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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has “the talent of Lionel Messi and the willpower of Cristiano Ronaldo”, says Mino Raiola, with the AC Milan striker told he would have eight Ballons d’Or if a public vote determined the recipient of that prize.

An enigmatic Swede has never been in contention for the most prestigious of individual accolades.

He has made the long list of nominees in the past, but has failed to make it into the top three or anywhere near a Golden Ball.

Messi and Ronaldo, meanwhile, have shared 11 successes between them, with a Barcelona superstar edging out his eternal rival to sit on a record-setting six triumphs.

Raiola believes Ibrahimovic’s exploits would have been recognised had voting power been taken out of the hands of professionals and placed into those of an adoring fan base.

He considers the Rossoneri star, who is still going strong at 39 years of age, to be “the most complete player ever”, with his enviable haul of trophies and 558 career goals considered to be an indicator of that.

“I immediately say that between Cristiano Ronaldo, of whom I’m a big fan, and Messi, I’ll always pick the Portuguese,” Raiola told Tuttosport.

“Zlatan, on the other hand, is from another planet in his own right. He is the most complete player ever in the history of football.

“He has the talent of Messi and the willpower of CR7. If the Ballon d’Or had been voted for by the public, I know he would have won eight.”

Ibrahimovic is currently turning out for Milan alongside another of Raiola’s clients, highly-rated goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The 21-year-old has seen a move away from San Siro mooted in the past and is set to see his current contract expire in the summer of 2021.

Raiola remains coy when it comes to a possible extension for the Italy international, with all options set to be weighed up before committing to any one club.

“He’s a Milan player at the moment, then we’ll see,” Raiola added.

“For sure, Gigio is no longer the one he was four years ago and there are many who ask about him. But I’ll stop here. I don’t want that it becomes a media renewal like last time [when a last extension was signed in 2017].”

Pep Guardiola says he will not rest players for the Champions League clash with Marseille, despite having the Manchester Derby just three days later.

Manchester City have already secured a place in the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition after finishing top of Group C with a game to spare.

Guardiola says he has an almost full squad to choose from, with Sergio Aguero in contention for a place on the bench after stepping up his recovery from injury.

"We are going to decide [on Aguero]. Maybe he will be on the bench, we’ll see his reaction tomorrow in his body, not just his knee," the City boss said.

"The last two or three days he’s been part of the training and the reaction and the niggles from the recent past have disappeared.

"Everyone has played a lot of minutes so we’ll play the game to win. I don’t rotate the team, I try to put in the players in the best condition, decide the best [line-up] for specific teams, there’s not one team for one competition and one for another.

"Everyone was involved in last few days and that’s good in this tight schedule, everyone has to be ready."

While City's European progress has been straightforward, Saturday's opponents Manchester United face a make-or-break clash against RB Leipzig on Tuesday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team need a point from their game in Germany to join City in the last 16 but despite the intensity of their final group game, Guardiola says it doesn't hand his side an advantage.

"They’ll be focused today and when the next game is a derby they will still be focused," he added. "That’s my experience."

Guardiola has been mindful of protecting his squad all season with the hectic schedule increasing the risk of injuries.

But the City boss insisted that the players which face Marseille are capable of forcing their way into his thoughts for the game at Old Trafford.

"The team that plays tomorrow, they can play against United, or maybe not," he said. "I want to win this game, it’s not because of one more day, or one less.

"In previous Christmas times we had less days, tomorrow we have the chance to win and then on Thursday or Friday we will think about United."

Alphonso Davies is in line to return to action for Bayern Munich in the Champions League after making a full recovery from an ankle injury.

Davies has missed Bayern's last nine matches across all competitions while working his way back to full fitness with the club's medical team.

The 20-year-old sustained ligament damage during a 5-0 Bundesliga victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in October, and subsequently underwent an extensive rehabilitation programme behind the scenes.

Hansi Flick resigned himself to being without the Canada International for eight weeks, but welcomed him back into full training ahead of schedule last week.

Although the Bayern boss opted against including a prized asset in a top-of-the-table clash against RB Leipzig on Saturday, he has confirmed that he is planning to recall him when Lokomotiv Moscow arrive at Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.

