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Real Madrid appear to firmly be in the process of turning their season around, and head into Sunday’s meeting with Valencia on a four-game unbeaten streak.

Things weren’t so positive back on October 23, as they headed into the Clasico against Barcelona on the back of back-to-back defeats.

Not only had Real lost the previous two matches, but in the first, they had been stunned at home by minnows Cadiz, and then conceded three times at home as they fell 3-2 against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

After taking an early lead in the Clasico, they were pegged back sharply when Ansu Fati cancelled out Federico Valverde’s opener.

The moment was a pivotal point in their campaign.

Had Real folded, they could have been staring at a long, hard season, but Zinedine Zidane’s side are made of immense character and they responded in style late on.

Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric netted inside the final half an hour as Real clinched all three points and took the bragging rights on their domestic rivals.

Since then, they held Borussia Monchengladbach away in the Champions League, and then downed SD Huesca 4-1 last weekend before downing Internazionale 3-2 in midweek.

Again, there were defensive concerns, but again, Real showed their personality in abundance, snatching a late winner through Rodrygo despite letting a two-goal lead slip.

With the wind in their sails once again, Real will be favourites once again, although Valencia have several reasons to be optimistic.

They have a strong recent record at home against Los Blancos, having lost just once in their last six matches against Real at the Mestalla. During that period, Los Che have won three and drawn two.

Similarly, in Carlos Soler, they have a player who enjoys playing against the serial European champions.

Soler has had a hand in a goal in his last two matches against Real at the Mestalla, scoring in December 2019 and contributing an assist in April last year.

However, Valencia’s recent poor form should give some encouragement to Los Merengues; they haven’t won in their last four league games, conceding twice at least in each game, and if they lose, will be on their worst winless run in the top flight since September 2018.

Similarly, Valencia have conceded one goal or more in their last 16 matches against Real in the top flight, so expect Zidane’s side to net again on Sunday.

Encouragingly for the capital club, Real are unbeaten in their last nine away games in the league—winning seven of them—and if they avoid defeat, will register their best run without a loss in the top flight since late 2017.

However, Real may be without several key players due to injury and illness.

Eder Militao is missing due to coronavirus, while Nacho will miss out due to a thigh problem.

Dani Carvajal’s knee troubles will keep him out, although there’s more hope that Alvaro Odriozola and Martin Odegaard can return from calf injuries to compete for a place.

Real Madrid appear to firmly be in the process of turning their season around, and head into Sunday’s meeting with Valencia on a four-game unbeaten streak.

Things weren’t so positive back on October 23, as they headed into the Clasico against Barcelona on the back of back-to-back defeats.

Not only had Real lost the previous two matches, but in the first, they had been stunned at home by minnows Cadiz, and then conceded three times at home as they fell 3-2 against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

After taking an early lead in the Clasico, they were pegged back sharply when Ansu Fati cancelled out Federico Valverde’s opener.

The moment was a pivotal point in their campaign.

Had Real folded, they could have been staring at a long, hard season, but Zinedine Zidane’s side are made of immense character and they responded in style late on.

Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric netted inside the final half an hour as Real clinched all three points and took the bragging rights on their domestic rivals.

Since then, they held Borussia Monchengladbach away in the Champions League, and then downed SD Huesca 4-1 last weekend before downing Internazionale 3-2 in midweek.

Again, there were defensive concerns, but again, Real showed their personality in abundance, snatching a late winner through Rodrygo despite letting a two-goal lead slip.

With the wind in their sails once again, Real will be favourites once again, although Valencia have several reasons to be optimistic.

They have a strong recent record at home against Los Blancos, having lost just once in their last six matches against Real at the Mestalla. During that period, Los Che have won three and drawn two.

Similarly, in Carlos Soler, they have a player who enjoys playing against the serial European champions.

Soler has had a hand in a goal in his last two matches against Real at the Mestalla, scoring in December 2019 and contributing an assist in April last year.

However, Valencia’s recent poor form should give some encouragement to Los Merengues; they haven’t won in their last four league games, conceding twice at least in each game, and if they lose, will be on their worst winless run in the top flight since September 2018.

Similarly, Valencia have conceded one goal or more in their last 16 matches against Real in the top flight, so expect Zidane’s side to net again on Sunday.

Encouragingly for the capital club, Real are unbeaten in their last nine away games in the league—winning seven of them—and if they avoid defeat, will register their best run without a loss in the top flight since late 2017.

