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The FA Cup in England is the oldest football competition in the world and this season, despite coronavirus pandemic-related issues, it returns for the 140th season.

Teams from the lowest level of the English football pyramid right up to the Premier League compete in the tournament and this year it will see a total of 736 teams take part.

Winner-takes-all knockout games mean there is always a chance of a 'giant killing' and there have been plenty of those moments over the years, contributing to the magic of the cup.

This season there will be no replays in order to ease the burden of fixture congestion. That decision was confirmed by the Football Association in August prior to the tournament kick-off.

Goal brings you everything you need to know about the 2020-21 edition of the FA Cup.

FA Cup 2020-21 second round

The draw for the FA Cup 2020-21 second round proper takes place on November 9.

FA Cup 2020-21 first round

The first round proper of FA Cup 2020-21 kicked off on November 6, with games also being played on November 7, 8 and 9.

A total of 48 clubs from League One and League Two enter at this phase of the competition as they join the 31 winners of the previous round (along with the bye recipients - on this occasion, Chorley Town).

When did the FA Cup 2020-21 start & when is the final?

The first round proper of the 2020-21 FA Cup kicked off on November 6, 2020, with 47 clubs from League One and League Two entering at that stage.

Those clubs joined the 32 winners from the qualifying stages of the competition, which got underway at the end of August and concluded on November 4.

Premier League and Championship clubs enter the competition at the third round.

The FA Cup 2020-21 final is scheduled for Saturday May 15, 2021. It will be held at the traditional venue of Wembley in London.

FA Cup TV channel & stream

The FA Cup is broadcast on the BBC and BT Sport in the United Kingdom.

Both networks air the final and share the rest of the competition, taking turns to select the games they wish to broadcast.

All matches shown by the BBC and BT Sport will be available to stream on their respective websites and apps, while a number will be exclusively online.

In the United States, the rights to the FA Cup are owned by ESPN and the games are exclusively streamed online via ESPN+ . 

That means the games are not strictly being shown live on television in the US.

A Premier League six-pointer takes place on Sunday when Manchester City host champions Liverpool.

Defeat for either team would not be a disaster at this early stage in the season but it would give a huge boost to the winner, both in terms of the table as well as on a psychological level.

Previous editions of this fixture have seen plenty of action, with 29 goals being scored in the last 10 renewals in all competitions, and Sunday’s clash should be no different.

With Gabriel Jesus having only just returned from injury, Pep Guardiola may continue to play Sterling as the most advanced player and this should give him plenty of chance to add to his already impressive goal tally.

The former Liverpool man has scored five times in 10 starts this season and found the net when these sides last met back in July, so looks a prime candidate to strike again on Sunday against a depleted Reds defence.

Also in form is Jota after his hat-trick against Atalanta in midweek to make it seven goals for the season, having also scored the winning goal in Liverpool’s last two Premier League outings. The Portuguese has shown no signs of needing to settle in at Anfield and will be brimming with confidence ahead of this trip to the Etihad Stadium.

It should be a tasty battle of wits between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. 

Here's how to watch the game LIVE from India.
 

Contents

Where to watch or stream Man City vs Liverpool

The Star Sports network (Star Sports and Star Sports Select) has the rights to show Premier League matches in India.

Matches will also be available on streaming mobile application Disney+ Hotstar VIP, allowing supporters to watch multiple games simultaneously and catch the replay of matches.

Premier League fixtures

Matchday 8

*All Premier League matches may be streamed online on Disney+ Hotstar VIP.

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Mathare United have completed the signing of experienced defender David Ochieng', commonly referred to as Cheche.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League sides have been active in the transfer market n the last few days, bringing onboard players they feel are capable of helping them to perform in the forthcoming season.

With a few hours remaining before the transfer window closes, the 2008 champions have confirmed the arrival of the former AFC Leopards defender.

"Well well well, look at what we have here," the Slum Boys posted on their official social media outlets.

"Kenyan international David 'Cheche' Ochieng' has joined us on a one-year deal from Saudi Arabian side Al Ansar.

"Excited to have you onboard 'Cheche,' [you are welcome] at Mathare."

The 28-year-old has been a free agent after his contract with Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ansar FC expired. 

Ochieng' started his professional career in 2011 with the National Super League side Nairobi Stima. A year later, he joined Tusker FC and was part of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) title-winning team. He also won the KPL Super Cup.

The defender then left for Saud Arabia where he signed with Al Tawoon FC from 2013 to 2015. He was among the key players at the team and went on to make 51 appearances, scoring one goal in the process.

