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Jose Mourinho has given his full backing to "great professional" Steven Bergwijn after the forward was subjected to abusive messages on social media in the wake of Tottenham's 2-1 loss to Liverpool.

Netherlands international Bergwijn missed a couple of promising opportunities in Wednesday's top-of-the-table showdown at Anfield as Spurs relinquished control of first place in the Premier League.

He had just 26 touches of the ball during his 76 minutes on the field - fewer than any other player to have started the match - and attempted 11 passes, which was one fewer than fellow winger Lucas Moura, who was brought on in the second half.

Bergwijn had to limit the amount of comments on his Instagram account because of a number of negative comments but the Dutchman has the support of Mourinho, who has urged everyone involved with the club to stick together.

"I don't know what I can do apart from the player knowing that in this club we are all together," he said at a pre-match news conference on Friday. "We lose, we win and we draw all together. He has us and we have him.

"He's one of my boys. Period. There's no point for me to individualise. He's a good professional and he gives everything he can for the team."

The midweek loss to Liverpool was Tottenham's first in the top flight since the opening weekend of the Premier League season and saw them slip three points off the pace.

Tottenham now switch focus to the visit of Leicester City, who are one point worse off in what is shaping up to be a tight title race with a number of outsiders in contention.

Mourinho has never lost in seven meetings with Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers in all competitions, winning five and drawing two.

That is Rodgers' longest run against any manager without winning but the 47-year-old is excited to reunite with Mourinho, whom he worked with at Chelsea at the start of his coaching career.

"It was a great step for me at that time, the opportunity for me to go to a big club," Rodgers said. "He was charismatic, had a great way with the players, and was very open in his communication. I was in a pole position for learning.

"He has set up Tottenham very well. They're very good on the counter-attack and are well organised. They have talents in [Harry] Kane and Son [Heung-min] that can cause you problems. They look like Jose's team now."

Kane's 128 Premier League goals since the start of 2015-16 is the most of any player, while Leicester's Jamie Vardy is next on the list with 108.

Vardy has 10 goals in 12 appearances this term and Mourinho is wary of the 33-year-old striker.

"He is so, so dangerous. A team when he plays, if it is with Claudio [Ranieri] or Brendan or with other coaches, never forgets the qualities that the specific player has," Mourinho said.

"He is incredible. I just feel sorry for him in the sense of he arrived in the Premier League too late. He should arrive a few years before and his career would be even longer, with more goals and more history at the national team too.

"He's a fantastic player. If I was a defender I wouldn't be happy to play against him because he is very dangerous."

Mesut Ozil's agent Dr. Erkut Sogut has insisted that the German midfielder has received offers from all over the world but maintains the 32-year-old will see out his contract with the Gunners.

The former Real Madrid playmaker hasn't played for the north Londoners since March 2020 and was left out of Mikel Arteta's squad for both the Premier League and Europa League.

The Spaniard has since suggested that Ozil could be brought back into the fold in February, when tweaks to his orignal 25-man selection can be made following the closing of the January transfer window.

Ozil will be able to hold talks with foreign clubs over a possible move in the New Year, with the midfielder's contract due to expire in the summer of 2021.

He has been strongly linked with a switch to Turkish giants Fenerbahce and, while Dr. Sogut confirmed preliminary discussions had been held, he insisted a January switch is unlikely.

Ozil's representative told Fanatik: "Mesut has another six months on his contract with Arsenal. Certainly he has missed football. He is currently working hard to wear the Arsenal shirt again, and he will continue to work.

"I would like to clearly state our situation regarding Fenerbahce. Yes, we had meetings with them. We had a one-on-one conversation with the club's top people. However, we can't have official transfer talks before January. We received transfer offers for Mesut from all over the world. Fenerbahce's interest is also known. 

"Nothing has changed for Mesut right now. Under these circumstances, it seems that Mesut will complete the season at Arsenal."

There have been called for Ozil to be reintegrated into the first-team squad at Emirates Stadium, with Arsenal having started the 2020-21 campaign in dismal fashion.

The Gunners are 15th in the Premier League table and have only scored 11 goals, while their 1-1 draw with Southampton last time out continued a miserable run of six league games without a win.

