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Mikel Arteta is "making really unusual decisions", according to Martin Keown, who says the Arsenal boss cannot afford to make any more mistakes heading into the new year.

Arsenal's miserable start to the 2020-21 campaign continued as they were beaten 4-1 by Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the League Cup on Tuesday night.

Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Aymeric Laporte grabbed the goals for the visitors, while Alexandre Lacazette scored what amounted to nothing more than a consolation goal for the hosts, who have now lost five of their last eight games in all competitions.

Alex Runarsson was handed a rare start for the Gunners after being signed to replace former backup goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the summer transfer window, but the 25-year-old had a night to forget as he gifted City two of their goals with basic errors.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Martinelli was named in Arteta's starting XI for the first time since recovering from knee surgery, and he picked up another knock shortly before half-time after colliding with Blues shot-stopper Zack Steffen.

The Arsenal boss decided against substituting the Brazilian at the break, only for him to limp off in the early stages of the second period, leaving Keown perplexed.

A member of the fabled 2003-04 Invincibles squad has expressed his belief that Arteta needs advising on the touchline after another domestic disaster, telling talkSPORT: “It’s turned into a crisis and the manager has joined in with really unusual decisions.

“He played the young kid [Runarsson] last night, no-one likes to see that [the mistakes], but I don’t believe his performance was a surprise.

“If Leno gets injured, having allowed Martinez to leave, they’ve left themselves wide open from the goalkeeping point of view.

“Just keep it simple! Martinez was outstanding last season.

“It’s looking at decisions in key moments, Partey coming back after a few days’ training and now he’s out for months.

“The support base around the manager has got to help him when it comes to every single decision.

“I was screaming at the telly last night – Martinelli, a fantastic talent, down injured for five minutes before half-time.

“Don’t bring him back out, please don’t bring him out… he comes back out and lasts about two minutes. Make the right decisions!

“He’s under massive pressure at the moment.”

Keown added: “People are calling for Emile Smith-Rowe and all these youngsters, but you can’t just throw them into this situation.

“Some of the guys are not getting opportunities early enough, then all of a sudden we put Runarsson into the team when he’s not ready.

“That has to come down to the manager. You really can’t get anything wrong from now on in. With the January transfer window coming up, there can be no more mistakes.

“They paid £25m for William Saliba and he doesn’t have a squad number, Nicolas Pepe is wandering around like he’s not interested, Willian is on holiday.

“You have to pick senior players you can rely upon and bolt young kids onto that, with players they can pick up the right habits [from].

“At the moment, the club feels like it’s in free fall.”

Arsenal will now look ahead to a vital encounter with Chelsea at Emirates Stadium at the weekend, where they will be aiming to halt a seven-match winless run in the Premier League.

Keown is worried that tension is building behind the scenes at his old club with each passing game, with Arteta considered to be losing the faith of his players.

“You wonder how toxic the dressing room is when there’s a growing group of players who don’t take part and sit in the corner,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say they’d be sniggering, but there is an undercurrent, surely there must be.”

Chippa United have appointed Luc Eymael to replace Lehlohonolo Seema as their head coach for the remainder of the season.

Eymael has been jobless since he parted ways with Tanzanian giants Young Africans in July 2020 having allegedly compared the club's fans to monkeys. 

The Belgian tactician has filled the void left by Seema, who was suspended by the Chilli Boys chairman Chippa Mpengesi with the team struggling in the PSL this season.

The club has now released the following statement announcing Eymael's appointment and Seema's departure. 

"Chippa United Football Club has appointed Belgian Luc Eymael as senior head coach until the end of the season," a club statement read. 

"Eymael first match in charge will be the DSTV Premiership fixture against SuperSport United at Lucas Moripe Stadium when the season resumes in the New Year on 6 January 2021."

"The Club confirms that it met with former coach Lehlohonolo Seema on Wednesday, where the consensus from both parties was to part ways with immediate effect."

Chippa have won just once and lost five matches in the league so far this season - including successive defeats from the last three matches.

Seema had joined the Chilli Boys in July 2020 after resigning as Bloemfontein Celtic coach.

Mpengesi, who is known for his trigger-happy attitude, stated that Eymael's mandate is to ensure that the Chilli Boys finish in the top eight this season. 

"Our ambition was to have an improved season in comparison to how the team has been fighting relegation in the past few campaigns, Mpengesi said. 

"One of Mr Eymael responsibilities is a top-eight finish for this season. This where the Club Board can also decide on his longer-term contract with the team.

"We would like to wish Mr Seema well with his future endeavours, and thank him for his contribution towards the Chippa United brand."

Eymael was dismissed by Young Africans for racist remarks allegedly made when he compared Tanzanian fans to monkeys in an astonishing tirade.