Flick told reporters ahead of his side's final Group A encounter: "Alphonso Davies will be back in the squad tomorrow, which is good news.

"We are planning to play him, but we've not yet decided if he will start or come off the bench."

Pressed further on his selection plans, Flick revealed that Corentin Tolisso is also nearing a comeback, but he will likely have to wait until Saturday's clash with Union Berlin before being handed any competitive minutes.

"Alongside Leon Goretzka, we'll have Marc Roca, Angelo Stiller and Maximilian Zaiser in the squad," said Flick.

"Corentin Tolisso trained really well today so he could be an option for Saturday, which would really help us."

The 55-year-old added on the threat Lokomotiv Moscow will pose Bayern: "Lokomotiv Moscow play good football, especially up front. They can combine well on the ball when they have space.

"We need to deny them that space and stay compact."

Bayern are already safely through to the Champions League knockout stages having recorded four wins and one draw in their group, and they made sure of top spot by picking up a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano on matchday five.

Gor Mahia are desperately keen on winning the services of Sammy Omollo on a permanent basis.

The Posta Rangers man was acquired as a strand-in coach to guide K'Ogalo in the first preliminary round of the Caf Champions League against APR Rwanda. The Confederation of African Football (Caf) banned current coach Roberto Oliveira Goncalves for not having Caf A coaching qualification papers.

The 51-year-old has since helped K'Ogalo safely seal a passage to the second preliminary round after a 4-3 aggregate win over the Rwandan champions.

"The Gor Mahia management was impressed with the way Omollo helped the team in the two games," a source close to the club and coach told Goal on Tuesday.

"They have approached the coach hoping to convince him to stay but the problem is his contract with Posta Rangers. Remember there was an agreement between the two clubs and not the club and the coach."

When reached for comment, the former Kenya international defender explained how the situation is.

"Gor Mahia would have loved me to continue serving them, unfortunately, I have a binding contract with my team Posta Rangers," Omollo told Goal.

"I came to help Gor Mahia because it was a gentleman's agreement between the two chairmen [John Tonui and Ambrose Rachier].

"Whether I will be in charge in the next preliminary round of the competition or not depends on my team and Gor Mahia of course."

After eliminating the Army, K'Ogalo will play Algerian side CR Belouizdad. 

The North Africa side reached the next round after a 4-0 aggregate win against Al Nasr of Libya. The Algerian champions won the first leg away in Tripoli 2-0 and returned home to complete the job with another 2-0 win.

According to the Confederation of African Football (Caf), the first leg will be played on December 22 or 23 in Algeria, with the return leg planned for January 5 or 6, 2021 in Nairobi.

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 advanced 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.

KCCA have gone top of the Ugandan Premier League (UPL) table after whitewashing Onduparaka FC 8-0 on Tuesday.

The 13-time champions scored their goals courtesy of Brian Aheebwa who scored four goals, and Samuel Ssenyodo who scored a hat-trick, with the remaining goal coming from Herbert Achai. 

New boy Aheebwa needed just 17 minutes to introduce himself to the home ground. Samuel Ssenyodo managed to keep-off the defenders before picking the striker who clinically finished the move for a 1-0 win in favour of the Kasasiro Boys.

Five minutes later, poor positioning by the goalkeeper allowed Herbert Achai's cross, come shot, deep into the goal to double the advantage in favour of the champions.

The Caterpillars were not yet done; Ssenyonjo, who was involved in the two early goals, put his name on the scoresheet when Aheebwa picked him. It was the fifth goal for the youngster in six recent games in all competitions.

Ssenyonjo was not done; in the 37th minute, Aheebwa found space and unleashed a fierce strike which the goalkeeper spilt. The ball fell on the path of the former and he managed to complete his brace.

It got worse for the visitors who went into the break trailing by five goals. Andrew Kigozi was brought down in the danger zone seconds to the break, and Aheebwa held his nerve to score.

Ssenyonjo completed his hat-trick in the 56th minute when Keziron Kizito picked him. The former kept his cool to beat the goalkeeper and score the sixth goal for the Garbage Collectors.

10 minutes later, it was the turn of Aheebwa to complete his hat-trick as well, this time around capitalising on defensive lapses that came around due to frustration.

The unstoppable Aheebwa scored his fourth in the 74th minute to ensure KCCA led 8-0 with about 10 minutes to go. 

