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Posta Rangers head coach Sammy Omollo has stated his team is ready for the Football Kenya Federation Premier League despite going down by a solitary goal to Gor Mahia in a pre-season friendly game. 

The lone goal was scored by former Ulinzi Stars man Samuel Onyango from the penalty spot after Salim Hamisi was punished for handling the ball in the danger zone. It turned out to be the only goal in the game as chances went begging for either side.

"It was unfortunate for us to concede considering the fact that we started on a low," Omollo told Goal on Monday.

"I played two different teams in either half, and I was impressed with the display by the players. It is a good sign that my players are ready for the start of the season and also ready to give us positive results. But where was the problem against K'ogalo?

"Defensively we looked solid, same as the midfield department despite some minor mistakes," Omollo continued.

"However, we had a real problem in the attacking department because we had numerous chances that we failed to take. On another day we could have won the game.

"So as the technical bench, we will have to work on that and rectify them before our first league match."

The former Harambee Stars defender had initially stated he is happy with the progress his charges are making ahead of the FKF-PL season.

The Mailmen have been doing their best to be in the right shape ahead of the 2020/21 campaign proposed to start on November 20.

The 51-year-old is optimistic the team will be ready to play Bidco United in their season opener if the players continue training as they are doing currently.

"The signs are really encouraging because players are hungry to play and are giving everything in training to ensure they are ready for the forthcoming campaign," Omollo told Goal on Sunday.

"Every player has an equal chance of breaking into the first 11 and I love the competition I am seeing. The competition is stiff and every player is progressing well.

"I am confident the team [is] ready for the beginning of the league."

Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has shared the unpleasant welcome given to the Gabon national team ahead of their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Gambia.

Patrice Neveu's men are scheduled to play the West African country in Bakau on Monday and they arrived at the Banjul International Airport late on Sunday night.

Upon arrival, the Panthers were delayed at the airport with reports indicating their passports were seized despite providing their coronavirus results to the immigration officers for checks.

Around 4 am on Monday, Gabon were still at the airport and Aubameyang did not hesitate to share the distasteful reception given to them with players and some coaching crew sleeping on the floor.

They finally left Banjul airport almost an hour after the Arsenal captain shared the pictures of their situation.

Aubameyang, in his reaction, has called on the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to take up its responsibility when it comes to continental games and he also noted that the reception will not lower the Panthers' morale ahead of Monday's match.

“This will not demotivate us but people need to know and especially that Caf takes these responsibilities. In 2020, we want Africa to grow and this is not how we're going to get there!!," Aubameyang tweeted.

Three days ago, Gabon defeated Gambia 2-1 in their Group D outing, thanks to goals from Denis Bouanga and Aubameyang. They sit at the top of their group with seven points after three matches while Gambia are second with four points.

The Panthers are on course to return to Afcon after missing the 2019 edition in Egypt.

Garba Lawal has urged the Nigerian national team to do all it takes to secure victory against Sierra Leone irrespective of the margin of the triumph.

The Super Eagles will square off against the Leone Stars in their fourth Group L Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game in Freetown on Tuesday.

The three-time African champions squandered a four-goal lead in Benin City to play out a draw against the Leone Stars at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Friday.

Fans took to social media to react angrily to the disappointing draw with the team’s captain Ahmed Musa apologizing for his side’s unimpressive showings.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick has set a target of a 4-0 win for Gernot Rohr’s men in Freetown and Lawal has revealed the expectation of the fans ahead of the crucial game.

“We are expecting them to go to Sierra Leone on Tuesday and beat them even if it is 1-0 we don’t care, what matters is the three points,” Lawal told Goal.

“They must correct those errors in their last game. They must get it right when they go to Sierra Leone by winning the game.

“Nigeria’s expectations are very high because they have beaten Brazil in the past and they know they have the players that can deliver. That is the mentality of our people.

“If you think Sierra Leone are a weaker team then you are making a big mistake. It is not finished until the end of 90 minutes.

“The players know what is at stake and they know what they did in Benin City was not right. And I know the players will want to go to Sierra Leone and win.”