It was then reported that the South African Football Association (Safa) wanted to ban the former Free State Stars and Polokwane City coach from returning to work in the country again. 

Austrian Bundesliga giants Red Bull Salzburg have revealed that Mali internationals Mohamed Camara and Sekou Koita have returned positive for banned substances.

Having featured for the Eagles in November’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Namibia – which Mohamed Magassouba’s men won over two legs – the players were subjected to tests on return to Austria.

However, they tested positive for a substance used for treating altitude sickness which the players claim was ordered by medical staff of the Mali national team.

“Mohamed Camara and Sekou Koita had been away for around ten days on international duty for Mali for two internationals against Namibia, before they recorded a positive test on 22 November 2020 – a few days after their return to Salzburg – as part of a Uefa test of ten of our players,” a statement from club website read.

“Camara and Koita both had traces of a substance that is a key ingredient in a drug taken to combat altitude sickness.

“They both state this was administered to them by the medical staff of the Mali national team before their away match in Namibia.

“The Mali national side flew for the African Nations Cup qualifier from Bamako in Mali (350 metres altitude) to Windhoek at 1700 metres altitude.”

In the wake of this development, Uefa, the body representing national football associations in Europe is expected to start an investigation.

Even at this, the Red Bull Arena giants have disclosed that both players will be allowed to train with squad in the spring and will be given the full support to get their case resolved.

In addition, RB Salzburg reveal they will do everything in cooperation with Uefa and relevant authorities to "obtain a full explanation of events in Mali".

Although the club is "very proud when our players are called up to their national teams," Salzburg's general manager, Stephan Reiter, assured "that medical work will conform to international standards, with doctors who are familiar with the rules."

"If Uefa takes additional measures, the association and the club will be informed," said Thomas Hollerer who is the general secretary of the Austrian Football Association.

Both players, who featured for the West African team during the 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations, grew through the club’s ranks before their promotion to the A team in 2019.

Gabriel Martinelli has provided Arsenal fans with some much-needed good news after his injury scare against Manchester City on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola piled the misery on his former protege Mikel Arteta in the Carabao Cup, with the reigning champions sweeping past the hapless Gunners with a 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal looked to have been dealt another setback when Martinelli went down just before half-time following a collision with City goalkeeper Zach Steffen.

The 19-year-old came back out for the second half but was clearly uncomfortable and was substituted within five minutes of the restart.

Arteta said after the game that Martinelli had suffered swelling in his shin after the collision, and defended the decision to allow him to continue for the second half.

Martinelli has only just returned from a serious knee injury which had kept him out of action since June, with the City game his first senior start of the season.

"It was just a really bad kick on his shin and it was swelling up. He was in pain and came off," Arteta said.

"He was pushing [at half-time], saying that he was completely fine, that he wanted to carry on and he wanted to try.

"He had a scar that wasn’t open and he wanted to try so we gave him the possibility to try. And when he was on the pitch, he wasn’t comfortable so it was an easy decision to take him out."

On Wednesday morning, Martinelli gave an update on Twitter – saying he is “feeling fine and ready to go again”.

That suggests he should be available for Arsenal’s upcoming games, though Arteta may exercise caution with him given his lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Arsenal are looking to save a disastrous season as they go into their Boxing Day fixture at home to Chelsea 15th in the Premier League – and only four points above the relegation zone.

Following that fixture are games against two of the sides below them in the table, in Brighton and West Brom.

Martinelli looked bright against Man City – the score was level at 1-1 when he was taken off – and Arteta has already spoken about the galvanising effect he has had in training.

Nairobi City Stars head coach Sanjin Alagic has been accused of calling Vihiga United players 'black monkeys' during a Kenyan Premier League game on Wednesday.

United coach Sammy Okoth has told Goal that his Bosnian adversary used the racial slur towards his players after the hosts fell behind, and the visitors duly had to be talked out of boycotting the match after being alerted to Alagic's comments.

The incident comes a fortnight after Istanbul Basaksehir and Paris Saint-Germain players left the pitch in protest during a Champions League game after the Romanian fourth official was accused of racism towards the Turkish side's assistant coach and former Cameroon international Pierre Achille Webo.

"It is not right for anyone to use a racist remark towards any player in modern football," Okoth told Goal. "He shouted to my players calling them black monkeys, and even the fourth official heard him.

"We wanted to boycott the game but he convinced us to play, stating he has captured the incident in his report."

The visitors took the lead unexpectedly through David Simiyu in the 43rd minute, and put up a strong resolve before Sven Yidah eventually equalised for City Stars after United players had been talked out of walking off the pitch in protest.