American outfit New York Cosmos was interested in the 28-year-old's services and they signed him in 2016 but the defender left again a year later. At the time, he had played a total of 29 matches and scored one goal.

On Tuesday, the ‘Slum Boys’ confirmed the signing of three players - striker Eugene Wethuli from National Super League (NSL) side Nairobi Simba, Cersidy Okeyo from Sofapaka, and defender Moses Mburu from AFC Leopards. 

They have also signed defender Martin Werunga.  

The next calling was in Sweden for Idrottsforeningen Brommapojkarna in 2018. It was a short-term contract for the player and he played 13 times for them before he made a return to Kenya, signing a six-month contract with AFC Leopards in 2019.

After that, he left for Al-Ansar where he was plying his trade before his contract expired.

Mathare have not yet resumed training in preparation for the FKF Premier League campaign. However, they are set to resume on Tuesday.

Christian Eriksen is struggling "mentally" at Inter and should look for "something new", says Michael Laudrup.

Eriksen committed his future to Inter through to 2024 after completing an £18 million ($24m) move to San Siro from Tottenham in the last January transfer window.

The 28-year-old was revered as one of the best playmakers in the Premier League during his time in north London, but has so far failed to live up to the same high standards in Italy.

He has only contributed three goals and four assists to Inter's cause in his first 33 appearances, and has yet to nail down a regular starting spot under Antonio Conte.

A move away from Milan is already being mooted for Eriksen in January, with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly keen on bringing the midfielder to Parc des Princes.

Laudrup says his fellow countryman has all the necessary tools at his disposal to be successful at Inter, but thinks underlying off-field issues may be affecting his performance, and would understand if he seeks a transfer when the market reopens.

The Denmark legend told TV3 of Eriksen's current plight: "I don't believe he is not suitable for Italian football.

"He's obviously a great player. He has two midfielders behind him and a giant like Romelu Lukaku who moves a lot and Lautaro Martinez, who is technically strong, ahead of him.

"There can be so many other things behind it. Mentally and culturally and things like that. But I can't believe he can't adapt tactically.

"I see that the local press, especially La Gazzetta dello Sport which is based in Milan, they have journalists who are already writing that his experience is coming to an end. They'll get this information from somewhere, maybe also from the club.

"I think Eriksen might want to look around for something new. But it's not easy either. It is not easy to find a club that wants to pay a lot of money for him, considering how little he played."

Eriksen was an unused substitute as Inter fell to a 3-2 defeat away at Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, which leaves them sitting bottom of Group B after three fixtures.

The Nerazzurri's form in Serie A has also been erratic at the start of the 2020-21 campaign, but Conte will be hoping his side can get back on track when they take in a trip to Atalanta on Sunday.

Chelsea have been told the decision not to award them a penalty in their 0-0 draw with Manchester United last month was incorrect, Frank Lampard has revealed.

Cesar Azpilicueta was impeded by Harry Maguire as he jumped to meet a cross in the first half at Old Trafford but referee Martin Atkinson did not point to the spot and the VAR upheld his decision.

Chelsea were more fortunate in their 3-0 win over Rennes on Wednesday, as Dalbert was shown a second yellow card for handball after Tammy Abraham's shot ricocheted off the Brazilian defender's leg and up onto his arm.

In the Premier League this season, 27 of the 68 games played (39.7 per cent) have seen at least one penalty taken. It is significantly up on the mark of 23% from 2019-20 and 14% higher than the record set in 2009-10 (25.3%).

The Premier League is using a different interpretation of the handball rule to the Champions League and Lampard wants to see greater alignment in officiating across the top European competitions.

"I think the handball rule which we adjusted in the Premier League has not been adjusted in the Champions League and from FIFA it seems," said Lampard.

"It's a rule that is universally disliked by anybody who plays, watches or supports football. I can't back it in midweek when it gives us a penalty and a red card [for Rennes] because it doesn't feel right. I think that has to be looked at in Europe in terms of how we move forward.

"That one goes in our favour and it's important to be open and honest about that, I said it after the game. And the one against Man United recently went against us.

"We've enquired about the reasons for that decision, we've been told it was a penalty. The VAR didn't take much time to look at it and that probably cost us two points on the day.

"With VAR and the subtle differences we've got to make sure VAR is there for a reason, to get the decisions right with retrospect and time for everybody on an even playing field.

"It was just one that went against us there and in midweek we had one that had a big impact on the game."

Reece James was named in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the upcoming friendly with the Republic of Ireland and Nations League matches against Belgium and Iceland.

