World Cup style championship which began on July 8 will see teams drawn into six groups as sixteen clubs progressing to the knockout stage.

In a bid to prevent the spread of the virus, all participating MLS teams are living inside a bubble. There, they are isolated in their hotels when they are not playing or training.

The 29-year-old described the experience as a ‘bizarre feeling’, claiming his involvement at the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations finals will be useful.

"We are over a week in the bubble now, it's not been bad," Mensah told BBC Sport.

"Just that we need to be isolated always from the other teams, you can't go to another floor to see friends from another team.

"It's a bizarre feeling but at the same time we're in a global pandemic so we need to treat it as such and be more cautious of our movements, what we touch and all that.

"I've been to several tournaments and it's the same feeling, so you're preparing and you know you have games every 4 or 5 days so it's like an Africa Cup of Nations or a World Cup format.

"I'm used to it but it's the first time for some of my teammates so I've been talking them through how the process goes and that we should take our recovery seriously. The feeling is like a major tournament for me.”

The former Granada and Anzhi Makhachkala also admitted that being away from home is not easy amid the pandemic which has killed a lot of people globally.

"It's tough (being away from family) because when this pandemic started we were at home with our families all the time so now being away from them is very hard," he continued.

"At the same time we understand, they understand, we signed a contract with our clubs so we need to fulfill it and make this happen.”

FC Dallas withdrew from the championship after 10 players and one staff member tested positive for Covid-19.

FC Goa's Leander D'Cunha snubbed offers from several other clubs three years ago and instead chose to join FC Goa's developmental squad. While many thought it would not be conducive to his career, the move has finally paid off with D'Cunha making it into the FC Goa first team recently.

However, it's only the beginning of his dream.

"When I was told that I made the senior team, it felt like a dream come true," he said after putting pen to paper for a three-year deal at the FC Goa first team.

The Goan elucidated to Goal, "I played in the Santosh Trophy three years ago (2017) when Goa reached the final (lost 1-0 to West Bengal), after which I got a call to join the (FC Goa) development team. I had many offers that year but I chose FC Goa because I had a dream to play for the first team of FC Goa.

"Since the second year, I had a feeling that I would get a chance (in the first team) if I perform well but I couldn't make it. I didn't get that much playing time due to injuries. Last year was a good season for me and I always had a feeling that I would make it."

FC Goa have a history of promoting players from the developmental side to the first team. In fact, when D'Cunha joined the developmental team from Churchill Brothers in 2017, the likes of Liston Colaco and Kingslee Fernandes made it to the senior team from the developmental side, followed by the trio of Mohammad Nawaz, Saviour Gama and Princeton Rebello in the 2018-19 season.

Colaco joined Hyderabad FC midway last season after struggling for game time in his three-year stint at the Goan outfit and while Shubham Dhas - promoted in 2019-20 - and Fernandes remain the only promoted players yet to make their senior team debuts.

Leander is significantly aware of the challenge at hand.

"This season is very important for me. Seriton (Fernandes) has been very consistent and even called up for the (Indian) national team. I am also a right back. So I have to first try to gather whatever knowledge I can from his (Seriton) experience and give my best on the pitch. Hopefully, I will get some game time eventually," D'Cunha stated.

From playing age group inter-village tournaments in his home town of Cuncolim to representing Sesa FA (2012-2014) and Churchill Brothers (2014-2017) before joining FC Goa's developmental team, D'Cunha's progression has been evident. He clinched the Goa Pro League and lifted the Goa Police Cup as captain last season and explains the role Derrick Pereira and Clifford Miranda have played in his progress.

"To train under an experienced coach as Derrick Pereira, I learned a lot from coach Derrick who is one of the best coaches in India. Clifford (Miranda) also guided me a lot. They (Pereira and Miranda) also stressed that 'football is not only about what you do on the pitch, it's what you do off the pitch as well' - proper sleep, proper diet, avoid unhealthy food - so I followed that.