However, Real may be without several key players due to injury and illness.

Eder Militao is missing due to coronavirus, while Nacho will miss out due to a thigh problem.

Dani Carvajal’s knee troubles will keep him out, although there’s more hope that Alvaro Odriozola and Martin Odegaard can return from calf injuries to compete for a place.

Real Madrid appear to firmly be in the process of turning their season around, and head into Sunday’s meeting with Valencia on a four-game unbeaten streak.

Things weren’t so positive back on October 23, as they headed into the Clasico against Barcelona on the back of back-to-back defeats.

Not only had Real lost the previous two matches, but in the first, they had been stunned at home by minnows Cadiz, and then conceded three times at home as they fell 3-2 against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

After taking an early lead in the Clasico, they were pegged back sharply when Ansu Fati cancelled out Federico Valverde’s opener.

The moment was a pivotal point in their campaign.

Had Real folded, they could have been staring at a long, hard season, but Zinedine Zidane’s side are made of immense character and they responded in style late on.

Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric netted inside the final half an hour as Real clinched all three points and took the bragging rights on their domestic rivals.

Since then, they held Borussia Monchengladbach away in the Champions League, and then downed SD Huesca 4-1 last weekend before downing Internazionale 3-2 in midweek.

Again, there were defensive concerns, but again, Real showed their personality in abundance, snatching a late winner through Rodrygo despite letting a two-goal lead slip.

With the wind in their sails once again, Real will be favourites once again, although Valencia have several reasons to be optimistic.

They have a strong recent record at home against Los Blancos, having lost just once in their last six matches against Real at the Mestalla. During that period, Los Che have won three and drawn two.

Similarly, in Carlos Soler, they have a player who enjoys playing against the serial European champions.

Soler has had a hand in a goal in his last two matches against Real at the Mestalla, scoring in December 2019 and contributing an assist in April last year.

However, Valencia’s recent poor form should give some encouragement to Los Merengues; they haven’t won in their last four league games, conceding twice at least in each game, and if they lose, will be on their worst winless run in the top flight since September 2018.

Similarly, Valencia have conceded one goal or more in their last 16 matches against Real in the top flight, so expect Zidane’s side to net again on Sunday.

Encouragingly for the capital club, Real are unbeaten in their last nine away games in the league—winning seven of them—and if they avoid defeat, will register their best run without a loss in the top flight since late 2017.

However, Real may be without several key players due to injury and illness.

Eder Militao is missing due to coronavirus, while Nacho will miss out due to a thigh problem.

Dani Carvajal’s knee troubles will keep him out, although there’s more hope that Alvaro Odriozola and Martin Odegaard can return from calf injuries to compete for a place.

Morocco club Moghreb Atletic Tetouan have confirmed the signing of Tanzania striker Shaaban Idd Chilunda from Azam FC.

“Our team Moghreb Atletic Tetouan has officially signed on Friday, Tanzania striker Shaaban Idd Chilunda, for a three-season professional contract, coming from Azam of Tanzania,” the club confirmed on their social media pages.

“The 22-year-old Chilunda, has carried a Spanish Tenerife shirt over the last two seasons loaned from Azam, and Shilonda has carried a shirt for all age groups of the club Nazani up to team one.

“Shaaban Idd Chilunda is thus the fourth signing of the Moghreb Atletic Tetouan during the summer window, after earlier signing defender Anas Al-Marabat, striker Hisham Al-Khalwa and goalkeeper Yahya Al-Filali.

Azam have also taken to their social media pages to confirm the exit of the player.

“Our former striker Shabaan Chilunda has officially sealed his transfer move to Morocco giants Moghreb Atletico Tetuan on a three-year contract,” Azam wrote on their social media pages.

“Earlier, Chilunda was supposed to sign for Mouloudia Oudja but the move fell through and Azam later reached an agreement with Tetuan, who moved with speed to seal his services.

“Chilunda becomes our second player to leave the country for action across Africa. Striker Novatus Dismas signed for Israeli giants Maccabi Tel-Aviv U19 team.”

Dismas had been undergoing trials in Israel for the past three weeks and the club has officially confirmed he has signed a one-year contract but with an option to extend by two more years.

“Dismas, who played for Azam FC is a member of Tanzania’s U21 national side, impressed the youth academy’s coaching staff during an impressive week at the club and will join the U19’s,” Maccabi Tel-Aviv wrote on their official website.