The Chelsea right-back was sent off as the Three Lions lost their previous Nations League game 1-0 to Denmark.

Lampard has no problem with players going off to play on the international stage but revealed James will return to Chelsea following England's first game.

"I'm proud that players get called up for their countries. I'd never want to take that opportunity away from them, I think it's part of a being a top player," said Lampard.

"With Reece it's going to look after itself because he'll be involved in the first one and come back to us.

"Players are probably in need of a bit of a rest, when you think there are three games for some of them. I just try to have an open conversation with the managers of the team, speak with the players as they go and try to manage it as well as we can."

Manchester United head coach Casey Stoney has called the late postponement of her side's game against Everton in midweek unacceptable.

It was announced on Wednesday morning through official channels that the Continental Cup tie would not go ahead, with the Toffees citing "safety concerns on site arising from damage caused by high winds" as the reason.

Stoney, however, was less than impressed with the timing of the decision.

"It's not ideal. It's not ideal that at quarter past nine on Tuesday night I find out that I've not got a game the next day, when all day it could have been a problem that was fixed," she said.

"How much effort went into fixing it? I have to ask the question. We've prepared for a game. But I've got a fantastic team, they turned it around quickly and we were back in training the next day. I flipped it, it's got to be a positive. We get an extra day to prepare for Arsenal [on Sunday].

"But at a professional level, it's not acceptable."

Sunday's home match with Arsenal will now be United's first game in three weeks due to the international break, the Women's FA Cup final last weekend and that postponement.

It presents her team with another huge test as they look to bridge the gap to the traditional 'big three' of the Gunners, Manchester City and Chelsea - something they showed their potential of doing on the opening weekend of the Women's Super League season in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

That day, Stoney's side were heavily depleted too, able to put just four outfield players on their bench, making the result and performance against the reigning champions all the more impressive.

"I think you look at our squad in that game and we were lighter. We're definitely stronger now as a squad," Stoney said.

"It's about hunger, it's about belief, it's about mentality. But I'm not naive going into this game. I know Arsenal are excellent.

"They've got players coming back - [Jill] Roord played the other night, Kim Little was on the bench and came on. They've got exceptional players coming back into their squad and obviously Joe [Montemurro] is an excellent manager.

"It's going to be really difficult for us to get what we need out of the game, but I have absolutely 100 per cent confidence in my team.

"I know what we're capable of on our day. We just need to make sure that we work hard to make it our day and execute our game plan."

South Africa continued their fine start in the Cosafa Women's Cup with a 5-0 victory over Eswatini on Friday.

Banyana Banyana came into the contest on the back of Tuesday's 2-0 win against Angola thanks to strikes from Lonathemba Mhlongo and Karabo Dhlamini at the Wolfson Stadium.

On Friday, the hosts gained an early lead when Nonhlanhla Mthandi opened the scoring for Desiree Ellis' side after just three minutes.

Banyana maintained their pouring attack against Bongumusa Mdluli's side and Sibulele Holweni doubled the lead seven minutes from the half-time break.

On return from recess, Ellis' team continued from where they left off as Gabriela Salgado extended the lead two minutes after the restart.

On the hour mark, Mthandi bagged her second of the match to increase the tally for South Africa before Salgado struck from a late free-kick to complete the rout.

The win puts South Africa on the brink of a semi-final berth and moves them to the top of the log in Group A, with six points from two ties. 

Banyana will now seek to complete their group stage campaign on a high when they face familiar foe Comoros on November 9.

In the other result in Group A, Comoros were held to a 1-1 draw by Angola earlier at the same venue in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Erling Haaland is "almost obsessed with success" but comparing him with Robert Lewandowski is pointless, according to Michael Zorc.

Two of Europe's most feared strikers go head to head on Saturday when Borussia Dortmund host Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

Lewandowski was the top scorer in Europe's top-five leagues last season, hitting 51 goals to propel Bayern to a treble triumph, and he set a Bundesliga record by scoring 10 goals in the first five matchdays of 2020-21.

Haaland, meanwhile, has managed five goals in as many Bundesliga appearances this term from a total of 15 shots. That puts the Dortmund striker's shot conversion rate at 29.4, a little way behind Lewandowski's 34.5, but he has scored 66.7 per cent of his certified big chances this term, a better tally than Lewandowski's (58.3).

Haaland is 12 years Lewandowski's junior and Dortmund sporting director Zorc feels it is too soon to compare the two, although the 20-year-old's determination to succeed seems likely to see him reach similar standards.

