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Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Cedric Kaze and striker Saidi Ntibazonkiza have been named the best coach and player for the month of December.

The two were crowned on Friday after guiding the team to maintain their lead at the top of the 18-team table at the end of the first round of matches and with an unbeaten record.

The award is decided by the league's award committee according to the suggestions of coaches and various stations where the league is being played.

According to Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), Kaze beat Sven Vandenbroeeck (formerly of rivals Simba SC) and Biashara United coach Francis Baraza to the award while Ntibazonkiza emerged top after beating Seif Karihe of Dodoma City and Simba’s Clatous Chama.

Since joining Yanga on October 22, 2020, to replace fired Serbian Zlatko Krmpotic, Kaze is yet to lose a match with the Jangwani giants.

In December, Yanga played four matches against Ruvu Shooting, Mwadui FC, Dodoma Jiji, and Ihefu FC and still came out unscathed, and thus giving him the award.

Meanwhile, since arriving at Yanga, Ntibazonkiza has been the darling of club fans as he has managed to score goals in crucial matches, his latest being in the 1-1 draw against Tanzania Prisons at the start of the second round.

On signing for Yanga, Ntibazonkiza promised he will help the team to achieve their set targets including winning the league title.

“I’m happy to play for Yanga, they approached me in their quest to reinforce their squad and I said let me go for the challenge to see how we can build the team altogether,” Ntibazonkiza told reporters in Dar es Salaam.

“I will use my experience and with a combination of other experienced players, we will achieve the goal.

“I feel happy to see people appreciating what you do, It’s my first experience to play with Yanga but I see a bright future here,” said Ntibazonkiza, who has also played for Burundian giants Vital’O and also Kaysar Kyzylorda in the Kazakhstan Premier League.

On which team will stop Yanga from winning the title, Ntibazonkiza said: “Let’s see how it is going since I’m a new player I cannot say that, it’s too early considering the fact that I have not yet played for the league match.”

Yanga are currently topping the table on 44 points from 18 matches.

The Disciplinary Committee of the  All India Football Federation (AIFF) overturned the red card awarded by referee Arumughan Rowan to East Bengal defender Daniel Fox, Goal can confirm.

East Bengal had written an official complaint against the referee to FIFA and kept AIFF and FSDL (Football and Sports Development Limited) in the loop, for what they thought was a harsh decision to flash the English defender with a straight red for a foul on Alexander Romario in the 56th minute in the 1-1 draw against FC Goa last Wednesday.

Hence, Fox will be available for selection against Bengaluru on Wednesday, at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa. But coach Robbie Fowler remains suspended and will not be available in the dugout. 

Goal can also confirm that referee A Rowan is suspended for an indefinite period.

The second decision which the club had questioned was Bright Enobakhare's cancelled goal in the same game. Surchandra Singh had made a run into the box to score past Mohammed Nawaz but the Gaurs custodian stopped the effort. The ball ricocheted into the path of Enobakhare who found the back of the net but it was disallowed as the referee deemed that Surchandra had committed a foul on the keeper.

However, there is no comment on the disallowed goal that East Bengal have appealed against. 

The Kolkata giants had previously lodged a complaint against referee Rahul Kumar Gupta in their goalless draw against Jamshedpur back in December 2020 wherein Eugeneson Lyngdoh was sent off.

Sofapaka coach Ken Odhiambo has revealed his target when they face Mathare United in an FKF Premier League match is to build on the result they picked against Tusker last weekend.

Batoto ba Mungu snatched a 1-1 draw against the Brewers in the first match under Odhiambo, who had joined the team from Bandari, and the coach now says he will want to build on the result when they take on the Slum Boys at Wundanyi Stadium on Saturday.

“Certainly, yes we want to build on the Tusker draw,” Odhiambo told the club’s website when asked if the Mathare United tie in a must-win encounter. “We will be at home and we want to win since our winning rate hasn’t been good, playing at home comes with its own pressure and we are going for maximum points.

“It’s going to be one entertaining clash against Mathare, they have a good side with some top signings and of course they do play some good football thus they will give us a good test tomorrow [Saturday].”

On how they have prepared for the clash, Odhiambo said: “We’ve had some good preparation towards the match. The players have been pushing themselves out and they show much desire to win.”

On whether the Tusker match is a good confidence builder, the former defender explained: “Definitely yes, we were far in terms of confidence and the Tusker draw was a huge confidence boost. I feel the players are getting back to full confidence and I believe this will help us moving forward.”

Sofapaka have no major injury concerns heading into the clash with only Rwandan defender Isaac Mitima set to miss out. The defender has, however, started light training sessions and should be ready to face Nzoia Sugar in their next match.