"Everyone (at the developmental team) is motivated because they can now see for themselves that anyone who performs well stands a chance to be promoted to the first team," he concluded.

Recently, the club has announced that the likes of Nestor Dias, Lesly Rebello and Kapil Hoble have extended their FC Goa developmental team contracts till 2023 among whom Lesly was Leander's team-mate when they won the 2018-19 GFA (Goa Football Association) U-20 championship.

It remains to be seen how Leander's season shapes up in the 2020-21 campaign.

Former Kerala Blasters player and manager David James took a dig at Dimitar Berbatov with a disguised comment on how he was not an easy player to manage.

The Bulgarian forward played under the Englishman for the South Indian club during what proved to be the final season of his career. The two rarely shied away from expressing their criticism of each other. While Berbatov questioned James’ coaching abilities, the latter did not have great things to say about the 39-year-old’s professionalism.

While returning from India, Berbatov had made his his thoughts on James clear with a telling Instagram story with hashtags - #WorstWannaBeCoachEver #worsttacticaladvice, #ChipTheBallToStrikersChestAndWeTakeItFromThere/WTF/WhoPlaysLikeThis .

In an interview with The Guardian, James hinted at the fact that the forward preferred superstar treatment, something he was not willing to provide.

The Bulgarian played no part in what could have been the final game of his career – an inconsequential 2-0 defeat to Bengaluru FC. He was unhappy with the manager’s decision and made no attempts at hiding it. However James maintains that he made the right call.

“I had a plan of how I was going to do things and equality underpinned everything,” James said. “I didn’t have superstars or gophers in the team. Everybody got treated the same. And that doesn’t always work.”

“He (Berbatov) wasn’t so happy not to be involved in that last match, which is fine. I had been in his position. It’s not a nice place to be when you think you’ve still got one more game or one more season left in you. We coped. We got him fitter. But it was difficult. Character types, he’s not the sort of guy who I would be drawn towards, although I had a lot of empathy with him.

“It was an interesting time. Good time in one sense, a lot of learning. But with regards to Dimitar, funnily enough I saw him last year. We played in a game in Singapore. I said hello. He tried to score past me but he didn’t, so I was quite happy with winning that one.”

The Englishman was also critical of ISL for lack of proper communication regarding the schedule, especially with the mid-season break in December ahead of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. James was sacked midway through the campaign due to a poor run of results with the Blasters and he described this experience as damaging.

“We were hamstrung by financial situations and a lot of issues,” James said.

 “We didn’t know when it was going to start six weeks before it started,” he says. “Also, India had qualified for the AFC Asian Cup [in January 2019] so they had a five-week break in the middle of the season [from mid-December], which we didn’t know about at the beginning of the season.”

“You can get damaged. The experience in India was quite damaging because I knew what I set out to do. In a different world, with understanding of what was coming up, I think things would have been set out in a different way.”

James’ experience in India was not the most memorable but it is all in the past. It must be noted that James took the Blasters to the final of the inaugural season of ISL as a player-manager in 2014.

He is hopeful of getting into managing a club once again after working as a TV pundit for some time.

“I will be applying for jobs. I want to be a manager. I want to be back in there and give it a go,” he explained.

“I love doing punditry work but the pundit doesn’t change anything. And I love change. I love the opportunity of being able to be successful. I can’t do that as a pundit. I might come out with a line that everybody goes: ‘Wow, that’s amazing,’ but it’s not going to change anything. Whereas managing or being involved at any level … there is an opportunity. So, yes, I am hungry again.”

Indian Super League (ISL) club Kerala Blasters are likely to sign Colombian centre-back Oswaldo Henriquez, Goal has learnt. 

The Kochi-based club has been in talks with at least a couple of South American footballers recently and has zeroed in on the 31-year-old Henriquez who could soon become the club's first new foreign signing for the 2020-21 season.