"They are different types of players. They score a lot of goals, but they have a different age," Zorc told reporters ahead of the Klassiker.

"We're happy to have Erling. He's not just good for us because of goals, but also because he exudes a will to improve all the time.

"He's almost obsessed with success. The comparisons are for journalists and experts, not us."

Head coach Lucien Favre believes Haaland is important in terms of not conceding goals, not only scoring them.

Dortmund conceded 44 Bundesliga goals in Favre's first season in charge, which improved to 41 in 2019-20. They also kept 15 clean sheets last term compared to 10 this season before.

They faced fewer shots on target (106) than in 2018-19 (134), something Favre says is down to improved defending from across the team, as they attempt to set a Bundesliga record of five consecutive clean sheets.

"We were okay in the first year, we didn't concede a lot of goals in the first half of the season, but now we're doing better," he said.

"What matters is that we all defend. A team has to defend together – that starts with the striker. It's the whole team that has to do it."

Bayern have won all three competitive games against Dortmund under Hansi Flick, including the DFL-Supercup in September, when they triumphed 3-2.

They effectively ended Dortmund's title hopes in May with a 1-0 win at Signal Iduna Park, courtesy of Joshua Kimmich's sublime chip, but BVB were aggrieved Haaland was not awarded a penalty when a shot struck Jerome Boateng's arm in the box.

"I think the attraction is always very great. We saw the last two games were close, with only one goal settling both," said Zorc.

"We lost the last home game because of a blatantly bad decision. That's beyond dispute. We have self-confidence and we want to throw everything into the mix tomorrow to win."

Express FC coach Wasswa Bbosa is optimistic his charges will have a good 2020/21 Ugandan Premier League season owing to the signings they have made.

The six-time league champions have signed 18 players in preparations for the forthcoming campaign. The tactician believes the signed players will help the Wankulukuku-based team challenge for the league title and that fans have every reason to be optimistic as well.

"I thank our bosses for the support extended to us in this [Covid-19] period, they have been able to give us all players we asked without hesitation," Bbosa told Express TV.

"I [urge] all fans to be hopeful, this season’s recruitment is going to be fruitful because we have recruitments across all departments on the pitch. We now have young players who can compete."

Even when football was suspended in Uganda, the tactician has explained what he did to ensure the players are fit.

"Despite [Covid-19] situation, which led to the suspension of public gathering and training, my players are in good shape," Bbosa continued.

"With the help of my technical team, which I lead, we have been monitoring these players by giving them individual training programs. As you well know, public open training are yet to resume, and by the time we commence, we will be on the right track."

Bbosa further states nothing has changed as far as the team targets are concerned. He further exuded confidence that experienced defender Murushid Jjuuko will have a positive impact on the Red Eagles. 

"Our targets haven’t changed, and in three years we will at least win a trophy for Express, as we promised when getting this job," he added.

"And our bosses know about it because Express are here to compete and that is what it is known for; to be victorious.  

"We are so grateful for players like Murushid Jjuuko who adds a lot on our defence especially in experience and confidence because every other team is built starting from the defence."  

The Wankulukuku Red Eagles finished ninth in the abandoned 2019/20 season with 31 points.

Vipers SC were crowned as champions and will be playing in the Caf Champions League while KCCA FC, who finished second, got the right to play in the Caf Confederation Cup.

Nicolas Pepe is making it easy for Mikel Arteta to leave him out of his team, according to Ray Parlour, who says Arsenal's record signing goes missing far too often.

Pepe became the most expensive player in Arsenal's history when he completed a £72 million ($95m) move to Emirates Stadium from Lille in August 2019.

The Ivory Coast international had built up a reputation as a deadly winger with an impressive record for goals and assists in Ligue 1, but has yet to show the same kind of form in English football.

The 25-year-old has 11 goals to his name from his first 52 outings for the Gunners, and has struggled to hold down a place in Arteta's starting XI since the Spaniard's return to the club in December.

After being dropped for last weekend's win at Manchester United, Pepe returned to the Arsenal manager's line-up when Molde arrived at the Emirates for a Europa League group-stage clash on Thursday.

He failed to affect the game in any significant way during the first 45 minutes, but improved drastically in the second period, scoring and assisting to help the hosts wrap up a comfortable 4-1 victory.

Arteta called for Pepe to start delivering the goods on a more consistent basis in his post-match interview, and Parlour has echoed the 38-year-old's sentiments, insisting the ex-Lille star is not doing enough to earn a regular spot in the team.