In other matches played on Tuesday, Police FC defeated Myda 3-1. Ben Ocen scored a brace for the Cops with another goal coming from Eric Ssenjobe. The hosts, who are making their debut in the UPL, scored their goal through Nsimbe. 

Wakiso Giants drew 2-2 with their visitors Kyetume while BUL defeated Busoga 3-1. URA FC and Bright Stars settled for a goalless draw.

The Football Kenya Federation Independent Disciplinary and Appeals Committee (FKFIDA) has dismissed Sofapaka's appeal over former player Wycliffe Kasaya's case and ordered a Ksh 1.6 million compensation to be made as earlier ruled.

"The Player filed a suit against the club at the Player Status Committee on December 11, 2018. The contention at the first instance of proceedings was that the club had failed to pay the player his salary for three consecutive months, and had unilaterally terminated his contract which was valid from June 2, 2018, up to May 31, 2020." 

Furthermore, the player claimed that the club was preventing him from moving on to a new club by denying him a release letter that would enable his new club to secure his registration for the new season.   

The committee also ordered the club to pay the player KShs. 1,610,000.00 in damages comprising unpaid salary for October 2018, three months’ salary in lieu of notice, and compensation for the balance of the term of the prematurely terminated contract. 

The club being aggrieved by the Player Status Committee decision filed an appeal on February 21, 2019.   

Batoto ba Mungu failed to win the appeal which they felt was not lawful. 

"[Sofapaka] was unable to demonstrate that there exists significant fact or evidence which the Player Status Committee failed to take into account and that such fact or evidence was of such a decisive nature that it would probably have led to a different decision or outcome had it been considered," read part of the ruling as obtained by Goal.

"Based on the foregoing, the Appeal Committee unanimously makes the following declarations: the Petition is dismissed and each party shall bear its own costs."   

Kasaya has since celebrated his win urging players not to be ashamed to get their justice. 

"I want to encourage players who will see this, do not be ashamed to stand up for your right," the goalkeeper said in a statement.

"Do not be afraid to speak up even if you are alone. It's high time players stand up for their right as long as you follow the right procedures."   

Rene Meulensteen says Paul Pogba "needs to be stronger" with Mino Raiola, who he believes has put "unbelievable pressure" on the Manchester United star with his latest comments.

Raiola risked the wrath of those at United by speaking out on Pogba's future at Old Trafford ahead of a Champions League group-stage decider against RB Leipzig on Tuesday night.

The Italian claimed his client's time in Manchester will soon draw to a close  while also suggesting that the midfielder has been shackled by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's preferred tactical set-up during an explosive interview with Tuttosport .

Pogba's representative, who brokered his move to Juventus in 2012, has made regular comments since the 27-year-old's return to United four years ago, and Meulensteen thinks he has gone too far this time.

The Dutchman is well aware of Raiola's influence having worked as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant in his final years as manager, and is not surprised that he has popped up again before the Red Devils' biggest game of the season to date.

Meulensteen would like to see Pogba stand up to the 53-year-old businessman so that future distractions can be avoided, as he told talkSPORT : “I always knew that Sir Alex wasn’t too keen to get involved with agents, but he also realised the influence of the agents was getting bigger.

“It’s been a constant thing that has run through his [Pogba’s] entire time at Man Utd; when Jose Mourinho was there the same issues came up. This is really poor timing. Even if he feels like that, the player needs to be stronger with his agent, what they can say and when they can say it.

"He scored a goal, so what a surprise he comes out with it now, but it puts such unbelievable pressure on him. If Solskjaer decides to play Pogba tonight, it puts loads of pressure on him [Solskjaer] as well.”

Meulensteen added on the prospect of a World Cup winner leaving the club next year: “Every fan at every club wants players who play for the club to be committed.

“This needs to be dealt with in-house very quickly, otherwise it keeps going on and on.”

The former United coach went on to discuss the team's recent form under Solskjaer, who has come in for plenty of criticism at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

Meulensteen feels Bruno Fernandes has been carrying the team in recent weeks, with a 3-1 win over West Ham on Saturday, which saw Pogba draw United level, considered to be the latest in a long line of unconvincing victories.