Okoth has claimed that some of his backroom staff, in contrast to the players, were so shocked by Alagic's outburst that they did not confront the City Stars coach.

"It hurt me when the likes of Noah Abich [who is a member of the technical bench] looked unconcerned despite the abusive remarks by their coach," Okoch continued. "They even went to the extent of telling us to cool down.

"[City Stars] did not expect a tough game.They thought we were another easy team from whom they would easily collect maximum points.

"We played well in the first half and could have scored more goals, but we didn't, and they capitalized on our slow second start to hit the equalizer."

43-year-old Alagic was appointed City Stars coach last year, and oversaw their promotion back to the top flight after a four-year absence.

The Sarajevo-born coach, who holds a Uefa Pro License, held the reins for Bosnia's U-21 team until 2019, having also worked at club sides in his homeland, in Slovakian football, and in the Middle East.

Simba wa Nairobi are now fifth in the FKF Prermier League on eight points after five matches, having scored five and conceded two. 

Vihiga United are 12th, and await their second victory of the season, having lost three of their five matches to date.

Cristiano Ronaldo has issued a rallying call demanding "excellence" from Juventus in 2021 after their "special year" limped to a close on Tuesday night.

Juve's unbeaten start to the Serie A season came to an end in emphatic fashion as they suffered a shock 3-0 defeat at home to Fiorentina in their final fixture before the winter break.

Andrea Pirlo's side were second best throughout the 90 minutes at the Allianz Stadium, with a Dusan Vlahovic strike, an Alex Sandro own goal and a Martin Caceres effort rounding off a comfortable win for La Viola.

The Bianconeri's task was made harder after Juan Cuadrado was sent off for a two-footed tackle with the score at 1-0, but Ronaldo insists the Italian champions can have no excuses for a defeat which leaves them seven points adrift of leaders AC Milan in the Serie A table.

He took to social media to reflect on a turbulent 12 months which saw Juve win a ninth successive Scudetto amid the coronavirus outbreak, and promised that the team will come back stronger in the new year.

"Yesterday, with a poor performance and a result far from acceptable, we closed our scheduled games for 2020, a special year in many particular ways. Empty stadiums, COVID protocols, postponed games, long stoppages and a very tight calendar," Ronaldo said on Instagram.

"I hope this short stoppage may help us to come back stronger and more united than ever, because the season is still far from over and in the end we believe that we will, once again, celebrate with our tiffosi.

"Believe in us, trust our team as much as we trust you, and we will deliver!

"Fino Alla Fine!"

Juve will return to domestic action on January 3, with a home fixture against Udinese.

Pirlo's men will then turn their attention to a must-win clash against early pace-setters Milan at San Siro three days later, with the Rossoneri now the only side left in Europe's top five leagues yet to suffer a league defeat this term.

Lilian Thuram has revealed his disbelief at seeing son Marcus spit in the face of a Bundesliga opponent.

Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram picked up a six-match ban from the German Football Association (DFB) after his outrageous act towards Hoffenheim's Stefan Posch.

The 23-year-old has been hit in the pocket too, being fined a month's wages by Gladbach after the incident in the second half of Saturday's 2-1 home defeat, with a further penalty of €40,000 levied by the DFB.

The sixth match of the suspension has been suspended by 12 months, with the young French forward now facing the task of repairing his tarnished reputation.

He insisted it was not a deliberate act but apologised to Posch , and Thuram also had some explaining to do to his famous father, a World Cup and European Championship winner with France.

Speaking to RCI Guadeloupe , Lilian Thuram said: "It's completely understandable what is happening in the media. I myself was watching the match, I was extremely shocked.

"I even asked myself the question of whether that was really my son.

"Afterwards, I had his explanation, which is to say that he was raging with anger, and so he insulted the opponent and without actually doing it on purpose, he had saliva which came out.

"What he wants is for people to remember that it's unintentional because he says himself, 'But Dad, I wouldn't want people to think I'm capable of spitting on someone on purpose because it doesn't make sense'."

Retired former Juventus and Barcelona defender Thuram explained Marcus had called younger brother Khephren, who plays for Nice, from the dressing room to explain the situation.

It remains to be seen whether the incident and the adverse attention affects Marcus Thuram's hopes of playing for France in the delayed Euro 2020 finals next year.

Lilian Thuram said his son would have to tolerate the sanctions against him, adding: "He accepts - and I think it's normal - that he should be punished because indeed, it is a gesture that must not exist on the football field."

Confederation of African Football (Caf) have handed AS Kigali a walkover after KCCA FC failed to raise a required number of players for the second preliminary round of the Caf Confederation Cup game that was to be played on Wednesday.