Maccabi’s Performance Director, Patrick Van Leeuwen, who was following the player’s performance since he arrived in Israel for the trials told the club’s official website: “[Dismas] is a Tanzanian left-footed midfielder who was recommended to our scouting department and we invited him for trials at the start of the season.

“Sadly, we were unable to hand him a trial for several weeks due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently, however, we were able to see him properly and we are under the impression that he is a very interesting player who will be joining our structure at Maccabi.”

Orlando Pirates stand-in coach Fadlu David has warned his side that they “will make a mistake” if they regard themselves as MTN8 finalists, while also saying Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt should not be looked at with eyes of sympathy for not participating in the transfer market.

Pirates go into Sunday’s MTN8 semi-final, second leg away at FNB Stadium carrying what appears like a comfortable 3-0 victory from the reverse fixture at Orlando Stadium.

While Pirates have enjoyed their business in the transfer market, signing big-name players like Thulani Hlatshwayo, Thabang Monare, Deon Hotto and Terrence Dzvukamanja, it is a different story for Chiefs who could not beef up their squad due to a Fifa transfer ban.

But despite Chiefs' glaring struggles this season, Davids insists that they are playing “dangerous” opponents.

“You have to look at the bigger picture and the bigger picture is that Kaizer Chiefs came within 20 minutes from winning the league with this squad,” Davids told the media.

“In the last game of the season, they lost the league. They have lost only one player George Maluleka and they have exactly the same squad. Yes, the difference is in the technical team, they have a different coach.

“We know their strengths, we know how dangerous they can be especially with an experienced coach like Gavin Hunt. He is going for goals and we know they can immediately turn the game around. We will definitely not go into the game undermining Kaizer Chiefs but knowing their strengths and preparing the game as a normal 0-0 game.

“I don’t think it’s time to feel sorry for him because looking at the squad he has from last season and the squad he has now, it is definitely an upgrade in terms of the quality of players they have and squad structure. They have a quality side at the moment. Yes, they were not able to strengthen but like I said, that squad got them to 20 minutes from winning the league title.”

In an apparent reference to Liverpool’s heroic comeback in the 2005 Champions League final where they clawed their way back from 3-0 down at halftime to force a 3-3 draw and subsequent penalty shootout victory over AC Milan, Davids is wary that Chiefs can pull off such a feat.

“We approach the match like any normal match and taking the scoreline out of the equation. I think we will make a mistake if we start the match having the 3-0 scoreline in our heads," said Davids.

“We have seen the [Uefa] Champions League final where a team was leading 3-0 at half time and coming back to lose it. So we take it as our half time but our half time is not a normal 45 minutes. We have 90 minutes to play. So we will approach the game trying to score goals.

‘We know we have to approach the game by not going into it with complacency. Not thinking with one leg into the final.”

Davids says he is constantly in touch three or times a day with Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer who is on compassionate leave in his home country Germany.

Chiefs go into this match straight from a frustrating 0-0 Premier Soccer League draw against TS Galaxy while Pirates beat Bloemfontein Celtic 1-0 away.

Italy head coach Roberto Mancini has tested positive for Covid-19, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has revealed, while Roma striker Edin Dzeko has also contracted the virus.

Mancini underwent routine testing ahead of the Azzurri squad meeting up on Sunday for their upcoming triple-header of fixtures.

The FIGC said the 55-year-old is asymptomatic and is self-isolating at home.

A statement read: "As part of the periodic controls undertaken by the FIGC on the Italy coaching staff ahead of the coming break for UEFA competitions, head coach Roberto Mancini tested positive for Covid-19.

"He remains asymptomatic and, in compliance with the active guidelines, the Azzurri head coach went into self-isolation at his home in Rome. The FIGC notified local health authorities in good time.

"Mancini will be able to join the squad at Coverciano once he has completed the necessary procedures, as outlined by the Uefa Return to Play and FIGC protocols."

Italy host Estonia in a friendly on Wednesday before taking on Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina in their final set of Nations League fixtures on November 15 and 18 respectively.

Although they have drawn three of their last five, Mancini's men are unbeaten in 19 matches since a 1-0 loss to Portugal in September 2018. The Azzurri are second in Group A1, one point below Poland and one above the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, Dzeko announced on Friday that he has also returned a positive coronavirus test, though he says he is showing no symptoms.

"Hello everyone, unfortunately I am positive for Covid-19 and as you know I will have to respect the quarantine period," the 34-year-old wrote in an Instagram post.