The Super Eagles lead Group L with seven points from four games and a victory against Sierra Leone on Tuesday could be enough to see them qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Nigeria won their eighth bronze medal in the last edition of the continental tournament in Egypt, with Algeria clinching gold and Senegal the silver medal.

Lawal was a consistent performer for the Super Eagles during his playing years, featuring at the 1998 and 2002 World Cup tournaments.

The winger, who had 57 caps, was also part of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations team at the 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 editions.

England manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed that he had coronavirus last month after being criticised by Piers Morgan.

Reports emerged prior to Sunday's 2-0 Nations League loss to Belgium that Southgate had tested positive for Covid-19.

Good Morning Britain host and journalist Piers Morgan reacted angrily to the news having come into contact with the 50-year-old in October, as he posted the following message on Twitter : "Hmmmm... England manager Gareth Southgate reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 on Oct 25.

"I was chatting with him on Oct 22 at ⁦GQ Heroes event, with the magazine’s editors.

"He didn’t tell any of us he tested positive 3 days later. If dates are correct, that’s disgraceful."

After England's hopes of reaching the Nations League Finals were ended by Group A2 leaders Belgium, Southgate revealed the positive coronavirus test.

"I did have the virus," Southgate told reporters. "I was fortunate it was not as serious as so many people in our country but not pleasant, not something you'd choose to have but everything is fine now."

Southgate's England needed at least a draw to ensure their chances of topping Group A2 remained alive going into their final game against Iceland.

However, first-half goals from Youri Tielemans and Dries Mertens put Belgium on track for a win that leaves them needing just a point in their final group game against Denmark to reach the Finals.

It was England's 10th defeat in 48 matches under Southgate – making him the first manager to lose 10 games with the Three Lions since Sven-Goran Eriksson, who lost 10 of his 67 fixtures in charge.

England also suffered back-to-back competitive international losses for the first time since tasting three consecutive defeats between July and September 2018.

The Three Lions, who reached the inaugural Nations League finals last year only to lose to the Netherlands at the last-four stage, will have to beat Iceland and hope that Denmark lose heavily to Belgium in order to secure second place in their group, with their final fixture set to take place at Wembley on Wednesday.

We at Goal.com have teamed up with the gaming series FIFA 21 to identify the top 11 players existing in the game today.

Join us in the poll sponsored by FIFA 21 and vote for your favorite defensive midfielder below but before that here is a quick snippet on some of the players:

N'Golo Kanté:  A player that is as electric as it gets. His ability to cover the ground, moving constantly day-in and day-out has earned numerous applauses from colleagues and opponents alike. A lower center of gravity often gives him the upper hand during battles in the center of the pitch. Overall FIFA 21 rating: 88

Fabinho: Apart from his ability to look up the field and pass a ball through, he is known for his defensive involvement. Fabinho’s key strengths include tackling, winning aerial duels, playing key passes, and his strong concentration on and off the ball. This is why he has been so vital to Liverpool this season. Overall FIFA 21 rating: 87

Joshua Kimmich: Kimmich is robust, technically astute, determined, smart and hard working, with no obvious flaws in any part of his game. Able to control the tempo of matches, dig his heels in and defend when required, but also provide the eye-of-the-needle pass forward that starts (or finishes) an attack. Overall FIFA 21 rating: 88

Jordan Henderson: His influence and ability to lead others has just grown and grown over the past couple of seasons, and so has his quality on the ball. Henderson's reliability is one of the things that makes him stand out - he is an extremely consistent performer. His athleticism is a big reason for that. It allows him to maintain his levels for the full 90 minutes.  Overall FIFA 21 rating: 86

Carlos Henrique Casimiro:  The Brazilian's positioning and distribution continues to improve at a faster speed. His approach to the game is characterized by these three words - structural, organizational and technical. Overall FIFA 21 rating: 89

Selangor have finally officially announced their new head coach; 52-year old Karsten Neitzel, on Monday, November 16.

Unofficial sources had last week revealed his presence in Malaysia, with Goal on Sunday revealing that he would be unveiled by the club on the following day.