The Kasasiro Boys have confirmed the new development while stating an organizing committee will be consulted later on for a final decision regarding the game.

The Garbage Collectors had to travel with 14 players after 12 tested positive for Covid-19 after their Ugandan Premier League (UPL) match against URA FC which they lost 2-1.

"According to the Caf Organizing Committee which is also in line with the FIFA laws of the game, each match must be played if the team has at least 11 players including a goalkeeper plus four substitutes," KCCA explained on their official website.

"If a team does not have the minimum number of players, 11 players including goalkeeper plus 4 substitutes, to play a match the team will be considered to have lost the match 2-0.  

"In exceptional circumstances, the organizing committee will be consulted for a final decision concerning the match."

Head coach Mike Mutebi also tested positive for the virus. Assistant coach Badru Kabuye, goalkeeping coach Moses Oloya and first-team coach Jackson Magera are among the members of the technical bench who are also infected by Covid-19.

Keeper Charles Lukwago, Denis Iguma, Kezironi Kizito, Brian Aheebwa, Stefano Mazengo, Hassan Matovu, Samson Kigozi, and Hassan Musana are said to have returned positive tests ahead of the match against AS Kigali and had to be left behind. 

Gift Ali, Julius Poloto, Sadat Anaku, and John Revita are the players who have been sidelined by injuries, making KCCA's squad very thin. 

The Kasasiro Boys got a bye in the first preliminary round, and they were scheduled to play away against their neighbours, who eliminated Orapa United of Botswana.

After falling 2-1 away, the Rwandan side won by a solitary goal at home and the aggregate score was 2-2, but the East African side advanced on the away goal rule.

After Wednesday's decision, it means AS Kigali have a 2-0 advantage. The return leg is to be played on January 6 in Kampala, Uganda.

When it comes to marquee signings in football, the idea of a boost in shirt sales is often raised as a financial benefit associated.

It is usually put forward by some fans - and even pundits - as part of the justification for a transfer fee or for the often significant salary of the big-name addition.

The theory goes that the buzz generated by the arrival of someone like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Kylian Mbappe will bring a major windfall as more jerseys will be sold.

Here's the thing: it's something of a myth. Sorry to shatter the illusion.

So how much money do football clubs make from shirt sales then? Goal takes a look at the process in order to shed a little light on the matter.

How much money do football clubs make from shirt sales?

The money football clubs make from shirt sales varies from club to club based on factors such as how many shirts are sold and the commission rate they have negotiated with providers.

Even the biggest clubs in the world receive a relatively small percentage of the revenue generated from shirt sales - usually around 7.5 to - if they're lucky - 15 per cent.

There are some exceptions, of course. Liverpool's new five-year £150 million ($200m) deal (£30m a year) with Nike reportedly sees them take a 20% commission from sales.

In Liverpool's case, imagine that one million shirts are sold in the 2020-21 season at a cost of £80 each. Twenty per cent of £80 is £16, therefore Liverpool would pocket £16 million from those sales.

That would be £16 million on top of the £30 million Nike paid them that year as part of their partnership, with Nike getting £64 million from sales (though production and distribution costs would eat into that).

So why is the return from shirt sales so small, relatively speaking?

Well, it is because the production of kits is essentially a licensing arrangement. Kit providers such as Adidas, Nike, Puma et al pay a club for the right to produce and sell merchandise.

On top of the licensing fee, these providers then give the club a cut of the sales, usually once they pass a certain threshold.

The sportswear manufacturers do most of the hard work, after all, and so, in a business sense, they are quite entitled to take the bulk of the profits.

It is a mightily lucrative industry to get into. Adidas, for example, agreed a 10-year deal with Manchester United, which sees them pay the Premier League giants £750 million over the course of the decade.

However, according to Adidas CEO Herber Hainer, sales projections over those 10 years is £1.5 billion ($2bn), so it is easy to see why manufacturers are willing to fork out such massive sums of money for licences.

Which football clubs sell the most shirts?

As you might expect, the most popular football clubs sell the most jerseys and the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid are regularly at the top of the table.

Other clubs, such as Liverpool, Juventus, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City sell plenty too, as do Germany heavyweights Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

According to statista.com, Manchester United were the best-selling club when it came to jerseys sold in 2018-19, while Planet Football observes that Liverpool jerseys were the most popular football jersey on Amazon in 2019-20.

Bayern Munich are resigned to losing Premier League-linked David Alaba, according to Oliver Kahn, who has admitted that the defender is "looking around".

Alaba has established himself as one of the most consistent performers in the Bundesliga and Champions League since joining Bayern from Austria Wien in 2008.

The Austria international has appeared in over 400 games for the German champions since then, winning 23 major honours along the way, including nine league titles and two European Cups.

