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The South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) launched a four-year women's football strategy to build an inclusive and sustainable future for the women's game in the country on Friday.

The development comes eight years after the country became the 209th member of Fifa and a year after playing its first women's international game at the 2019 Cecafa Women’s Cup in Tanzania.

The East-Central Africans become the latest nation on the continent to roll out a long-term plan for the women's game in 2020, following in the footsteps of Morocco and Algeria.

Prior to Friday's launching of the strategy, tagged 'Stars Unite', SSFA President, Amin Francis opened up on his administration's lofty intentions with regards to women's football growth.

“The plan is to include everyone. We want to continue supporting more women in football through training more coaches, referees and also the new women’s national league, due to start in February 2021," Francis told Fifa.

Helen Tarso Aninyesi, who is the manager of the project, expected to run from 2021 to 2024, said: “We want to show the world that South Sudan is growing in women's football. We also want to change the mindset of some people who still don’t believe that women can play football.”

Amy Lasu Luate, who captains the senior women's team and is also an SSFA Player Ambassador, shared her joy over the move.

“The women’s football strategy is a big step for our country and for us as players. It is going to create a platform for us to showcase our talents here at home and also in other parts of the world," she said.

On the core project plan, SSFA revealed the main agendas as: "Firstly, to increase the number of female coaches, referees, players and administrators. A series of measures including women-only courses are planned.

"Secondly, increase the number of girls playing football at the grassroots and community level by 70 per cent through school festivals and community outreach projects. Currently, there are 5,000 players nationwide.

"Thirdly, launch a national women’s football league, building an elite player pathway for teams from each region of the country. As well as committing to participate in six international tournaments with the women’s national team, with players provided with central contracts.

"Fourthly, develop a marketing and communications strategy to boost awareness, advocacy and the sport. Using ambassadors from the worlds of sport and music."

The 'Stars Unite' project launch was graced by South Sudan's Vice-President Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, Sports Minister Albino Bol and Jumah Stephen, President of the National Olympic Committee. 

Thomas Tuchel is pleased with Kylian Mbappe's recent form, but says he will consider leaving the forward out of Paris Saint-Germain's squad for Saturday's trip to Montpellier.

The France international wasted a good chance in Wednesday's 3-1 win over Manchester United as his scoreless streak in the Champions League stretched to a ninth game. 

He is also without a goal in his past three appearances for PSG, failing to score from any of his nine shots in those games and hitting the target only twice.

PSG face a huge clash with Istanbul Basaksehir next Tuesday, knowing that they are guaranteed a place in the last 16 should they avoid defeat. With that contest in mind, Tuchel will consider leaving out Mbappe for this weekend's Ligue 1 meeting against Montpellier.

"We will have to decide on that today," Tuchel said at Friday's pre-match news conference. "In my head there are several different possibilities.

"We have to make decisions for Tuesday as well. We may have some changes to make, but for Kylian personally, I am calm.

"For me he had a good game [against United], a better game than in matches he has scored in. He put in a lot of effort both in an attacking and defensive sense. He had a bit of bad luck with his chance, but it will come for him. He should stay calm because I am also very calm."

Neymar scored twice at Old Trafford in a result that may effectively keep under-fire Tuchel in a job, the French giants now firm favourites to advance through to the knockouts.

Comments made by Neymar after the game proved a bigger talking point than Tuchel's future as he talked of his desire to be reunited with Lionel Messi next year.

That has only intensified speculation that Neymar's ex-Barcelona team-mate Messi could be on his way to the French capital, but Tuchel was unwilling to discuss the rumours.

He said: "That is not something I can talk about. I haven't discussed it with Neymar yet, either. I have a lot of respect for Barcelona and for Messi so I will not comment."

PSG make the trip to Montpellier on a two-game winless streak in the league, following up a 3-2 away defeat to Monaco with a 2-2 draw at home to Bordeaux last weekend.

The reigning champions have not lost two successive away games in the top flight since December 2016, with one of those defeats coming at Stade de la Mosson.

Indeed, Montpellier have won two of their last four home Ligue 1 games against PSG, but Tuchel suggested the visit of Basaksehir next week takes priority for his side.

"We will look to respond but we have to accept that we also have a very important game on Tuesday," he said. "I need to find a solution to my team selection.

"It's always tough for us against Montpellier. That is something we need to change, while accepting we have another game on Tuesday. We have to accept that for this match there will be decisions made with Basaksehir in mind."

PSG, who announced on Friday that teenage defender Timothee Pembele has signed a new deal until 2024, will definitely be without Pablo Sarabia, Mauro Icardi and Juan Bernat this weekend, while Julian Draxler will be assessed.

William Saliba’s situation at Arsenal “is a strange one”, admits Nigel Winterburn, with the Gunners urged to send the French defender out on loan to a Championship club before he starts questioning his decision to move to England.

The highly-rated 19-year-old arrived at Emirates Stadium over the summer amid much fanfare.

A deal with Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne had been struck 12 months earlier, with the talented defender allowed to spend one more season on loan in his homeland.

Saliba was tipped by many to slot straight into the Arsenal side and become a commanding presence for a Premier League heavyweight.

He is, however, still waiting on a competitive debut, with the youngster among those that Mikel Arteta has frozen out.

There remains plenty of potential in his game but, with another transfer window fast approaching, it is expected that further experience will be picked up outside of north London.

Winterburn believes Arsenal should be looking to keep the teenager in English football, with there a need to “toughen him up” before any breakthrough at the Emirates can be made.

The former Gunners full-back told FreeSuperTips: “The whole William Saliba situation at Arsenal is a strange one. When we signed him, fans were thinking he was going to be a sensational signing for many years to come, but it’s not happened to be like that as of yet. 

“We aren’t fully aware of the issues he has faced since coming to London, but it’s clear to see that he is struggling to settle in his new surroundings.

