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Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has admitted that "something is missing" with his side, who have gone five straight Premier League games without a goal from open play.

The Gunners have only scored once in those five matches - a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty against Manchester United on November 1 in a 1-0 win for the Gunners. 

It has been a struggle offensively for the Gunners, who enter Sunday's match against Wolves in 14th place in the league table.

Arteta believes that his side aren't too far off what he would have expected, but said the Gunners' failure to make up small margins is proving costly.

“The position probably that I believe we should have been in and where we are at the moment, it’s two games [difference],” Arteta said.

“That’s four to six points and it makes the whole difference and the small margins where we lose the game or win the game, it’s incredibly narrow.

“But this is the reality of this league and where we are at the moment. We don’t have big margins at the moment so we have to be really good at everything we do because at the moment, something is missing.

“We are on the edge of winning or losing a football match and we again are humble and conscious of that and at the moment we don’t have to steal those margins and any game is going to be really difficult.”

The Gunners have not won a Premier League title since 2003-04 and appear no closer to ending that drought this season. Arteta has admitted that it will take some time – and some successful transfer dealings – before Arsenal can challenge again. 

“I don’t know the answer to that question,” he replied when asked how long it would take for Arsenal to challenge for the title. 

“If you’re asking, ‘How do you rebuild the squad?' It takes a few windows at least to do that and to establish yourself to compete at the level of certain clubs in this league, which is near 100 points, again it takes time.

“In football time is very precious and people are very impatient but if you don’t respect the processes and you ask certain people to do certain things when the foundations are not there, it’s a really dangerous thing to do as well.

“Again I know that we all want to see that and I am the first one who wants to see Arsenal at the top of the league.

“There are still a lot of things that are going to happen and we have to prepare for difficult moments and we knew that right from the start.

“We are ready and we know that the challenge and the responsibility is to turn it around as quick as possible and get the club fighting where it belongs.”

Mamelodi Sundowns’ comfortable 3-0 win over Stellenbosch FC at Loftus Stadium on Saturday night has only served to strengthen the defending league champion's credentials.

In fact, according to former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana midfielder Siyabonga Nkosi, the Tshwane team is looking even stronger than last season.

And this is after head coach Pitso Mosimane left for Egyptian giants Al Ahly and want-away forward Gaston Sirino got sidelined with an injury.

The Brazilians were not even close to their best against Stellenbosch on Saturday evening, yet cruised to a comfortable win thanks to goals from Peter Shalulile, Kermit Erasmus and Themba Zwane.

Erasmus also provided the two assists for the other goals while Zwane now has five league goals this term. Erasmus meanwhile has two league goals and Shalulile three, clearly, the two newly-signed players are already making a sizable impact.
 
The win left Masandawana top of the table, two points clear of Swallows FC.

“It's a familiar place for them,” Nkosi said in the SuperSport studio after the game.

“The good thing is they have the experience of how to maintain it. And they look like a team that is gradually improving. There’s just some excitement whenever you are watching them,” he continued.

“They are pleasing to the eye and also I think from last season, I think they have gone up a level in terms of the danger they possess. With the signings of Shalulile as well as Erasmus. So they are more dangerous now and they are going to cause a lot of problems for many teams.”

Nkosi believes the new men are also helping inspire some of the club’s longer-serving players to greater heights.

“It even elevates Mshishi’s [Zwane] game as well, [Lebohang] Maboe’s game, [Andile] Jali’s game. I think we are still going to see a lot from them,” he elaborated.

Sundowns are next in action away to Maritzburg United on Saturday, December 5.

Senegal striker Mbaye Diagne scored a fine hat-trick as Galatasaray smashed Caykur Rizespor 4-0 in Super Lig action on Saturday.

The forward opened his account for the season on Monday as Gala were held 1-1 by 10-man Kayserispor, having previously gone eight matches without scoring across the Turkish top flight and the Europa League.

The floodgates have certainly opened now, as the attacker bagged three in the space of 35 minutes of playing time on Saturday to send the Istanbul heavyweights on their way to a significant victory.

After a low-key first half in which Rizespor succeeded in frustrating the visitors, Diagne opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first minute of first-half stoppage time after Emre Akba was fouled in the box.

He then added another seven minutes after the break after being played in by Akba to give Gala control of the contest, before extending their advantage 11 minutes from time from close range when he duped the goalkeeper with a feint before finishing emphatically.