The centre-back, who is more than six foot tall, has spent most of his career in Brazilian and Colombian football leagues. He played for Millionarios in the Colombian top division in his early years before moving to Brazil in 2016 when he joined Sport Recife in the Brazilian Serie A. In 2018, he left the club to join Vasco Da Gama for whom he started 27 matches in the top division last season. The club finished 12th last season. 

The Yellow Army are currently going through a structural revamp on and off the field. As a result, there has been a lot more focus on young Indian players recently. However, the club is also keeping an eye out for the availability of foreigners who could do well under Kibu Vicuna.

While the deal has been agreed by both parties, the club is waiting for Henriquez to complete a medical. Blasters have decided to make medicals mandatory for foreign signings from this season.

The future of the foreign players already under contract remains uncertain. Matej Polatnik, who spent a season away from the club on loan and had one more year on his contract, has already penned a deal with Scottish club Livingston FC.

The club has already completed deals for Indian players such as Nishu Kumar, Givson Singh and Ritwick Das and has many more signings in the pipeline. 

Mohamed Salah is motivated to win the Premier League Golden Boot again, according to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Salah netted a brace as the Reds beat Brighton 3-1 on Wednesday, moving the champions onto 92 points this season.

The forward has won the past two Premier League Golden Boots, sharing last season's with Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Klopp said the prize was again a motivation for the Egypt international, who has 19 league goals this season, trailing Leicester City star Jamie Vardy (22) and Arsenal forward Aubameyang (20).

"He's a striker, how can it not be a motivation for him? That's clear," he told a news conference.

"In the last two years he won the golden boot, last year he shared it with Sadio and with Auba. That's always important, it's important for Sadio and all that stuff is normal.

"In the end you can only score goals when you perform well and he did that so that was really good and apart from that it's all fine.

"If you are too focused on goals, not that they are, but if you are too focused on goals you don't move enough that you can be in the right situations but the goals he scored were really good and he had a lot to move and score the goals. That's nice, could have scored more, that's true, but that's pretty much all."

Salah became just the fourth Liverpool player to reach 100 goal involvements in the Premier League, with 73 goals and 27 assists in 104 appearances.

He has 94 goals for Liverpool, and alongside Mane (79) and Roberto Firmino (77) the trio have delivered 250 for the club in all competitions.

Klopp said: "Two hundred and fifty goals by the way is exceptional. Imagine where I would be if these boys would not play for me. Wow. The situation minus 250 goals!"

Liverpool's next outing is at home to Burnley on Saturday before backing up mid-week against Arsenal. 

The Reds then end their season with a home match against Chelsea before traveling to Newcastle for their final game of the campaign.

Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness described Mohamed Salah's performance as "super selfish" in the club's 3-1 win over Brighton on Wednesday. 

Salah opened the scoring in the sixth minute before claiming an assist just two minutes later and rounding out the scoring in the 76th minute with a header. 

The Egyptian's two goals keep him in the hunt for a third straight Golden Boot, with his current haul of 19 goals for the season only three shy of Jamie Vardy's league-high 22. 

Salah took a game-high eight shots against Brighton with Souness suggesting he was guilty of being particularly selfish in his search for another Golden Boot.

"He was at it tonight from the first minute. I think it [the Golden Boot] is important to him," Souness told Sky Sports when asked about Salah. 

"You’ve seen his reaction when people weren’t finding him late on in the game in the last third. He was shooting at every opportunity, and his teammates will not have been happy with him on two or three occasions.

"But he’s always selfish. I think tonight he was super selfish. He really wants his Golden Boot. 

"They’ve won the league, so he’s done his bit for the team, he’s played his part, he’s got the goals, he’s been fabulous, and he wants that Golden Boot. And he thinks he’s in a team that creates chances, so he thinks it’s very much still on for him."

While Souness concedes any good attacker should be greedy for goals, he believes Salah's desire to find the back of the net is unparalleled and has led to a fragile relationship with Sadio Mane. 

"They’ve got an element of it - they’ve all got an element of it," Souness added. "But I think he takes it to another level. I think Mane has fallen out with him in the past over occasions where he feels he should have passed to him to score a goal and he shot himself.