"I want to reassure everyone who knows me, fortunately I have no particular symptoms.

"For a few days I will be forced to stay away from my team-mates, but with my mind and heart I will stay with them, starting on Sunday."

Roma, who are eighth in Serie A with 11 points from six matches, have an away match against Genoa on Sunday in their last game before the international break.

The news regarding Dzeko and Mancini comes after numerous other players in Italy's top-flight have tested positive for coronavirus since the start of the 2020-21 campaign, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paulo Dybala.

Genoa, meanwhile, recorded 22 positive cases from players and staff at the club back October, forcing their game against Torino to be temporarily postponed.

Twente defender Tyronne Ebuehi and Ajax forward Lassina Traore have been included in the Dutch Eredivisie Team of the Month for October.  

Ebuehi delivered outstanding performances for Ron Jans’ men in the month under review as he featured prominently in their games against FC Emmen, Willem II, FC Utrecht and PEC Zwolle.

Besides his solid defensive showings, the right-back also grabbed an assist in his side’s second win in October against the Bluefingers.

Ebuehi’s fine displays helped the club to their current sixth place on the league table after gathering 14 points from seven games.

Burkina Faso international and Ajax centre-forward Lassina Traore has also been named among the best players in the month under review.

The 19-year-old delivered sizzling performances for the Sons of the Gods, scoring five goals to help his club secure three wins in four games in October.

Ebuehi joined Ajax in the summer on a season-long loan from Benfica after overcoming a career-threatening injury.

The defender did not make a single league appearance for the Portuguese side before he signed for Twente with an option of making the deal permanent.

The right-back has now made eight appearances for the Reds across all competitions since his arrival at De Grolsch Veste.

Ebuehi will be expected to be on parade in their next league game against his former club ADO Den Haag on Saturday.

The right-back, who was one of the stand-out players for the Super Eagles at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, earned a recall to the national team for their friendlies against Algeria and Tunisia in October.

The defender has also been included in Gernot Rohr’s side that will take on Sierra Leone in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game on November 13 and 17.

Simba SC official Haji Manara has claimed they will easily carry the day in the Mainland Premier League derby if they use their scoring chances against Young Africans (Yanga SC) on Saturday.

The two Tanzanian giants will face off for the first Kariakoo Derby this season with Yanga sitting ahead of Simba in the 18-team league table.

And ahead of the clash, Manara has now said they have a better squad than that of their opponents and has further explained that they will carry the day if they use their chances created.

“We all know the difficulties of playing in a derby, and we know our rivals will come to spoil our style of play by applying bad tactics and using force, but all said and done, we will play our usual passing game and you know how many chances we can create in a single match,” Manara wrote on his social media pages.

“We will not underrate our opponents, we will just play our game, and one thing that I know, if we use our chances, then we will win the game very early, it will be a done game if we use our chances well.

“At the end of the day, the winner will be the team which prepared well, and we have done enough preparations and also the team with a good squad, and you know very well Simba have the best squad in Tanzania, so we will win the derby, without fear.”

With reports emerging that Simba will miss key players – Clatous Chama and Chris Mugalu - for the derby, Manura has assured their fans that they will still have a good squad to do the job.

“Our team is unshakable, we have a good squad, we don’t need to fear because two or three players are missing, the coach knows his job well, we want Simba fans to come in large numbers and support the team.

“We are the defending champions and we are also keen to defend the title again, so as the champion, you must make sure that you will win your matches, including the derby, so we don’t fear anyone, we have set our targets for the season and we must achieve them.”

Last season, the two giants met three times, with the first round ending in a 2-2 draw before Yanga turned on the screw to win the second round fixture 1-0. They again faced off in the semi-finals of the FA Cup where Simba won 4-1.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi then went ahead to seal a season double – winning the Community Shield, the league, and the domestic cup – after beating Namungo FC 2-1 in the final played in Sumbawanga, Rukwa.

Molde striker Leke James has described Arsenal centre-back David Luiz as ‘an intelligent player’ after he gave him a tough time in Thursday’s Europa League outing at the Emirates Stadium.

James was introduced as a 74th-minute substitute for Erling Moe's side in their 4-1 defeat to the Gunners.

He struggled to make an impact in the encounter, however, despite his confrontation with Luiz, he revealed they made up at the end of the encounter with a conversation.

“I didn't get too much engagement, but David Luiz was difficult to beat for the few minutes I played, he's an intelligent and very experienced defender,” James told Goal.