By this point, Rizespor were down to ten men following the sending off of Fernando Boldrin, and Taylan Antalyali added a fourth in the 86th minute to round off a convincing triumph.

It was an eye-catching performance from Diagne, spearheading Fatih Terim’s 4-1-4-1 formation, as he hit the target with all five of his attempted shots, and created four goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.

He was supported effectively from midfield by Algeria’s Sofiane Feghouli, although Nigeria’s Oghenekaro Etebo was an unused substitute.

Having previously gone seven Super Lig games without scoring so far this term, Diagne now has four goals in nine league outings this term, taking him joint eighth in the Super Lig scoring charts.

The challenge now will be to kick on and match the 20-goal season he enjoyed with Kasimpasa in the 2018-19 campaign.

The victory means that Gala have now won four of their last five matches, and while they’re level on points with league leaders Alanyaspor, the unlikely pace-setters have played two games fewer and remain unbeaten.

Next up for Diagne, Etebo and Galatasaray, they host midtable Hatayspor on Saturday.

Manchester United have been warned that continuous rotation in midfield could cause them “problems”, with Donny van de Beek already sparking talk of interest from Juventus.

The Netherlands international only moved to Old Trafford over the summer, with a £40 million ($53m) deal done with Ajax.

He was expected to make a positive impact in English football , with his creativity having been showcased for club and country during his time in Holland.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does, however, boast an abundance of options in the United engine room.

With the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay, Fred and Juan Mata competing for limited spaces, someone is always going to be left disappointed.

Van de Beek has slipped into that category more often than he would have liked, with just 86 minutes of Premier League football seen across six substitute appearances.

He was given an opportunity to impress from the off in a Champions League clash with Istanbul Basaksehir  on Tuesday, and caught the eye in a 4-1 win alongside Portuguese talisman Fernandes.

Solskjaer has, however, tended to favour two holding options in domestic action, which means his pack could be shuffled again for a trip to Southampton on Sunday.

That could mean Van de Beek misses out once more, which in turn will fuel rumours of a hasty departure for the Dutchman when another transfer window swings open.

Meulensteen, who once worked for United as Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man, believes Solskjaer needs to start fielding a settled side, telling talkSPORT of Van de Beek: “You could see again what a good player he is [against Basaksehir].

“I think he gave one ball away the whole of the game – one pass.

“He has played in that deeper position at Ajax and later on he went a bit more forward.

“He’s got a good eye for the little clever passes in behind and making those box runs.

“If you keep constantly changing teams with two midfielders and two sitting players, you don’t really get the flow of players playing with each other and that might be one of the problems.”

Juventus head coach Andrea Pirlo has defended his decision to rest Cristiano Ronaldo after his side were held to a 1-1 draw at Benevento on Saturday.

Alvaro Morata gave the visitors the lead in the 21st minute, but the home side pegged the champions back in first-half stoppage time through Gaetano Letizia.

Juve were unable to find a winner in the second half and therefore remain in fifth place in the Serie A table, and could go six points behind table-topping AC Milan should the Rossoneri win against Fiorentina on Sunday.

After the draw, Pirlo's decision to rest Ronaldo was brought back up for debate with the manager opting to leave the 35-year-old out for the trip to face Pippo Inzaghi's men.

When asked about the Portuguese, Pirlo said his star forward had a minor injury midweek but played in Juve's win over Ferencvaros anyway.

“He had a slight problem midweek and wanted to play in the Champions League anyway," Pirlo told Sky Italia. "After international duty, it was natural he’d need some rest. Ronaldo is an added value, but we must try to play our game even in his absence.

“It happens when you have a lot of players on international duty and also play the Champions League. We’re hardly the only club in this situation.”

The Bianconeri have been reliant on the goalscoring of Ronaldo and Morata this season, but will have to cope without the Spaniard for next weekend's derby against Torino after he was sent off in stoppage time on Saturday.

Pirlo admitted that his side lost their composure at the end of the game, which could prove costly next weekend.

“We controlled the first half, had the chances to kill off the game, but still haven’t worked out how to read the various moments of the match," Pirlo said.

“We had a corner and took it quickly on the stroke of half-time, but we should’ve controlled the situation and held out until the break. It’s not the first time we have conceded just before the break.

“At the end, we got a bit chaotic and lost our cool, we didn’t manage to turn the chances into goals.”