“Maybe Mikel Arteta felt that Saliba wasn’t ready for the Premier League, but with all the issues surrounding Arsenal at the moment, it is hard to keep up with it.

“If he isn’t going to be put back into the squad in January, then he will need to go out on loan and play for another team to get minutes. 

“I would prefer for his loan to be in England as he could go to a team in the Championship and it will toughen him up, whereas if he went on loan abroad, it might make him realise that he’s made the wrong decision coming to Arsenal.”

While Saliba is yet to see a minute of action in 2020-21, other summer arrivals have been thrown straight into the Arsenal side.

Experienced Brazilian winger Willian is another of those who was backed to thrive for the Gunners, but the ex-Chelsea man has found the going tough after swapping west London for the north.

“When Willian signed for Arsenal, I was quite happy as we all thought we would get the same Willian that played for Chelsea and that we were getting a very good player,” added Winterburn.

“But it's hard to make that judgement yet, particularly when we are struggling to be anywhere near the level that we thought we would be. 

“I didn’t envisage Willian playing as many games as he had so far, which has been a surprise.   

“His struggles could be down to a combination of things, but a lot of people have been saying bringing him in limits the game time of Nicolas Pepe, and this is certainly true.

“You can play Willian as a number 10, but more often than not, he plays on the right-hand side so you can only play one of them. Then you also have Reiss Nelson as another option.

“However, it looks as though Mikel Arteta thinks that Pepe and Nelson won’t be regular starters within the first team and be more of a back-up to Willian.”

Arteta will have more big selection calls to make on Sunday when his inconsistent Arsenal side take in a trip to arch-rivals Tottenham.

Frank Lampard insists that the Spygate scandal which shook English football is in the past ahead of his first game against Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United as the Chelsea manager.

In his previous job at Derby County, one of Bielsa's scouts was caught watching one of Lampard's training sessions ahead of their match in the Championship.

The EFL hit Leeds with a £200,000 fine, which Bielsa paid himself, after ruling that they had breached Article 3.4, which relates to treating other clubs and the league itself "with the utmost good faith".

Lampard has played down the incident from 2019. however, and insists that there isn't any lingering resentment. "It’s long gone," he said ahead of the match at Stamford Bridge.

"I respect him, I respect Leeds. I’m only concerned about us being right tomorrow and trying to win the match.

"I’m certainly not going to dwell on it going into this game. I’d rather dwell on the respect I have for him as a coach. It was a great news story – it had a lot to it and it’s gone. I just look at him and how well he’s done at Leeds. He brought Leeds up the year after.

"They were one of the strongest teams, probably the strongest team in the Championship the year that we played against them at Derby. It was a very proud moment for myself to actually go against him and win that game. But it’s a game long gone now. I’d rather think of a team in great form and I just see the football side of it now."

Reflecting on the rivalry between Chelsea and Leeds, Lampard added: "I’m aware of the rivalry myself being a Chelsea player so long.

"I know how fans feel about it. That’s good. That’s football and why we are in the Premier League - two huge clubs having a feeling and having a history.

"It’s hard me to talk to Timo Werner and Kai Havertz and certain players - they don’t know the history. So they look at Leeds at face value and see a very good team, a very well managed team that plays with incredible energy and speed in their game.

"So I don’t know if the rivalry will come into the game or not, but I know it will be a competitive match because. That’s how Leeds approach games these days."

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed Wilfried Zaha's recovery from coronavirus ahead of their Premier League fixture against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

Zaha tested positive for the virus a fortnight ago after missing Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Madagascar due to family responsibilities in England.

After the period of self-isolation, the 28-year-old returned a negative test result and he boosted Roy Hodgson's team with his presence in training this week.

During his absence, Crystal Palace struggled to win a league match with back-to-back defeats to Burnley and Newcastle United.

They visit West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday and Hodgson stated Zaha, who is leading top scorer for the Eagles with five goals after eight league games, is in contention to return to action.

"We've enjoyed his presence in training this week and he's preparing to play," the 73-year-old said in a press conference.

Luka Milivojevic is another player who is set to return to the team after recovering from coronavirus and Hodgson is excited by options available as they chase their first win since November 7.

"He's another one unfortunately when he went away with Serbia he contracted the virus," the former Liverpool and England coach added.

"He's been over that for a good period of time... He's now back and knocking quite loudly on the door for a place in the team. We're in a good position at the moment for players who are able to play and wanting to play."

Crystal Palace are 15th in the Premier League table with 13 points after 10 matches.

Riyad Mahrez was at the centre of a heated debate between Ed Dove and Malek Shafei on this week’s African Football HQ this week, with the pair disagreeing on whether the Manchester City stars deserves to be considered as world class or not.

Shafei was purring after the North African’s showing against Burnley last weekend, and indeed, it was a faultless display.

City have struggled to eviscerate teams with quite the same regularity as they have done in the past, and heading into the Clarets game, they were reeling after a defeat by Tottenham Hotspur and the narrow victory over Olympiakos.

They’d also been held by Liverpool and West Ham United, and only narrowly beaten Sheffield United in late October.

However, against Burnley, even without injured Sergio Aguero and departed David Silva, City were at their scintillating best.

Admittedly, Burnley are struggling this term, but Mahrez was unplayable—scoring a hat-trick—while Kevin DeBruyne, with two assists was also exceptional.

Ferran Torres and substitute Phil Foden played strong supporting roles in a confident display, but Mahrez—playing on the right—was simply outstanding.

For Shafei, it’s this kind of performance that proves Mahrez is world class; he created six goalscoring opportunities, hit the target with three of his five attempted shots, and proved a constant menace for the Burnley backline.

However, for Dove, one sensational display is not enough for the 29-year-old to be declared ‘world class’.

