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Mathare United defender David Ochieng' has stated it is disadvantageous for his team to start the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League late.

The 2008 league champions were temporarily locked out of the competition after refusing to sign an endorsement deal between FKF and StarTimes to surrender their broadcasting rights to the latter. The Federation went on to expel them but the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) ruled in favour of the slum boys.

"It is a disadvantage to us that some teams have played about five, six games already and have several points," Ochieng' told Goal.

"We cannot say we have a game in hand because we have not already won them. Other teams know their strengths and weaknesses as opposed to us which is a disadvantage.

"It is something that should not happen, but now that it has happened, we have to brace ourselves and give our best. It is like climbing a hill with your competitors already halfway."

The 28-year-old defender has further warned other teams that Mathare players have had enough rest and have not come to joke around.

"The team felt good after getting the positive news of returning on the pitch," Ochieng' continued.

"Every player trains hoping to be involved in matches and now that we are part of the league, it has given us motivation and boosted our confidence.  

"We have had enough rest as players and Mathare is not coming to joke around with any team. Yes, other teams have played many matches as compared to us, but the rest we have had is good and enough for us to go and give our best on the pitch."

The former AFC Leopards defender has further revealed the target for Mathare United this season.

"As a team, we want to give our best and win the league, but in case it does not happen then we have to finish high and prepare better for another campaign.

"But as a player, I will be satisfied if we win the league title this season. It will be a good ending after a bad start." 

Mathare United will be opening their campaign on Saturday, January 9 away to Sofapaka FC.

Odisha are in a buoyant mood after finally picking up their first win in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season in their previous game against Kerala Blasters. Now they are set to take on Chennaiyin FC and will be hoping to improve on that performance.  

Ahead of their game against Chennaiyin on Sunday, the Juggernauts' coach Stuart Baxter was full of praise for his team's belief in themselves. 

"It (the first win) is important to the degree that we needed to get those first three points to give the players the belief and confidence to continue on the road ahead. I think the players did a fantastic job in retaining their belief despite the results being against us, sometimes quite unluckily. Now hopefully, we can kick on," said the Brit.

Baxter effected a few tweaks in their lineup last game and admitted that the risk of using two forwards paid off. He played Daniel Lalhlimpuia and Diego Mauricio together up front while putting Gaurav Bora in defence and shunting Jacob Tratt to right-back in place of Shubham Sarangi who has been in poor form of late. 

"It was basically using the players that we had in a different way. So Jacob had a different role and did a great job with it and we got Bora into centre-back position. We wanted two strikers because we wanted to get further up the field a little bit more quickly and give ourselves the chance to run the combination that we have.

"We took a risk with two upfront but it was well done by the players in the two or three sessions before the game," he explained.

Particularly with respect to Diego Mauricio's role, the 67-year-old mentioned that he expects more from the Brazilian who has now scored half of Odisha's 10 goals including a brace against Kerala Blasters.

"Diego has been dangerous and clinical when we get him in the right positions. He is still learning the way that we want him to play. Sometimes, with players like Diego, you have to be careful not to put him in a little box and ask him to do the things the more average players would do. There are certain things that we expect from him to allow the other players to function. So I think Diego is in that process and doing a decent job. If he continues to score goals while he's learning, we are all happy."

The Odisha gaffer meanwhile feels that Chennaiyin will be a tough opponent.

"If you look at every team in the league, every game that I've seen could go both ways. All games are tight and can be turned by inconsistent refereeing decisions, big mistakes by one or other players or a little bit of momentum. Small things have a big impact in this league. So we can expect that Chennaiyin will be smart from their results and we will have renewed vigour after our result. It will be a tight game and we will have to play well if we're going to take three points," Baxter stated.

Kerala Blasters are going through a rough patch of form in the Indian Super League (ISL) with just one win to show from nine matches and are currently 10th on the table. 

In their last match, they were hammered 4-2 by Odisha FC and they had none but themselves to blame for the defensive mistakes that led to the goals. But Kibu Vicuna will get another opportunity to forget that harrowing defeat when they go up against Jamshedpur FC on Sunday evening and the tactician believes that his troops can bounce back. 