In the last five meetings between the two sides, Sofapaka have managed three wins with the other two matches ending in a draw.

The Sofapaka encounter will be the first one for the Slum Boys since they were reinstated by the Sports Disputes Tribunal. Mathare United alongside Zoo FC had been expelled by the FKF over the objection they had against the StarTimes broadcasting deal.

But since the tribunal ruled that the two clubs be reinstated, they have been training in anticipation of their league starts.

Four days after the clash against the Batoto ba Mungu, Mathare United will play Zoo FC before hosting Bandari on January 22, travel to Nakuru, and face Ulinzi Stars on January 27 before concluding the month’s duties with a game against Tusker on January 31.

AmaZulu's head coach Benni McCarthy has confirmed that his side will be missing three players to Covid-19 when they take on Bloemfontein Celtic in a Premier Soccer League encounter on Sunday.

Midfield mainstay Makhehleni Makaula, left-back Sibusiso Mabiliso, and veteran attacker Siphiwe Tshabalala are the three players that have tested positive.

''Obviously, it wasn’t the ideal start because we were expected to start on the 2nd [2 January] against Kaizer Chiefs, but we understand the circumstances with Chiefs playing in the Caf Champions League in Africa,’’ McCarthy told the club’s media office.

''So the game was postponed which gave us a little bit more time to prepare for Bloemfontein Celtic, get all our ducks in one basket and just work on the technical aspects and how we can build from the great performance we had against Chippa [United].

‘’A lot of good things came from that game, so we just had to continue from there.

''Unfortunately, we got hit with three players being positive and had to self-isolate and that disrupted. Makaula was one of them who played in the match against Chippa, Mabililso was the second one who had a fantastic game, so we are losing one of our offensive left-back players but we got experience coming back and Shabba [Tshabalala], just for the group, for the atmosphere, for the experience he brings to the group.

''So, when you lose three players like this then you need to rotate the squad and find different solutions.

''But I think everybody has been working hard and everyone is really up for the future, and the future is in two days [Sunday].

''Hopefully, we can continue from the good game we had against Chippa. We know it's a different opponent. Celtic is formidable, very tricky, very quick.

''In Bloem, they are very difficult, but to our advantage, they won't have their 12th man with them, because they have great support with fans who get really behind them.''

With the coronavirus crisis worsening in South Africa and globally, with 21,980 new cases recorded in the past week - a new high for the country, Usuthu are among the few teams who have confirmed positive cases. Cape Town City and Chippa United also confirmed three cases each ahead of their midweek fixtures.

Kaizer Chiefs would like to prove that reaching the Caf Champions League group stage was not a fluke by sparking a recovery in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) with a clash against basement side Maritzburg United at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Fresh from Tuesday’s 1-0 away at Primeiro Agosto in Luanda which earned them progression into the Champions League mini-league phase for the first time in their history, Amakhosi host the Team of Choice high in confidence.

Gavin Hunt and his men have endured a difficult PSL campaign in which they have recorded just one win in eight matches.

This has left them 13th on the standings with just two points better than Maritzburg who anchor the standings.

Interestingly, Chiefs would be coming up against their former coach Ernst Middendorp who led them to an agonising near-miss of the league title last season, leading to his sacking four months ago.

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Squads & Team News

Kaizer Chiefs are likely to miss defender Erick Mathoho who is thought to have been given compassionate leave following the death of his father on Thursday.

It would be a major blow for Chiefs losing the centre-back who has been steely at the back amid their struggles for positive results in the PSL.

Amakhosi are however certain they will be without midfielder Philani Zulu who is suspended.

Zulu is serving his second match suspended after being red-carded against SuperSport United on December 15.

Striker Samir Nurkovic could start or at least be handed more playing minutes after making his season debut against Agosto in Angola following his recovery from injury.

It is not yet clear if captain Itumeleng Khune would be back after missing their trip to Luanda earlier this week.

Also uncertain is the availability of Willard Katsande and Lebogang Manyama who missed the Agosto match.

Earlier this week, Maritzburg United new signing Clayton Daniels revealed that coach Middendorp assured him of regular game time.

This puts the veteran defender in prime position to start his second Maritzburg game after making his debut against Bloemfontein Celtic on January 2.

He joined the Team of Choice at the end of 2020 following his release by SuperSport United and is expected to partner Rushine de Reuck, Nazeer Allie or Riyaaz Ismail at the heart of the defence.

De Reuck was not available for the Celtic match because of unclear circumstances.

Middendorp will be hoping for the availability of his top forwards Judas Moseamedi and Thabiso Kutumela who have managed two goals each in the team’s eight goals in nine league games.