"I think it was a game of two halves for Pepe [against Molde]. I thought first half he was pretty poor," the Gunners legend told talkSPORT. "He picked up second half but you can’t do that when you are in big games, you have to be effective for the 90 minutes. That’s what Mikel Arteta is saying.

"You've got to play your part throughout the game. I think [Bukayo] Saka does that. If you look at the way he plays he's always involved in the good parts of Arsenal's game going forwards and defensively.

"Pepe's just got to get that bit more consistency during the game because you can go missing.

"You can't have missing players because against the big sides you have to have everyone on that pitch doing their work and being involved in a good team performance, that's probably what he's trying to say there against Pepe.

"First half yesterday it was like his brother was playing, Second half he's turned up and got his goal. The price tag doesn't help, it was a lot of money. There's going to be more pressure when the fee is a little bit higher.

"I just want to see him do it five or six games in a row. He's got to have such a good game that Mikel Arteta can't leave him out. At the moment Pepe is giving Arteta the easy option to leave him out.

"He's too inconsistent and doesn't do it in every game. The big players do it every game, like Son [Heung-min] at Spurs. He makes a difference every single game, that's what Pepe doesn't do."

There will be no annual Ballon d'Or ceremony this year, so the football world will have to wait another year to potentially see a non-Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo footballer crowned with the highest individual honour.

But why was the ceremony cancelled, and who could have won it? Goal takes a look.

Why is the 2020 Ballon d'Or cancelled?

The 2020 Ballon d'Or has been cancelled due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the football calendar.

France Football, who organise the ceremony, stated that the several months of disruptions caused by coronavirus has made it impossible to treat the 2019-20 season as a regular year to judge football properly and fairly.

It will be the first time in Ballon d'Or history that the award has been cancelled.

France Football editor-in-chief Pascal Ferre stated: "There will be no edition in 2020, because it turns out, after thoughtful consideration, that all the conditions are not met. We believe that such a singular year cannot -- and should not -- be treated as an ordinary one. 

"From a sports perspective, two months [January and February], out of the 11 generally required to form an opinion and decide who should lift the trophies, represent far too little to gauge and judge; without forgetting that the other games were played -- or will be played -- in unusual conditions [behind closed doors, with five replacements, Champions League's Final eight played in a single game].

"Finally, the equality that is required for this honorary title will not be met, especially when it comes to assessing performance and preparation: all the award contenders will not be in the same boat, some having seen their season cut short.

"Therefore, how can we establish a fair comparison? To avoid overly convoluted calculations and projections, we chose the least bad of the options."

The Ballon d'Or ceremony will return in December 2021.

Who could have won the 2020 Ballon d'Or?

The cancellation of the award serves as a huge blow to Bayern star Robert Lewandowski, who looked to be the frontrunner of the prize.

The Poland international had been in monstrous form for the German giants last season, netting over 50 goals and clinching the treble.

He was top-scorer in the 2019-20 Champions League with 15 goals, his strikes instrumental in winning Bayern Munich their sixth title.

Messi currently edges out formal rival Ronaldo to six Ballons d'Or to Ronaldo's five, but neither were considered major frontrunner for this year's award should it not have been cancelled.

Both had disappointing seasons based on their usual standards, with Messi's Barcelona failing to win single piece of silverware.

Barcelona's 8-2 humiliation to Bayern in the Champions League was a nail in the coffin, while Ronaldo lifted just the Serie A with Juventus.

"If I’m Lewandowski and they have cancelled the Ballon d’Or, I’m starting up a petition to get it back on," Rio Ferdinand told TEAMtalk. 

"I can’t believe they have cancelled it. It’s cruel, that is a good word to describe it. Lewandowski deserves to win that award for what he has done this season and if he leads Bayern Munich to the Champions League and they still decide they won’t give it out to him, it’s not right."

Young Africans (Yanga SC) will welcome arch-rivals Simba SC on November 7 for the first Kariakoo Derby in the 2020/21 Mainland Premier League season.

Goal looks at how the two local giants have fared against one another in the last decade, where they have been the most successful sides in the league.

Apart from the 2013/14 season when Azam FC picked up the title, it has been either Simba or Yanga in all the other occasions from 2010 to 2020.

What is of importance to note is Yanga have not been able to wrestle the title back from Simba on the last three occasions since they last won it under Zambian head coach George Lwandamina.

Heading to the matches - on October 16 2010, Yanga picked up a 1-0 away win over Simba while the other tie ended in a one-all draw as Yanga went ahead to claim the title.