“It’s a long-term thing and we’re two years in, but that game summed up the whole of Solskjaer’s time at United so far,” he said. "First half, they were miles off; second half, they weren’t too far off. Man Utd are always under the magnifying glass, even though every top-six club has problems.

“If you take the best two players out of every team, they will struggle, and you could see how much United are relying on Bruno Fernandes to get a performance.

“As soon as he isn’t there, they fall into a slow, pedestrian pace, with no runs in behind and no penetration. If you want to win trophies and leagues, you need to be consistent. United has a team with bags of individual talent.

“They are team that can turn up and beat any team but also lose to any team. Every time you wonder which United is going to turn up.”

Bengaluru FC and NorthEast United shared spoils in an exciting Indian Super League (ISL) clash on Tuesday at the Fatorda Stadium, Goa.

Luis Machado (4', 78') scored a brace for the Highlanders while Juanan Gonzalez (13') and Udanta Singh (70') netted for the Blues.

Gerard Nus made four changes to the NorthEast lineup which defeated East Bengal 2-0 in their last match. Dylan Fox, Lalrempuia Fanai, VP Suhar and Roccharzela replaced Mashoor Shereef, Lalengmawia, Ninthoinganba Meetei and Idrissa Sylla.

Carles Cuadrat, on the other hand, decided not to make any change in the Bengaluru lineup that defeated Chennaiyin in their last game.

NorthEast United took an early lead courtesy a brilliant move which was initiated by Luis Machado who found VP Suhair on the right flank with a long ball. Suhair did well to go past Ashique Kuruniyan before forwarding the ball to Rochharzela inside the box, who cut into the centre and took a shot. The ball was deflected off Machado's chest on its way into the net. 

Bengaluru restored parity in an unusual manner in the 13th minute. A long throw-in from Rahul Bheke came off Dylan Fox's chest and Juanan slotted the ball in at the end of a melee inside the box. 

Harmanjot Khabra should have handed Bengaluru the lead after he received a cross from Kuruniyan inside the box. The right-back was unmarked and had a clear sight of the goal but he took a touch, attempted the shot with his weaker foot and the ball went out.

It was end-to-end action in the first half with both teams creating chances to score. 

A blunder from the Highlander's custodian could have Gurmeet Singh could have resulted in Bengaluru's second goal within the first minute of the second half. Singh casually played a short pass to Dylan Fox inside the box which Cleiton Silva intercepted but he failed to push the ball into an empty net. 

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu denied Kwesi Appiah from increasing the lead in the 51st minute with a brilliant save. Suhair kept and inch-perfect cross inside the box for Appiah who kept his header on target but an acrobatic effort from Sandhu denied the Ghanian from scoring.

Another brilliant effort from Gurmeet Singh, on the other end, denied Bengaluru from taking the lead in the 63rd minute. The young goalkeeper managed to stop Kristian Opseth's shot from point-blank range.

The Blues finally took the lead in the 70th minute thanks to Dylan Fox's laziness inside the box. Paartalu had sent a cross inside the box which was kept in play by Chhetri. Fox had ample time to clear the ball but instead, he delayed which allowed Udanta to intercept and find the back of the net.

The away team restored parity in the 78th minute from a counter-attack. Idrissa Sylla flicked a long ball with the back of his head towards Machado who did well to beat Juanan and slot the ball home.

Ghana have revenge on their minds as they take on archrivals Nigeria in their opening game of the 2020 Wafu B Cup of Nations in Benin, says head coach Abdul Karim Zito.

The Black Satellites are set to face the Flying Eagles at Stade de Gaules in Porto Novo at the sub-regional championship.

While Ghana drew a bye on matchday one of Group B's schedule of fixtures due to the group consisting of only three teams, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire settled for a 1-1 draw.

At their last meeting at the tournament two years ago, Ghana were handed a 4-2 defeat by Nigeria.

"There is a big rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria. So at all costs, we should make amendments [for the last defeat]," Zito told Footballmadeinghana.

"In football sometimes people say win, lose or draw. It's not about drawing, its winning, drawing or making amendments. We will have the opportunities to make amendments. Ghana have another opportunity to make amendments from the first 4-2 [defeat] they gave us.