Coming into this performance against Burnley, he had scored just once and contributed one assist in his previous 11 appearances across the Premier League, the Champions League and the League Cup.

Indeed, City fans have grown increasingly frustrated with Mahrez’s individuality and certainly, the North African has struggled to influence some of City’s biggest matches over the last year.

The FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal was one such example, while the former Leicester City man subsequently lost his place in Pep Guardiola’s plans for the Champions League showdown with Olympique Lyonnais.

If Mahrez can obliterate sides as he did against Burnley on a regular basis, Dove he believes he deserves to be considered world class, but until then, the frustrations will remain.

Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze, Fulham defender Ola Aina and Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez have been nominated for the Premier League Goal of the Month award.

Eze scored his first goal in the English top-flight in grand style against Leeds United with a free-kick from 20 yards on November 7.

The 22-year-old's strike was Crystal Palace's second goal in the game as they romped to a 4-1 home win over Marcelo Bielsa's men.

Aina, on his part, fired in a rocket from outside the penalty area at Craven Cottage to help Scott Parker's men grab their first league win of the season with a 2-0 victory against West Bromwich Albion on November 2.

The Nigeria international doubled the hosts' lead with his left-footed strike, four minutes after Bobby Reid opened the scoring in the 26th minute.

After scoring a hat-trick against Burnley last Saturday, Mahrez's opening goal at the Etihad Stadium earned a spot in the top eight goals for November.

The Algeria captain finished off a brilliant team move to put Manchester City ahead in the sixth minute, in an encounter which eventually ended 5-0 in their favour.

Other players in contention for the award are Southampton duo Danny Ings and James Ward-Prowse, Brighton and Hove Albion's Solly March, Leicester City's Jamie Vardy and Leeds United's Raphinha.

A Sunil Chhetri spot-kick in the second half was enough for Bengaluru to pick up their first win of the season in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) match against Chennaiyin at the GMC Stadium on Friday. 

In a match that was evenly-contested for most parts, it was the defending form both teams that took centre-stage.

In a first half that was devoid of much goalmouth action, Chennaiyin's biggest blow was an injury to Anirudh Thapa. The India international midfielder had to be taken off in the 16th minute, with Edwin Vanspaul replacing him. 

Two minutes later, Rafael Crivellaro registered his team's only shot on target in the first half when he fired a straightforward, first-time effort straight at Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. 

The game turned into an extremely cagey affair and the midfielder witnessed an intense battle with Vanspaul and Deepak Tangri working hard to keep the likes of Dimas Delgado and Suresh Wangjam in check. 

Suresh won a throw-in which Rahul Bheke delivered into the box to cause a bit of concern for the Machans' defence after the 30-minute mark. Cleiton Silva received the throw-in and chipped it into the box for Juanan whose header was on target but not powerful enough to beat Vishal Kaith. 

The teams started the second half with much more energy. Deepak Tangri went close minutes after the restart from a Crivellaro free-kick. The youngster sent a looping header towards goal from the centre of the box but Gurpreet's height allowed him to grab onto the ball. 

The deadlock was finally broken by the Blues in the 56th minute. Edwin Vanspaul brought down Silva inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Sunil Chhetri coolly slotted the ball past Kaith to give his team the lead. 

Csaba Laszlo responded by immediately bringing on Fathullo in place of Isma Goncalves to switch gears in the attack. The Marina Machans pushed forward in search of an equaliser but their finishing left a lot to be desired and the Blues defence was able to deal with the threat. 

Bordeaux manager Jean-Louis Gasset said Samuel Kalu has suffered another injury setback in training on Friday.

The Super Eagles forward joined his teammates in preparing for Sunday's Ligue 1 outing against Brest, after he recovered from a thigh muscle strain.

Unfortunately, the training session did not end well for Kalu as he picked up an injury around the quadriceps of his right thigh which might delay his return to action further.

The 23-year-old's last appearance for the Girondins was at Rennes on November 20 where he played for an hour before he was replaced.

"Samuel Kalu resumed this morning with the group but he has a little setback on the quadriceps of the right thigh," Gasset was quoted as saying by Girondins 33.

"He is worried because he has the fear of the injury and this morning he was afraid. It is not in the same place as his last injury. We'll see tomorrow. "

So far this season, Kalu has a contribution of two goals and an assist after seven games in Ligue 1.

Kalu's compatriot, Josh Maja, is another exciting talent at Bordeaux and he has played in all but one of their matches this season.

The 21-year-old has scored two goals so far in the French top-flight and Gasset is optimistic about the abilities of the former Sunderland attacker.

"Josh is improving, he's only 21. He's an important player," the French boss added. "We're going to have a busy schedule and we will need everyone.

"Josh Maja is one of the players in front of whom we have to unlock in some situations. The future will tell us what his limits are and what he can endure.

"We try to give him all the ingredients to become a great player and a great goalscorer.

"He needs to be in the right place a little more often in the 16 meters area. He supports the play when he has someone behind his back. He is passing a course."

Real Madrid will likely have to deal with Gareth Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett again should they wish to sign Eduardo Camavinga, with the Rennes star seemingly having linked up with ICM Stellar Sports.

Barnett's agency is most well-known for its representation of Wales international Bale, who quit the Spanish champions in the summer after falling out of favour at the Bernabeu under Zinedine Zidane.

Indeed, after it was confirmed that Bale would be heading to Tottenham, Barnett cited a lack of support for the winger in Madrid despite his incredible success during his seven years in Spain.

He told talkSPORT back in September: "It (the reason for Bale's exit) was a build-up of a clash of personalities, a build-up of not being supported, it was many different things.

"For somebody who has done as well as he has for Real Madrid, he didn’t get the respect he deserved and that was a big problem.