"It was a difficult night. Since that match, we have been preparing. We trained yesterday we are going to train today. In football, you have to bounce back, show personality that we are a good team," said the manager. 

Vicuna stated that he was not feeling any pressure with respect to his job security and is instead focussing on turning things around. He swore by his style of football but did admit that Blasters need to prune their mistakes on the field. 

"It is not a question of style. The teams are different, players are different. We are making changes, we are not playing the same style from the start. We are trying to improve and correct (the faults) with the team we have. I am sure that this team can get good results. It is not a question of being stubborn with the style."

The I-League winning coach revealed that new signing Juande, who is a defensive midfielder and has been roped in as a replacement for Sergio Cidoncha, will be ready from Monday. 

Whereas, winger-turned-fullback Prasanth Karuthadathkuni believes that with 11 more matches left in the season, it is possible for the Tuskers to make a comeback.

"It is a difficult situation but it is part of football. But it has been like that for some years. I am trying to help the team, all players are trying to give their 100 per cent. Everyone is disappointed but there are 11 games to go. We are correcting our mistakes in training. We have time to prove ourselves.

"For me, I want to play according to how the coach wants to play. That's the player I want to be. Coach wants to play me as a right-back and I am familiar with the role. I am giving it my 100 per cent," he stated. 

Former KF Tirana manager Ndubuisi Egbo has revealed his dream of winning the World Cup with the Nigeria national team.

Egbo made Africa proud when he guided Tirana to win the Albanian league in the 2019-20 season and also qualified them to the Champions League, becoming the first African coach to do so in Europe.

Egbo, who is currently without a job, has now expressed his readiness to coach the Super Eagles when the opportunity comes and has set his target for the West African side.

“Like I have said in many interviews, it is like a military service that you do for your country. When you are called upon you don’t have any choice, unless I’m in a contract with another team and it is difficult to go away from there,” Egbo told Punch. 

“I’m always open to help my country because I’m a dreamer and I always want `to achieve something to fulfil those dreams that I had.

“I always remember what Pele said that he dreamt that one day an African country would win the World Cup. I’m seeing Nigeria winning the World Cup.

“That is one of the dreams I want to achieve for my continent. Anytime I’m called upon, I still have it in my head that if I am given the opportunity I will do my maximum best not only to make Nigerian football but African football move ahead.

“Just like how Pitso Mosimane of South Africa is doing, he won with Sundowns and then went to Egypt and won the Caf Champions League with Al Ahly.

“Those are the things that we need to be doing to move African football up. Al Ahly is the club of the century in the whole world and that is something coming from Africa. I’ve won one trophy on a continent, why not win the World Cup or at least get to the final first of all.

“If we want European clubs to take a look at our players, we need to bring them up to their level and achieve what they are achieving, then we can measure our strengths with theirs.”

The highly respected manager, also bemoans a lack of support to Nigerian coaches by their employers, citing the example of Sunday Oliseh, who was not given the needed time while in charge of the West African side, in sharp contrast to the current coach Gernot Rohr who is enjoying a second spell despite his inability to win a single trophy for the side.

“We need to start giving our own coaches the opportunities to prove their talents and also time because we will make mistakes in the beginning and we will learn.

“Just like they are giving opportunities and time to [Super Eagles coach] Gernot Rohr; after five years he has not won any major trophy and he is still there but Emmanuel Amuneke and Sunday Oliseh were not given enough time.”

In November, the Super Eagles laboured to back-to-back draws against lowly-rated Sierra Leone in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which resulted in high criticism on Rohr's performances.

Wazito FC coach Francis Kimanzi has admitted they will be happy to beat AFC Leopards by a slim margin when the two sides clash in an FKF Premier League match on Saturday.

The former Harambee Stars coach has said he does not care if they pick a slim 1-0 win against their opponents insisting what matters in such a match is to get maximum points.

"Our focus is to get three points, that is the reason we go into any match, we want to win even if it is 1-0 but also keep a clean sheet, we are winning matches but not keeping clean sheets and that is why we want to make sure we are solid at the back,” Kimanzi told reporters ahead of the match. 

"Defensively we need to play as a unit, if we score one goal, then we can defend and win even if it is 2-0 that is fine with me.”