Swansea City boss Steve Cooper believes Andre Ayew's good form is a return on investment for his speculated £80,000 weekly wage.

The Ghana captain is enjoying a purple patch of form, having registered six goals in 12 Championship outings for the club so far this term.

He was heavily linked to a host of clubs during the summer transfer window but his high wages reportedly proved a stumbling block.

"I’ve always felt that [he's worth his wages]," said Cooper, according to Dai Sport, responding when asked whether he felt the 30-year-old, who returned from a short injury lay-off with a crucial equaliser in midweek's 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, is proving his worth.

“I’ve said it many times, he’s an outstanding player and professional and a good person, too.

"He’s motivated to do well, but he had a setback getting injured on international duty.

"The Championship is full of really good players and Andre is up there with the best of them. He has been fantastic for us.”

Ayew sustained a hamstring injury while on international duty with Ghana earlier this month, forcing him out of the matchday 12 fixture against Rotherham United.

He made a comeback as a second-half substitute in the win over Sheffield but was quick to downplay his match fitness despite a bright showing on his return.

"Marc [Guehi] and Andre are ongoing issues that we are having to manage. I know Andre contributed the other night, but it’s still something we have to be careful of going into the weekend and beyond that," Cooper added.

“We’re in decent shape really in terms of player availability.”

Ayew is expected to see some game time in Sunday's away clash with Nottingham Forest.

"I haven't done too much in the past 10 days. We knew I wasn't 100 per cent ready to start," Ayew said after the last game, as reported by his club's official website.

“If he could have left me out, the gaffer would have done that to prepare me for Sunday, but that's football; you need to be ready.

“As the game was going on, I was preparing to come on. It was important to warm up well and not feel any pain in my hamstring, especially as it's an injury I've had for the first time in my career.

“I had to take care of it, the physio's been doing a great job on me - hours of work trying to get me back as soon as possible.

“I was a bit doubtful for Wednesday night but after this, I'm quite happy with how it felt.

“It wasn't the best, but it'll be better over the next few days and hopefully I'll be 100 percent on Sunday."

The Ghana forward is Swansea's top scorer so far this season.

Lassina Traore and Zakaria Labyad were among the goals as Ajax demolished FC Emmen 5-0 away on Saturday to consolidate their grip on top spot in the Eredivisie.

The Dutch giants, who were denied the title last season after the campaign was wrapped up early due to coronavirus, have moved onto 27 points after 10 matches following their eye-catching triumph.

They’re five points clear of second-placed Vitesse Arnhem, who host Fortuna Sittard on Sunday in their game in hand.

Morocco international Labyad added the visitors’ second after Davy Klaassen had opened the scoring in the 20th minute during a one-sided contest.

Traore then added a third seven minutes before he was withdrawn at half time, and then Jurgen Ekkelenkamp and Quincy Promes added further goals during the second half to round off a convincing victory in which Ajax firmly flexed their offensive muscles.

As well as scoring, Traore provided the decisive assist for Klaassen to open the scoring, further demonstrating his rounded skillset.

The 19-year-old already has seven goals and four assists in 10 Eredivisie outings so far this term, and has also weighed in with one goal and one assist in four Champions League appearances.

It’s an encouraging return from the Burkina Faso starlet, who only made three league starts last season as he took his first steps in the senior game.

Against Emmen, flanked by Antony and Dusan Tadic, he served a further reminder as to why he deserves to be considered among the game’s most exciting talents and could be the ideal candidate to lead the line long-term for Erik ten Hag’s title hopefuls.

Noussair Mazraoui and Andre Onana also featured for Ajax as they extended their winning run in all competitions to six matches.

Traore was withdrawn at the break, alongside Tadic, as the Dutch giants rested players and rotated their attacking options ahead of next week’s Champions League meeting with a patched-up Liverpool side.

The Eredivisie heavyweights are currently second in UCL Group D having taken seven points from four matches so far. They’re level with third-placed Atalanta, who defeated the Reds last week, and the Italians will be expected to leapfrop Ajax into top spot when they host pointless FC Midtjylland on Tuesday.

TS Galaxy had to fight back to hold Lamontville Golden Arrows to a draw in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

The Rockets were hoping to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2020/21 season having drawn 1-1 with Swallows FC in their previous game.

Abafana Bes'thende were also keen to preserve their unbeaten record for this term after drawing 2-2 with Kaizer Chiefs in their last match.