"For seven years everybody’s been saying Gareth Bale doesn’t speak Spanish – Gareth Bale speaks Spanish! Everybody’s been saying Gareth Bale doesn’t care about football – Gareth Bale loves football, he’s never fallen out with football.

"He may have fallen out with other things, but not playing football, and I hope back at Tottenham people will realise and stop talking complete and utter rubbish."

Bale proved to be one of Madrid's blockbuster signings of the last decade, with reports having linked the Liga giants with Rennes youngster Camavinga, who is being tipped to develop into one of Europe's top players.

Indeed, the 18-year-old has already represented France at full international level and is also reportedly being lined up by the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham.

AS reported in November that Camavinga had parted ways with his agent Moussa Sissoko, and Barnett has revealed to L'Equipe that he is now representing the highly-rated midfielder.

He said: "We are the official representatives of Eduardo Camavinga. I thank the family for their trust in me and in our agency, and I look forward to working with them to ensure the best for Eduardo."

Camavinga has played 13 games in all competitions for Rennes thus far this season, scoring one goal, and has insisted that he remains open to signing a new contract despite the links with some of Europe's top clubs.

Under-fire Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is convinced he retains the full support of the club and his players amid a difficult run of results.

Madrid head to Sevilla on Saturday having failed to win any of their previous three Liga matches, suffering losses to Valencia and Deportivo Alaves either side of a draw with Villarreal.

Los Blancos have never endured a winless run of four league games under Zidane, and the champions are already seven points adrift of pacesetters Real Sociedad, although arguably the greater concern is second-place Atletico Madrid.

Diego Simeone's men are unbeaten this term and, although a point off the top they have two games in hand on Sociedad and one on their city rivals.

Tuesday's 2-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk increased the pressure on Zidane as their Champions League progression hopes were left hanging in the balance, but the Frenchman continues to put on a brave face.

When asked if he felt he had the club's backing, he told reporters: "Yes, completely, I feel the support of the club. I can't be happy when we lose a game, but we know where we are. We are lucky to fight for this club and that's what I'm going to do until the last day, and the players too. We have to be together with what we know how to do."

Zidane was then asked if the players have given him their backing, which seemed to irk the former France international.

"In the end, you guys [the media] always try these things, asking whether the players are with me or not," he replied. "What the players want is to compete and they have always shown their care for me, but it is not the most important thing.

"I have been a player here, coach, I know the history I have with this club and sometimes it is true that things do not work out for us.

"[Criticism] doesn't bother me. It's my position, it's what it is, when you don't win it's like that, it's normal for there to be criticism, but it won't change what I think. We will continue."

Traditionally, Madrid do well against Sevilla – Los Blancos have beaten them 19 times in their previous 30 Liga meetings, while Zidane has not claimed more wins against any other opponent across all competitions than he has over the Andalusians.

Nevertheless, Europa League holders Sevilla – coached by former Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui – are likely to be fresh having rested many first-team regulars during the 4-0 Champions League defeat to Chelsea.

They are also unbeaten in 15 league games at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, keeping seven clean sheets in their past 10 home games - and will move above Madrid with a win - but Lopetegui remains wary of Madrid, suggesting their difficult form might make them even more threatening this weekend.

"Real Madrid are always dangerous, and even more so in these situations," he said. "They're a team that have answers for many situations and now that feeds into them to give a good performance. I'm expecting a strong Real Madrid, who will demand the best version of us." 

When Youssef En-Nesyri’s tame header trickled into the arms of Edouard Mendy in the closing seconds of Sevilla’s humbling night against Chelsea on Wednesday, it was hard not to feel sorry for the frontman.

On a night where Julen Lopetegui made a swathe of changes to the side, last year’s Europa League winners were thoroughly beaten 4-0 in Andalusia, with the North African forward cutting an isolated figure for the majority of the game in Seville.

Even though qualification was already sewn up, both sides opted to rest usual starters despite first place in the group up for grabs. In the end, Chelsea’s superior quality told, as Frank Lampard was still able to call upon talented players who many will argue should be in the Blues legend’s best line-up.

Lopetegui, on the other hand, utilised a front four that comprised a triumvirate of Franco Vazquez, Oussama Idrissi and En-Nesyri making their first starts in the competition, while Oscar Rodriguez had started one game on the continent before facing the London giants.

Breaking it down further, the fact all but the Moroccan have featured consistently in La Liga — one start for Rodriguez and none for Vazquez and Idrissi — emphasised the lack of cohesion in a rejigged Sevilla team.

Their xG of 1.4 per Fbref already seemed unlikely to the naked eye given the paucity of notable chances on the night, but the realisation that the starting attackers accounted for just 0.3 of their Expected Goals was beyond jarring.

Summing everything up, it largely explains why the Andalusians were unable to muster anything noteworthy going forward, and En-Nesyri’s performance suffered as a consequence of the changes to the side.

Given how players thrive on momentum, Wednesday night was especially disappointing for the North African due to his form going into that Chelsea game. The 23-year-old’s goals in recent weeks have been vital to Sevilla’s improvement in form in La Liga after a slow start to the campaign, while a splendid super-sub showing was crucial to a 3-2 comeback win over Krasnodar in matchday three on the continent.

What’s been particularly noteworthy about the young forward’s contribution has been the importance of his goals in the recent run of five goals in six before facing Lampard’s men: a three-minute brace to overturn a 2-1 deficit for 10-man Sevilla vs Krasnodar, the equalizer in an eventual 4-2 win over Celta Vigo and an 83rd-minute winner shortly after his introduction as Lopetegui’s team beat Huesca 1-0 last weekend.

The goal that began the striker’s fine run came against Athletic Club in late October but Los Nervionenses failed to hold on at San Mames, losing 2-1. Still, it doesn’t shed the assertion that En-Nesyri tends to score mostly important goals even though consistency remains the forward’s challenge.