“[Nigeria] is a team that is not tactically sound compared to Cote D’Ivoire but it [our chances] all depends on the team that we are going to play against. Maybe their motivation factor against Cote D’Ivoire will not be the same against Ghana.

“I will not take it [their threat] the way I saw it over there [against Cote d'Ivoire] but rather I will also build my own self against what I saw. We need a win out of two matches just to make it to the semi-final."

The Wafu B Championship serves as qualifiers for the 2021 Africa U20 Cup of Nations, with the two finalists in Benin securing participation tickets for the continental gathering.

The African event will, in turn, serve as qualifiers for the 2020 Fifa U20 World Cup, the four semi-finalists are set to represent the continent at the global gathering in Indonesia.

"We need Ghanaians to pray for us and keep supporting us," Ghana captain Daniel Afriyie said.

"Our training sessions have been intense and shows we are very serious. They should support us and we will deliver victory for them on Wednesday.

"They [Ghanaians] should not lose sleep over our qualifications chances. We will need them to pray for us. We will do everything possible to win the trophy for Ghana."

Ghana have set their sights on going all the way to play at the World Cup for the first time since 2015 when they reached the round of 16 in New Zealand. 

Casemiro has made clear Real Madrid's squad are firmly behind Zinedine Zidane as they aim to avoid a hugely embarrassing Champions League exit. 

Madrid have become accustomed to success in Europe's premier club competition under Zidane, having lifted the trophy three times during his first spell in charge. 

However, the reigning LaLiga champions were dumped out at the last-16 stage last season, going down 4-2 on aggregate to Manchester City, and are in serious danger of failing to make it out of their group for the first time ever.

Los Blancos sit third in the table going into the final round of fixtures, when they will play host to leaders Borussia Monchengladbach in the Spanish capital on Wednesday. 

Having also faltered in the early stages of their title defence, Zidane's future has come into serious question – and missing out on the knockout rounds would only increase speculation he could be set for the sack. 

Midfielder Casemiro, however, insists the under-pressure head coach retains the faith of his players.

"What am I going to say about Zidane? He has made history, last year he won two trophies. We often don't realise what Zidane has done," the Brazil international said. 

"The season is strange, it's true. The pre-season was not good and playing every two or three days is difficult.  

"The team is with the coach. And I value what he has done and what he is doing." 

Madrid have only lost one of their previous five meetings with Gladbach in European competition, albeit three of those fixtures have ended in draws. 

Zidane has only failed to make it out of the group stage once in his entire career, back in 2000 when he played for Juventus. Casemiro is confident Madrid will not suffer a similar fate this season, as they prepare for the game as if it were a final. 

"We know that tomorrow is the most important game of the year," he told the media. "We all know that tomorrow is a final. We have to face it as if it were a final. 

"We've been taught at this club that you don't play finals, you win them. We're not thinking about anything other than winning. 

"We know there is a good opponent and they're top of the group, so we have to respect that. But, we're going out to win." 

As for Gladbach, the Bundesliga club are looking to reach the Champions League knockout phase for the first time at the third attempt, having previously failed to do so in 2015-16 and 2016-17. 

FKF has disbursed Ksh2million to Ulinzi Stars' account as the first grant for signing the StarTimes broadcast deal.

Ulinzi Stars have officially received the Sh2million grant from the sponsors after they endorsed the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and StarTimes broadcast deal.

The Soldiers were among the three ‘rebel’ clubs that were yet to endorse the deal since the season kicked off three weeks ago but signed the same on Tuesday, a move which saw the team included in the 2020-21 fixtures.

And now a source within the federation has confirmed to Goal they have also received the Sh2million grant from sponsors BetKing and StarTimes, and will now start the season with a league match against Gor Mahia at Kasarani Stadium on Saturday, which will be live on StarTimes.

“We have sent Ulinzi Stars the sponsorship grant that they will now use to prepare for the game against Gor Mahia,” the source, who did not want to be named told Goal. “They have received Sh2million like all the teams that had signed the deal received.”

The Soldiers have also confirmed they are back in the league, “The dust has settled," Ulinzi Stars wrote on their social media pages. 

"We start off our season this weekend. Saturday, to be precise...we face off with the reigning champions, Gor Mahia at Kasarani starting 3 pm.”