Biggest scoreline

Timu ya Wananchi were again successful in the first encounter of the 2011/12 season given that they won the match with a slim margin of 1-0 at home. As they were without a win in a number of matches against the rivals, Wekundu wa Msimabzi responded in a big way and dismantled Yanga 5-0 in an encounter held in May 2012.

The 5-0 win remains the biggest scoreline registered between the Dar es Salaam sides in the decade and the points earned therein contributed a great deal in Simba’s march towards winning the title.

In the 2012/13 campaign, the giants shared the points after a 1-1 draw while the second tie ended in a 2-0 win in favour of the Jangwani Street club. The four points earned played a great role as Timu ya Wananchi won the title back.

In the 2013/14 season, no side managed to get maximum points from the other as 3-3 and 1-1 draws were recorded but both sides subsequently lost out on the title to Azam.

There was only one goal scored in both matches of the 2014/15 season when Wekundu wa Msimbazi emerged victorious in the second tie of the season with a 1-0 score while the initial showdown had ended in a goalless stalemate.

When Yanga managed to retain the title in the 2015/16 campaign, they defeated the Msimbazi Street side with an identical 2-0 scorelines in both ties.

For the 2016/17 season – which is the last time Yanga won the title after winning it in three straight occasions – a 1-1 draw was recorded before the second tie was won by Simba with a 2-1 margin.

Simba’s current dominance – of three consecutive league successes - over their rivals started in the 2017/18 season but they were unable to get six points from their rivals. The first meeting ended in a 1-1 draw before the champions won 1-0 in the second tie.

The 2018/19 ties took a similar pattern to the previous ones with few goals in matches as one goal was scored. The first match ended in a 0-0 draw before Simba got a 1-0 win as they won the title for the successive second time.

The 2019/20 season, which was interrupted by the coronavirus outbreak, saw a total of five goals scored. Simba were destined to win the first tie on January 4 after taking a 2-0 lead courtesy of Meddie Kagere and Deo Kanda. Yanga kept fighting and equalised courtesy of Balama Mapinduzi and Adeyum Saleh’s second-half goals.

The second season meeting ended in favour of Yanga when Bernard Morrison struck a neat free-kick to stun the eventual champions. Morrison has since controversially moved to Simba but a three-match ban will see him sit out of this weekend's encounter.

Vandenbroeck's target

Simba head coach Sven Vandenbroeck has stated why a victory in Saturday's clash is of great importance.

“It is a game between two traditional rivals and it is one match that we must win and make sure we reduce the number of points between us and them,” the Belgian said.

“We must be careful enough during the match.”

On his part, Yanga coach Cedric Kaze said his target is to finish the business in under 20 minutes.

"My target is to make sure we get a win in the derby and we want to do it as earlier as possible, we want to use the first 20 minutes to score and it will help give us to ride towards our target,” the Burundian said.

The match will be played at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium at 17:00.

Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma has been nominated for the Premier League Goal of the Month for October.

The 24-year-old opened his season account for Graham Potter’s men in style in their 4-2 defeat against Everton.

The Mali international fired home a fantastic volley from outside the box moments before full-time but the effort was not enough to save his side from defeat in the encounter.

The fine strike has, however, not gone unnoticed as it has been shortlisted for the best goal in the month under review.

Bissouma will compete with Chelsea’s Timo Werner, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, as well as West Ham United duo Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini for a chance to clinch the individual accolade.

The midfielder will also slug it out with Aston Villa’s Ross Barkley, Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford and Fulham’s Tom Cairney.

Bissouma has featured in seven Premier League games in the 2020-21 season and his effort has helped the Seagulls’ to their current 16th place on the table.

The 24-year-old will hope to play a part and help Brighton end their unimpressive run of form when they take on Burnley on Friday night.

The midfielder teamed up with the Seagulls in the summer of 2018 from French club Lille and has become a key member of Potter’s side.

Bissouma has featured in more than 56 games across all competitions for Brighton since his arrival at the club.

Jurgen Klopp faces a welcome selection headache ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Manchester City, but Stephen Warnock says there is no chance of him fielding both Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino as part of a front four.

The Reds briefly favoured that approach during their Premier League meeting with Sheffield United in October. They have, however, enjoyed considerable success in recent times when working with a 4-3-3 system.

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane fill wide roles in that formation, with the pair proving to be prolific options on the flanks, while one hard-working option is asked to play as No 9.

Brazil international Firmino has been virtually untouchable in that position throughout Klopp’s reign on Merseyside, but summer signing Jota is staking a serious claim for a starting berth.

A flurry of goals from the Portuguese have put him in contention to lead the line against City, with Warnock admitting that the Reds have some big calls to make.