Galaxy dominated the first-half, but they were wasteful with Lindokuhle Mbatha, Karabo Tshepe and Ebrahim Seedat all guilty of missing clear cut chances in the first half.

The Rockets were left to rue their missed chances in the second-half as Abafana Bes'thende broke the deadlock following a mistake by the hosts with 18 minutes left on the clock.

Gerald Modisane attempted a back-heel pass and Pule Mmodi intercepted the ball and fired past Galaxy goalkeeper Websten Van Der Linde to make it 1-0 to Arrows. 

However, the Rockets pushed for the equalizing goal in the dying minutes of the match and they managed to score in the last minute.

Mokete Mogaila was the man, who scored to ensure that the encounter ended in a 1-1 draw which left Arrows and Galaxy placed seventh and eighth respectively on the league standings.

Meanwhile, AmaZulu FC also let the lead slip in their encounter against Cape Town City at Jonsson Kings Park Stadium in Durban. 

Usuthu were keen to bounce back to winning ways after succumbing to a narrow 4-3 defeat to the defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns in their last game.

While the Citizens were looking to record their second successive win after defeating Bloemfontein Celtic 4-2 in their previous match.

The hosts were awarded an early penalty after Taariq Fielies was adjudged to have fouled Lehlohonolo Majoro in the box just three minutes into the encounter.

Former Orlando Pirates marksman Majoro then dusted himself down and clinically converted the penalty-kick to make it 1-0 to AmaZulu.

City then pressed the home side and they did level matters five minutes before half-time when Abbubaker Mobara set-up Prince Agyemang, who netted with a low effort to make it 1-1.

AmaZulu suffered a blow after the restart as Majoro was shown a straight red for a horrific challenge on Thamsanqa Mkhize and the hosts had to play with 10 players.

The home side frustrated the Citizens with some resolute defending and ultimately, the match ended in a 1-1 draw on the night.

The result sees AmaZulu climb up to the ninth spot on the league standings, while City also moved up to sixth place.

Eden Hazard was taken off in the first half of Real Madrid's match against Alaves on Saturday with an apparent injury.

The Belgian winger lasted less than 30 minutes before limping off the field as Zinedine Zidane's side would eventually fall 2-1 to the visitors.

Hazard, who was making just his third appearance in La Liga this season, was replaced by Rodrygo.

The 29-year-old's campaign has been heavily disrupted by injuries, having missed the start of the campaign due to a muscle issue.

He played for the first time in 2020-21 when he came off the bench in the Champions League draw with Borussia Monchengladbach in late October and returned to the starting XI four days later in the league match against Huesca, scoring the first goal as they ran out 4-1 winners.

A few days later, however, he tested positive for Covid-19 and had to be sidelined for a short period.

Hazard was in action again last week when he started in the 1-1 draw against Villarreal in the Spanish top-flight.

He then featured in the 2-0 win at Inter in the Champions League in midweek, in which he opened the scoring after just seven minutes.

Los Blancos were fourth in the table heading into Saturday's encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu, six points adrift of leaders Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid.

The hosts fell behind against Alaves just five minutes into the clash when ex-Arsenal and West Ham attacker Lucas Perez converted a penalty.

Hazard had a chance to level the score later in the half when he collected the ball near the halfway line and drove towards goal. The former Chelsea star's effort was denied by Alaves goalkeeper Pacheco, however.

Madrid would go down two goals early in the second half when a wayward Thibaut Courtois pass was collected by Joselu 25 yards out and deposited into an empty goal. Casemiro grabbed a late consolation but ultimately Alaves held on for a famous win.

Hazard has made 28 appearances in all competitions for Madrid since he joined from Chelsea in the summer of 2019.

Despite his struggles, Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has backed him to get back to his best next year.

"He has had a really complicated year. I am convinced that 2021 will be a fabulous year for Eden Hazard, and also the national team," he said .

Former Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Ramires is considering bringing an end to his playing career, Goal can confirm. 

Palmeiras confirmed on Friday that the 33-year-old's contract had been terminated by mutual consent and the player admitted in an Instagram post on Saturday morning that "personal" factors were behind his departure.

"As most of you may already know, the Palmeiras management and I decided that it would be good for both parties to end my bond with the club, which happened in the most friendly and calm way possible," he wrote.

"My motivations are personal and related to situations that I prefer not to reveal at the moment. I'm just here to thank Palmeiras, all the management, for the professional and correct manner that they treated me, and to my team-mates, for friendship, affection and respect.