“We also need to make sure we defend our lead, when we take the lead we need to defend it, and that is what I have told my players.

On facing AFC Leopards, Kimanzi said: “Both teams are under pressure because they want to win the game, so it will be a very difficult fixture.”

On what to expect from the fixture, Kimanzi said: “Both teams have new players and they also have a new bench same as Wazito so the most important thing is to make sure we continue from where we left from our last game against Nairobi City Stars [win 2-1] and see if we can win, we need to show our character, remain focused and do our job.”

On whether he has injury concerns heading to the match, Kimanzi explained: “We started training after our first win in the new year and the game gave us a morale booster because remember we had ended the year with defeat so it was good we put up a spirited fight to start the season with a win.

“The win was good, it has given us the push to attempt for another win, and I am happy the team is focused, we don’t have any injuries so far and in fact, we have received more depth because other players, who were out injured are coming back, which is good for us.”

The match will kick-off at 1300hrs at Utalii grounds.

Safa Head of Referees Abdul Ebrahim has made damning allegations that referees officiating Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches have never been tested for the coronavirus this season.

This comes as South Africa is currently experiencing a second wave of infections driven by a rapidly-spreading Covid-19 strain.

Ebrahim alleges referees are currently handling top-flight league matches without being tested and were last checked for the coronavirus during the PSL bio-bubble which ended in September 2020.

“It is true that the referees haven't been testing for Covid-19, the last time they tested was during the bio-bubble,” Ebrahim told Marawa Sport Worldwide.

“There’s always going to be a risk involved if the sport needs to continue then that's something that needs to be looked at. It is a huge concern, we take our lead from our medical department. We should be talking all the time with the medical department. If I were to give a personal opinion, I would advise everyone to lock themselves up at home.”

Under the amended regulations of South Africa's Disaster Management Act as well as Safety at Sport and Recreational Events Act, it is a pre-requisite to enforce maximum health and safety protocols at sporting events. 

The referees have since raised concerns which have seen the football governing body and the league engaging each other on the matter.

“This will be a collective discussion and decision for a way forward. I am sure there is an ongoing discussion between Safa and the PSL in this regard,” said Ebrahim.

“I don't think there's an incident where our referees have tested positive for Covid-19. It is important that everybody involved gets tested for Covid-19. It’s concerning and alarming and I am sure we will hear from the joint-liaison team on a way forward.”

There has reportedly been a rise in coronavirus cases among PSL players lately and most clubs are not keen to go public about recorded positive cases.

A trend has developed where some players are mysteriously omitted from team sheets with no clear explanations, while some teams admit that certain players would not be injured but out due to “medical issues or illness.”

Clubs like Chippa United and Cape Town City have, however, been open about the Covid-19 cases recorded within their camps by revealing the identities of the affected players.

Atletico Madrid's La Liga match against Athletic Club has been postponed.

Athletic were prevented from travelling to the Spanish capital for Saturday's encounter due to a snow storm, forcing officials to call the game off.

"The match that we were supposed to play today against Athletic Club at the Wanda Metropolitano (set for 16:15) has been postponed due to the snowstorm in much of the peninsula," said a statement from Atletico. 

"The inclement weather prevented the expedition of the Basque team from traveling to Madrid due to the temporary closure of the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport and, in addition, the travel of our team, referees and club staff to the stadium was not guaranteed to be safe due to the poor condition of the roads in the Community of Madrid.

"Faced with this situation, La Liga has requested this morning the postponement of the meeting to the Professional Competition Committee given the exceptional circumstances caused by inclement weather and the latter has ratified the decision not to play the game today as planned. The new date of the meeting will be announced in the next few days."

A statement from Athletic clarified that the plane carrying the squad was forced to turn back to Bilbao after being unable to land in Madrid.

"The Rojiblancos’ flight took off one hour later than planned under the initial assurance that it would be able to land in Madrid," the club added.

"Whilst making the approach to land, after 30 minutes of waiting and without certainty that landing would be possible, the captain recommended returning to Bilbao, where the plane landed safely at 22:00 CET."

The match at the Wanda Metropolitano may not be the only one hit by the extreme weather conditions in Spain. 