The former Liverpool defender told BBC Sport: “I still thought Firmino would start against City, right up until Jota scored that brilliant Champions League hat-trick against Atalanta on Tuesday. Now everyone is guessing about who will get the nod, including [Pep] Guardiola. City will have had to prepare for facing both options in training this week.

“One thing I don't see Klopp doing is playing Jota and Firmino plus Mane and Salah at Etihad Stadium, like he did against Sheffield United at the end of October. It didn't quite work in attack having all four of them on the field at the same time, and the 4-2-3-1 formation that Klopp used that day left them vulnerable in wide areas too.

“Yes, having a front four makes it easier to press but if City get past them, Liverpool are potentially leaving their full-backs facing two-on-one situations if [Kyle] Walker or [Joao] Cancelo fly forward and one of their two holding midfielders cannot get across to help out.

“I can't see Klopp allowing that to happen on Sunday. Whoever he goes with up front, he will want three men in his midfield to sit in and protect his defence a bit more.”

Klopp, who has remained loyal to Firmino during a recent struggle for goals, has been giving little away but the claims of Jota – who has netted six times in his last four appearances – are becoming impossible to ignore.

Liverpool will be without midfielder Thiago Alcantara for Sunday's crunch Premier League clash with Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that the Spain international, who was left out of his national team's squad for the November internationals, remains unavailable for selection ahead of the meeting with Pep Guardiola's side at the Etihad Stadium.

Thiago has been absent ever since Richarlison's crunching tackle in the Merseyside derby that led to a straight red card for the Brazilian.

The knee injury has meant that he's missed all three of the Reds' Champions League matches thus far, as well as the Premier League victories over Sheffield United and West Ham.

Indeed, the signs looked ominous with the former Bayern Munich star having not trained at Melwood on Thursday and Klopp has now revealed that the game with City comes too soon for the 29-year-old.

The German told reporters: "There was no surgery needed, but it was still an injury. The longer he is out, the longer he has to train before we consider him as a starting line-up player. Thiago will not be available for Sunday."

Diogo Jota scored a hat-trick for the Reds in their 5-0 Champions League demolition of Atalanta on Tuesday night and, despite the Portuguese having taken a knock during that game, Klopp insists he will be fit for the City fixture.

On the former Wolves winger's fitness, and the availability of Joel Matip, Naby Keita and Kostas Tsimikas, the Reds boss added: "They are all in training, so that's really good.

"Nobody mentioned Diogo to me. Yesterday was second day recovery, he was involved. So that looked fine."

Liverpool have been rocked by injuries in defensive areas at the start of the 2020-21 campaign, with Virgil van Dijk facing a long spell on the sidelines after being clattered by Jordan Pickford in the 2-2 draw with Everton.

That has meant that Joe Gomez has emerged as the Reds' most senior centre-back in recent weeks, with Klopp having been impressed with the England international's form.

He said: "He had so many different defensive partners, and he was always the kid in the line-up. But in life, everyone has to grow. He's used the last few weeks - he was thrown in cold water - and did really well."

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Fadlu Davids has confirmed that Gabadinho Mhango is out of Sunday's Soweto Derby, while Thembinkosi Lorch, Terrence Dzvukamanja and Thulani Hlatshwayo face late fitness tests for Sunday's MTN8 semi-final second leg against Kaizer Chiefs.

Last season's Golden Boot winner Mhango also missed last weekend's first leg as Pirates snatched a comfortable 3-0 win against their arch-rivals at the Orlando Stadium to take a commanding lead into the second leg.

''Gabadinho Mhango is ruled out, definitely not available,'' Davids — the Buccaneers' stand-in head-coach—said in Friday's press conference. 

''We still await on Tyson [Hlatshwayo], Lorch and Dvukamanja, we will get the final report later in the day and we will make a decision to do a late fitness test or not," he added. ''Sam [Bongani] and Mabasa [Tshegofaso] are still on course with their rehabilitation programs.''

The Malawi international picked up a groin injury during the warm-up of Pirates' clash against Stellenbosch in the previous week, and was unable to recover in time.

He also missed Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic.

New signing Dzvukamanja and Lorch featured against Celtic, but both picked up injuries while Hlatshwayo missed the match entirely.

ATK Mohun Bagan FC have announced the arrival of SBOTOP.in as their principal team sponsor ahead of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season.

ATK Mohun Bagan’s Chief Executive Officer (CFO), Raghu Iyer welcomed the new sponsors as he said, “We are delighted to have SBOTOP.net as our Principal Team Sponsor. We sincerely thank them for their support and eagerly await the start of the ISL season.”