Ozil, meanwhile, has given frequent hints on social media that he remains committed to Arsenal's cause despite being frozen out at the club, with his latest post vowing not to give up "no matter how dark it looks".

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is eager to pit his wits against a Leeds United team he feels will test Manchester United "to the limit" when the sides renew their rivalry on Sunday.

There is little love lost between the cross-Pennine rivals, who have not met in the top flight since a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in February 2004.

Since then, the teams have faced off in the FA Cup in 2010 – a famous 1-0 win for Leeds – and a 2011 EFL Cup tie that saw United triumph 3-0.

Red Devils boss Solskjaer is only all too aware of the importance of the fixture having featured in several contests himself as a player.

"I can't wait, it's been too long," Solskjaer said ahead of this weekend's fixture at Old Trafford. "Of course I know how much it means for our supporters, I know how much it means for our club. The other bit is it's a different kind of Leeds coming up with a coach that's really done a great job with them and will really test us to the limit."

Asked for his own memories of playing Leeds, Solskjaer replied: "Well there was fiery games, there was tackles flying in, players from both teams that were winners. 

"We had a few fights of course but Elland Road wasn't the quietest place when we got off the coach and walked into the stadium put it that way.

"I enjoyed scoring two goals in a win at Elland Road. I came on as a sub and it was a header at the back stick [in the home game that season] from a cross from Giggsy (Ryan Giggs) headed back to the other side.

"They were two good teams back in the day. I liked the build-up to the games and the quality they had tested us as a team as well. Loads of good memories."

Edinson Cavani has been unavailable for United's past three matches due to a groin complaint and could face a potential ban after being hit with a Football Association charge on Thursday in relation to a social-media post.

"Of course we have spoken to Edinson about it, he has apologised, we know it wasn't meant in a malicious way, it was explained, there are cultural and linguistic differences," Solskjaer added. "He's apologised, he hopes that mistake won't be costly. He's still working on his fitness, he's very meticulous on his rehab work. 

"It's not felt right, he couldn't play this game [against Sheffield United], let's see the last training session how he feels. It was a muscle injury that he felt in his groin."

Saturday marks two years since Solskjaer was first appointed as interim boss to replace the sacked Jose Mourinho, but the Norwegian had little interest in stopping to reflect on his time at the helm thus far.

"I do not like, or I hate talking about what I think about what I've done or where we're at," he said. 

"I don't enjoy that bit looking back, I always look forward. I know there's a lot of work to be done still to get to the standard I want and the level I want, that's what we're working on every day, but I've really enjoyed those two years."

United were 3-2 winners at Sheffield United on Thursday, leaving them sixth and five points adrift of leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.

Ronald Koeman insists the atmosphere within Barcelona's dressing room has always been positive despite their indifferent start to the campaign.

Barca are six points adrift of leaders Atletico Madrid in La Liga having already lost four of their 12 top-flight matches under Koeman, who replaced Quique Setien in the close season.

Los Cules were beaten by rivals Real Madrid and Atletico, as well as suffering surprise defeats to Getafe and Cadiz.

But Barca put on a much-improved showing in a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in midweek and Koeman says wins are bound to improve the mood among the squad.

"I have always seen a good atmosphere, despite the lost games. It is easier to have an atmosphere of joy when you win," Koeman said ahead of Saturday's contest with Valencia.

"With the game without the ball we were good. Sometimes it depends on the opponent, but if you play a lot of long balls you cannot press.

"The game was good to be able to put pressure on the opponent. We did well. We liked having that energy and that pressure. It depends on the opponent, but we always want to dominate and play at the top, sometimes it works out and sometimes not.

"Hopefully we continue in this dynamic. It is important to have a home game and win.

"Sometimes it's easier, if you play well and win, the atmosphere is different. It's normal, it happens in all teams.

"I see a united group, but it's always easier for the press to get comments, because they don't see what happens in the dressing room before and after games."

Koeman had a brief spell in charge of Valencia from October 2007 to April 2008, during which time Los Che won the Copa del Rey but struggled in the league.

Reflecting on his time at the club, Koeman said: "I will not have the best memory of my career there. I made decisions, maybe I was wrong.

"It was a short stay but at least we won something. It is a complicated place, with many changes of coaches and sometimes missing peace of mind to work there."

Barca have two games before a week without fixtures for the Christmas period, but they then face a run of five matches from December 29 to January 13.