He played a key role in Bayern's run to the treble last season, and has continued to enjoy a regular spot in Hansi Flick's set-up in the first half of the 2020-21 campaign.

However, speculation over Alaba's future has been raging in recent months, with his current contract set to expire next summer.

Bayern withdrew their latest offer to extend the 28-year-old's existing deal after he reportedly refused to compromise during negotiations, amid rumours of interest from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.

Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have also been mooted as possible next destinations for Alaba, and Flick urged a prized asset to make a conclusive decision regarding his career path during an interview with Die Welt last month.

"David should take responsibility and decide for himself what is important to him,” said the Bayern boss.

Allianz Arena board member Khan, who is set to replace Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as the club's chairman and CEO in December 2021, says Alaba has decided to invite offers from potential suitors despite being handed the chance to commit to generous fresh terms in his current surroundings.

Asked if he believes the versatile performer could still sign a renewal, the Bayern legend told Sport Bild: "At the moment I don't know how that should happen.

"We rolled out the red carpet for David Alaba and went to our limits. David and especially his advisor Pini Zahavi have not walked that red carpet. 

"It looks like he's looking around. We have to accept that." 

After the winter break in Germany, Alaba will be back in contention for a place in Flick's starting XI when the Bundesliga leaders play host to Mainz on January 3.

Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile says the playing surface at Lobaste Stadium did not allow the Brazilians to play the kind of football they are used to despite beating Jwaneng Galaxy 2-0 in Tuesday’s Caf Champions League first round, first leg encounter.

It was a crucial victory for Downs who found the back of the net in either half through Mothobi Mvala and Shalulile.

With Shalulile having managed four Premier Soccer League goals so far this season, he added to his season tally on his Champions League debut and the Namibia forward has promised more goals.

“The pitch didn’t allow us to play our football but we managed to grind a result with two goals,” Shalulile told Sundowns’ media.

“I’m happy for my teammates. We really did our best and credit also goes to the technical team. They believed in us and kept on pushing us and finally, we won. We will see what happens in the next round. ...in training, I just keep on hunting for that goal and it’s coming and I will still keep on pushing for many more goals.

“I should say thank you to my teammates. They are the ones who believe in me and I will keep on banging them in. You should always have that thing in mind saying something will happen, a goal will come. I anticipated the goal and it eventually came. I got the ball and put it in the back of the net.”

It was also a perfect afternoon for Downs attacker Mothobi Mvala who opened the scoring for Sundowns before Shalulile doubled their advantage.

The Galaxy match was Mvala’s second in Sundowns colours after making his debut for the Brazilians three days earlier and he scored in a 1-1 league draw away at Golden Arrows.

The former Highlands Park man says grabbing a goal against Arrows geared him up for the Galaxy challenge.

“I feel happy, the confidence is growing in me and thanks to the coaches for giving me some minutes. One needs to give his all when he gets the opportunity,” said Mvala.

“I can say the game against Arrows really prepared me for this game [against Galaxy]. I was mentally ready. The guys who played Caf Champions League football before also prepared us. They told us that it’s not going to be easy, there is no time for pretty football.

“We were told that the pitch is not going to be nice. We needed to grind and get an early goal. We knew that if we get an early goal, the chances of them scoring against us would be very slim.”

Sundowns will now go for the festive break and will return to action when they host Orlando Pirates on January 2, before welcoming Jwaneng Galaxy for the second leg four days later.

CONFLUENCE QUEENS VS NASARAWA AMAZONS

Nasarawa Amazons will play their first away game on Wednesday against Confluence Queens at the Confluence Stadium following their back-to-back home defeat to Robo and Bayelsa Queens.

The Solid Miners suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against the Lagos side and followed up with a 2-1 loss to the Yenegoa team but will aim to get their campaign back on track in Lokoja.

Having only managed one point from two matches this season, Confluence will aim for the first win of the campaign in the second home game following a 2-0 loss at Sunshine Queens in Akure.

To achieve this, they will count on the services of Joy Omewa and Glory Edet, who shone brightly at the Flying Officer's Cup in Abuja.

IBOM ANGELS VS ROYAL QUEENS

Ibom Angels will look to earn the first win of the season against newcomers Royal Queens in a South-South derby on Wednesday.

Moruf Adeyemo will hope to avoid back-to-back slips at home after the opening day 1-0 to Osun Babes as they hope to build their encouraging 1-1 draw against Pelican Stars in Calabar last week.

On the other hand, Royal Queens will hope to improve on their performance on their second outing away to Ibom, having suffered a heavy opening day 4-1 defeat to Edo Queens.

With a 1-0 triumph over Abia Angels in their first top-flight game at home, the Warri-based outfit can gain enough morale ahead of the Ibom showdown at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.