This is somewhat evidenced by his mini drought after scoring a late winner against Levante at the start of the month, although it should be noted that the frontman started just one of the following five games after that strike.

In total, he’s won a quarter of Sevilla’s 16 points in the league but playing 90 minutes against Chelsea during the week probably counts against him for Saturday afternoon’s clash vs Real Madrid.

Lopetegui has largely rotated his two primary centre-forwards this season, and leaving the Morocco striker on for the duration of Wednesday’s clash hints at the former Real coach’s thinking for this weekend’s clash against the under-fire visitors.

This seems odd on the outside looking in due to de Jong’s scoreless run in the league since bagging in a deserved 1-1 draw at Barcelona. He’s netted just one goal in all competitions since but there’s an argument that the Dutch forward remains his manager’s first pick up top.

En-Nesyri not only leads the way for xG per 90 minutes in La Liga this season but also edges the 30-year-old for Shot-Creating Actions per game in the league, ties the experienced attacker for key passes per game and has missed more big chances, despite playing fewer minutes.

While the latter usually paints a negative picture in football analytics, the North African striker’s misses to the Dutch striker’s none probably suggests he’s more of a natural goalscorer than de Jong, to begin with.

Thus, it leaves Lopetegui with a choice to make against an ailing Los Blancos side he’ll want to beat badly. The Europa League-winning manager’s short history with the Madrid giants ended after four months and, even if doesn’t admit it publicly, will have a personal quest to beat his old side.

Saturday unquestionably represents the right moment to play Zinedine Zidane’s side, given their rather indifferent results which has reportedly put the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year on the brink of being jettisoned.

Despite facing the risk of falling 10 and nine points behind Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid respectively, there’s a feeling next week’s make-or-break Champions League showing against Borussia Monchengladbach and Madrid Derby next weekend may be prioritised over the imminent encounter in Andalusia.

Lopetegui’s team will fancy their chances against a Jekyll and Hyde Real team and, in En-Nesyri, the ex-Spain trainer has an in-form frontman capable of hurting Zidane’s outfit.

Whether the Sevilla boss chooses to trust him from the start, however, remains up in the air.

Swansea City talisman Andre Ayew believes his influence on the team must go beyond simply finding the back of the net as the club continues their chase for Premier League promotion.

The Ghana attacker has become a key element in the Jack Army's quest, having become the most trusted source of goals at Liberty Stadium.

Last season, he netted 16 times in 46 Championship outings to finish the term as his team's top scorer and most outstanding player. This campaign, he continued just where he left off as he currently stands as the club's top scorer, with six goals in 14 appearances.

“I know I must help the team and have a style of play that's not just about scoring goals; it's about trying to help the team to play better football," Ayew said, as reported by his club's official website.

“I think we're doing well. It's very important for me to try and be as complete as I can be.

"If I can get goals, that's the icing on the cake, but it's important to play our game.

“The gaffer and the players trust in each other and we have the freedom to play our game."

Swansea are looking forward to bouncing back with a win in Saturday's home match against Luton Town following a 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough on Wednesday.

The Jack Army are currently seventh on the league table after matchday 15.

“You cannot go through a season such as this without losing games or having disappointment but, if you react right, you can make sure those feelings do not last long,” Ayew added.

“We need to keep going because this league is long and hard. We're a squad who want to do something big this year. To do that, we need to learn how to deal with frustrating situations like this.

“We need to stay calm, realise what we did good and bad, and prepare for Saturday and look to make it count.

"It’s about sticking together and standing by each other, because that’s what the best teams do."

Last season, Swansea came close to securing a Premier League return as they reached the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs.

The Naples city council has unanimously approved a resolution that will change the name of Napoli's home stadium from Stadio San Paolo to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. 

The resolution was proposed by Naples mayor Luigi De Magistris only hours after the news that Maradona had passed away at age 60 last week.

Maradona is a revered figure in Naples after leading the city's club to two Serie A titles during his seven-year run with Napoli from 1984 to 1991. 

"With his immense talent and his magic, he honoured the Napoli shirt for seven years, giving it two historical championships and other prestigious cups, and receiving in exchange from the whole city an eternal and unconditional love," a statement from the council read. 

The statement also noted the connection the working-class city shared with Maradona, who was raised in poverty in his native Buenos Aires. 

"Through the football victories of the Argentine champion, it was not only the Napoli team that won but the whole city, which fully identifies with him," it read.

"Always on the side of the weakest and the common people, Maradona fought the prejudices and discrimination that Neapolitans were still subjected to inside the stadiums, becoming the idol of the entire city."

Napoli had the chance to pay tribute to Maradona last week during their Europa League match at home against Rijeka. Captain Lorenzo Insigne laid a wreath before kick-off, while the Napoli team lined up in 'Maradona 10' shirts. 

After the game, which Napoli won 2-0, forward Dries Mertens told Sky Sport Italia: "It was an awful moment for me, so I can only imagine how those who lived through his time at Napoli must have felt.

"He made such a big impact on this city and for everyone in the south of Italy. I want to be positive, and focus on my memories of a smiling man who loved football. It was tough to pull that shirt on. In some ways, it was always a dream, but not like this."

The final step in the stadium's name change will be the authorisation of the Prefect of the Province of Naples, which is expected to be a formality. 

Juventus have claimed their innocence after it was confirmed the club's management is under further investigation by Italian police over the collapsed transfer of Luis Suarez from Barcelona.

The Serie A giants looked well-placed to sign the forward over the summer but the deal fell through.

Juve had already filled their quota of non-EU players in their squad so Suarez took a ‘B1’ citizenship test. Suarez’s wife, Sofia Balbi, has an Italian passport so passing the test would mean he did not take up a non-EU place in their squad, but in September it was alleged that it had been fixed.

It was alleged topics of the exam were agreed in advance, allowing for the result to essentially be predetermined.