The congested fixture list will worsen if Barca win their Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Sociedad at the end of that hectic five-game run, and Koeman vented his frustration at the scheduling - impacted this term by the delay caused to last season by the coronavirus pandemic.

"I still think the same thing. The calendar is crazy. If we win the Supercopa semi-final there is one more game, many late hours," he said.

"At least in Granada [on January 9] we play in the afternoon, but we are killing the players."

That is a claim Koeman is now repeatedly making, having made the same accusation last week, and coaches from various leagues across Europe have raised similar concerns.

"On trips, we get home very late, and two days later another trip and another game," Koeman said.

"We have to solve this issue in a very tight season."

Frank Lampard has "no doubt" Timo Werner will come through his difficult spell of form for Chelsea. 

Chelsea are under pressure ahead of Monday's home fixture with West Ham having lost two straight Premier League games, going down to both Everton and Wolves on the road. A third consecutive top-flight defeat would represent their worst run for over five years. 

Germany international Werner, a high-profile signing from RB Leipzig, has not scored for eight matches across all competitions. 

He particularly struggled to make an impact in the games against Everton and Wolves, but Lampard insists his deployment on the left of a front three is not the reason for his woes. 

Asked why Werner was playing on the left, Chelsea boss Lampard said: "For different reasons. We had a big reference for a target man [Olivier Giroud]. 

"Timo for Leipzig and Germany played in lots of roles, so it is not a problem for him to be used there. He can be used across the front three. 

"I have players who can play on both sides. Not all, like Hakim [Ziyech] on the right, but Timo and Christian [Pulisic] can play left and right. It can give the opposition a problem. I like to have the option to change it at times. 

"With Timo, any goalscorer wants to score regularly but must have the mental toughness and confidence to go through periods. That is every striker. It is no problem. He needs to keep getting in those areas and the goals will come, no doubt."

Late checks will be made on the fitness of wingers Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who both trained on Friday after spells out with injury. 

West Ham did the double over Chelsea last season, winning the match at Stamford Bridge 1-0. That was the first time in 14 attempts they had won away at Chelsea in the Premier League. 

Declan Rice continues to impress for West Ham and England, leading to Lampard being asked if he regretted Chelsea allowing the youth product to slip through their fingers.

"He is a fantastic player for West Ham and England - fair play," Lampard said about Rice. "It's a good story because with a lot of those stories, it shows a strength of character.  

"I wouldn't say it's a regret. Our academy is one of the best in the world and it's not easy because it's not an exact science. Declan deserves personal credit for the start he has had at West Ham." 

Three straight wins against the Blues would be West Ham's best run in the fixture for 46 years. It is the start of a key stretch for Chelsea, with matches against Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester City also coming up during the busy festive period.

Pep Guardiola cannot guarantee Sergio Aguero will play a prominent role for Manchester City against Southampton after the forward missed two days of training this week.

Aguero, who has endured fitness setbacks in the wake of knee surgery, made his first league appearance since October in Tuesday's 1-1 draw with West Brom.

He played only 14 minutes and Guardiola revealed the Argentina striker did not return to training until Friday after suffering a problem unrelated to his knee.

Asked how much Aguero could be involved on Saturday, Guardiola replied: "I don't know. After the game he could not train, yesterday no training, today he trained.

"He trained really well but I don't know how many minutes [he will play against Southampton].

"It's important he can make training sessions. Unfortunately after the game he could not, nothing about the knee. Unfortunately a different position. Today he trained."

The draw with West Brom followed a goalless stalemate in the derby with Manchester United and led to more questions about a lack of goals in Guardiola's team.

According to Opta, City have converted 30 per cent of their "big chances," and only relegation-threatened Sheffield United, West Brom and Burnley have fared worse in this regard in 2020-21.

But Guardiola does not see their issues in front of goal getting to the point where he will consider bringing in a new forward.

The former Barcelona boss pointed to the long-term performance of Gabriel Jesus and the absence of Aguero as reasons not to rush into the transfer market in January.

Jesus averages a goal every 140 minutes, putting him eighth all-time among players to have scored at least 10 Premier League goals. Aguero leads the way with a goal every 108 minutes in his career in the division.