It has been reported that the clash between Osasuna and Real Madrid could also be in danger. Madrid landed in Pamplona on Friday night after their flight was subject to lengthy delays.

Snow is expected in Pamplona but according to Marca, Osasuna have hired extra staff to clear the pitch if necessary.

Mauricio Pochettino wants "special player" Kylian Mbappe to enjoy himself on the pitch, which could help him to regain his best form.

Mbappe has 12 goals in 14 Ligue 1 matches this season but has not been at the peak of his powers amid concerns over burnout. The France international went almost a full year without scoring in the Champions League before ending his dry spell in the competition with a double in the group stage win against Basaksehir last month.

Pochettino warned the 22-year-old that he needs to improve after Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 1-1 draw at Saint-Etienne in the new head coach's first game in charge on Wednesday.

Ahead of facing Brest in his first home game since replacing Thomas Tuchel on Saturday, Pochettino was asked if forward Mbappe still seemed tired.

"It is a question about a special player," Pochettino said of Mbappe, who is in negotiations to renew his contract beyond 2022 amid speculation he could move on.

"He came back in good shape after the break, with a very good state of mind. 

"He is the top scorer in the championship. We hope that he will have fun and find the performance of which he is capable."

Returning to Parc des Princes, where he played from 2001 until 2003, is an occasion former Tottenham boss Pochettino – who will again be without star forward Neymar - is looking forward to.

"It's going to be a special night and a joy, yes, 20 years after wearing this jersey," he said.

"Unfortunately there will be no supporters, it's a shame and that will be missing. 

"In any case, we talked about it among ourselves and with our families: we have the impression that we have been here for a year, whereas it's only been five or six days!"

Reigning Ligue 1 champions PSG are three points behind current leaders Lyon after 18 matches. After Saturday's clash with Brest, Pochettino's side will take on Marseille in the French Super Cup on Wednesday, which will be followed by a trip to Angers in the league three days later.

New Kedah signing Rodney Celvin can consider himself a lucky man.

Through his recent loan move to Kedah Darul Aman, the defender will get the chance to feature in continental football, as Kedah have qualified for the group stage of the 2021 AFC Cup.

"I am proud to have joined Kedah because they have quality players, and I am proud to be training among them. I want to thank the coaching staff and the board for selecting me to be a part of the team for the 2021 season. I'm not sure of my chances in the coming season as it is up to the head coach, but I will give my 100 per cent in training in order to get the coaching staff's attention.

"Playing in the 2021 AFC Cup will be a huge experience for me as it is the highest level of [club] competition that I will have participated in. And I will use this excitement to work harder in training," said the 24-year old as quoted by the club.

The former Malaysia U-23 international had joined Kedah from Selangor, where he made eight league appearances last year. The Red Eagles meanwhile has qualified for the cup following their runners up finish in the 2020 Malaysia Super League. 

Bayern Munich fell victim to a "brutally effective" Borussia Monchengladbach in their humbling 3-2 defeat on Friday, according to Hansi Flick.

Robert Lewandowski's penalty – his 20th Bundesliga goal of the season – and a fine strike from Leon Goretzka put Bayern in control of the Bundesliga clash at Borussia-Park inside 26 minutes.

However, a wayward pass from Benjamin Pavard led to a quick break that finished with Jonas Hofmann scoring, and the Gladbach midfielder was played onside by Niklas Sule as he doubled his tally before half-time after Joshua Kimmich was caught in possession by Lars Stindl.

Sule then gave the ball to Hofmann inside his own half four minutes after the restart and Florian Neuhaus subsequently atoned for conceding the first-half spot-kick with a bizarre handball by netting the winner.

Gladbach consequently became the first team since Cologne in February 2011 to beat Bayern in a Bundesliga game after falling 2-0 down.

"We had hoped for a different ending to this game and expected it, but in the end we were punished. We lost the ball unnecessarily three times and the opposition was brutally effective in finishing those chances," Flick told a post-match news conference.

"When you ask me how to prevent that, on the one hand you have to keep the mistakes to a minimum, or avoid them, and on the other hand you have to cover your deep positions twice.