BAYELSA QUEENS VS FC ROBO

In another top of the table clash, Bayelsa Queens will play host to FC Robo at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa on Wednesday.

The Restoration girls have enjoyed a fine start to the season after 2-1 wins over Sunshine Queens and Nasarawa Amazons respectively.

In spite of their flying start to the season, Moses Aduku is not getting carried away as he hopes his side to continue the rich vein of winning form against the Lagos based giant-killers.

For Emmanuel Osahon's side, they are eager to maintain their highflying form against Bayelsa Queens following their back-to-back wins over Nasarawa Amazons and Osun Babes.

The Lagos landladies will rely heavily on the form of Gift Monday, who had a hand in Robo's opening wins this term, with her hat-trick against Osun following an assist in victory at Nasarawa.

ABIA ANGELS VS DREAMSTAR LADIES

Abia Angels will hope to have recovered enough from their narrow 1-0 loss in Warri against Royal Queens when they host struggling DreamStar Ladies at the Umuahia Stadium on Tuesday.

Ann Chiejine's team will be counting on the striking brilliance of Jane Godwin in their quest for back-to-back home wins to maintain the fine start to the season against their Lagos opponents.

While DreamStar will be eyeing their first point in three matches against Abia Angels following their unfortunate narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Edo Queens at the Agege Stadium last week.

Despite a back-to-back defeat, the Galaticas will seek to improve on their fine form against the Inneh ladies on their visit to Umuahia.

EDO QUEENS VS RIVERS ANGELS

Edo Queens will be facing their biggest test of the season when they host Rivers Angels in another South-South derby on Wednesday.

Besides being a regional showdown, it is also another top table battle as the hosts currently sit at the top of the table following back-to-back wins against Royal Queens and DreamStar Ladies.

As the first competitive meeting in two years, Rolandsen Odeh will be desperate to see his side extend their fine start to the season.

For Rivers Angels, extending their unbeaten run in the current campaign will be the ultimate after a recent 6-2 victory over Delta Queens at the University of Port Harcourt Stadium last week.

And Edwin Okon will hope his side can earn the first away win when they face off with Edo Queens at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.

DELTA QUEENS VS SUNSHINE QUEENS

Delta Queens crashed to a heavy away defeat against Rivers Angels in Port Harcourt but they now have the chance to get back to winning ways against Sunshine Stars in Agbor.

To achieve this, the four-time Nigerian champions must be at their best and hope the team's topscorer Dominance Odunbajo with three goals is in good shape against the Owena Babes.

On the other hand, Sunshine Queens looked fired up following their 2-0 win over last season's finalists Confluence Queens in Akure last week as they battle Delta at the Agbor Stadium this time.

Having lost 2-1 in their opening day visit to Bayelsa Queens, Wemimo Matthew will be anxious to see her side claim their first point on their second match away from home this season.

OSUN BABES VS PELICAN STARS

Osun Babes can seize the opportunity to redeem themselves when they welcome Pelican Stars to the Osogbo City Stadium.

Despite a fine start to the season with a 1-0 win at Ibom Angels, the Omoluabi ladies crashed to 3-1 defeat in a South-West derby against Robo no thanks to Gift Monday's hat-trick last week.

Ahead of their first home game of the season, Osun will seek to make the best of their advantage against their struggling visitors.

On their part, the Pelican Stars will look to put their sluggish start behind them when they turn out against Osun Babes as they will be desperate to avoid a repeat of their 1-0 defeat at Abia Angels.

With just one point from two games, Edat Egan will push her side to pulling off an upset against their hosts in Osogbo.

Jonathan Zongo has been forced to retire from football following the knee injury he sustained while on Burkina Faso duty in January 2017, the player has confirmed.

In their second game of the Africa Cup of Nations, the winger ruptured all the ligaments of his knee while trying to stop a counter-attack by Denis Bouanga in the 50th minute, and was subsequently replaced by Bertrand Traore four minutes later.

After the incident, Burkina Faso president Roch Kabore had offered to pay for his medical expenses but has not kept his promise, and the now vowed to got back to him as finds it difficult to walk.

“I am going back to Burkina Faso and the President of the Republic, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, receives me and announces that he will pay all these costs,” Zongo told L'Equipe.

“In Badalone, the pitch was synthetic and after a game my knee didn't hold. I was in too much pain. Today I can't walk without pain and I struggle to climb stairs.”

Through bravery and hard work, the Burkina Faso star did everything to resume his career in 2019, however, his painful knee stopped him from progressing.

“Heart, sweat and honour: that's what you asked me to do and that's what I gave. I had a modest career, full of emotions. I don't remember making an enemy,” he wrote on Instagram.