The Dresden, East Germany-born trainer has had experience coaching at Freiburg, Urawa Reds, VfL Bochum as well as Rot-Weiss Essen.

Club technical director and compatriot Michael Feichtenbeiner explained why he picked Neitzel to lead the Red Giants first team.

“I know him well because he used to play under me. He was a very good midfielder and played on my team in the second division, before playing in the Bundesliga later. He was a very powerful player.

“...It’s important for our project to produce our own players to play in the Super League. So, we need a head coach who is open to use young players. Sometimes, it’s not easy to play young boys because they tend to make mistakes, but Neitzel is a brave coach. If he sees some qualities and abilities in the young boys, he will give them a chance.

“We want to build the best team in Malaysia, and we need to do it in our very own way to do that. We may not be able to attract the best individual players to play for Selangor, but we can try building the best team via our gameplay and development program,” he explained in an interview produced by the club.

Neitzel himself thinks highly of the younger players of the club, mainly those playing for their reserve team in the Premier League.

“I’ve seen some games from the second team. They have good potential. For example Aliff [Haiqal], Zikri [Khalili], Afro (Shahrul Nazeem), and Danial [Asri] the striker. They are good players, but I don’t want to put them under too much pressure. I will support all the young players as much as their seniors.”

Zikri Khalili. Photo by Sports Regime

He however wants the fans to afford him time to produce results for the club.

“Like the fans, I’m also hungry for success. I want to win every game every weekend with my team, my staff, and the supporters. But we need to do it step by step. We need to improve the way we play, we need to improve small things because small things can make a big difference.

“The fans have to know what we are doing and need to understand our idea. They must have a feeling that we know they are always behind us and I think a good relationship between the team, the club, and the supporters.”

Edinson Cavani is "going to be more important for Manchester United than people think", according to Gus Poyet, who has backed the "passionate" Uruguayan to shine at Old Trafford.

United snapped Cavani up on a free transfer on October 5, beating the likes of Atletico Madrid and Benfica to the signature of a man who had been without a club since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in June.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has used the 33-year-old sparingly during his first two months in Manchester, but the veteran forward is now pushing for his first Premier League start having built up his match fitness with a few impressive cameo appearances.

The Uruguay international came off the bench to net his first goal in the famous red shirt against Everton just before the international break, with his trademark finish rounding off a 3-1 victory in stoppage time.

Cavani notched his second in as many games during his country's 3-0 World Cup qualifying win against Colombia on Friday, and will hope to extend his recent hot streak when United play host to West Brom next weekend.

Poyet thinks his compatriot will end up enjoying a prominent role in Solskjaer's squad, with it his belief that the ex-PSG star is the perfect fit for English football.

“I think he is going to be more important for Manchester United than people think,” the ex-Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder told The Daily Mail.

“Look at the last game at Everton. The result was in the balance, he came off the bench, one chance and bang.

“English football is perfect for Uruguayans because we are passionate.

"Once we sign a contract, we forget about it because the only thing that matters next is winning. English fans love that.”

Poyet, who won 26 caps for Uruguay over the course of his career, says Cavani's contribution will increase as he gets more used to United's preferred style of play.

“He makes an incredible amount of runs,” the 52-year-old added. "Maybe he makes an unbelievable run and the ball isn’t played.

"The fitter he gets, the more he understands United’s play, the more he will play.”

NorthEast United head coach Gerard Nus has achieved a lot in his illustrious career but has effectively served as manager for only two terms in his 13-year managerial career so far.

He started coaching in his early teens, completed his UEFA Pro Licence at the age 22, and went on to join Liverpool FC's football academy in 2007 before being part of the backroom staff under then Reds' gaffer Rafael Benitez as a conditioning coach. 

Sandwiched between his role as the head of academy coaching at Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Championship where he had the privilege of working closely with then first-team coach Gustavo Poyet, Nus served as an assistant at Chunnam Dragons in the K-League and A-League side Melbourne Heart.

The former Liverpool U-21 coach also famously worked under Avram Grant as an assistant and a video analyst as Ghana reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 and the semi-final stage of the same competition in 2017.