Both Gor Mahia and Ulinzi Stars were among the teams which were reluctant to sign the deal but Gor Mahia later signed through their secretary-general Sam Ochola while Ulinzi Stars endorsed the same, hours after FKF had threatened to kick out the ‘rebel’ clubs from taking part in the league.

In an exclusive interview earlier on Tuesday, a source in FKF told Goal the FKF National Executive Committee was set to kick out the teams and that the decision had the blessing of world governing body Fifa.

“The three ‘rebel’ clubs are on the verge of being kicked out of the league by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of FKF,” the source, who did not want to be named, told Goal on Tuesday.

“They will be removed because the FKF has the obligation that every team affiliated to their league must sign the undertaking by StarTimes so that their matches are screened live on TV.

“It is already matchday two and they have refused to sign the endorsement, they have remained adamant despite perusing through the document, FKF has also written to them more than four times, and they are still saying they cannot sign, we cannot keep changing fixtures every week because of their stand, they will be kicked out.”

The source continued: “Something significant will happen this week because the TV rights belong to FKF and not the clubs, FKF have no choice but to crack the whip, we cannot wait for them any longer.

“We have talked to them for the last four weeks [on why they should sign the document], but they have refused, and now a decision has been made and the decision is to kick them out of the league.”

In the revised fixtures, Nairobi City Stars will take on Bandari at Kasarani on ‘Friday, while on Saturday, Western Stima will welcome Tusker in Kisumu, Gor Mahia host Ulinzi Stars, and Kariobangi Sharks battle Bidco United at Utalii Grounds.

On Sunday, KCB will take on Kakamega Homeboyz, Vihiga United battle Nzoia Sugar, AFC Leopards entertain Sofapaka while Posta Rangers will come up against Wazito FC.

Olivier Giroud may have seen questions asked of his ongoing presence at Chelsea heading towards the January transfer window, but Pat Nevin says there is no way the Blues are going to part with a striker who has hit an “astonishing” run of form.

The ability and value of a World Cup winner has never been doubted by those at Stamford Bridge.

There is, however, fierce competition for places in west London, with Timo Werner joining Tammy Abraham in an attacking talent pool over the summer.

Giroud has often found himself being the odd man out, with Frank Lampard using him sparingly despite the 34-year-old being a proven Premier League performer.

The France international has always delivered when called upon, though, and plundered a stunning four-goal haul during a recent Champions League outing against Sevilla.

He followed those efforts up with another in a 3-1 win over Leeds, with the former Arsenal star forcing Lampard’s hand by making himself indispensable.

Nevin believes that will bring any exit talk to a close, despite Giroud admitting that he may have to mull over his options, with the only headache facing Chelsea now being how to avoid burning out an in-form frontman.

“The phenomenal week Olivier Giroud has had contains another bunch of reasons to be cheerful,” former Blues winger Nevin told the club’s official website.

“Just a few weeks ago I had people asking me whether Olivier would stay with the club after the January window. This question is asked before nearly every January window to be fair, but I think we all know what the answer is after his five-goal haul in four days.

“His form is astonishing and after wondering for a while how he was going to get enough game time, the question is suddenly reversed, because he is so important to the cause. How do we now make sure he is not overused?

“I did some analysis on him before the Sevilla game. I have talked for many years, without embarrassment and even when he was at Arsenal, about him being the best near-post striker in the world. Well, the hat-trick goal against Sevilla and the first goal versus Leeds just underlined this point for about the 100th time.”

While Giroud has been dominating the headlines of late, Nevin is looking for Werner and Abraham to raise their respective games and become the prolific marksmen that Chelsea are going to need in order to sustain challenges for silverware on multiple fronts.

He added heading into a Champions League clash with Krasnodar on Tuesday that is expected to see Lampard shuffle his pack: “We know the attitude will be good and the chances will flow, but I just hope some of those chances fall to Timo Werner or Tammy Abraham this time.

“We are the top scorers in the Premier League but amazingly our individual top league scorer is Timo with just three, way behind [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin with 11, [Heung-min] Son 10 and then [Mohamed] Salah and [Jamie] Vardy on nine.

“Timo has eight goals in all competitions, so it is still an exceptional start. But for all that spreading the goals around is a good thing, we will eventually need someone who is up there with the top scorers in the league if we are going to be competitive all the way through to May.” 