Match Preview

Saturday’s encounter is a must-win for both sides as only two points separate them in their flirtation with relegation.

Chiefs risk finding themselves second-from-bottom if they lose while 14-placed Chippa United beat Golden Arrows on the same day.

On the other hand, Maritzburg will complicate their bid to vacate the basement if they lose to the Soweto giants.

With Amakhosi having last won a league match in October 2020, they now face a Maritzburg side that appears to have improved under Middendorp and have not lost in two straight games, including recording their first win of the season in their last game against Bloemfontein Celtic.

Chiefs could, however, draw confidence from their Champions League exploits as well as the fact that they knocked out Maritzburg from the MTN8 with a 2-1 victory three months ago.

The two sides’ last league meeting ended 2-1 in favour of the Team of Choice in February 2020 at FNB Stadium.

Uganda and Kyetume FC defender Mustafa Mujuzi has explained how they are prepared to fight for a place past the group stage of the African Nations Championship (Chan) tournament.

Mujuzi was among the players who took part in a pre-Chan mini-tournament where Cameroon, Niger and Zambia were also participants. Uganda ended up emerging as the best team after an opening 1-1 draw against Cameroon before 2-0 and 3-0 wins against Zambia and Niger respectively.

To Mujuzi, the preparations through the tournament are capable of helping them find enough points in Group C against Morocco, Rwanda and Togo and proceed to the knockout stage.

“We thank God who has enabled us to put into action whatever we have been given to see that we topped the tournament,” Mujuzi said as was quoted by Sports Nation.

“With the points, we managed to get, it will push us more to prepare very well for the Chan competition. We are ready to go past the group stages.

“We are ready enough to display what we have been taught by our coaches into action come our first game which is against Rwanda. These friendlies have helped us, players, to understand each other and the condition down in Cameroon.”

Mujuzi’s affirmation of proper preparations ahead of the tournament came after his coach Johnathan McKinstry drew positives from the competition too.

“There are several things we have learnt from the pre-Chan mini-tournament,” McKinstry said. “First, it was about testing all players by having a good time on the field and getting the final squad for the Chan final tournament itself.

“We also have a number of our players who have not been here and have played Cecafa only. However, there are some in the squad who have not even played at Cecafa.

“It has given them huge belief heading into the tournament and that they can compete at this level. We played three good teams Cameroon, Zambia and Niger.”

The coach picked a 25-man squad for the tournament but surprisingly dropped Steven Mukwala – the 2019/20 Premier League top scorer.

Uganda will set base in Douala where they will play their group matches from January 18.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah will be allowed to leave Manchester United this month, boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed.

The Dutch defender joined United from Ajax’s academy as a 16-year-old in 2014.

He made his debut two years later as a substitute against Arsenal in February 2016 - a game which saw Marcus Rashford score twice on his Premier League debut.

However, unlike Rashford, Fosu-Mensah has been unable to break into the side on a regular basis, making just 29 further appearances in the intervening five years.

During that time Fosu-Mensah has spent time out on loan at Crystal Palace and Fulham, and he will now be allowed to leave Old Trafford on a permanent basis should the right offer come in.

“I'm not sure if Timo is going to stay or [if] he's going to take an option now,” Solskjaer told reporters.

“He's not played enough, so of course he's been allowed to speak to clubs, with a view to leaving now in January. It's difficult when you've got good players, talented players, and you can't give them game time. He's now at the stage where he needs to go and play again.

“It might be [at the] end of January, or it might be in the summer that he finds somewhere else. So he's working hard, Tim, he's ready for a move for any club that he feels ready for.”

Fosu-Mensah, whose contract expires at the end of the season, is likely to be one of a number of players allowed to leave Manchester United this month as Solskjaer continues to rebuild his squad.

The Norwegian has already confirmed that Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo can leave, either in January or when their contracts expire in the summer.

Odion Ighalo is also likely to follow them through the exit door. The striker's loan deal expires at the end of the month and will not be renewed.

The only incoming so far has been the arrival of teenage winger Amad Diallo, who put the finishing touches on his transfer from Atalanta earlier this week

The deal for the 18-year-old could cost the Red Devils up to £37 million ($50m).

Aston Villa’s Louie Barry has called his FA Cup strike against Liverpool his proudest ever moment.

The 17-year-old netted an equalising goal just before half-time for a makeshift Villa side in their FA Cup third-round tie with the Reds at Villa Park.

A second-half salvo from Jurgen Klopp’s outfit saw them power clear and secure a 4-1 win, but the plaudits went to the hosts, who were comprised of youth players after their first-team squad was forced out of the match following a coronavirus outbreak in the camp.