"We suffered similar situations on their first two goals. Hofmann went deep from midfield and we moved forward too quickly and opened the centre without covering the deep position, and with the second we should have kept going and covering the positions.

"That shouldn't happen and it's not a nice situation to be in, but a defeat, even if it's Bayern Munich, is part of the game. In the second half the team tried everything to achieve a positive result but unfortunately it didn't work."

Manuel Neuer has now conceded in 10 straight Bundesliga games for the first time in his career, with Bayern letting in 16 goals since their last clean sheet against Eintracht Frankfurt on October 24.

Bayern have conceded 24 goals through 15 matches in the top flight this season, the most they have shipped at this point of a Bundesliga campaign since 1981-82.

Flick added: "I've said it a few times, we are making too many mistakes. You can't deny that the team tried to win.

"We had to fight today, we knew it would be a difficult game. Don't forget [Gladbach] is a team that played in the Champions League against top opposition and prevailed, so we needed this compact team performance and we showed – with the exception of these three situations.

"But of course, we're not satisfied with the result. We all know we need to show even more concentration in our defensive work in the crucial moments. We have to cover the deep positions and that's the challenge we have, and we have to improve in the coming weeks."

Bayern are back in action against 2. Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday.

Former Zesco United defender David Odhiambo has joined Super League side Napsa Stars on a two-year deal.

Since leaving Zesco United, the star has been training with Gor Mahia and has now been confirmed at the Lusaka-based side. At Napsa Stars, ‘Calabar’ as the Harambee Star is famously known, has linked up with Timothy Otieno and Shaban Odhoji.

Otieno joined Napsa Stars from Tusker in the last transfer window after he had won the Golden Boot with 15 goals in the cancelled 2019/20 season.

“[David Owino] Odhiambo’ is a Pensioner. The player has signed with Napsa Stars for two years. Welcome!” the club announced on Saturday .

At Zesco United, Odhiambo established a legendary status as he spent six years with the Ndola club where he won five Super League titles, three Absa Cups, and two Charity Shields.

His great abilities also saw Zesco United establish themselves as regular competitors in the Caf Champions League and in the Confederation Cup.

Odhiambo was part of the Timu ya Ziko squad that struggled in the 2019/20 season, failed to defend the Super League title and finished fifth. They ended up missing out on the continental slots after participating in the last eight years.

His exit from Zesco United came at a time the club started implementing a rule that will limit foreign talent in their ranks . He was the second foreigner to leave after Burundian international Enock Sabumukama who has been coincidentally signed by Napsa Stars.

Duke Abuya and Harun Shakava, who helped Nkana FC win the 2019/20 title, are other Kenyans playing in the Zambian top-tier.

John Makwatta, all-time scorer Jesse Were and Ian Otieno are at Zesco United while Duncan Otieno and Musa Mohamed, last season league winners with Nkana, moved to Lusaka Dynamos in the last transfer window.

Odhiambo – who was the first high-profile Kenyan footballer to join a Zambian side in 2014 after winning the KPL title with Gor Mahia – will now face K’Ogalo in the second preliminary round of the Caf Confederation Cup in February.

Napsa Stars and Gor Mahia were paired together when Caf conducted the draw on Friday after the conclusion of the previous engagements for both the Confederation Cup and the Champions League.

Napsa Stars will now hope to tap on Odhiambo’s experience in order to establish a strong defensive line that also has Luka Nguni, Smart Banda, Boyd Mkandawire, Bornwell Silengo, and Luka Banda.

Bryan Reynolds is closing in on a move to Serie A, with Benevento poised to sign the right-back from FC Dallas at Juventus’ behest.

A meeting is scheduled for next week to decide the 19-year-old’s future, with talks progressing well amid talk of an €8 million (£7m/$10m) transfer.

However, it remains to be decided if the Italian club will sign the player on loan with an option to buy him on a permanent basis at the end of the season.

Juventus have been linked with a move for Reynolds for several months, while it was reported in the United States last month that Roma made a bid for him.

Juve are leading the race to land him now, but they would not be able to register the full-back if they signed him this month because they have already filled all of the available places for players from outside of the European Union.

Instead, Reynolds is expected to join Benevento and then be sold to the Turin giants in June.