Mamelodi Sundowns attacking midfielder Themba Zwane believes that the current Brazilians crop can become the best ever domestically by smashing their record 71-point Premier Soccer League (PSL) tally from the 2015/16 season.

Since the PSL switched from being an 18-team league to 16 teams ahead of the 2002/03 season, Downs hold the record of amassing the highest number of points.

Now Zwane feels that they can surpass their own record they set in 2016 when they romped to the champions podium, 16 points clear of second-placed Bidvest Wits.

The Brazilians star believes that they have “quality” material to outdo themselves.

“We can do it. Why not? With the quality we have and the way we’ve started, it’s really possible to go beyond 71 points. If we can remain consistent we can do it,’’ said Zwane as per Sowetan Live.

“It’s very difficult [to always play] at Sundowns. You can see the quality players that are there. So as a player you always have to work hard. Consistency books you a ticket to play the next game.”

Apart from holding the record number of points in a 16-team PSL, Downs and Kaizer Chiefs already boasted of the highest tally when there were 18 teams participating.

Masandawana and Chiefs each tallied 75 points at the end of the 1998/99 season but Sundowns beat the Soweto giants to the league title on goal difference.

Sundowns then again reached 75 points the following season to claim another league crown.

As Zwane now eyes breaking their own records, it looks promising judging from how they have started their season.

Also, an attacking combination of Zwane, Peter Shalulile and Kermit Erasmus is already a menace to PSL defences.

The Downs stars have managed six league goals in as many matches so far in the campaign.

After managing four wins and two draws, the Tshwane giants have 14 points from six games and avoiding dropping points in the upcoming games can help them go past 71 points.

“My aim was to start on a high note…try to help the team to win games,” Zwane said about his start to the season.

Caoimhin Kelleher has revealed how a text from Alisson Becker capped off his dream Champions League debut for Liverpool.

With Alisson, the Reds’ first-choice goalkeeper, sidelined with a hamstring injury, Kelleher was a surprise pick for last week’s crucial group clash with Ajax.

Preferred to the more experienced Adrian, and making just his fifth professional club appearance, the Irishman repaid Jurgen Klopp’s faith with a faultless performance, making a series of crucial saves to give his side a 1-0 win which secured qualification for the last 16.

It also meant Kelleher kept his place for Sunday’s Premier League win over Wolves, and he is expected to start again as Klopp’s side complete their Champions League group campaign with a dead rubber away at Danish champions FC Midtjylland on Wednesday.

Kelleher was selected for pre-match media duties at Kirkby on Tuesday, and smiled as he reflected on a whirlwind seven days.

“Yeah it’s been a decent week!” he told reporters. “What can I say? Two debuts in one week, it’s been a bit of a mad one.

“I’ve just been trying to take my opportunities when I’ve had them. I’ve had two games, and felt I did well in them. That’s all I can do.”

Looking back on the Ajax game, Kelleher revealed his phone had been “buzzing” for days afterwards, and said that Alisson was among those to have sent a message.

“My phone was buzzing for about three days afterwards, just from friends, family, former coaches, everyone really,” he said.

“Alisson texted me as well just to say well done, and that he was proud of me. The messages were all nice and supportive, so it was good to get them.”

Klopp is expected to make wholesale changes for Wednesday’s game, though he told his own pre-match press conference that his line-up is undecided as of yet.

There should be places for the likes of Kostas Tsimikas, Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi, though, while youngsters Rhys Williams, Billy Koumetio, Luis Longstaff, Jake Cain and Leighton Clarkson are all expected to travel.

Liam Millar, captain of Barry Lewtas’ U23 side, is also in contention, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Naby Keita should play some part as they work their way back to full fitness.

Klopp confirmed there were no fresh injury concerns after Sunday’s game, but said the likes of James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Xherdan Shaqiri and Thiago Alcantara would not be able to return for this game.

Juan Mata says he's not ready to walk away from the "emotional roulette" of professional football, with the Manchester United star hopeful he has "plenty of years left" in the game.

Mata has enjoyed an illustrious career at the highest level spanning 14 years, which began with La Liga giants Real Madrid.