“I knew that I had it, as soon as I saw it,” Barry told BT Sport of his goal. “To put the ball in the back of the net, it is the proudest I’ve ever been. Family were probably screaming at the TV when it hit the back of the net.

“It all happened so quickly. I was just happy to score – hopefully I score many more … I was working very hard, and so was everyone else. When I celebrated everything came out of me. For the celebration it was relief. It was good.

“I’ve never been so proud of a team – from start to finish we gave our all. When I scored, I thought we might have a chance. Obviously that didn’t turn out to be but we were a credit to ourselves and a credit to the club.”

Meanwhile, he revealed that he had to run down the tunnel to get his shirt back after swapping with Liverpool defender Fabinho.

“I remembered it was my debut shirt. I got his shirt as well, so credit to Fabinho. I got both of them,” he laughed.

Meanwhile, stand-in manager Mark Delaney, who is normally in charge of the U23 team, was also proud of what his players achieved.

"This is the most excited I've been," he said.

"I'm hugely passionate about the club. I've played here and coached here for a long time. Everything's in the right place. We've got some fantastic people working at this club, everyone wants to know what everyone's doing.

"Everyone wants to know about every player at the club. There's a good sense of this club going places which I'm happy to be involved in."

Arsenal attacker Gabriel Martinelli has admitted that the horror knee injury he suffered in June caused him a huge amount of pain both physically and emotionally.

The young wide player sustained the issue during training, and though it did not feel like anything at first, it required surgery.

After missing several months with the injury, Martinelli is now only finding his way back into competitive football.

“I was about to receive the ball and felt a little pain on my knee,” he told the Daily Mail. "Not enough for me to stop practising, but, while we were on the finishing session, I told them that I was in pain. They told me to rest and, if I felt the pain the next day, to let them know.

“When I woke up, I felt it but I was able to walk. I thought it was nothing at first, but it was a pain I'd never felt before. I went to the club for the examinations and they said it was not good and I would need surgery. It broke me. I cried a lot.”

Martinelli, who joined the Gunners from Ituano in 2019 and has scored 10 goals in 30 outings for the club, revealed the manager Mikel Arteta was a great support to him.

“Mikel talked to me during my recovery,” he said. “Always calling me to know how I was, even when I returned to Brazil for a time in August. When the club needed me, he talked to me again, asking if I was feeling ready to play.

“I said yes. I still feel a bit of pain in the knee, but the doctors say that it is fine. I've not been able to play 90 minutes yet, but it also needs time. My focus is on getting better and helping Arsenal.”

And Martinelli is now back in the fold, having made substitute appearances against Everton, Chelsea and Brighton since December 19.

The Gunners have three home matches coming in the next nine days, with a clash against Crystal Palace bookmarked by fixtures against Newcastle, first in the FA Cup then in the league.

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce believes that it is “morally wrong” for football to go ahead during the latest wave of the coronavirus.

Infections are hitting record high numbers across the UK, while in England and Wales, hospital capacity is being stretched due to the volume of patients being admitted.

Bruce has seen the problems that the virus can cause, with several first-team squad members hit by the bug earlier this season. Having witnessed the impact, he has called for a suspension of the game in a bid to safeguard the future of players and their families.

“I see other clubs struggling with it now and of course there's Premier League protocols in place but once you leave the training ground you are in the outside world,” he told the media on Friday.

“The speed in which it ripped through us is something all football clubs will be looking at because it is difficult to contain and stop.

“We've seen first hand how it affects people - we've had two players who were very, very sick and one or two members of staff, one in particular nearly hospitalised.

“And no one envisaged this new wave was going to be as powerful as it is.

“Financially it's right to play on, but for me - morally it's wrong. I understand people want to play a game of football but we are just as vulnerable as everyone else.”

Bruce cited the case of star attacker Allan Saint-Maximin, in particular.

“Once it left him it has caused big problems,” he said. “Allan has been out for six weeks or whatever so that's going to take time. I'm no doctor but there's so many symptoms and problems afterwards so it's been difficult.”

Bruce believes that clubs are taking every precaution they reasonably can in the battle against the virus, but is unsure that it will be enough.

“Lets be fair, when we are in football we are socialising,” Bruce said. “We may be taking all the protocols the right way and doing everything possible but how do you stop Manchester City from celebrating the way they did the other night?

“They were all in a huddle, celebrating, sweating, exhaling badly. If you stop that, you stop the whole enjoyment of sport.

“All of us are suffering but we are the lucky ones providing an entertainment that people can tune in to and watch.

“There will come a stage though where we will have to make a decision - let's hope there isn't further outbreaks in the next few weeks.”

In almost every press conference Carles Cuadrat would have been bombed by a few repetitive questions- why are Bengaluru not being able to score that many from open play? Do you think the new foreign signings in attack are doing enough? or, why is the conversion rate so poor? 