Now the Perugia Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed the club was ‘activated, even at the highest institutional levels, to accelerate the recognition of Luis Suarez’s Italian citizenship’, and that more investigations are ongoing.

On Friday, Juventus released a statement saying the club was confident sporting director Fabio Paratici, who has been accused of providing "false information to the public prosecutors", had done nothing wrong and that the ongoing investigation “will help clarify his position within a reasonable time”.

Three members of staff at the University Giuliana Grego – CEO Simone Olivieri and professors Stefania Spina and Lorenzo Rocca – have been suspended for eight months ‘for the offence of disclosure of professional secrecy aimed at undue profit and multiple ideological falsehoods in public acts.’

The Prosecutor’s statement clarified: “It emerged that the contents of the test had been communicated in advance to the player, in order to arrive at a predetermined outcome and examination score to meet the requests that had been made by Juventus, with the aim of achieving a positive image return, both personal and for the University.

“Investigations have also allowed us to understand how, in the first days of September 2020, the management of the Turin club was activated, even at the highest institutional levels, to accelerate recognition of Italian citizenship of Suarez.

“This suggests new hypotheses of crime against persons other than those belonging to the university, still in the process of study.”

Suarez eventually signed for Atletico Madrid, from whom Juventus re-signed Spain international forward Alvaro Morata.

Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick has said that a new contract for defender David Alaba "is not an issue at the moment" ahead of his side's top-of-the-table clash with RB Leipzig on Saturday.

Alaba's deal expires at the end of the current season and the defender has rejected multiple offers of an extension from the Bundesliga champions.

The saga has become personal for the Austria international, with his father saying last month that the defender is "so disappointed and upset because so many falsehoods are being aired in public."

With Bayern having taken their latest offer off the table, Flick told a media conference on Friday: "That's not an issue at the moment. There's a game every third day, that's the focus at the moment."

Flick also spoke about winger Leroy Sane, a player he believes needs more time to establish himself with the Bundesliga champions.

Since joining Bayern from Manchester City for an initial €49 million (£45m/$55m) in July , Sane has scored three goals and provided three assists in seven Bundesliga games, three of which have been starts.

He has also created four big chances, with only Thomas Muller (six) and Serge Gnabry (five) creating more for Bayern.

The attacker missed almost the entire 2019-20 season with City after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and suffered a knee injury against Hoffenheim at the end of September.

Flick has largely been impressed with Sane's contribution but believes there is plenty more to come once he has settled at the club.

"You have to consider the background," Flick said.

"He had a serious injury and was injured again in the Hoffenheim game. I know from my own experience that you need some time.

"What I see in training is good. It's not that easy when you come to a new club; you have to integrate first. At the moment we can't train like we did in pre-season."

Bayern are two points clear of Leipzig at the Bundesliga summit and will hope to improve on their recent record against Julian Nagelsmann's side when they visit the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Bayern won their first three meetings with Leipzig but have triumphed only once in their last five matches. Indeed, since 2017-18, only Hertha Berlin (four times in seven games) have picked up points in as many games against Bayern as Leipzig (four times in six games).

Leipzig are also the only team to stop the Bavarian giants from scoring in their last 70 Bundesliga matches, holding them to 0-0 draws in May 2019 and February 2020.

And Flick is in no doubt his side are in for a tough game against Nagelsmann's forward-thinking outfit.

"Leipzig have developed tremendously," the Bayern boss said. "Even before I was at Hoffenheim, I knew that Julian was a top coach.

"Leipzig play forward very quickly and are very variable. The idea of their football appeals to me and I value Julian as a coach. That's why Leipzig are where they are."

Alphonso Davies returned to full training this week after six weeks out with ankle ligament damage, while Joshua Kimmich stepped up his own personal fitness programme following surgery on a right lateral meniscus injury.

Saturday's game will come too soon for them, but Flick holds out hope Davies could make an appearance in Wednesday's final Champions League Group A game against Lokomotiv Moscow.

"Alphonso has trained, but is not yet ready for tomorrow," Flick said. "Maybe he will be back on Wednesday.

"Otherwise, except for Coco Tolisso and Joshua Kimmich, everyone is on board. That is a good sign, especially in the current situation."

Having cultivated an image as an all-smiling, all-laughing purveyor of heavy metal football who excitedly embraces his players after games, it is somewhat jarring when Jurgen Klopp gets angry in interviews.

It happens though, and it has been happening a lot more often through the Covid-19 pandemic as the Liverpool boss vents his frustrations to broadcasters during post-match appraisals.

The imposing and head-strong German coach has butted heads with television reporters in the course of the 2020-21 season, but for what reason?

Goal takes a look at why Klopp is so angry and why he is pinning the blame for his ire on the broadcast media.

Why is Jurgen Klopp angry at Liverpool's fixture schedule?

Klopp's frustration with Liverpool's fixture schedule stems from the belief that they are playing too many games in quick succession.

The former Borussia Dortmund boss feels it is endangering the health of his players and leading to injuries, which in turn affects the on-field fortunes of his team.

The issue of fixture congestion particularly intensified for Klopp in October and November, with the Reds playing 12 games across the two months, with many fixtures coming at intervals of three and four days.

Dotted in between those games were a number of international breaks - coming in September, October and November - so a number of Liverpool players ended up with a lot of minutes in their legs.

Notably, key players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Thiago, Naby Keita and James Milner joined Virgil van Dijk and Alisson on the injury table during those two months.

While complaints about fixture congestion have been common gripe among managers of the top Premier League clubs for years, it is fair to say that the disruption to the calendar by the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated issues.

The Premier League initiated 'Project Restart' over the summer of 2020 in order to conclude the 2019-20 campaign, but it meant that the players did not have much of a break or, indeed, a pre-season ahead of 2020-21.