The deal would be similar to that which brought Merih Demiral to Juventus. The Turkey international had a brief spell at Alanyaspor before being loaned to Italian outfit Sassuolo in January 2019.

That summer, the central defender was signed by the Bianconeri in a deal worth €15m (£13m/$17m).

Reynolds came through the Dallas youth academy before signing for the club at the age of 15. He has made 31 first-team appearances for the club since making his senior debut in May 2019, 27 of which were in MLS.

Should he join Juve, he would become the second member of the squad from the United States, with Weston McKennie already there.

Benevento are currently 10th in Serie A after 16 matches, 16 points adrift of leaders AC Milan. Juventus, meanwhile, are fourth and seven behind the San Siro outfit, though Andrea Pirlo’s team have a game in hand.

Juve, who have lost just one game in Serie A this season, will face Sassuolo in the league on Sunday before turning their attention to the Coppa Italia, in which they will face Genoa. A derby match against rivals Inter will follow four days later.

When Hyderabad took on NorthEast United in the 51st match of the seventh season of the Indian Super League (ISL), the teams knew that the three points were going to be important because it would take them back into the top four. Only a point separated the two teams ahead of the game and NorthEast United were winless for five matches. 

Hyderabad won the game 4-2, in the end, and there was a lot of drama at the end of each half. There were also multiple star performers for the winning team but two names do stand out - Liston Colaco and Joel Chianese. 

Colaco appeared in a total of five ISL matches for FC Goa and realized he needed to move on to get minutes and he's finally getting the attention his talent deserves at his new club during the ongoing 2020-21 season. He was one of the two players who made a difference for Hyderabad against their opponents in a match that seemed to be evenly contested for most parts.

It took three minutes for Hyderabad to break the deadlock when Joel Chianese decided to embark on a run into the box from the right flank. He managed to hold on to the ball despite the multiple incoming challenges from the defenders and delivered it to Aridane Santana who found the net with aplomb. 

Hyderabad were the more confident team in the early stage and it could well have been due to the 4-1 win in their last game against Chennaiyin. The Nizams had more desire to win the ball high up the field, which is what Akash Mishra did to set up the second goal. The full-back nicked the ball off Benjamin Lambot on the left flank and found Joel inside the box who curled an effort in off the post. 

After the game, Hyderabad boss Manuel Marquez said that he was happy with this team's performance throughout the game except for the last 10 minutes of the first half. And that was when NorthEast United seemed to be in with a shout. 

The Highlanders, quite incredibly, scored twice in two minutes. Halicharan Narzary, who was fantastic against Chennaiyin and had scored a brace, brought down Ashutosh Mehta inside the box and gave away a penalty that Federico Gallego converted.

For the second, there was chaos inside the box when Mehta hit the post from Lalrempuia's cross from the right flank. The ball fell to Gallego and then Sylla who both failed to beat the keeper before Lambot smashed home from close range. Both the goals conceded could have been easily avoided had the defence been a bit more alert. 

An energetic Liston Colaco replaced Mohammed Yasir and started charging at a tired NorthEast defence from the 64th minute. And the move turned out to be a masterstroke.

Colaco used his brilliant footwork to dribble past Roccharzela, Gurjinder Kumar and Khassa Camara after cutting in from the right flank to curl the ball into the top left corner of the net. It was a goal of sheer individual brilliance. 

Santana, who acted as a good focal point for the Hyderabad attack, chested a long ball brilliantly into the path of Colaco in the final minute of added time and the Goan forward beat the keeper with a neat finish to secure the win for his team. 

While it was Chianese who impressed in the beginning, it was Colaco who brought the curtains down on the game in style. Mehta, who was impressive at right-back, was one of the only shining spots in that NorthEast lineup. 

Hyderabad's impressive outings with a lot of talented Indians in the squad continue whereas NorthEast United fall further into a winless abyss that could make or break their season. 

Odisha FC's wait for their first win in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) season was finally over as Stuart Baxter's side registered a convincing 4-2 win over Kerala Blasters on Thursday.

It took them nine matches but they finally did it and they did it in style. Ahead of the game, Stuart Baxter lost star forward Manuel Onwu who had picked up an injury during the warm-up and was ruled out. For a team who were struggling to score goals and get a win, Onwu's absence was certainly a big blow. 