However, as head coach, there is not much of a reference other than leading Rayo Oklahoma City in 2016 and Irtysh Pavlodar of the Kazakhstan Premier League in 2017. At Rayo OKC, Nus managed to go on a 10-game unbeaten run with a five-match winning streak to reach the semi-finals of the North America Soccer League (NASL) Championship. But his spell at Irtysh was a rather short one to take any note of. 

Nus has also worked with Elche CF and last held a post of Methodology Technical Director of AFC Eskilstuna in Allsvenskan - the Swedish top division - before packing his bags for India.

While NorthEast United may have landed a candidate who can provide expertise in the development of the plentiful youth talent available at the club, Nus has a task at his hand to mastermind a run to the play-offs especially since the team is coming off a very disappointing season where they finished second from bottom. 

Nus succeeds Robert Jarni at a club that has had a different head coach at the helm for each of the past six seasons. And apart from Eelco Schattorie, no coach has managed to take the Highlanders to the play-offs. 

Cesar Farias and Nelo Vingada are otherwise the only two managers at the club who got close to the play-offs with a fifth-place finish in 2015 and 2016 respectively. NorthEast is not amongst the top spenders in the league but they do have good talent at their disposal. 

Nus believes in his capabilities and in his squad, as he told Goal in an interview before the start of the pre-season. "I am happy with the roster that we have and the new players that we are bringing. We have a solid mix of experienced and young players. We want to build something special.

"I am aware of the talent that this region has. I am a big believer in providing opportunities to the players that work hard and I do not think it is difficult to get young players into the first team; it all comes down to finding the right time and giving them the confidence that they deserve."

NorthEast United have made interesting moves in the transfer market for Indian players including Ashutosh Mehta, Ponif Vaz, Gurjinder Kumar, Lalkhawpuimawia, Rochharzela, PM Britto, Sanjiban Ghosh, VP Suhair and Mashoor Shereef. In the foreign players' department, the club has only retained Federico Gallego and gone in for six new recruits. 

It all boils down to whether Nus manages to extract the very best from this squad. The youngest manager in the league has his task cut out. 

With the dust still settling on Nigeria’s shocking collapse against Sierra Leone on Friday, it feels like an inappropriate time to present a case for Anthony Nwakaeme.

The Super Eagles scored four against the Leone Stars before contriving to draw 4-4, so the problem didn’t appear to be the forward line that netted four in the opening half-hour, but the backline that allowed cheap goals and a midfield pairing that looked dead on their feet as the visitors rallied late on.

Many will scoff at the idea of having the Trabzonspor wide attacker in the side, largely due to the presence of a plethora of options in his position. Alex Iwobi played there in a changed 4-4-2 line-up, although Gernot Rohr has tended to utilise Samuel Kalu, Moses Simon and Ahmed Musa down that side in the last two years or thereabouts.

The latter, now captain of Nigeria since Mikel John Obi’s retirement, was played along with Victor Osimhen on Friday and seemed out of sorts. The skipper’s touch was a tad heavy at times, leading to the breakdown of promising moves or slowing down the team’s progress upfield.

For one, it was really odd that the German tactician included the unattached Musa in his squad for the double-header vs Sierra Leone, a decision followed by the strange choice to play the 28-year-old from the off.

With Kelechi Iheanacho in the squad, the ex-Bayern Munich player opted to start the former CSKA Moscow attacker along with Napoli’s record signing despite the skipper’s recent lack of match action as well as Iheanacho being the better fit to play as the second striker.

While Kalu wasn’t included in November’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, the 23-year-old Bordeaux winger has largely become a favourite of the Nigeria coach, regardless of form or appearances for the Ligue 1 club.

As for Simon, the Nantes attacker has mostly played second fiddle since Rohr’s appointment. Although his all-round contribution to the team means his continued inclusion in the coach’s selection may not be scrutinised, whereas Kalu’s presence and especially Musa’s prompt criticism of the man at the helm.

Given the aforementioned context, maybe a case for the neglected Nwakaeme can now be presented...again.

Indeed, little attention has been placed on the Trabzonspor forward in the last year or thereabouts despite his relative brilliance for Black Sea Storm since joining in 2018.