Cuadrat calmly took those in his stride and would always defend his players, be it Cleiton Silva, Kristian Opseth or for that matter Deshorn Brown. After drawing a blank against Jamshedpur FC, the coach reasoned, "We create chances with Sunil (Chhetri), Cleiton (Silva) and the number nines are doing their job, getting the space for the wingers.  We have more players in our squad who can provide us with goals." 

And before facing Mumbai when he was quizzed on the same issue, he replied," When you score, you're closer to score again because you force the other team to go out. If you see the last game, we were really creating a lot of chances in the other game and there was space for our players. We also have to be better not to concede because you lose two games 1-0. When you concede you can lose. The guys understand that and are working very positively." 

While many were missing the forest for the trees, the second part of Cuadrat's answer hit the nail on the head. Bengaluru need to get better defensively to win more points. 

The Blues have conceded 12 goals this season in nine matches, whereas in the previous campaign they had let in only five after playing an equal number of games. They boasted of six clean sheets in nine matches in 2019-20, whereas they have managed only two in the ongoing edition. 

Pratik Chaudhari has partnered Juanan at the heart of defence and it is amply clear that the duo needs to fine-tune their frequency. Injuries at the start of the season to Rahul Bheke and Ashique Kuruniyan have further complicated matters for the former ISL (Indian Super League) champions. 

Against ATK Mohun Bagan, both Chaudhari and Harmanjot Khabra were guilty of not closing down David Williams quick enough, which allowed the Aussie to glide inside, make space and pull the trigger. Whereas, in the next match Juanan allowed Jamshedpur's Stephen Eze to get ahead of him and nod in the header which turned out to be the eventual winner. 

Their defending from set-pieces have also not been up to the mark. Eze's goal stemmed from the second phase of a free-kick whereas, against Mumbai City, two of the three goals were from flag-kicks. While Gurpreet Sandhu's howler might be the primary reason for the third goal, one cannot look away from the shoddy marking during dead-ball situations. Both Fran Gonzalez and Juanan were behind the striker as Bartholomew Ogbeche hung in the air to unleash a powerful header. Fundamental errors and individual mistakes have come to the forefront time and again for the defensive lapses.

Talking of individual errors, Sandhu also has to shoulder his fair share of the blame. His save percentage in the previous season was at a staggering high of 80 per cent, while in the ongoing edition it has fallen to 63.6 per cent. 

In a nutshell, the entire defending unit has taken a beating this season. To further put things into perspective, they have been dribbled past on more occasions (48 to 61 times), conceded more shots on target (25 to 33), whereas the tackle success rate (67.7 per cent to 62.2 per cent) has gone down. 

But has the management taken the right step by showing the door to Cuadrat? Well, this might be a tricky question to answer. 

The recent results and more importantly the lacklustre style of play are a testament that Bengaluru have lacked cohesion on the pitch. But one has to keep in mind that most teams have not had a regular pre-season due to the Coronavirus pandemic including the Eagles. Their foreigners also arrived late and it is commonplace for a striker to take sometime before settling down in new surroundings. 

Moreover, their next six fixtures are against teams who are below them in the table. In fact, their next formidable opponent happens to be ATK Mohun Bagan on February 9. A little patience and a bit more trust, which are albeit rare in world football nowadays, on the ISL winning manager, might have done the trick. 

Note: The stats used in this article have been taken from OptaJeev

It was the last nail in the coffin for Carles Cuadrat when Bengaluru FC lost their last league match to Mumbai City FC 1-3. That was the first time the Blues lost three matches in a row since they made their debut in the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2017-18.

With statistics from Opta Jeev, Goal takes a look at the Spanish manager's numbers during his time as head coach of Bengaluru FC.

After the departure of Albert Roca, Cuadrat took over the reins at the JSW-owned outfit during the 2018-19 season and led them to their maiden ISL title. Cuadrat extracted a win percentage of 48 per cent, while his predecessor had a win percentage of 66.6 per cent. 

But it must be noted that Cuadrat managed for a longer period of time and there is the fact that Albert Roca's Bengaluru side was a star-studded team with expensive players at their disposal. 

Bengaluru's away form is something particularly came to hurt Cuadrat's Bengaluru FC in the last two seasons.

During the 2018-19 and 2019-20 season, when teams got to play in their respective venues, Cuadrat enjoyed much success at home. With a 2-3 defeat against Mumbai City FC during the 2019-20 season, the 52-year-old lost only one match at the Kanteerava Stadium.

Away from home, however, things were not the same. Cuadrat had three more losses than wins as he faced nine defeats in 20 outings.