"Absolutely not," Guardiola replied when asked if the goalscoring woes could leave him feeling the need to add to his options up front.

"Sergio could not play much and Gabriel has incredible numbers of minutes and goals since he came here, he is one of the best in history.

"We took 13 corners last game so everyone can score goals. The way we defend depends on the strikers and the same happens up front. The strikers have more responsibility but everyone is involved to try to win games."

Guardiola was also asked if Kevin De Bruyne could receive a rest over a busy period of fixtures.

De Bruyne has played in all but one of City's Premier League games this season, and Guardiola made it clear he will continue to rely on the Belgium star.

"He is so important for us that he won't rest," said Guardiola. "He rested in the Champions League previously and right now we need him."

Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp expressed his frustration after Premier League clubs again rejected an increase in available subs per game. 

On Thursday, clubs agreed "in principle" to introduce additional permanent concussion substitutions, but rejected a proposal to change each team's available subs per game from three to five. 

The Premier League did confirm teams will be allowed to name up to nine substitutes on the bench in each game – an increase from seven.

With a condensed schedule in the 2020-21, Klopp and several of his colleagues have argued that teams should have the ability to make five changes per game.

Smaller clubs have opposed the change though, arguing that it would favour bigger clubs who have deeper squads.

Though every other major league in Europe has increased each team's available subs to five for this season, the Premier League continues to stick with the usual three allowed changes per match. 

"Everybody knows my opinions about it," Klopp said in reaction to the vote. "Everyone knows 10 clubs voted against it. It was not about advantages, it was only about player welfare. And they voted against it.

"Pretty much only they voted against them in the whole world.

"I don't know which other leagues only have three subs. There must be a good reason for it, for all these leagues and clubs to vote for it."

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard concurred with Klopp, saying that player welfare has been overlooked in the vote. 

"When we spoke about it as managers, the overriding factor from managers, whether they were maybe for or against, was that this is a case of player welfare, making sure we are looking after players and giving them the best opportunity to play at optimum level and not putting them at risk and such, because of the uncertain times and the schedule," Lampard said. 

"And that schedule gets tougher, for instance we play two games in three days over Christmas. So I think it would have been really beneficial for player welfare. Normally the modern-day player welfare comes out on top, I don't think it quite has this time."

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers believes Harry Kane has become even more dangerous since his role change at Tottenham.

The striker has been used in a deeper role for Jose Mourinho's side this season and has chipped in with nine goals and 10 assists in 13 Premier League matches.

Despite the 27-year-old's productivity, former England star Michael Owen has claimed Kane must be "frustrated" that his side are not getting the best out of his strengths.

But Rodgers argued Tottenham are better off with Kane playing further back and that it only benefits the forward.

“I think if you look through the game, you look at Roberto Firmino, he does a similar role for Liverpool. Lionel Messi did it for Barcelona. Other players have done it all through time," he told reporters ahead of Sunday's trip to face the north London side.

“You’re not seeing something being taken away from Harry’s game. You’re seeing something that’s been added to his game.

“He’s clearly a wonderful goalscorer with great ability, finishing in and around 25 or 30 yards out.

“But what you’re now seeing also is the ability of a player to drop underneath, and make passes like a midfield player.

“So I don’t think anything has been taken away from his game. I think Jose has asked him to drop that little bit deeper and I think it’s his natural intelligence.

“In Harry you can see he’s a wonderful player, he’s got a great football brain. You see him dropping underneath and having that ability to make those passes.

“So it’s an addition to how they play rather than something taken away from them.”

Leicester currently sit fourth in the league and a point behind Sunday's opponents after a bright start to the season.

But the Foxes have won three and lost three of their last six games in the English top flight and Rodgers hopes his side can now put together a run of victories.

“We’ve seen over the course of all the teams that inconsistencies are there," he said.

"Most teams’ home records are not as good as before. The lack of a crowd and lack of intensity. I can sense that for us. And then there are injuries. It’s having that ability when you do lose to bounce back. We’ve lost and then we go on a run of wins."

KCB maintained their unblemished record in the Football Kenya Federation Premier league after a late 2-1 win at Mbaraki Stadium on Friday.

Derrick Otanga and David Owino played critical roles in the showdown that turned in their favour as their race in fighting for the maiden league title gathers speed.