"I could not fail to express my special gratitude to coach Abel Ferreira at that moment for everything he did for me in the brief period we were together.

"Thank you for allowing me to show you that with sequence and confidence I can contribute wherever I play in the future. I will be cheering for everything to work out for the club for the rest of the season. A big hug and stay with God."

Ramires was contracted at Palmeiras until 2023 but his sudden departure stems from a serious consideration over whether he intends to keep playing. 

Goal understands that the veteran midfielder has two offers from clubs in Japan but that the Brazilian is leaning towards hanging up the boots. 

Ramires began his professional career with Joinville before subsequent moves to Cruzeiro, Benfica, Chelsea and Jiangsu Suning.

The 33-year-old's most successful stint was at Stamford Bridge where he won the Champions League, Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup across a six-year stint. 

Speaking earlier this year , Ramires opened up on why he isn't surprised to see former team-mate Frank Lampard developing into a successful manager at Chelsea. 

“I knew Frank very well. His understanding of positional play is one of the best I have come across and he was always paying attention to movement so it’s easy if you’ve got eyes for such things," Ramires told the Mirror . 

“He had passion for the game and he had love and the energy was there and when there is that in the eyes as well it’s easy."

Samuel Eto’o remembered the experience of watching Diego Maradona in action for Argentina against Cameroon in a group game at the 1990 Fifa World Cup.

Maradona captained La Albiceleste at the tournament but Cameroon's Francois Omam-Biyik stood out as the hero at the San Siro Stadium after scoring the only goal that separated the two teams in the 67th minute.

It was an eventful outing for the Indomitable Lions who had two players - Andre Kana-Biyik and Benjamin Massing - sent off in the second half.

Eto’o, who was nine years old at that time, recalled how hundreds of people gathered to watch the game in his neighbourhood, and he described the victory as ‘the hope’ which motivated the younger players back home.

“We watched it with 2,000 people in our neighbourhood in front of one TV,” Eto’o was quoted by AS.

“When Diego said hello to our captain and then started juggling the ball on his shoulder, I thought we’re going to lose 10-0.

“And when we won that was so important for us, it gave so much hope to the youngsters in our country. Cameroon has beaten Argentina! That gave us hope!”

Cameroon topped Group B while Argentina followed in the second position. The Central African country reached the quarter-finals of the tournament where they were eliminated by England.

Maradona passed away on Wednesday at the age of 60 after suffering from cardiac arrest. In his tribute to the 1986 World Cup winner, Eto’o described the former Barcelona and Napoli star as a god who lives on.

“I told my friend, that has to be a joke and it’s a terrible joke, because Maradona will always be with us," he said.

"He was the idol for a whole generation, and for future generations, for what he did in football. He was from another planet. Diego, you’re god, you’ll always be alive in our hearts.”

Owen Coyle's Jamshedpur FC and Stuart Baxter's Odisha FC suffered defeats in their opening games against Chennaiyin FC and Hyderabad FC respectively. The Men of Steel host Odisha at the Tilak Maidan, Vasco, in the first of Sunday's two 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) fixtures.

TV CHANNELS & LIVE STREAM

The Star Sports Network have the exclusive broadcasting rights of the ISL in India.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

TEAM NEWS

Jamshedpur FC Possible XI:   

Injured - None
Doubtful - Peter Hartley, Narender Gahlot, Joyner Lourenco
Suspended - None  

Key Players - Nerijus Valskis, Jackichand Singh      

Odisha FC Possible XI: 

Injured - None  
Doubtful - Jacob Tratt, Jerry Mawihmingthanga 
Suspended - None

Key Players - Manuel Onwu, Marcelinho      

Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri scored the only goal of the game as Sevilla defeated Huesca 1-0 on Saturday to maintain their fine form domestically and in Europe.

The powerful forward came off the bench to break the deadlock seven minutes from time when he beat Andres Fernandez following excellent work from Lucas Ocampos.

The Morocco frontman is developing something of a knack for changing games late after coming off the bench, here requiring just nine minutes following his 74th-minute introduction to seal all three points for the visitors.

This goal comes after he scored twice against FC Krasnodar in the Champions League earlier this month, with both goals coming within 12 minutes of his 60th-minute introduction.

His goal against Huesca means he’s now scored six goals in his last seven games in all competitions for club and country, including a strike in Morocco’s 2-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying victory over the Central African Republic during the recent international break.