“I had a conversation with Luiz at the end of the game. He likes me and my style of play, and he gave me some words of encouragement.”

Martin Ellingsen gave the visitors an early lead at the Emirates Stadium with his long-range strike in the 22nd minute but Arsenal equalised on the stroke of half-time after Kristoffer Haugen turned the ball into the back of his own net.

Arsenal turned the game around after the restart with Sheriff Sinyan scoring another own goal in the 62nd minute while Nicolas Pepe's 69th-minute strike and Joe Willock's goal in the 88th minute completed the rout.

Thursday’s result was Molde's first loss in the competition after victories against Rapid Wien and Dundalk, and James believes they have learnt their lessons after making 'a lot of mistakes'.

“When we scored the first goal, we were hopeful that we could do more but one of my centre-backs got injured so he couldn't continue the match, it's part of it and one or two mistakes,” he continued.

“It was a good experience for me, playing against one of the best teams in the world. We made a lot of mistakes which we need to correct but there are some positives we took away from the game. Arsenal are more experienced than us but at the end, it was a good game against a strong team.”

The Nigerian forward has been in fine form in the Eliteserien this term with nine goals in 16 games as Molde aim to retain the top-flight title they clinched last season.

When asked about his lack of goals in the Europa League, the 28-year-old who is yet to start a game in the competition, said; “The selection process could be a part of it, but I can't give that as an excuse. As far as I get some minutes in the game, I try to do my best.

“My target is to score as many goals as possible to help the team because that's what strikers are known for. I always want to do better in every season by beating my previous records. I also want to play in the biggest stage of football.”

Molde were on course to play in the Champions League this season but they lost to Hungarian club Ferencvaros on away goals in the play-off round (the last stage in the qualifiers).

“It was very painful and I had to forget it because we were very close to the group stage,” James said.

The Kaduna-born star is focused on maintaining his impressive form in the Norwegian top-flight when second-placed Molde host Kristiansund for their league fixture on Sunday.

Real Madrid have confirmed that Eden Hazard and Casemiro have tested positive for coronavirus.

The Spanish champions tested their players for Covid-19 ahead of the Liga match against Valencia on Sunday.

Hazard, who has featured in just three games in 2020-21 after missing the first weeks of the campaign with an injury, will face another spell on the sidelines after receiving a positive coronavirus test result.

The Belgian winger and Brazil international Casemiro, who has not missed a match in all competitions this term, trained with their team-mates on Friday in preparation for the trip to the Mestalla.

However, the pair returned positive tests and will now be unavailable, with Madrid confirmed that all other players had tested negative.

A statement from the club read: "Real Madrid CF announces that our players Casemiro and Hazard have given positive results in the Covid-19 tests carried out on Friday morning.

"All the other players and the coaching staff of the first team, as well as all club employees who work directly with them, gave negative results in that same test carried out yesterday. 

"Likewise, it is confirmed again that all, except for Casemiro and Hazard, have given negative results in the antigen tests carried out this morning."

Earlier this week, Los Blancos defender Eder Militao was found to have tested positive for Covid-19 and missed the Champions League win against Inter on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, last week three members of the club's Castilla side also returned positive coronavirus tests, with one further test returning an inconclusive result.

The weekend encounter against Los Che is Madrid's last before the international break.

Zinedine Zidane's side will be without right-backs Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Odriozola as well as centre-back Nacho due to injury. 

Lucas Vazquez is expected to keep his place at right-back as a result, while Vinicius Junior, who replaced Hazard in the second half against Inter, could be called in to start on the left wing.

Madrid are second in the Spanish top-flight after seven matches and one point behind leaders Real Sociedad, who have played one more game.

Valencia, meanwhile, are 13th in the table having taken just one point from their last four games in the league.

Former Sofapaka FC striker Ronald Okoth has advised Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League newbies to make their signings wisely.

Despite winning the first leg 2-1, Kisumu All-Stars could not protect their advantage as they lost 2-1 in the return fixture and thus the tie ended at 3-3 after the two-legged affair, prompting the match referee to order for penalties in which Vihiga triumphed 5-3.  

The promoted side have until Friday, November 13 to strengthen their team ahead of the forthcoming campaign.

"[Vihiga United] should definitely do their signings wisely," Okoth told Goal on Saturday.

"It is important to maintain the chore or backbone of the team, take players they will not be used on loan to different teams, and sign a few experienced and quality players.