The Dockers would have taken an early lead but Shaban Kenga failed to make maximum use of his fourth and sixth-minute opportunities.

Bernard Odhiambo saved the day for Bandari in the eighth minute as he stopped a well-engineered counter-attack by the Bankers.

Harambee Stars forward Hassan Abdalla attempted to find the top corner with an outrageous strike outside the box in the 19th minute, but his effort flew just over the crossbar as KCB’s defenders looked comfortable in dealing with attacks from the hosts.

Another chance for Bandari came in the 25th minute when Yema Mwana and Kenga produced a good combination but the final cross did not land in Wadri’s path, where he was in a good goal-scoring position.

KCB took a surprising lead in the 32nd-minute when former Wazito FC and Sony Sugar striker Otanga found the back of the net.

The FKF Shield Cup champions had settled in the game and looked the side likely to get an opener, but Zedekiah Otieno’s men cautiously sat in their own half and mounted a few chances and one resulted in the opener.

Bandari had to make a 39th-minute change when Hassan was withdrawn and Darius Msagha was given playtime with a few minutes to the half-time break remaining.

Bandari fought and in the 79th minute, Bernard Odhiambo equalised for them to punish KCB who were dominant in the second half but failed to produce goals with the chances created.

But the Bankers rallied back in the additional minutes and grabbed a late win in the fifth minute of the added time courtesy of a goal from Owino.

Bandari registered six corners compared to KCB’s five and the attempts on goal stats tied at three while attempts off target were five on each side.

Whereas the Dockers committed 14 fouls compared to their rivals’ 17, none of their players were yellow-carded while one Banker entered into the referee’s book.

KCB were caught offside four times while the coastal side was flagged off on one occasion.

KCB, now on top with 12 points, are the only side yet to drop points after AFC Leopards succumbed to a late onslaught from Western Stima in Nairobi. Leopards are second with nine points.

NorthEast United's unbeaten run in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season came to an end as they went down 0-1 against Jamshedpur in their seventh game on Friday at the Tilak Maidan.

The Highlanders coach Gerard Nus felt that his team gave its all in a competitive match against Jamshedpur.

"I think we worked hard in the game, we had our chances. They stopped our penalty. So it was a tough game, very competitive. But our effort is something which no one can take away. They are a good side, they gave good players and at the end of the day we knew it was going to be a tight game and they got the three points so congratulations to them," said Nus.

Striker Idrissa Sylla failed to convert a penalty in the 66th minute which could have earned the team at least a point but the Spanish backed the player and instead gave credit to Jamshedpur goalkeeper Rehenesh TP for stopping the shot.

"It is something that happened, Sylla did not want to miss. The goalkeeper is there for a reason, he did his job and did it well. We learn from this and let's hope we convert the next one. We had also missed one penalty in another game but that is part of football. We learn from this and now we will think about the next game which is against Odisha."

Former Crystal Palace forward Kwesi Appiah was substituted in the 54th minute of the match and the 30-year-old player expressed his disappointment while leaving the pitch but the manager defended the striker's actions by saying that the action showed how passionate the player is.

"Everyone wants to play 90 minutes because they care and want to help the team and when a player shows this kind of passion for the game I feel very proud. I don't think he did anything wrong to the team and me. He was just disappointed because we were down and he wanted to help more. He did well during his time on the pitch and I am happy with the effort he has put in the game."

The 35-year-old manager is not too worried about the unbeaten run of the team ending and instead lauded his team's efforts on the pitch.

"Now is the time to see how the team sticks together. Sooner or later this would have happened. It has happened to almost every team except two and now is when we see the true character of the team. We have to hold our heads high because the effort was there and I am proud of it. We haven't done everything perfectly even in the games we won and so we have to analyse them for the future," the NorthEast coach signed off.

Simba SC have confirmed the reason midfielder Bernard Morrison did not make the trip to face FC Platinum in the Caf Champions League on Wednesday.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi are due to face the platinum miners in the first leg battle at the National Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe.

However, when leaving for the first meeting, Simba announced a squad of 24 players but conspicuously missing was their Ghanaian forward, who was signed from rivals Young Africans (Yanga SC).

Simba team manager Abbas Ali has now explained the player was left behind because he is suffering from malaria.