The midfielder left Santiago Bernabeu after one season in their Castilla side to join Valencia, where he quickly emerged as one of the brightest young talents in Spanish football.

Mata's impressive performances at Mestalla earned him a regular spot in national team, and he formed part of their star-studded World Cup-winning squad in 2010, before moving onto bigger challenges at club level the following year.

Chelsea snapped the ex-Madrid starlet up for £24 million ($32m), and the investment paid off 10-fold during the 2011-12 campaign, which ended in Champions League and FA Cup glory for the west London outfit.

Mata went on to make 135 appearances for the Blues across all competitions while adding a Europa League winners' medal to his silverware collection, but ended up being deemed surplus to requirements after Jose Mourinho's return to the club.

The Spain international joined United in a £37m ($49m) deal in January 2014, and has since enhanced his reputation as one of the best playmakers in the Premier League.

Mata has scored 50 goals in 263 appearances for the Red Devils, while also providing 47 assists, helping the club win three major trophies in the process.

However, the 32-year-old has gradually fallen down the squad pecking order at Old Trafford, and is currently having to make do with a bit-part role under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the start of the 2020-21 season.

Despite the fact he is no longer guaranteed regular minutes in Manchester, Mata is optimistic he can continue playing at the highest level for a while yet having grown accustomed to the intense nature of the job.

“I’ve thought about retirement, what it will be like, but I have no idea," the United ace told The Guardian. "Football is an emotional roulette, every three days, short-term goals, the pace of life, suffering defeats, facing objectives, and it’s hard to find a role after.

"I don’t know what I’m going to do. I really hope I have plenty of years left, that an ex-footballer’s life is a few years away.

"You have to find a meaning to your life, not just live off what you were.”

Mata also stressed the importance of savouring every moment he gets on the pitch ahead of the Red Devils' crucial Champions League showdown against RB Leipzig on Tuesday night.

"We have to win,’” he added. “Well, draw in this case. Truth is, there are elements of professional football that make it harder to enjoy: the demands to get a result, to play well or lose your place, to perform in front of 80,000, not with your friends in front of no one.

“And when you win, because that’s your duty, it’s more relief than happiness. Why? Because in three days you have another game you have to win. It’s so constant that it’s hard to savour victory.

"But however high the demands it’s important to think: yes, there’s an objective, a plan, responsibility, but I’m going to enjoy this, on this perfect pitch, with this ball. And the more you remember that, the better you’ll play."

Timothy Fosu-Mensah has revealed that he played a small part in luring Donny van de Beek to Manchester United with a “biggest club” transfer pitch.

The Red Devils added another Dutchman to their ranks during the summer window when Van de Beek was snapped up from Ajax, with the highly-rated Netherlands international opting to head for Old Trafford over the other options available to him.

Fosu-Mensah sought out a familiar face before that big career call was made, with the Red Devils defender selling the prestige of representing United to a fellow countryman.

The 22-year-old, who once spent time playing alongside Van de Beek in the academy ranks at Ajax, told the Red Devils’ official website: “I told him United is a big club, if not the biggest club.

“I said it's good if you have the opportunity to come here. We have got very good team-mates, the quality is very good here.

“I said, 'It’s up to you because I can’t make the decision for you but it’s a very good club'. At the end of the day it was his decision.”

Van de Beek has made a slow start to life in England, with regular game time proving hard to come by amid fierce competition for places.

Fosu-Mensah is, however, confident that the classy playmaker will come good once fully up to speed.

He added: “He’s a good player, a player with a lot of qualities and I think he’s also a good guy so he’ll bring a lot of positive things to the club.”

Fosu-Mensah, who has taken in two appearances for United this season, went on to say of having another compatriot in Manchester: “It feels good.

“It’s special also because we’ve seen each other since we were so small, growing up and then I left when I was 16. He was still at Ajax but we always had good contact with each other.

“When I left for United, I still played for the national youth teams in the Netherlands, the Under-17s, Under-18s, Under-19s, Under-21s, and he was always there. So it’s very special to see him now at Manchester United.”

Van de Beek was handed a started berth in United’s last Premier League outing against West Ham, but he was hauled off at half-time as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer asked Bruno Fernandes to provide a spark in what proved to be another productive afternoon for the Red Devils away from home.