"So I think there is an element in all goalscorers that they’re greedy at times, but I think he takes it to another level."

Though his attacking intent might not please everyone, Salah has become the quickest Reds player to reach 100 goals involvements for the club. 

For Liverpool fans, the 2019-20 season will be etched in their hearts forever. For, this was the campaign that put an end to a long 30-year-wait to be crowned the champions of England again.

Jurgen Klopp and his band of merry Reds absolutely obliterated the opposition and romped their way to the title with seven games remaining, sending Reds fans into ecstacy like they've never known in the recent past.

In fact, Liverpool have a real chance of breaking the 100-point barrier and setting the record for most points in a season which will only make the triumph even more sweet.

It would be nothing less than they deserve, given the kind of form the likes of Mohamed Salah (19 goals, 9 assists), Sadio Mane (16 goals, 7 assists) and Roberto Firmino (8 goals, 7 assists) have displayed in attack.

Virgil van Dijk has been a rock in defence while Fabinho and Jordan Henderson excelled in midfield, with Alisson Becker putting in world-class performances as the last line of defence under the bar.

They have been beaten just twice this season in the Premier League, with several key victories like the 3-1 win over Manchester City back in November 2019, a 5-2 Merseyside derby win over Everton and a 2-0 win over arch-rivals Manchester United at Anfield.

Liverpool are set to lift the trophy when they play their final home game against Chelsea. However, in what will be a dampener for them, no fans will be in attandance to cheer and celebrate what has been a brilliant season due to the games being held behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Not to worry, though! Standard Chartered brings you the SC Soundboard - an initiative that will virtually transport you to Anfield and help you enjoy the atmosphere and cheer your favourite team on.

As official partner of the club, Standard Chartered are bringing together brilliant Liverpool fan hosts on their YouTube platform with SC Soundboard. Tune in and let the Soundboard bring the best of Kop chants directly to your home. Sing along and enjoy the experience during every remaining Premier League match of Liverpool.

Club legends ike John Barnes, John Aldridge, Jason McAteer and Bruce Grobbelaar will also make surprise appearance on the Soundboard, interacting with fans and playing their favourite songs and chants.

So, what are you waiting for? Make sure you sign up to the SC Youtube account and feel as if you're inside the stadium!

Members of the Black Players for Change gathered for a pregame statement as players stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Players from each of the league's teams gathered ahead of the opener of the MLS is Back tournament, which kicked off on Wednesday in Orlando with a clash between Florida rivals Orlando City and Inter Miami.

Wearing shirts with sayings such as "Black and Proud" and "Silence is Violence", players outlined the field ahead of kickoff while the two participating teams kneeled in the center circle.

Slowly, all involved raised their fists for a moment of silence, calling back to the famous protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympic games.

The moment of silence lasted for eight minutes and 48 seconds, symbolizing the amount of time police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of George Floyd, sparking nationwide and worldwide protests against racism and police brutality.

MLS is the first men's professional sports league to return in the U.S., following the NWSL's return in late June.

Players in the NWSL have been participating in similar protests during the national anthem, with many players kneeling in a callback to Colin Kaepernick's protests in 2016.

Black Players for Change founded in June in the aftermath of those protests, with more than 170 MLS players involved with the newly-formed organization.

MLS will be making several gestures and nods to the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the tournament, with Wednesday's display only the first of several planned initiatives.

Players will wear warm-up tops wearing anti-racist messages calling for social justice, while captains will don armbands with messaging nodding to the Black Lives Matter movement.

In addition, players will be permitted to wear a patch honoring a person of their choice featuring an inspirational message for every team's first match of the competition.

The league and the Black Players Change organization have also pledged to make a number of financial commitments to organizations fighting against racial inequality.

Wednesday was the first match of the MLS is Back tournament, a month-long competition held in Orlando. 

Teams will partake in three group stage matches before a knockout round, with the winner earning a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League and a cash prize.