“I am anticipating the end of my career for very important reasons. You're aware of my injury at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. In the last four years, I have suffered from one operation to another, from one leg to another, from one muscle to another, these pains have pushed me to end my career today.

“I thank God and a big thank you to my family, to the people of Burkina Faso, to all the clubs that have trusted me, to all my teammates, to the supporters and to all those who have participated in one way or another in my career.”

The talented winger began his career in his hometown Ouagadougou as a 20-year-old in 2009 and spent a season there before moving to Spain to join Almeria.

Initially assigned to the reserve team in Segunda Division B, his impressive performances saw him promoted to the A team, where he made his Andalusians debut as a second-half substitute for Nigeria’s Kalu Uche against Deportivo La Coruna in a Cope del Rey clash.

Zongo made his international debut for the Stallions in a 2-1 away win against Morocco. His first goal came as an equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Senegal. Before injury cut his promising career short, he had accounted for 22 games for Burkina Faso with two games to his credit.

Bruno Fernandes says he wants "more goals and assists than games" in 2021, with the Manchester United star insisting he can still improve despite a stunning start to his career at Old Trafford.

Fernandes has quickly established himself as a cult hero at United since his €55 million (£41m/$67m) switch from Sporting CP on January 30.

That lofty price tag now seems like a snip for a man who has scored 25 goals in his first 42 appearances for the club, while also setting up another 15 for his team-mates.

The Portuguese midfielder inspired Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side to a third-place Premier League finish last season, and his contribution has only increased at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

The Red Devils are occupying the same position in the top-flight standings after 13 fixtures, with only five points separating them and defending champions Liverpool - who are sitting in first having played a game more.

Fernandes took his tally to nine domestic goals this term by hitting a brace in a thrilling 6-2 home win over Leeds United at the weekend, which puts him joint third in the race for the Golden Boot.

As well as a first league title in seven years, United also still in the hunt for three-cup competitions, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Everton up next on Wednesday night.

With Fernandes pulling the strings in the middle of the park, Solskjaer is being tipped to bring a frustrating trophy drought to an end in the coming months, but a talismanic figure also has some personal targets on his mind heading into the new year.

“I think, as I’ve said before, it’s easy when you play in a team like Manchester because there are so many­­ good players around you," Fernandes told MUTV. 

"They help you to be better and I am here to help them be better. So I think, of course, numbers are really good but it is now that I need to start to improve. It will be more difficult from now and I mean difficult day-by-day and game-by-game because the players will know me better.

“Of course, I am really happy to have these numbers and, obviously, it is not easy to get to this point with these numbers but I want to do better and better, more and more. I want to finish the Premier League this season with more goals and assists than games. That would be good.”

Asked to assess his first year in Manchester, Fernandes responded: "I think the first 12 months, the 11 months for me [here], have been great. Of course, the main thing I want, I didn’t achieve, until now, is the trophies. That is clear.

"We really can do that in 2021 and, of course, I think, at the end of everything, what we did in the last 11 months was really good. I’m very happy to be here and to be part of this biggest club.”

Pressed on whether the emphatic victory against Leeds on Sunday was one of the most entertaining games he's ever been involved in, the United talisman added: “I think yes, of course, when you score lots of goals, you are happy.

"You are not happy to concede two goals. We want to have clean sheets, of course, but I think, at the end of the day, the most important thing was that it doesn’t matter if we score six or not. 

“If we score three, it was enough, 3-2 and we go home with the three points. That’s the most important thing. Of course, we want to win and we want to score goals.

"We want to show our best qualities we can but the most important thing for us, for the team, is winning. We know the fans want to see goals, skills, some magic things but the most important thing, for us, and what we need to think about, is winning.”

Sammy Omollo believes Gor Mahia have a chance to get a positive outcome in their second preliminary round game of the Caf Champions League against CR Belouizdad. 

The champions have had tough times playing teams from North Africa in continental assignments.  

The last time Gor Mahia played against an Algerian opponent was in 2019 when they were drawn to face USM Alger in the same competition. 

USM Alger came to Nairobi and beat K’Ogalo 4-1 and returned home in Algiers to win the return leg 2-0 and advance to the next round with a 6-1 aggregate scoreline. 

The two teams also met in the Confederation Cup in the 2018 season with the first leg staged in Kenya ending in a 0-0 draw before USM Alger won the return leg 2-1 at home to advance 2-1 on aggregate. 

In 2019, Gor Mahia were also drawn to face Algerian side Hussein Dey in the Confederation Cup, and they won the first leg staged in Nairobi 2-0 but lost away 1-0 to claim a 2-1 aggregate win.