Despite enjoying over 67 percent of the possession against Miguel Angel Sanchez’s side, Sevilla struggled to break down their resilient opponents and appeared set for a goalless draw at the Estadio El Alcoraz.

However, Julen Lopetegui rang the changes, replacing Luuk de Jong and Oliver Torres with En-Nesyri and Oscar Rodriguez 16 minutes from time, and the Andalusians finally found the breakthrough they were looking for.

Jules Kounde excelled for the visitors in the heart of the defence, while En-Nesyri's compatriot Munir El-Haddadi and Karim Rekik also featured for Sevilla.

Victory extends their winning run to five matches in all competitions, with Sevilla outclassing Celta Vigo 4-2 last weekend before the midweek victory over Krasnodar in Russia.

The win moves Sevilla up to fifth place after nine matches, seven behind unlikely league leaders Real Sociedad having played a match fewer.

Next up for En-Nesyri and co, they host Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday, before the visit of Real Madrid next weekend.

En-Nesyri is winning over supporters at Sevilla after signing from Leganes for an approximate fee of €25 million in January, having scored on his first start—against Celta Vigo—back in February.

Having graduated from the celebrated Mohammed VI Academy, he signed for Malaga in 2015, and subsequently moved on to Leganes in 2018 following the former’s relegation from the Spanish top flight.

Perth Glory will be hoping to secure the first points of their Asian Champions League campaign when they face Shanghai Shenhua on Monday night. 

After losing all of their first four games in the competition, Richard Garcia's side can't qualify for the knockout stages with second-place FC Tokyo already boasting seven points. 

Shenhua are currently third with six points and can give their hopes of progress a big boost with a win over Perth. 

While Glory may not have anything tangible to play for, the West Australians will be desperate to put some gloss on an Asian adventure that has shown fleeting signs of promise.

Perth's biggest issue in their two recent outings against Ulsan has been fatigue with their K-League opponents scoring twice in the final five minutes of both matches to secure narrow wins. 

It was a different story against Shanghai in their earlier meeting however with Perth finishing strongly thanks a goal from Jonathan Aspropotamitis but ultimately still defeated 2-1. 

Considering Garcia's youthful squad and his careful use of star players, Glory have put in honourable performances to date and will be eager to ensure they leave Qatar with something to show for their efforts. 

Though Shenhua loom as tough opponents who have much more to play for, Perth's battle for pride could well be enough to secure them an allusive point.

Nigeria striker Emmanuel Dennis was handed a reprieve by Club Brugge as he returned to action for the Belgian heavyweights only days after being punished by the club for a petulant outburst that made international headlines.

The 23-year-old was suspended by the Belgian side ahead of their Champions League meeting with Borussia Dortmund in midweek, having stormed off the team bus ahead of the match after not being allowed to sit in his favourite seat.

The attacker’s petulant display was leapt upon by the world media, while Brugge opted to suspend the forward for the Dortmund meeting and fine him for his poor behaviour.

The Blue and Black were thumped 3-0 by the German giants in UCL action on Tuesday, and their tricky week got even worse on Saturday when they were held 0-0 at Mouscron in the Jupiler League.

Brugge coach Philippe Clement had confirmed ahead of the match that Dennis had been allowed to participate, and after being named on the bench, he was introduced in the 78th minute as the visitors sought a winner against their stubborn foe.

Ultimately, Dennis wasn’t able to provide the breakthrough, with an 87th-minute booking his primary contribution to an underwhelming outing for the reigning Belgian champions.

The draw means Brugge drop from top spot in the Jupiler League, having been displaced in first position by Genk following their 5-1 thumping of Cercle Brugge earlier on Saturday.

David Okereke, Youssouph Badji, Clinton Mata and Odilon Kossounou were all in action for Brugge, while the likes of Jean Onana, Kouakou Koffi and Eddy Gnohere featured for Mouscron during a contest dominated by African talent.  

Dennis’s tough week has been the nadir of a testing campaign so far in which he’s failed to find the net in eight Jupiler League outings.

His toil in front of goal have made a mockery of some of the expectations set out for the forward ahead of the campaign, with Dennis linked with European heavyweights such as Arsenal and Internazionale.

A fee of £36 million was mooted for the attacker—who was also tipped for a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers—although ultimately he remained at the Jan Breydel Stadium.