Quique Setien is unworried about Real Madrid after Barcelona moved back within a point of their rivals with a 1-0 win over Espanyol on Wednesday.

Both teams were reduced to 10 men in the derby clash at Camp Nou before Luis Suarez scored the 56th-minute winner.

Barca have played one more game than rivals Madrid, who are a point clear at the top and host Deportivo Alaves on Friday.

But Setien is refusing to worry about Zinedine Zidane's side, with Madrid having four league games left to play.

"It is not our business. We have to worry about ourselves," the Barca head coach told Movistar. "What Madrid does we will see."

After Ansu Fati was sent off in the 50th minute, Pol Lozano saw red for Espanyol three minutes later.

Setien accepted his team were below their best three days after crushing Villarreal, with Suarez's goal boosting their title chances.

"We did not have a great match. They have made it difficult for us in defence," he said. "We have not found spaces nor have we had precision to handle ourselves."

Barcelona's busy run of fixtures continues with a clash against Real Valladolid on Saturday.

Suarez echoed his manager's comments post-match, stressing the Catalans must remain focus on themselves to ensure they are ready to pounce should Zidane's men slip up.

"What we have to do is win our next three games," Suarez said. "Whatever Madrid do is up to them.

"If the rival drops points then fantastic, we have to think about being there if they do."

On the Espanyol game, Suarez added: "We knew it was going to be difficult. We knew their situation. We have to be aware of the fact that we put in a great performance on Sunday and were still feeling the consequences of that physically. The important thing is to win and to get three more points.

"I think if I didn't score in the first half or Barcelona didn't create more chances, that's virtue of the rival, who were very well organised.

"I think they make it difficult for Nelson Semedo and Jordi Alba to push up on the flanks. But eventually the chance came and I'm delighted to be able to take it." 

Jurgen Klopp is unsure over the severity of the injury Jordan Henderson sustained in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Brighton .

The Reds' captain scored his side's second goal on the south coast on Wednesday, curling a shot beyond goalkeeper Mat Ryan just 127 seconds after Mohamed Salah had put the champions in front early on.

However, Henderson was substituted in the 80th minute having seemingly hurt his knee in a challenge and Liverpool will have to wait to discover the full extent of the problem.

"I don't know [how serious it is], I don't know, honestly," Klopp said in his post-match press conference.

"I didn't see the situation back on the pitch, but I know that it will not be nothing, probably. That's how it is, but we have to wait. I cannot say more."

Asked if the England international was on crutches, the German said: "I have had press since the game is over, so I have no idea how he left the dressing room."

Klopp handed Neco Williams his first league start at left-back but opted to replace him at half-time, bringing on Andy Robertson in his place.

The Liverpool boss explained the decision was due to the teenager being shown a yellow card rather than an issue with his overall performance.

"I know football is like this. When we take a player off after 45 minutes and everyone thinks it's not good," he told Sky Sports .

"I don't care about this. He had a yellow card and the situation was we didn't protect him well enough on that side. 

"I can’t tell him not to make a challenge any more. That's the only reason [why he was taken off]. I liked a lot how he played."

Liverpool's 30th win in the Premier League this season lifts them to 92 points, just eight shy of Manchester City's record for the competition with four games remaining.

Klopp's side next face Burnley at Anfield on Saturday before backing up midweek with a trip to the Emirates to take on Arsenal. 

The Reds' final two league games will then see them host Chelsea before ending the season with a trip to Newcastle. 

Luis Suarez said Barcelona must be ready if La Liga leaders Real Madrid drop points as the title race nears its conclusion.

Two-time defending champions Barca kept their slim title hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over rivals Espanyol on Wednesday.

Suarez scored the only goal of the match in the 56th minute to relegate Espanyol midweek, while moving Barca to within a point of Madrid.

Madrid can restore their four-point advantage against Deportivo Alaves on Friday and while Barca only have three games remaining, star forward Suarez insisted the Catalan giants have to be ready to pounce on any slip-ups.