The experienced coach tweaked the formation a bit from the last few matches and fielded the team in a 4-4-2 formation. Daniel Lalhimpuia was the last-minute replaces of Onwu and was deployed alongside Diego Mauricio. The Brazilian forward, who generally plays the number 9 role, was used as a second striker against Kerala.

Also underperforming full-back Shubham Sarangi was dropped from the starting eleven. Australian centre back Jacob Tratt was moved to the right side of the defence while Gaurav Bora was brought to the central defence partnering skipper Taylor.

The two changes did wonders for Baxter and the change in tactics proved to be a game changer against Kerala. Mauricio remained extremely mobile in the attacking third and constantly pestered the Kerala defenders. He scored twice in the match and was behind Jeakson's own goal in the first half which restored parity in the match.

Tratt too had an impressive outing in his new role and constantly kept the right flank active with his runs. The Australian got excellent support from Jerry Mawihmingthanga who seemed to be at his very best after a very long time.

On Sunday evening, they will be up against Chennaiyin FC – who have been wasteful in front of goal. In their last game, the Marina Machans conceded four and certainly, they would look to make amends against Odisha FC – a team with the second-worst defensive record in the league (16).

Baxter will hope that his side follow-up their performance against Kerala with another strong showing on Sunday in order to prove that the win over Kerala Blasters was not a 'flash in the pan'. 

Meanwhile, Chennaiyin will sweat over the fitness of Rafael Crivellaro, who provides the creative impetus to Csaba Laszlo’s side. The good news for Chennaiyin FC is that Esma Goncalves is back in contention for a start and has got some minutes under his belt in the last game.

It will be interesting to see if Laszlo decides to field Jakub Sylvestr and Goncalves together in the line-up, something which he has done only twice in the campaign.

It should make for an interesting tussle on Sunday. 

FKF Premier League side Gor Mahia are on the verge of naming Carlos Manuel Vaz Pinto as their new head coach.

Goal can exclusively reveal the two parties have already reached an agreement and the 46-year-old Portuguese tactician will take charge of the Kenyan champions.

Gor Mahia secretary Sam Ochola has confirmed to Goal the coach, who has previously handled teams in Africa among them Saint George SC of Ethiopia and Angolan club Clube Recreativo Desportivo do Libolo, will arrive in the country next week for the unveiling ceremony.

“Vaz Pinto will arrive next week for the unveiling,” Ochola told Goal on Saturday. “He was among the coaches shortlisted for the job and we have agreed on terms with him, he will be in Kenya from next week.”

Vaz Pinto will arrive to take over from Roberto Oliviera, who left K’Ogalo after the Confederation of African Football (Caf) barred him from sitting on the touchline during Caf matches after having problems with his coaching qualification papers.

Oliviera’s premature exit forced Gor Mahia to hire Posta Rangers coach Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo on a temporary basis and the former international has already overseen the team in two Caf Champions League assignments against APR of Rwanda and CR Belouizdad of Algeria.

With Gor Mahia dropping to the Confederation Cup after losing 8-1 on aggregate to CR Belouizdad and where they have been drawn to face Napsa Stars of Zambia in the play-offs, Vaz Pinto will now be tasked with the job of guiding the side in the competition and also help the team win the league title for the fifth season in a row.

On Friday, Ochola told Goal assistant coach Patrick Odhiambo will be in charge of the team when they resume league action against Kariobangi Sharks on January 10 as they work to bring in a new coach.

“We know we don’t have a full-time coach and we are working round the clock to have a new one come on board but for the time being, assistant Patrick [Odhiambo] will handle the team,” Ochola told Goal on Friday.

While Odhiambo had been linked with a move to Bandari, the coach has not reported to Gor Mahia training since the team returned from the humiliating 6-0 defeat away in Algeria. However, according to Ochola, Odhiambo is still contracted to Gor Mahia.

“Odhiambo is still our coach, he is contracted to Gor Mahia and he will be the one in charge against Sharks,” Ochola continued. “I am not aware if he has left us, I don’t know anything to do with that, all I know is he is part of us.”