The double-edged sword of success is that Liverpool, along with a handful of others, are competing on four different fronts - league, two domestic cups and Europe - at the start of the season, so they find themselves playing more games than the majority in the Premier League.

Why does Jurgen Klopp blame the TV broadcasters?

Klopp is not happy with television broadcasters and has even gone as far as blaming them for injuries suffered by his players.

The reason he has hit out at broadcasters is because of the fact that his team have been pencilled in for a number of 12:30pm GMT kick-offs on Saturdays after playing in the Champions League or another competition on a Wednesday evening. According to Klopp, this does not leave enough time for players to adequately recover.

In November, during a post-match interview with BT Sport's Des Kelly after Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Brighton, for example, Klopp sarcastically congratulated the broadcaster after being asked about James Milner, who sustained a hamstring injury in the game.

"Yeah, congratulations!" he jibed at the startled interviewer. "Hamstring. Surprise."

When it was suggested by Kelly that Klopp's anger was misdirected, the German quickly countered: "I don't know how often I have to say it, you picked [Liverpool for] the 12:30pm kick-off. You. Not you personally, but you (broadcaster) did it."

He added: "I'm not having a go at the broadcaster, I just say how it is: Saturday 12:30pm [kick-off] after Wednesday is really, really dangerous for the players."

While Klopp is particularly irked by the role played by broadcasters, it must be said that they are not the only ones who have been on the receiving end of his tongue-lashings.

Indeed, at the end of October he namechecked Premier League CEO Richard Masters in an animated complaint about the quandary of the Wednesday evening-Saturday afternoon scheduling.

“I think everybody would agree that if you play Tuesday night, you can play the Saturday 12:30pm game, but somehow the Premier League never realises that,” the Reds boss told BT Sport. “They always put in the Wednesday night game, like last Saturday, Man City had to play this game [12:30pm on Saturday] - I can’t believe it.

"We are obviously not friends, we play against each other and fight against each other, but how is that possible? Maybe I’m too dumb. Premier League CEO Richard Masters and all the others have all said it before: ‘Come on, that’s how it is.’ They just aren’t bothered. I don’t understand why.”

Then, at the beginning of November he slammed the Premier League again, this time for "a lack of leadership" over the fact that the number of permitted substitutes was reduced from five to three again.

He has aimed a number of digs at Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder since then, calling him "selfish" due to the fact that the Blades boss was in favour of the reduction.

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has suggested that Klopp is emulating Sir Alex Ferguson by using complaints as a cerebral weapon, arguing that the volume of games for successful teams is not a new phenomenon.

"The biggest risk to Klopp winning the league again this season is another big injury or two. So, he wants to try and gain that advantage to put some psychological thing into people's minds. Sir Alex Ferguson did it for 15 or 16 years," Neville told Sky Sports when asked about the German's attacks on broadcasters.

Some observers may, like Neville, find the way in which Klopp is campaigning a source of bemusement, but he is certainly backed by his own players, with Andy Robertson suggesting that "a little bit more help" is needed from somewhere.

"I just believe we should be trying to help the players," the Scotland captain told reporters at the end of November. "I don’t know the exact percentage or the exact number but a lot more muscle injuries have happened this season. It seems every game I watch on telly or every game I’m involved in, somebody is going off injured with something.

“I think the Premier League is the best league in the world but you want your best players on there and you want all squads to have their best team available and being able to compete for different things.

"We’re maybe not seeing that as much just now because players are unfortunately picking up muscle injuries.

“I just think maybe we could get a little bit more help. We’ll crack on with it and let that kind of get decided elsewhere. As it stands we’ll prepare for a game every three days and we’ll try to be as fit and as healthy as possible.”

Lionel Messi is known for many things - his superhuman ability on the pitch, his humble nature off of it and his status as one of the GOATs of football.

The Argentina forward is also known to sport a ginger beard, despite having dark hair.

So why is Messi able to grow a ginger beard even though he is brown-haired? Is it just merely one of his superhuman abilities? Goal takes a look.

No, Messi doesn't dye his hair artificially red in his free time.

Even though the Barcelona superstar is naturally a brunette, his red beard - which differs from the colour on his head - is a result of his unique set of genes.

Not all brown-haired people are capable of growing ginger beards. But in the case of Messi, and a few others, the ginger beard is due to having one set of the redhead gene from just one parent.

Because the colour of one's hair is set by the pigments in the hair, each person's individual DNA code determines the pigment of the hair colour - and the amount of that hair colour.

Those who are white possess two different hair colour pigments: black and red.

Dark-haired white people have black pigment in their hair, while blondes have a smaller number of black pigment. Full redheads have just red pigments.

So in the case of Messi, there is one gene in particular - MC1R - that plays a huge part in determining the presence of red hair in brunettes.

Just one of the mutated MC1R genes is needed for the red hair to grow on other parts of the body - such as the beard and face.

The one mutated MC1R gene prevents less black pigment from growing and allows more red on the body.

It doesn't happen for just everyone, and so those who have predominantly brown hair but sport ginger beards are one of a special few!

Messi isn't the only footballer to have a ginger beard.

Xabi Alonso is another entrant in the ginger-bearded footballer hall of fame, along with fellow Spaniard Juan Mata.

Gor Mahia stand-coach Sammy Omollo has admitted he is excited to have striker Benson Omalla available for their Caf Champions League match against APR of Rwanda on Saturday.

The Kenyan champions will face the Rwandese side in the return leg seeking to overturn a 2-1 defeat suffered in the first leg played in Nyamirambo Stadium last weekend.

While in Rwanda, Gor Mahia missed the services of Omalla, who was signed this season from Western Stima, as the young player was with the Kenya U20 team at the Cecafa tournament in Arusha, Tanzania, where Kenya finished third.