"What we have to do is win our next three games," Suarez, who moved third on Barca's list of all-time scorers, said afterwards. "Whatever Madrid do is up to them.

"If the rival drops points then fantastic, we have to think about being there if they do."

Barca were far from their best at Camp Nou, where substitute Ansu Fati was sent off after coming on at the start of the second half, while Espanyol's Pol Lozano was also dismissed.

But Barca managed to extend their unbeaten run to nine games following back-to-back triumphs.

Suarez added: "We knew it was going to be difficult. We knew their situation. We have to be aware of the fact that we put in a great performance on Sunday and were still feeling the consequences of that physically. The important thing is to win and to get three more points.

"I think if I didn't score in the first half or Barcelona didn't create more chances, that's virtue of the rival, who were very well organised.

"I think they make it difficult for Nelson Semedo and Jordi Alba to push up on the flanks. But eventually the chance came and I'm delighted to be able to take it.

"I didn't see Ansu Fati's [red card] because there was a player in the way and the other one I didn't see either, there was another rival blocking my view.

"But in both cases VAR – which is there to help in these kind of situations – was able to help the referee to take the right decisions."

After his goalscoring display in the 4-1 rout of Villarreal on Sunday, Antoine Griezmann was handed another start alongside Suarez and Lionel Messi.

"It's the manager who takes the decision," Suarez said. "He wanted to find a formula, it's the formula he's trying at the moment. It's the first year of Antoine here so we know it's difficult – the adaptation period. The other day we could all enjoy a brilliant performance from Antoine Griezmann."

Espanyol knew anything but a derby victory at Camp Nou on Wednesday would relegate them to the second tier for the first time since 1994 but they were unable to preserve their top-flight status.

"I think today's match I'm proud of my team-mates, we had chances," Javi Lopez said. "If I'm here now it's to ask for forgiveness from our fans because we know these are tough moments for us but also for our fans. It's been a season in which nothing has gone right for us.

"I thank the fans but apologise again because it's the players' fault. We apologise again and tell them we are committed to coming back stronger and will fight for this club badge. That's all I've got to say – sorry to the fans, that's the minimum we can do.

"I think we all assume the responsibility in the changing room. We're most responsible for this. The players are out on the pitch and the ones who fault it is. These are really tough moments for all of us. We just have to be absolutely committed to come back stronger than ever before. I'm convinced that we will."

Montreal Impact midfielder Victor Wanyama has disclosed that he is not under any pressure ahead of Thursday’s Major League Soccer (MLS) fixture against New England Revolution.

The Harambee Stars skipper is in line to make his debut appearance in the American top-flight when Montreal Impact play their first competitive match since the suspension of football in the US and Canada due to coronavirus.

They are among the 25 teams participating in the MLS is Back Tournament which is a one-off competition to mark the league’s return to action from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ahead of Thursday’s outing in Florida, Wanyama who joined Thierry Henry’s side as a designated player from Tottenham Hotspur in March said he is going to the field to enjoy himself and help the team without any pressure.

“I’ve nothing to prove. I just want to try and help my team, try and give my best in every game I play and the rest we’ll see where we can be,” Wanyama was quoted as saying by the MLS website.

“I don’t have any pressure or anything. I just want to go out there and enjoy myself, play football, make sure I help my teammates and do my job.”

After several training sessions with his teammates at Montreal, the 29-year-old believes the team is quality and might require little time to adapt.

“I think we have a good young group, technically we have a lot of good players all over the pitch. It’s just a matter of time [before] we all click together and we can surprise many," the former Southampton midfielder said.

“With the quality we have and the plan the manager has for us, it’s just a matter of time that we master it very quick and then we shock many.”

Before the suspension of sports in Canada due to coronavirus, Wanyama made his Montreal Impact debut in their Concacaf Champions League loss to Olimpia on March 11.

He described the Covid-19 lockdown as a tough period for him and also described Henry’s presence in the backroom as a plus for the team.