"I am hopeful we can get a positive result away from Algeria, we have players who can deliver," Omollo told Goal on Wednesday.

"If we manage to stick to our game plan, I am optimistic we will get at least a draw away. Yes, we are going for a win but a draw will not be bad. Then when we come home we finish the job by winning.

"Yes, Algerian teams have been challenging for us, but nothing is impossible, we can get past them."

Captain Kenneth Muguna will miss the game against the Great Chabab owing to a rib injury.

The 24-year-old was influential for K'Ogalo in their first preliminary round against APR. The skipper played a part in three out of the four goals K'Ogalo scored in the 4-3 aggregate win.

"In this stage, you want to have your best players, but when you cannot have them, you will have to do with those available," Omollo continued.

"Muguna is a good player and we will definitely miss him, but I am hopeful those available will do the job." 

The match will be played on Saturday, December 26 from 10.45 pm EAT.

Gor Mahia have never qualified for the Caf Champions League group stage.

Fit-again Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus will not be in action for Ajax Amsterdam in their Dutch Eredivisie clash with Willem II Tilburg on Wednesday.

After a two-month injury lay-off, the 20-year-old resumed training earlier this month, with club manager Erik ten Hag hinting of the possible involvement of the summer signing in the midweek fixture.

The Lancers, though, have had a re-think of plans, dispatching any idea of deploying the Ghanaian amid concerns about a possible long-term effect.

“He does not feel 100 per cent yet. That is why we have decided not to take any risks with him," Ten Hag is quoted as saying by AD on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's tie.

Kudus joined Ajax in a five-year deal in July after impressing for Danish Nordsjaelland. The transfer was reportedly worth €9 million.

On his Champions League debut - against Liverpool - the Ghanaian had a night to forget as he was forced off the pitch after just six minutes, having picked up a meniscus injury after challenging Liverpool's Fabinho for the ball.

“Maybe Kudus, but we’ll see in the next few days how it goes," Ten Hag had said in responding to a question about whether he expected any of Ajax's injury returnees to feature against Willem on Wednesday. The manager was speaking after his club beat ADO Den Haag in Eredivisie action on Sunday.

The youngster has made only four competitive appearances for Ajax so far in all competitions, assisting three goals. He scored his only goal for the club in a 5-1 victory over Heerenveen in the Dutch league in October.

His injury predicaments have also been felt on the international stage as Ghana has had to do without their new kid on the block in their last four matches.

In October, the Right to Dream Academy graduate, who scored on his international debut, missed the Black Stars' double-header of friendlies against Mali and 2022 World Cup hosts and Asian champions Qatar.

A month later, he was again absent as the Black Stars took on Sudan in back-to-back games in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.

Ghana lost two and won two of their four matches.

Mikel Arteta insists Nicolas Pepe is "trying his best" to live up to exceptions at Arsenal, but also admits that the club's record signing is "suffering" amid widespread criticism.

Pepe completed a £72 million ($97m) move to Emirates Stadium from Lille in August 2019, with Arsenal winning the race for his signature ahead of a host of top European clubs.

The Ivory Coast international established himself as arguably the most dangerous winger in Ligue 1 during his time at Stade Pierre Mauroy, scoring 37 goals in 79 appearances, but has so far been unable to reach the same heights in north London.

The 25-year-old has only recorded 13 goals in his first 61 outings for the Gunners, including just five this season, with his latest effort coming from the penalty spot in a 2-1 defeat at Everton on Sunday.

Pepe has been in and out of Mikel Arteta's line up in recent months, and he invited the wrath of supporters after being handed a rare start against Leeds United at Elland Road on November 22.

He was sent off for headbutting Ezgjan Alioski before Arsenal scraped a 0-0 draw, leading to more question marks over his attitude and commitment to the club's cause.

The former Lille star was dropped to the bench as the Gunners fell to a 4-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat against Manchester City on Tuesday night, but Arteta jumped to the defence of the under-fire attacker in his pre-match interview.

"He is hurting, he is suffering – believe me, I am close to him – and he is trying his best," the Spanish head coach told reporters.

"He feels the responsibility because he knows why the club brought him here and he wants to deliver that."

Arteta added: "I would always defend my players. Whatever I have to discuss with him, it will be internally.

"Pepe wants to do his best and help as much as he possibly can. This is what I am interested in.

"It is my job and if he doesn't, it is my fault. He is trying his best.  We all know Nico and sometimes his body language makes him feel bad."

Pepe's next chance to prove his doubters wrong could come when Arsenal play host to Chelsea in a crucial London derby clash on Saturday.

Arteta's men will be desperate to bring a seven-match winless streak in the Premier League to a close against the Blues, who are currently 11 points ahead of them in the table