“We don’t have Bernard [Morrison] in the squad because he is down with malaria, Abbas told reporters before the team embarked on their journey to Zimbabwe. “Right back David Kameta, will also not travel due to his assignment in the national U20 team [Ngorongoro Heroes].”

In the traveling squad, coach Sven Vandenbroeck has named new signing Taddeo Lwanga alongside striker Meddie Kagere, John Bocco, and midfielder Clatous Chama.

It was Chama who scored the away goal against Plateau United in the first round battle played away in Abuja, Nigeria and Simba managed to hold them to a 0-0 draw in Dar es Salaam to advance on a 1-0 aggregate scoreline.

On the other hand, Platinum eliminated Costa Do Sol of Mozambique after a 4-1 aggregate win.

Simba squad:

Goalkeeper: Aishi Manula, Ally Salim, Beno Kakolanya.

Defenders: Shomari Kapombe, Gadiel Michael, Mohamed Hussein, Erasto Nyoni, Ibrahim Ame, Joash Onyango, and Pascal Wawa.

Midfielders: Jonas Mkude, Mzamiru Yassin, Said Ndemla, Taddeo Lwanga, Larry Bwalya, Hassan Dilunga, Francis Kahata, and Clatous Chama.

Strikers: Meddie Kagere, John Bocco, Chris Mugalu, Miraji Athumani, Luis Miquissone, and Ibrahim Ajibu.

Jamshedpur returned to winning ways with a narrow win over NorthEast United on Friday in the Indian Super League (ISL). A goal from Aniket Jadhav was enough to ensure three points for the Men of Steel.

The Jamshedpur boss Owen Coyle was elated after picking up three points against a side who were unbeaten in the league until Friday.

"It was important. NorthEast have had an unbeaten start and they have been outstanding. But we have also had a good run, we drew some games and so tonight was the game to go and stamp our authority and go up in the table and join NorthEast on points. We fully deserve that.

"We were terrific from start to finish and we deserve the three points. With seven players missing, the players gave everything they could and we are building a tremendous spirit but I think we will still continue to get better as the season progresses," said Coyle.

The former Ireland international heaped praise on goal scorer Aniket Jadhav and suggested that the Indian youngster has a bright future ahead.

"You are never going to score every chance you get. The important thing for me is that Aniket was in a position to try and score. I have missed many chances as a striker but also have come back to score many goals and Aniket did that. He has pace and power and we just need to give him a bit of understanding of the game.

"He was outstanding tonight and fully deserves to score the winning goal. I am very pleased with him and he is an amazing Indian talent who I hope will grow and develop."

Nerijus Valskis, who has scored the most number of goals (6) this season so far along with FC Goa's Igor Angulo, did not manage to find the back of the net against NorthEast but the coach backed the Lithuanian striker as he said that it was important that he created goal-scoring chances for other players.

"I don't think Valskis had an off day. The only thing he didn't do was not scoring but despite that he contributes to the team and that is important. You cannot just rely on Valskis for scoring. Stephen Eze has scored, Aniket has now scored and we want more people to score.

"In Valskis we have an amazing player, he was the golden boot winner. What we have to do is create chances for Valskis but he is a wonderful player and even when he doesn't score he creates chances for others. He does such an important job for the team and that is why I enjoy working with him."

Djibouti joined Uganda and Ethiopia in the Cecafa U17 Championship despite a 1-1 draw against Tanzania on Friday in Rubavu, Rwanda.

Free-scoring Oscar Mawa and Ivan Irinimbabazi scored the goals that ensured Uganda were 3-0 victors in their showdown against Ethiopia in the second game played.

Uganda earned an opener in the 17th minute when Mawa scored to give his side a deserved goal given the determination they showed from the first whistle.

The Cubs doubled the lead in the 35th minute through Ivan Irinimbabazi to stun Ethiopia who had settled and were ambitiously fighting to secure an equaliser.

In the 52nd minute, the Ethiopia coach made a change as he introduced Mikiyas Ganta for Ismael Reshid in an effort to contain Uganda. Another change was effected at the hour mark when Bereket Mohamed came on to replace Tsega Arbrea.

The changes did not discourage the determined Cubs who added the third goal in the 63rd minute through Mawa. The goal is the youngsters’ sixth of the junior tournament from two games.