Cuadrat can boast never to have lost a game against FC Goa, Pune City and Hyderabad. But the same could not be said in the case of Mumbai City and ATK Mohun Bagan, although he faced the latter just the once this season.

His favourite opponents were FC Goa and Odisha FC in terms of picking four wins each against both the teams. Only against Mumbai City and ATK Mohun Bagan has the Spaniard failed to register a win during his time in India.

During the 2019-20 season, Bengaluru had four wins from nine matches, just one better than where they are this season. Questions have been raised on Bengaluru’s defence this season as they have scored 12 and conceded the same number of goals. Last season, they had conceded only five times in nine matches and 13 in the entire term.

Offensively, Bengaluru was not able to find a prolific number nine to replace Miku who was allowed to leave after 20 goals and four assists in 32 appearances for the club. His replacements in Manuel Onwu (now at Odisha) and Deshorn Brown, this season's signings in Kristian Opseth and Cleiton Silva have not been able to replicate the effectiveness of the Venezuelan in front of goal, leaving the burden of scoring goals on skipper Sunil Chhetri's shoulders.

One of the stark differences between this ISL season and the last one for Bengaluru is the number of clean sheets the team has kept from nine matches - six against two. There were no error leading to goals in the nine games during 2019-20 season, while the 2020-21 season has two. Also, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s save percentage was at 80% from nine games, this season it is at 63.6%.

The Blues have also continued relying on set-pieces, from 63.64% to 75% of goals scored so far this season from dead-ball situations. Whereas, under Cuadrat, Bengaluru has conceded 56% of goals from the hour mark including seven this season alone.

Bengaluru begin with their first test after the exit of Carles Cuadrat when they face East Bengal on Saturday.

Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool have stepped in to help local minnows Marine prepare for their huge FA Cup tie against Tottenham on Sunday by letting the non-league side use their training grounds.

There are 161 places between Premier League giants Spurs and Northern Premier League Division One side Marine, the biggest gap between sides in the FA Cup’s 150-year history.

If Marine's task on Sunday wasn't tough enough, their preparations for the game have been hampered by inclement weather combined with new coronavirus restrictions.

Freezing temperatures meant Neil Young’s side have been unable to train on their usual outdoor pitches this week, while the new national lockdown in the UK has forced indoor venues to close.

That left the players with nowhere to train until their Merseyside neighbours Everton and Liverpool, whose stadiums are less than six miles from Marine’s Rossett Park ground, allowed them to use their first-class facilities.

"We have had a few issues, certainly since the new lockdown, in terms of training venues," Young told reporters. "Our pitch, where we were due to train on Thursday, had to be covered earlier in the week due to frost, but the leisure centres that we would normally use have been closed because of lockdown.

"So we are very thankful to Everton, who stepped in on Thursday and allowed us to use their Finch Farm training ground at the last minute, and Liverpool, who have also allowed us to use their training ground on Saturday.

"We are just glad they could step in. We are preparing for the biggest game in our history against one of the top sides in the country, but at 3pm on Thursday, we had nowhere to train, so we're very grateful that the two clubs have been able to step in.

"Without their help, we could have been going into the game with very little preparation, other than what we can do on a tactics board and the playing of a video."

With coronavirus cases on the rise across the country, Young admits it has been hard to prepare the players while complying with Covid-19 regulations.

Marine’s part-time status means the players, who are all due to be tested for Covid-19 in the next 24 hours, have to juggle training sessions with other jobs in various locations and settings.

That also applies to Young, who is a facilities manager for the local railway network, though he is not going to let the logistics detract from the excitement surrounding the tie.

"From a part-time perspective, it's been a bit of a nightmare with the Covid regulations," he added.

"At this round of the competition, you are allowed to have nine substitutes, but I don't think we have enough players to name nine. That's the reality for us.

"But we are coming up against a formidable side, coached by one of the greatest managers in the history of the game and a team of world-class players including many international captains. It is dream time for us."

Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill has insisted Oghenekaro Etebo will see out his loan contract with Turkish Super Lig side Galatasaray.

The 25-year-old midfielder teamed up with the Turk Telekom Stadium outfit on a season-long loan in the summer of 2020.

The Nigeria international has struggled to make a meaningful impact with the Yellow and Reds since his arrival in Turkey.

Etebo has only made 11 appearances across all competitions for Galatasaray this season, including eight in the Super Lig.

His failure to enjoy sufficient game-time has lent credence to the rumour making the rounds that he is set to cut short his loan and return to Stoke City.

O'Neill has now revealed the midfielder and other stoke players away from the club temporarily will not return to Bet365 Stadium until the end of their loan deals.  