"They should also make sure their inexperienced young players also get to gain the much-needed experience by getting regular playing time.

"Then it is also important to have a club philosophy that identifies them as Vihiga and stick to it."

Vihiga United are making a return to the top-tier for the second time following an unsuccessful 2018/19 campaign. What should they do to safeguard their status and avoid heartbreaking relegation?

"I think they have learned from their previous mistakes and are coming back, a much more different side than that one that was relegated," Okoth continued.

"Counting on their experience, trusted soldiers, and approaching every game at a time will help them amass maximum points they need in order to secure their status in the league.

"Once beaten twice shy, I am certainly sure they learned from their previous mistakes and are coming back ready to fight in every game. Celebration time is overtime for them to get to work." 

The promotion of Vihiga completed the set-up of the FKF Premier League which will have 18 teams and is now penciled in to kick off on November 20.  

Nairobi City Stars and Bidco United were the first to be promoted after finishing the abandoned 2019/20 National Super League (NSL) season in the first and second positions respectively. 

They took the positions of Chemelil Sugar and Sony Sugar who were relegated.

Arsenal winger Willian is confident his side can win the Premier League within the next two seasons.

It has been 16 years since the Gunners last lifted the English top-flight crown and they currently sit ninth in the table after seven games this term - four points behind leaders Southampton and Liverpool.

Willian, who joined the north London side on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer transfer window, believes head coach Mikel Arteta has a strong squad at his disposal and expects them to mount a serious challenge for silverware.

"Arsenal have a great coach and a great chance to fight for titles," he told the Daily Mail . 

"We can win the league. Maybe not this time but next time. I'm motivated to have more success."

After losing to Manchester City and Leicester in the league, Arsenal bounced back last Sunday with a 1-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

"That was a great victory at United and important for me to be part of as I know I have to impose my quality on the team," Willian said. "That victory was a big step.

"The squad is good with great, young talent but they also need experienced players who have won things. It is not easy or quick to change a mentality but we are on the way."

He continued: "Clubs wanting to fight for titles can't drop points like that [against Leicester] when they are dominant. We need to win those games but we are on the way. I know we are. The next week we beat United. That tells you a lot."

The 32-year-old Brazil international has faith in coach Arteta and expects the former Arsenal midfielder to become a top manager.

"It's because of his ideas. The way he sees football is different. The structure, the way he talks, his advice. It's unique. He will be one of the best I think," he said.

"He just wants me to be the same player I was at Chelsea. Take the ball and go one on one. Dribble, take shots. But with his ideas and instructions I can get better."

Ajax centre-forward Lassina Traore has been announced as the winner of the Eredivisie Player of the Month award for October.  

The 19-year-old attacker delivered eye-catching performances in the month under review for the Sons of the Gods.

The forward played a key role as Erik ten Hag’s men secured three consecutive wins against Heerenveen, VVV Venlo and Fortuna Sittard.

Traore was involved in eight goals against VVV, bagging five goals and three assists to help his side clinch a record 13-0 victory in the encounter.  

The Burkina Faso international, thus, became one of the top three youngest players with five goals in a single Eredivisie game.  

Traore’s performances contributed to his side’s current top spot on the league table after gathering 18 points from seven games.

He has now been rewarded for the scintillating displays, scooping the best player of the month in the division.  

The forward has found the back of the net seven times and provided five assists in 12 appearances across all competitions in the current campaign.

The young attacker played for Rahimo in Burkina Faso and Ajax Cape Town in South Africa before moving to Europe to continue his development, joining Ajax in 2017.

Two years after his arrival at Johan Cruyff Arena, the forward was promoted to the first team and made his debut against Utrecht in the Eredivisie.

Traore has since featured in more than 20 appearances across all competitions for the first team of the Sons of the Gods.

The centre-forward will hope to play a part when Ajax take on Utrecht in their next league game on Sunday.

Thereafter, he will be expected to help Burkina Faso in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying games against Malawi on November 12 and 16.

The Ghana Women's Premier League (GWPL) has announced that the 2020/21 league winners will walk away with a whopping GHC50,000 (8,500 dollars) in prize money and 40 gold medals.

Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kurt Okraku on Friday, confirmed the new prize money during a meeting held in Accra as part of the build-up to the new women's league season.

According to Okraku, the league runners-up will pocket GHC 30,000 along with 40 silver medals and the team finishing third will secure a cool GHC 15,000 and 40 bronze medals.