An amazing maiden season in Turkey saw the arrival from Hapoel Be'er Sheva hit 10 goals and as many assists in 18/19 before beating his goals tally by one last term. His assists number dropped by three and statistics showed he fashioned out fewer shooting opportunities and clear-cut chances for teammates.

Still, Nwakaeme sat fourth in the entire Super Lig for non-penalty goals and assists per 90 going into the final weeks of the season. He eventually finished in 11th spot after a late team collapse which saw the Trabzon outfit win two of their last seven to end four points behind champions Istanbul Basaksehir.

Be that as it may, his influence throughout 19/20 meant he was undoubtedly the side’s most important player behind Alexander Sorloth, who netted a staggering 24 and set up another eight.

The Norwegian’s sale to Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig has severely blunted Trabzonspor and Benik Afobe hasn’t quite led the line as brilliantly as the towering frontman did last term, despite scoring a respectable three goals in seven appearances.

The issues plaguing Eddie Newton, however, run even deeper. Two of the club's supporting cast from last year in Jose Sosa — contributor of 17 goals and assists — and Guilherme — 12 G+A — have moved to Fenerbahce and Goztepe respectively.

That leaves Ghana attacker, Caleb Ekuban as the only star besides Nwakaeme from last year’s top five goal contributors still at the club, but the West African’s tally of nine G+A pales in comparison to Sorloth (32), Nwakaeme and Sosa (17), and Guilherme (12).

While the Nigerian has mostly been efficient on average this term, the quality around him has significantly declined at both ends of the pitch, leaving Trabzonspor in 17th, with one win from their opening eight games.

Despite leading the team’s goal contributions table with four in six games, the 31-year-old can’t lead a one-man carry job for Newton, leading to a sharp drop off having contended for the title in each of the last two seasons.

0.71 non-penalty goals and assists per 90 places the inside forward 10th in the Turkish top flight with a slightly better return than last year’s 0.68, although it does come from a significantly smaller sample size of just six games so far.

Indeed, Nwakaeme could still pull decent to good numbers for Trabzonspor this season but the team’s general decline means a third shot at the title may be out of reach.

As for a return to the national team, it remains to be seen whether Rohr would keep ignoring the frontman if he has another prolific season in Turkey. The forward has deserved another shot in the side since an average performance in a dead rubber game with Algeria in 2017, but the German hasn’t granted another opportunity.

It leaves many wondering whether there’s any sort of meritocracy to the coach’s selections, especially as Nwakaeme has been mostly consistent in the last two seasons in Turkey and three previously in Israel.

After being kicked to the curb in the last two seasons, the forward would look to be third-time lucky as he looks to banish memories of that ill-fated game in Constantine despite the aforementioned challenges facing him in Trabzon.

Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana defender Innocent Maela is expected to be ruled out of Monday’s 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium through injury.

This is according to a statement on the South African Football Association’s website.

“Of the travelling team, only Innocent Maela sat out training on Sunday, 15 November 2020 suffering from a slight knock he received in the Durban match on Friday and is likely to sit out on this encounter.”

Maela started and completed Friday night’s match at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, where Bafana ran out 2-0 winners thanks to a penalty from Percy Tau and a late goal by substitute Bongani Zungu.

The Safa statement also revealed who could replace Maela at left-back, as well as announcing that the Scotland-based Zungu will play from the start:

“Lyle Lakay is expected to be drafted in his place while Zungu who had a blinder of a game soon after coming on during Friday’s match, is set to earn a starting berth.”

Zungu came off the bench on Friday in Durban and injected intensity into the attack before capping off an excellent performance with a 90th minute headed goal.

His presence could perhaps come at the expense of Lebogang Manyama, in what would be a like-for-like swap. There are several others though, including Themba Zwane, Kamohelo Mokotjo and Keagan Dolly who could potentially make way; Tau and Dean Furman would surely be guaranteed starters after impressing on Friday.

Mamelodi Sundowns left-back Lakay will offer Bafana plenty in an attacking sense down the left flank.

The Cape Town-born Lakay has actually played a large portion of his career as a left-winger.