“It’s definitely a rumour! The players who are out on loan are out on loan for the season and that won't change,” O'Neill said in a pre-match press conference.

“It was what they wanted at that period in time. They made that decision and we made that decision as a club.

“Maybe because the loan hasn’t gone well, you can’t just decide you want to come back. It doesn’t work like that.

“We don’t envisage any of the loan players who are currently at various clubs returning to Stoke in January.”

Etebo spent the second half of the 2019-2020 season with Getafe in La Liga and despite the club having an option to sign him permanently, they chose not to activate the clause.  

The midfielder teamed up with Stoke City in the summer of 2018 from Portuguese club Feirense and has featured in 51 games for the side across all competitions.

Etebo will hope to deliver convincing showings in training to boost his chances of featuring for Galatasaray when they take on Genclerbirligi in a league game on Saturday.

The midfielder is a key member of the Nigeria national team and featured prominently as they secured a back-to-back draw against Sierra Leone in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in November.

Jonas Hofmann played a pivotal role as Borussia Monchengladbach incredibly came from two goals down to defeat Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich 3-2 on Friday.

Robert Lewandowski scored his 20th top-flight goal of the season from the penalty spot after an inexplicable handball from Florian Neuhaus, and Leon Goretzka had Bayern cruising at Borussia-Park in the 26th minute.

However, Hofmann struck twice in the space of 10 minutes to send the teams into half-time level and Neuhaus atoned for his earlier error with what proved to be the winner in the 49th minute.

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

Lewandowski put Bayern in front from the penalty spot following a bizarre handball by Neuhaus, though referee Harm Osmers only pointed to the spot after a VAR check.

Bayern doubled their advantage six minutes later, Goretzka intercepting Matthias Ginter's pass and drilling a venomous effort past Yann Sommer after a one-two with Leroy Sane.

Gladbach reduced the deficit when Rami Bensebaini regained the ball high up the pitch and a quick passing move ended with Hofmann sliding Lars Stindl's throughball past Manuel Neuer.

The hosts drew level in first-half stoppage time when Stindl dispossessed Joshua Kimmich and fed Hofmann for another cool finish - the VAR confirming he was onside when the pass was played.

Gladbach completed the turnaround four minutes after the restart, Hofmann intercepting Niklas Sule's pass and teeing up Neuhaus to curl a wonderful effort into the top-right corner.

Marco Rose's men sat deep and Ginter cleared a header from Sule off the line in the 91st minute, opening the door for RB Leipzig to replace Bayern at the Bundesliga summit if they can beat Borussia Dortmund in a mouthwatering clash on Saturday.

What does it mean? Worries at the back for Flick

Bayern's defensive struggles continued against Gladbach, with Neuer now on a 10-game run without a clean sheet in the Bundesliga for the first time in his career.

He was not helped by Benjamin Pavard giving away possession prior to Hofmann's first, while Sule played a role in allowing the other two Gladbach goals.

Securing the future of David Alaba, who will be out of contract at the end of the season, never seemed quite so important.

Having it Lars

Most teams would think the game is beyond them when falling 2-0 down to Bayern, but Gladbach captain Stindl led by example to turn the game around. He set up both of Hofmann's goals with a pair of quality passes and contested 11 duels before being substituted in the 82nd minute.

Sluggish Sule

Sule replaced Jerome Boateng in the centre of defence but endured a disappointing outing. He played Hofmann onside for the equaliser just before half-time and within minutes of the restart his stray pass resulted in Neuhaus putting Gladbach in front.

What's next?

Bayern are in DFB-Pokal action against 2. Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel on Wednesday, while Gladbach have a week to prepare for a Bundesliga clash with Stuttgart.

Liverpool survived a major scare from Aston Villa's youngsters before claiming their place in the FA Cup fourth round with a 4-1 victory.

Forced to name a starting XI comprised entirely of players without a first-team appearance to their name as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak, the Villans produced a hugely impressive performance under the guidance of U23s boss Mark Delaney.

It was enough to see them deservedly level at the break, Louie Barry finishing off a well-worked move to cancel out Sadio Mane's early header.

But Georginio Wijnaldum's strike on the hour-mark served to break the kids' resistance and was followed by further goals from Mane and Mohamed Salah that added gloss to the scoreline.

Villa would have been anticipating a long night ahead when Mane headed home Curtis Jones' right-wing cross with just four minutes on the clock.

Only two great stops in quick succession from Akos Onodi stopped the Reds doubling their lead soon after, the young goalkeeper keeping out Fabinho's low shot before rising to save Mane's follow-up.

But, while they continued to dominate possession as the half wore on, Liverpool hardly had the Villa goal under siege, and they paid the price as the hosts made the most of their first real attack.