Uganda made a change in the 64th minute when Tuma Tenywa went out and his place was filled by Issa Bugembe. Six minutes later, Samir Mudiba came on for the scorer of the second goal Irinimbabazi.

The loss, however, did not stop the Ethiopian youngsters from joining their tormentors Uganda, Djibouti and Tanzania in the semi-finals.

In the first game staged in Rubavu also, Djibouti were the surprising semi-finalists given they had been ranked outside the favourite teams who were tipped to progress in the junior tournament.

A 1-1 draw against Tanzania which is their second such result in Group B was enough to seal their place. In their opening match, they had held Rwanda, a side that Serengeti Boys defeated 3-1, to a goalless draw.

An own goal by Abdek Mouhoumed in the 33rd minute looked to have undone the Sharks’ great defensive work that had frustrated Tanzania for more than half an hour. In the 80th minute, Moktar Djama Ali scored to help Djibouti equalise and subsequently seal a place in the semis.

Djibouti did well to defend against attacks, especially from Omar Myungi who scored a brace in the game against Rwanda, and eventually ensured the tie ended in a draw.

“I am very happy that after hard preparations we have made it to the semi-final. Now let us plan for the knock-out stage,” Djibouti’s coach Mohamed Ali Affasseh said after the match.

The Cecafa U17 semi-finals will be played on Sunday while the play-off for third place and the final will take place on December 22.

The finalists will be guaranteed a place in the African Cup of Nations U17 tournament set to be held in Morocco in March 2021.

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed the club is doing all it takes to ensure Wilfred Ndidi does not suffer a relapse.

The midfielder suffered a groin injury in September which ruled him out from action for more than five weeks, missing a number of the Foxes’ games.

Ndidi is gradually being introduced to action after recovering from the injury and has continued to deliver solid defensive performances.

The midfielder was drafted into the defence in Leicester’s defeat to Everton in their last Premier League game due to the unavailability of some of the club’s players, including Jonny Evans, who served a one-match suspension and gave a good account of himself.

Rodgers has praised the performances of the Nigeria international, reiterated the importance of the midfielder to his team and revealed the club will continue to protect him to regain his full fitness.

"Wilf Ndidi dropped into the backline and was outstanding during the week,” Rodgers said in a pre-match press conference.

“But obviously when you have to move him, you’re taking a top player out of the midfield sector, so Jonny coming back in will be very important for us.

"That’s what we’ve done in the other games that he [Ndidi] has played. We’re building him up towards that 90 minutes. He’s such a pivotal player for us, so we’re just trying to manage it.

"Whether you’ve been injured or not, it’s a really tough schedule. As you’ve seen with our squad, we’ve tried to use the whole squad to try and have that intensity.

"Him [Ndidi], in particular, coming back, we're trying to ensure we do everything we can to protect him."

Ndidi has been playing a significant role for Leicester City since he teamed up with the club from Belgian side Genk in 2017.

The midfielder has featured in more than 130 games and helped the Foxes qualify for the Europa League last season.

Ndidi has, however, only made seven appearances across all competitions for the King Power Stadium outfit in the current campaign due to injury problems.

He will be expected to play a part when Leicester square off against Tottenham Hotspur in their next Premier League game on Sunday.

Azam FC remained winless under new coach George Lwandamina after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Ruvu Shooting in a Mainland Premier League match played on Friday.

The Zambian coach arrived at the Chamazi-based giants two weeks ago to replace fired Aristica Cioba and his first match in charge saw the team held to a 2-2 draw by Namungo FC.

The ‘Ice Cream Makers’ took a deserved lead in the 34th minute when striker Ayoub Lwanga headed home from a corner kick but Emmanuel Martin levelled matters for Ruvu in the 53rd minute.

Azam regained the lead in the 60th minute when Mudathir Yahya powered home from close range but the goal was not enough to end their bad run as Fully Zullu Maganga ensured Ruvu got a point from the tie in the 70th minute.

It was the sixth straight match that Azam have now gone without winning and their good start to the season has now gone up in flames.

Azam started the season on a flying note, winning seven straight matches, and also enjoyed the lead of the 18-team table before they started crumbling after losing 2-0 to KMC.

The draw will leave them in third spot on 28 points while Yanga are top with 37 points from 15 matches and champions Simba SC, who beat KMC 1-0 on Thursday, are second with 32 points from 14 matches.