On the new deal with the Kolkata giants, Business Development of SBOTOP.net, Sky Tanner stated, “We are happy to have entered this partnership with ATK Mohun Bagan. SBOTOP.net looks forward to supporting the top flight club as they prepare for their 2020-21 Indian Super League campaign.”

SBOTOP.net provides the widest scope of coverage to top sporting events in Cricket and Football. It provides relevant sporting news of all the top sporting leagues in the world. They are also the principal team sponsor of Premier League club Leeds United.

ATK Mohun Bagan begin their ISL campaign on the opening day of the new season as they take on old foes Kerala Blasters in the season opener. In their second match of the season, they face arch-rivals East Bengal on November 27.

Serge Gnabry has teased that Arsenal would be his preferred destination if he was to ever make a return to the Premier League, with the Bayern Munich winger making the Gunners “the favourite” to secure his signature.

Gnabry spent five years on Arsenal’s books between 2011 and 2016, but was restricted to just 18 appearances and a forgettable loan spell at West Brom which saw Baggies boss Tony Pulis brand him “not at the level” for top-flight football in England.

Those words will forever follow the 25-year-old around, especially as he has completed a remarkable turnaround by becoming a Champions League winner on the books at Bayern.

“You always hear a little bit about it or people in the UK ask me about it,” Gnabry told CBS of Pulis’ jibe.

“It looks like it won't stop, all I can say is I'm proud of the journey I've taken.

“To be a Champions League winner now when a couple of years back I was doubted is obviously a great thing for me.

“Of course after having struggled a lot it was difficult to pick myself up. The biggest thing is that self-confidence, that I knew what I was capable of. I never lost that. Obviously, you doubt it at some points but I never lost it.

“The second biggest point in that way is I was playing a lot, not having so many injuries, so many little things that kept me out of games. To just be consistent and being able to play every time, showing my performance helped me for the future. If I can play, I can show what I can do.”

Gnabry rebuilt his career at Werder Bremen, landing him a move to the Allianz Arena in 2017, and he is now one of the most destructive forwards in European football.

Those qualities may be sought out by other suitors at some stage in the future, with Gnabry admitting that Arsenal would be “the favourite” to take him back to the Premier League.

For now, though, he is very much focused on the present.

Having reached the top of the game, Gnabry insists that he would not change anything about his career path to date and considers his testing spell in England to have made him the player he is today.

He added on leaving home to chase his dream: “Most of all it's a test of character. You have to leave your comfort zone, your friends, your family. It helps you a lot in building strong character because you're in some way by yourself or in a whole new environment.

“It's always good for young people. I would recommend them to do it.

“I would do it over again if I was in that position because it helped my character a lot. You experience new things, also in other countries the leagues and teaching of football is also good. It's never a wrong thing to move abroad.”

Mohamed Salah did not cheat in winning a contentious penalty against West Ham, says John Barnes, with the Liverpool forward considered to have merely played to the law.

Plenty have been quick to suggest that the Egyptian forward crossed the line of acceptable behaviour during a Premier League meeting with the Hammers.

None have questioned whether he was clipped by Arthur Masuaku during an outing at Anfield, but Salah has been accused of going over far too easily.

He is not the only one to have attracted such criticism, with Tottenham striker Harry Kane also being singled out, but much of the attention in a simulation debate has focused on Merseyside.

Barnes is struggling to see why such furore has been sparked, with the Reds legend of the opinion that Salah had to go to ground in order to get the penalty decision he deserved.

“I don’t think he was acting out of line at all,” Barnes told BonusCodeBets.

“The law says, obviously, if there's contact, you can go down, so you can't blame people for doing it.

“If they were to change the law to say that the contact has to be enough for you to go down, not just because you've been touched to go down, then that's a different debate to be had altogether. But at the moment, the law states that if you are touched, you can go down.

“Was it a soft award - yes it was and Salah, like most players would have done, made the most of it.

“With Salah’s experience, he knows that being manhandled inside the penalty box is no guarantee for a foul to be awarded, but by going to the ground, officials have to make a decision - in one way or another.

“So therefore, I have no criticism of anybody doing it and it’s not cheating at all. All it is is playing to the law.”

Salah has seen his actions defended by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and a number of former players with strong ties to the Reds.

He will be hoping to put the matter firmly behind him on Sunday when the defending Premier League champions return to domestic action with a crunch clash against fellow title hopefuls Manchester City.