The president further disclosed that 16 teams competing in the top-flights will be afforded a shopping voucher worth GHC2,000 from the GFA's partners, Melcom Ghana. 

The GFA supremo also announced that the coaches of the two teams to finish the season on top in each of the women's league zones will be going to a coaching program outside the country. 

The Ghanaian women's top-flight is yet to produce champions since Ampem Darkoa ladies defeated Lady Strikers 1-0 to emerge the winners of the 2017-18 season due to a match-fixing scandal.

Following a resumption in January, the 2019-20 women's league season was called off after 10 weeks of fixtures due to the global health crisis arising from the coronavirus outbreak.

The GFA, however, had disclosed in September that the 2020-21 GWPL start date has been scheduled for January 2. 

A seven-member board set up for the women's league, is headed by Hilary Boateng, along with Rosalind Amoh, Nana Aba Anamoah, Cleopatria Nsia and Jerry Dugbatey among the members.

Former Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski has criticised the club and coach Mikel Arteta for their treatment of out-of-favour midfielder Mesut Ozil.

Ozil, 32, has not made a senior appearance for Arsenal since March and has been left out of the squad for the Premier League and Europa League this season.

The midfielder made headlines for his refusal to accept a pay cut during the coronavirus crisis before publicly offering to pay the wages of the club's mascot after he was reportedly made redundant.

Mikel Arteta said at the end of October that he "tried to give him as many opportunities" to Ozil to win back his place in the squad, but Podolski says his former team-mate has been treated unfairly. 

"I don't know the background, but I generally think with a player who is now in his sixth or seventh year with the club, to kick him completely out of the squad... that’s absolutely not okay," he told Bild .

"You don’t do something like that, and I don’t know if something happened in the background or not but even if he’s done something, you don’t do it.

"He's shown his class on the pitch, he's never been negative towards his colleagues or the club. It's sad because everyone's losing in this situation. It should not end this way. Arsenal as a club have not looked positive in this situation over the last months."

Ozil's situation has been a big talking point in the media, with the Germany international the subject of severe criticism from many ex-Arsenal players  and pundits over the past 12 months.

But former Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny voiced his support, describing him as "a very good person".

"As a player, he is in my opinion a phenomenon. He can find passes that no one sees, he’s a maestro," he told L'Equipe. "He can rock a game with incredible passes.

"We’re both part of the ‘Arsene Wenger Generation’. The coach loved him as a player. It was more complicated with Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta."

Meanwhile, Ozil's agent criticised the Arsenal boss for his handling of the situation, telling ESPN: "Arsenal fans deserve an honest explanation, not [Arteta] saying: 'I failed Ozil'. You didn't fail Ozil: you failed to be fair, honest and transparent and treat someone with respect who has a contract and was loyal all the time.

"Every single person outside knows he hasn't treated him fairly. He didn't give him a chance to show himself this season."

Orlando Pirates stand-in coach Fadlu Davids has demanded consistency from forward Zakhele Lepasa ahead of Sunday’s MTN8 semi-final, second leg against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium.

Lepasa was one of the stars of the reverse leg when he opened the scoring in the 3-0 thumping of Chiefs, with Vincent Pule and Thembinkosi Lorch contributing the other goals.

After joining Pirates from TS Galaxy at the beginning of last season, Lepasa is getting more game time this term.

He has featured in all Pirates matches so far and is expected to start again on Sunday after making the first XI in the midweek 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic.

This season's form comes after he struggled for playing minutes last term where managed just five league appearances for the Soweto giants and Davids has warned the player against dropping in intensity.

“Lepasa is a player with huge potential but he has to keep his feet on the ground,” Davids told Pirates TV.

“One good performance in a derby game. In professional football it is one thing to have a good game in the derby but it’s another thing to be consistent in your performance. And we urge Lepasa to keep his feet on the ground and work hard.

“It is our goal to help him fulfil that potential but it calls for him to be calm, to be clear-structured in his thinking and try to perform in every match not only like a derby, but like it’s your last match.”

With chief striker Frank Mhango out injured, goal expectations on Lepasa, as well as other attackers Kabelo Dlamini, Lorch and Pule, are huge.

While Pirates would be out to defend what looks like a healthy 3-0 lead against Chiefs, Davids says they are still in pre-season mode and would not want to overwork players.

“No we are not thinking about the final as yet. It’s like any other match,” said Davids.