“It was a really tough period for me, joining a new club and then everything just went wrong with the pandemic hitting the world,” he continued.

“It was a really tough period, but I had to look at the positive side which was staying safe.

“In football we cannot stop learning.

“We always learn and we have a young manager who had also a good career and is someone we can all learn from. That’s the advantage we have.”

Mohamed Salah joined a trio of Liverpool legends in a prestigious club as he played a starring role in a 3-1 win over Brighton.

The Egypt international scored twice as the Premier League champions recorded their first away triumph since February 15, moving on to 92 points with four games remaining.

Salah steered the visitors in front in the sixth minute and then assisted Jordan Henderson's goal that arrived just 127 seconds later, laying the ball off for the Liverpool captain to curl a shot beyond Mat Ryan.

Leandro Trossard halved the deficit before the break, but Salah made sure of victory when he headed in Andy Robertson's corner, taking his tally in the league this season to 19 goals.

He has also now reached 100 goal involvements for Liverpool in the Premier League, tallying 73 goals and 27 assists to achieve the feat in only 104 appearances.

In 2019-20 alone Salah has recorded nine assists in the top flight alongside his goals, behind only Trent Alexander-Arnold and Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne in the overall standings. 

"I don't know why but I think I have a good [assists] number since I came here," Salah told Sky Sports  after the final whistle on Wednesday. "In my position, I think I'm doing well."

Only three players have reached the milestone previously for the Reds. Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler achieved the century in 148 and 158 games respectively, while Steven Gerrard's landmark came up in his 212th outing.

Jurgen Klopp's side also created history at Brighton by winning for the 30th time in their 34th Premier League fixture this season. No other side has reached that tally as quickly in the history of the English Football League.

Next in the Reds' sights will be two records currently held by Pep Guardiola's City, and both set during their imperious 2017-18 campaign. 

While with 75 goals scored Liverpool are unlikely to challenge City's best-ever mark of 106 that same season, a strong end to the term could see them become the Premier League's best-ever in terms of points and wins. 

Three wins out from their last four outings would see Liverpool rise to 101 points and 33 wins for the season, beating their rivals' 100 and 32 achieved two years ago.

Burnley are the champions' next opponents, visiting Anfield on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah reached a 100 Premier League goal involvement for Liverpool against Brighton and Hove Albion to become the Red’s quickest player to that mark, reaching the milestone on the occasion of his 104th appearance.

The Egyptian contributed two goals and one assist as Jurgen Klopp’s men silenced Brighton and Hove Albion 3-1 at the Falmer Stadium.

In the keenly contested encounter, Salah handed the newly crowned English champions a sixth minute lead curling in a first-time strike with his left foot after Naby Keita set him up after robbing possession from Davy Propper.

He completed his brace in the 76th minute when his speed to the near post allowed him to meet Andy Robertson’s set-piece delivery, flicking the ball in. That effort was his 19th league goal so far as the Anfield giants moved 23 points clear of second-placed Manchester City.

That contribution ensured he has now been involved in 73 goals and 27 assists after 104 appearances in the English elite division, to accompany his accuracy in front of goal since he joined from AS Roma.

Aside from Salah, only three Liverpool players namely Steven Gerrard (212), Robbie Fowler (158) and Michael Owen(148) have achieved that feat

Salah joined Klopp’s men for £36.7 million ($45m) in the summer of 2017 on the back of two impressive seasons in Serie A, having been let go by Chelsea.

And that show of faith saw him help the Reds win the Premier League, Champions League, Super Cup, and Fifa World Club as well as claim a PFA Player of the Year award.

With Wednesday’s victory, they now boast of 92 points in 34 league appearances as they are aiming to break the Premier League record of most points in a season.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City holds that record after they accumulated 100 points two seasons ago. That Man City side also holds the record for the most wins in the campaign with 32, another record Klopp's side - currently on 30 - could break.

Liverpool host ninth-placed Burnley in their next outing on Saturday before traveling to the Emirates Stadium for their encounter with Arsenal four days later.