“We also have our coach in the youth team, he will come in to assist Odhiambo as we search for a new coach, I know in a weeks’ time or next few days, we will announce a new technical bench, it will not take time.”

Vaz Pinto also managed the FC Famalicao U23 side from September 2019 to June 2020, where he played 26 matches, won four, drew 11, and lost 11.

He also worked as the Technical Director of Ghanaian side Hearts of Oak where he served for only seven days before he resigned after the club rejected his proposal to remove Edward Nii Odoom as assistant coach of the team.

Gor Mahia have already played two matches since the 2020-21 season kicked off – beating Ulinzi Stars 1-0 before losing 2-1 against Tusker.

Mamelodi Sundowns will be seeking to consolidate their Premier Soccer League (PSL) lead when they travel to Baroka FC for Saturday’s clash at Peter Mokaba Stadium.

Tied at 21 points with second-placed Swallows FC, but enjoying a superior goal difference, Sundowns would be keen for a victory and wait for the Dube Birds' showdown against Orlando Pirates 24 hours later.

Interestingly, Downs would be facing a team which did them a huge favour on the final day of last season to hand them a third-straight league title.

Baroka held Kaizer Chiefs 1-1, a result which paved way for Masandawana to overtake Amakhosi who had come within 31 minutes to clinch the league crown after leading the standings for 28 games.

But on Saturday, all that is behind as Sundowns’ focus is maintaining their place at the top of the standings, while eighth-placed Baroka are looking to improve their fortunes.

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

Squads & Team News

Baroka coach Thoka Matsimela’s biggest hope in breaching the Downs defence could be relying on forward Richard Mbulu who is their top goalscorer with four goals in eight matches.

The Malawian missed their last game against TS Galaxy and would be much-needed against the log leaders.

Another player who could carry Bakgaka on Saturday is Evidence Makgopa who is their second-highest scorer with three goals.

Makgopa also missed the trip to Galaxy and it is not yet clear if he would be available against Sundowns.

Goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze was absent in their last match and the reasons for this are still unclear but his return would be a major boost.

In the Zimbabwean’s absence, Oscarine Masuluke guarded goal with Ndzalama Mbiza being his understudy.

For the past four matches across all competitions, Sundowns have missed the services of attacking midfielder Themba Zwane, arguably their best players so far this season.

It is not yet clear what has sidelined Zwane but Masandawana said they have been hit by injuries and medical conditions lately.

But earlier this week, co-coach Rhulani Mokwena hinted at fielding their full-strength team against Baroka, saying they are “welcoming a lot of players back to training” and almost “getting a clean bill of health.”

This could be an indication that Zwane who has managed seven goals in as many PSL games this season could be back.

Already, forward Kermit Erasmus has returned after a brief spell on the sidelines, while captain Hlompho Kekana is also slowly coming back.

After being an unused substitute in Tuesday’s 3-1 Caf Champions League victory over Jwaneng Galaxy, Gaston Sirino could be given a run for his first league match of the season.

Midfielder Gift Motupa was recently reported to be close to full fitness and it would not be a surprise if he features on the bench as he awaits his Downs debut.

Match Preview

Sundowns go into Saturday’s match on the backdrop of an 11 match unbeaten run in the league including edging Orlando Pirates 1-0 in their last PSL game.

Interestingly, their last defeat came at the hands of Baroka, a 1-0 loss during the PSL bio-bubble in August 2020 before Bakgaka went on to do Downs a favour on the final day of the campaign.

But now, this is a different season as Sundowns boast a much-beefed squad while Baroka made a few additions to their team.

The Brazilians are in top form this season and look strong enough to run over struggling Baroka.

The Limpopo side’s coach Matsimela has struggled to guide the team to an impressive run in the past few games after promisingly starting the season.

Baroka started the season with two wins and a draw in their first three games, but fizzled out and have managed just one win in their last five outings as they dropped to the middle of the table.

But Matsimela and his men would be keen to pick up form against the defending champions in what could hand them confidence and breathe life into their next matches.

What could, however, work against Baroka is their defence which has conceded 13 goals in nine league games, the third-highest number shipped in the league so far in this campaign.