“Every match as a coach you want to win, you want to do your best, you want to prepare the team as much as you can with all details. Not to overload players but give them the right information at the right time and it’s not different to this.

“We have to prepare them from the thinking side, not to be complacent but go into the match with a right amount of attention in the game. Not to relax or be too nervous. That’s what we prepare for to ultimately get the result.

“We are playing so many matches within week five of our pre-season if you want to be realistic. Normally we have six weeks of pre-season and we are in week five now. Already we are being asked to play three games a week.

“It’s understandable, we knew it but we wanted to keep some consistency and get some fluidity in the team especially with the new players coming in.”

Manchester United travel to Goodison Park hoping to win and ease pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjær following a 2-1 mid-week Uefa Champions League loss to Istanbul Basaksehir.

Everton vs Manchester United Latest Odds

Everton are unbeaten in their last three league games against Manchester United (W1 D2) and a win for the Toffees has been valued at (2.90) with ZEbet.

Manchester United have won more Premier League games against Everton than any side has won against another in the competition’s history (36) and another win for the Red Devils has been tipped at (2.35).

Everton have drawn two matches against Manchester United in the last three games (W1 D2) and another draw to happen on Sunday has been valued at (3.55).

Everton vs Manchester United Team News

Everton will not be with Brazilian international Richarlison who is suspended but French defender Lucas Digne is expected to return after a ban.

After being dropped last Sunday, English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is expected to be the man in between Everton’s sticks at home. 

Under pressure, Solskjaer may field Jesse Lingard for the first time this season but centre-back Victor Lindelof remains a doubt.

Alex Telles is set to be available after completing the mandatory Covid-19 self-isolation period while Anthony Martial is available after completing a three-match ban.

Everton vs Manchester United Preview

Everton are looking to avoid losing three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since December 2019, while manager Carlo Ancelotti hasn’t lost three league games in a row since November 2006 with AC Milan.

After a run of scoring in 17 consecutive games, netting 39 goals in the process, Manchester United have failed to score in their last two Premier League matches (0-0 vs Chelsea, 0-1 vs Arsenal). They last failed to score in three consecutive league games in February.

Everton vs Manchester United Tips and Predictions

Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored eight goals in his seven Premier League games this season, only failing to score in one game so far.

Man United’s Bruno Fernandes has been involved in 12 goals in his nine Premier League away games so far (8 goals, 4 assists), only failing to register a goal involvement in one of those nine matches (vs Crystal Palace in July). Punters can therefore grab an offer of over 3.5 goals being scored at (2.67) with ZEbet.

Over 3.5 goals at (2.67) with ZEbet.

Odds correct at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) have bought a brand new car that will be given to the player who will score the winning goal against Simba SC in the Mainland Premier League derby on Saturday.

The two Tanzanian giants will face off for the first Kariakoo Derby this season with Yanga sitting ahead of Simba in the 18-team league table.

A group of Yanga fans has now paraded a brand new Toyota that they have vowed to give to the player who will score the winning goal during the derby that will be played at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

“We all know that all the Yanga players have cars and we know they own cars but now what we want is to add one of them with another car, we want a strong competition, we want every player to target a goal when we play against Simba,” the fans told reporters in Dar es Salaam ahead of the derby.

“We know Simba have a very weak goalkeeper, and we want them to go for goals, we want them to score as many goals as possible, we want them to win the derby, we need the goals and that is why we have decided as fans to put the reward in front of them.

“We have decided that we must reward our players, if the game goes for a draw then we will keep our car, we will give out the car when we win, we want to be happy, so we want the players to make us happy, we don’t believe in a draw and we don’t want to lose, we all need a win and that is why we have given out this car.

“We are confident the car will go [because Yanga will win], we don’t care and in the next derby we will still have another car [to give out], we will give it out to the player who will score the winning goal, we want the players to fight for the win.

“The car will be at main stadium and will be ready to be presented, but I don’t want to reclaim it back, we want it to go. I also ask Yanga fans to make sure they keep peace, football is about a win, lose or draw, so let us all accept the outcome and move forward and go home peacefully after the match.”

Last season, the two giants met three times, with the first round ending in a 2-2 draw before Yanga turned on the screw to win the second round fixture 1-0. They again faced off in the semi-finals of the FA Cup where Simba won 4-1.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi then went ahead to seal a season double – winning the Community Shield, the league, and the domestic cup – after beating Namungo FC 2-1 in the final played in Sumbawanga, Rukwa.