Omalla returned to training on Thursday and his presence has left stand-in coach Omollo excited since he feels the player will solve their striking problems against the army side.

“I think Benson [Omalla] coming in will give us a lot of options especially in the attacking area because he is a very good player, a very good finisher and that is one player we missed when we played in Rwanda,” Omollo told reporters at Nyayo Stadium.

“So I have a strong belief that the chances that will come tomorrow [Saturday], the boy [Omalla] is going to use them, so we are really relying on him for the goals and I know he will deliver, he will give us what we missed in Kigali.”

On the team’s preparations, Omollo said: “I think preparations was very important because when we went to Rwanda, we did not have enough preparations but since we came back [from Rwanda], we have been together, we have worked so much then, of course, we have been working on our weak and strong points and we know where to hurt them.”

Omollo, who will be standing in for suspended Brazilian Roberto Oliveira Goncalves, has also confirmed keeper Boniface Oluoch is a doubt to play in the fixture as he has been down with malaria.

“The only setback we have is the absence of keeper Boniface Oluoch, he has been down with malaria and I don’t know if he is going to make it, but if he does not make it then Gad Mathews, will start, he has really trained well this week, and I believe he is a good cover for Oluoch," he added.

On the absence of fans owing to the Covid-19 restrictions by the Ministry of Health, Omollo said: “I just wish the Green Army was with us but unfortunately it will not be the case, we really needed that 12th man but we will try and play our level best, we try and make our fans proud and make the country proud, we will work hard and work smart.”

Having seen how the Rwandan side play in the first leg, Omollo has an idea what to expect from APR in the return fixture.

“We worked on a team that is sitting back and defending deep and then they come with counters, so we are taking care of that, it only that we have to win the ball as quickly as we lose possession, if we do that, then they cannot beat us on the counter, we have to be aware what is happening around and give more than 100 percent," he concluded.

“We have also worked hard on our endurance, if you look in Kigali, we had a very good first half and especially after they scored the first goal and towards the 75th minute, the energy went down, and all this was because of the preparations [we had from Nairobi], and I can tell you we have worked on the energy and you will see a very different team on Saturday.”

Midfielder Kenneth Muguna scored Gor Mahia’s away goal in Kigali.

A busy December of LaLiga football lies ahead and it kicks off with several intriguing fixtures in Matchday 12. San Mames in Bilbao hosts the first match of the weekend as Athletic Club welcome Celta Vigo to the Basque Country on Friday night.

This will be a big test for new Celta Vigo coach Eduardo Coudet, who just won his first match since arriving in Galicia. The Argentine is making small tweaks and looking to get the best out of Iago Aspas, who has five goals against Athletic Club across the past four seasons.

Saturday’s action then begins with a match that is so important for Levante UD and Getafe CF, as the former haven’t won since September 27th and the latter since October 17th.

Both coaches know that a three-point haul is needed soon and there could be a cup tie feeling as they battle it out at the beautiful Estadi Ciutat de Valencia.

Then, at 16:15 CET, comes the huge fixture of Matchday 12. It’s Sevilla FC vs Real Madrid in the Andalusian capital, it’s fifth vs fourth, it’s Julen Lopetegui vs Zinedine Zidane and it’s one team in good form against a team in poor form.

Recent results have seen pressure mount at Real Madrid, who have won fewer than half their matches across all competitions in 2020/21 with seven wins from 15 games. Los Blancos won both meetings against Sevilla FC last season and would love for another victory on Saturday afternoon.

Atletico Madrid and Real Valladolid’s meeting in Spain’s capital follows as Atleti look for a victory that would – at least temporarily – put them top of the league table.

With Real Valladolid unbeaten in their past three, it promises to be a very competitive match.

Saturday’s LaLiga Santander action then concludes with a Spanish football fixture of yesteryear, one that hasn’t been seen in a decade and a half. Not since 2005 have FC Barcelona visited Cadiz CF’s Estadio Ramon de Carranza.

Lionel Messi played in that 3-1 Blaugrana win, which was just his 16th LaLiga Santander match.

This Saturday’s game will be his 495th and he’ll hope for another win.

On Sunday, SD Huesca’s quest for their first victory of the season will continue away at Granada CF.

The 2019/20 LaLiga SmartBank champions haven’t been terrible since winning promotion, as they’ve collected seven points via their league-leading seven draws, but, everyone at the club knows that a win is overdue and they’ll encounter a Granada CF side suffering a mini slump in form.

CA Osasuna vs Real Betis follows and it’s a match that promises goals. So far this season, Real Betis matches have produced 3.18 goals per game on average, which is the most in all of LaLiga Santander.

Unfortunately for Manuel Pellegrini and his players, the goals have been falling for the opposition in recent weeks. It’s three defeats in a row for Los Verdiblancos and CA Osasuna will hope to make it four from four.

Two regional derbies then round off the Sunday slate of fixtures, both of which will use the special PUMA Adrenalina football.

First off, Villarreal CF will welcome Elche CF from the other end of the Valencian Community for a colourful duel between the Yellow Submarine and the Green Stripes. Elche CF keep good memories from Vila-Real with a couple of promotions in the last seven years, and want to add another successful chapter.

Later, in the Sunday night match, in-form Deportivo Alaves host league leaders Real Sociedad for a clash that will feature technical skill in addition to the grit usually associated with Basque derbies.

There’s then one more game in Matchday 12 as SD Eibar face one of their favourite victims. Over their past eight meetings against Valencia CF, SD Eibar have won five, drawn two and lost just one.

With Valencia CF struggling to start 2020/21 and with several of their starters missing for this match at Ipurua, Los Armeros might finally secure their first home win of this season. Like the other nine matches of this weekend, that should be well worth tuning in for.

Watch LaLiga Santander live this weekend on SuperSport LaLiga on DStv Channel 204.