Callum Rowe did brilliantly to evade Jordan Henderson deep in midfield before sliding an inch-perfect pass through to Barry, who saw off the challenge of Rhys Williams and produced a composed one-on-one finish that belied his tender years.

Liverpool could not have expected to find themselves in such a battle at Villa Park but responded with renewed vigour following the restart.

The pressure finally told on the hour, Wijnaldum sidefooting home in space with tired Villa legs unable to close him down, and two further goals in the next five minutes put the game to bed.

The first came from Mane, who looped a header up and into the far corner, before Salah got in on the act with a low finish into the corner.

What does it mean? More cause for Klopp concern

While Villa's youngsters will receive deserved praise for their first-half heroics, the opening 45 minutes cannot have been an easy watch for Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool came into this game having failed to win in their last three outings and their struggles continued for large periods against inexperienced opponents who looked there for the taking after conceding early.

If the Reds are to get their season back on track, they are going to have to find improvement from somewhere.

Revan a rock for Villa

Although he would have been excited at the prospect of coming up against this Liverpool attack, Dominic Revan surely could not have expected to fare this well.

The 20-year-old was hugely impressive for the hosts, making 14 clearances – more than anyone else on the pitch – and winning 66.7 per cent of his duels up against some world-class attackers.

Henderson struggles

Although his half-time substitution had all the hallmarks of a planned change, Henderson was far from at his best at Villa Park.

The captain was too easily beaten to the ball in the moments before the hosts' goal, lost possession on 10 separate occasions with some aimless passing, and failed to make a single tackle in his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Key Opta facts

- Aston Villa's starting XI average age was just 18 years and 294 days – there had not been a player aged as young as that in any of their last 158 line-ups in all competitions, not since Jake Doyle-Hayes started against Middlesbrough in September 2017 aged 18 years and 263 days.
- Five of Villa's starting XI (Kaine Kesler, Louie Barry, Lamar Bogarde, Benjamin Chrisene, Mamadou Sylla) were not even born when James Milner made his first ever FA Cup appearance, in January 2003 for Leeds United against Scunthorpe United.
- Xherdan Shaqiri became the first Liverpool substitute to assist two goals in a single game since Milner in December 2017 against Spartak Moscow (3), the Switzerland international getting his brace within 208 seconds of coming off the bench.
- Barry (17y 201d) became the youngest player to score an FA Cup goal for a Premier League club since Rony Lopes (17y 8d) for Manchester City against Watford in January 2013.
- Barry (born June 2003) is only the second player born in 2003 to score a goal for a Premier League club, after Liam Delap (born February 2003) for Man City against Bournemouth in the EFL Cup earlier this season.

What's next?

Liverpool now have a rare nine-day gap before facing bitter rivals Manchester United in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash. It remains to be seen whether Villa will be able to fulfil their next scheduled fixture, a league encounter with Tottenham on Wednesday.

A number of Chelsea players have made their frustrations clear with a series of sarcastic tweets directed towards Manchester City after the Continental Cup tie between the sides was postponed because of a Covid-19 outbreak among the City squad.

Four unnamed City players reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from a holiday in Dubai over the Christmas period.

The trip was reportedly made with City’s permission and international travel was allowed as Manchester was then under Tier 3 of the UK government’s coronavirus restrictions, though it was not advised.

However, images of the players on holiday that were posted on social media caused frustration across women’s football, as it was perceived to be unprofessional given the strict protocols in place across elite sport in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.

That frustration then turned to anger and consternation when it emerged the players had tested positive for Covid-19 upon their return, which led to Saturday’s WSL clash with West Ham and Wednesday’s clash with Chelsea to be postponed.

Once news of the Chelsea postponement was confirmed, some Blues players could not resist having a dig at their opponents.

Beth England tweeted “If I speak”, referring to a famous Jose Mourinho interview which has since become a meme when he said he could not speak for fear of being punished.

Fran Kirby said “good luck trying to fit that in”, with the club's schedule already packed, while Erin Cutbert posted a meme of comedian and talk show host James Corden saying: “seriously?”.

Goalkeeper Carly Telford made her feelings clear by posting a video featuring a woman called Brenda, whose incredulous reaction to the news of the 2017 UK general election has gone viral.

Manchester City are not the only WSL club to become embroiled in controversy over positive Covid-19 cases.

Arsenal’s clash with Aston Villa on Saturday was postponed after one of three Gunners players who made a trip to Dubai over the Christmas break returned a positive test.

Everton’s match against Manchester United on Sunday has also been called off because the Toffees are unable to field a team because of coronavirus and injuries - though the Covid-19 infections are not linked with any unauthorised holidays.