He’s been in sparkling form for the Brazilians at full-back though and will be keen to bomb forward on every possible occasion in Port Elizabeth.

Zungu meanwhile will add thrust and invention from midfield to the Bafana attack and should ensure that South Africa are more proactive than they were in the first half in Durban last Friday, when not a single effort was on target.

Monday’s match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium kicks off at 3 pm.

As FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando gears up for the start of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season, there is bound the shadow cast by the achievements of former coach Sergio Lobera over his team. 

Ahmed Jahouh, Hugo Boumous, Mourtada Fall and Mandar Rao Dessai followed Lobera to Mumbai City FC besides the exits of regular starters such as Jackichand Singh (Jamshedpur FC) and record-breaking striker Ferran Corominas (Atletico Beleares). Meanwhile, Fall's defensive pairing in Carlos Pena decided to hang up his boots.

Add to it, the Gaurs have been handed a couple of tough fixtures right at the beginning, with their task cut out against a nemesis in Bengaluru FC (Goa have suffered five losses and a draw in the last six matches against the Blues) in the opener before an interesting reunion against Mumbai City next.

Although Ferrando wouldn't necessarily be perturbed about the games in store, getting the team in sync with his tactical elements given the number of new entrants including five new foreigners will be the Spaniard tactician's first major hurdle.

The new foreign signings come in the form of defenders Ivan Gonzalez and James Donachie, midfielders Alberto Noguera and Jorge Ortiz, and forward Igor Angulo - all of whom have impressive curricula vitae (CV).

One glance of the statistics from last season shows how Goa dominated the leagues stages and that they were heavily dependent on the players who made an exit in the summer. In the attacking department, out of the 51 goals, 35 of them were scored by Corominas (14), Boumous (11), Jackichand (5) and Fall (5).

Of course, the team's style plays a role behind those strikes. But there are significant contributors who are no longer a part of the team - former players Jahouh (1,636), Pena (1,295) and Fall (1,202) were among the top seven in the league when it comes to minutes. The same goes for passes, with the club recording the best numbers among all teams and where again you see the names of Jahouh (1,279), Pena (1,053) and Fall (836) pop up in the top 10 players in that respect.

"We are working a lot on the tactical part followed by physical conditioning. We have to try to find the best system. Tactically, it is important to know how to respond to what happens during the course of a game. Of course, set -pieces are very important. Our focus is to find out what happens with the ball and without the ball and in other situations as well," Ferrando recently stated. 

Boumous, in particular, will be a huge loss for Goa. The Frenchman was also involved in 10 assists - a record highest in a single ISL season - and was awarded the ISL Winning Pass of the League and Hero of the League for his impeccable performances last season.

Another huge loss will be the silent mainstay over the past three terms - Jahouh. He has made a record number of tackles, passes and touches in the league's history.

Other than foreigners, Ferrando also has a lot of youngsters infused in the first-team squad after the likes of Saviour Gama and Princeton Rebello announced themselves on the big stage last season. The pre-season friendlies have already seen new signings such as Sanson Pereira, Makan Chothe and Phrangki Buam already featuring during the pre-season friendlies.

"I'm not thinking about the new or inexperienced played. I am trying to find the best first XI. If a player understands the tactical part, he is good to play. It is very important to prepare a plan B with the medical staff because I don't know if all the players will be ready for every game," the 39-year-old coach said about the fixtures coming thick and fast.

Indian players such as Ishan Pandita, Redeem Tlang and Alexander Romario Jesuraj returning from his loan stint from Mohun Bagan also provide depth to the squad. 

However, the most important factor may always remain that fluidity the side showcased under Lobera. Given that only one foreigner - Edu Bedia - has been retained from the regular season winning combination, it will be interesting to see whether the club will be able to retain that fluidity. It must be noted that the likes of Jahouh, Boumous and Coro took control of the side's game play last season. 

Relying on the experience of campaigners such as Brandon Fernandes, Seriton Fernandes and Lenny Rodrigues will also prove pivotal for the Goans, also looking for continuity in the good form of the likes of Mohammad Nawaz in goal besides requiring someone like Mohamed Ali to step up his game.