In other matches played on Friday, Biashara United laboured to a 3-0 win against Mbeya City. Christian Zigah was the hero for Bishara as he notched a double in the 10th and 25th minutes before Derick Musa scored the third in the 68th minute.

Meanwhile, Kagere Sugar also picked up a vital win after seeing off Coastal Union 3-1.

The Sugar Millers had to come from a goal down after Coastal Union took the lead in the 45th minute when Abdul Suleiman scored from the penalty spot.

However, Kagera recovered to level matters in the 56th minute through Nassor Kapama before Peter Mwalyanzi made it 2-1 in the 73rd minute, and Sadat Mohamed sealed the win with a well-taken strike in the 80th minute.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has confirmed Leon Balogun will miss their Premiership fixture against Motherwell on Saturday.

Balogun suffered a head injury as the league leaders suffered their first defeat of the season in a League Cup game against St Mirren on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old was dizzy after the clash with St Mirren’s Jonathan Obika in the 84th minute and he required some minutes for treatment on the field.

Saturday's outing at the Ibrox Stadium comes too early for the former Brighton and Hove Albion defender, and Gerrard will not be taking a risk to have him in his team.

“Balogun is unavailable for tomorrow as we are following medical protocol after a head injury. Jack is close but won't make the weekend,” he said in a press conference on Friday.

Balogun has been a key player for the Gers since his arrival from Wigan Athletic in the summer.

He has helped them maintain an unbeaten run of 17 games in the Scottish top-flight this season with 10 matches under his belt.

However, Gerrard is demanding a reaction from his players on Saturday after their 27-match unbeaten streak ended in the League Cup quarter-final.

“We’ve been talking about blind spots and watching out for complacency, staying humble and realising the amount of work there is to do and where we are in the season. You know the messages we’ve been giving the players. They are well aware of that,” the former Liverpool captain said.

“But that still doesn’t take away from the fact that we’ve been disappointed with Wednesday night’s result.

“I can totally understand the fans’ frustrations and shock. They’ve just watched their team go on a 27-game unbeaten run and very rarely concede a goal while qualifying in Europe top of their group. To be in a bit of shock, to be disappointed and frustrated is pretty normal.

“It is what it is. It’s done now. We can’t change it. All we can do is control the future and it’s our job to get ready for tomorrow’s challenge in Motherwell.”

Diogo Jota says his recovery from an unfortunate knee injury is “going well”, but no date is being set for a return.

The Portugal international made an immediate impact at Liverpool on the back of a big-money summer switch from Wolves.

Jurgen Klopp invested £45 million ($61m) in the 24-year-old, and has already seen a nine-goal return after 17 appearances.

Calls were mounting for Jota to be handed a prominent role in the Reds’ plans, with Roberto Firmino seeing his position come under threat amid a struggle for end product. The in-form frontman has, however, been added to the lengthy injury list on Merseyside.

Jota suffered an untimely setback after figuring in a 1-1 draw with his former employers at Wolves, with Klopp conceding that he may not be seen for some time.

The Reds boss said: “Yeah, it’s worse than we first thought and better than we then thought. All the potential surgeons had a look on it, no surgery needed, but he will be out for a while.

“We don’t know exactly but one-and-a-half, two months. We don’t know exactly. It’s pretty similar with Kostas Tsimikas, by the way. Unbelievable.

“It was first after the game. We saw the situation when he got it; him himself, nobody would have thought something happened there.

“We got him off the pitch and he said ‘I feel a little bit’ and next day, scans and then a surgeon has to look at it. That’s how we do it, different information. In the end, it’s strange but we were happy that we heard the final diagnosis.”

It remains to be seen when Jota will be welcomed back into fold, with the rest of 2020 being written off, but he claims to be making positive progress in his rehabilitation.

He told Liverpool’s official website: “Now I am supporting from the outside it is not easy - it’s even harder when you need to suffer as a fan and you can do literally nothing to help the team on the field.

“I’m doing my best to be back as soon as possible. Things are going well but knee injuries are always complicated so we cannot rush things, but I am doing well and I will be back on the field as soon as possible, like I say.”

Liverpool, without Jota and several other senior stars, will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Crystal Palace.