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Former Barcelona adviser Arieda Braida says that the club never had any intention of signing Paul Pogba or Erling Haaland as he detailed his messy exit from the club.

Braida originally joined Barca in 2015 when he was told he would be part of a sporting committee involving president Josep Maria Bartomeu, vice president Javier Bordas, Jordi Mestre and Alberto Soler.

As part of that committee, Braida was expected to be responsible for negotiations with foreign clubs, having been responsible bringing the likes of Ruud Gullit, Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko and Thiago Silva to Milan during his time as sporting director of the Italian side.

However, Braida says that committee never truly got going, claiming those in charge routinely dismissed his suggestions before his eventual firing in August 2019.

Braida refused to accept the terms of his dismissal, which came with two years left on his contract, and the case is set to go to court in December.

In an interview with Marca, Braida says that one negotiation he was involved with was to bring Pogba to the club back when the now-Manchester United midfielder was at Juventus.

Braida says it wasn't much of a negotiation at all, though, as there was never any intention to actually bring him to Barca.

"It's not a lie. It is true that Albert Soler and I went to Milan and met with the Juventus board," he said. "But despite the talks, there was no real intention to sign him. 

"In fact, Pogba ended up staying that summer in Turin and did not go to another club. I said he was a great player, I was talking about it with Albert Soler, with whom I consider that he had a good personal relationship, but again, professionally we could not work together because I was not allowed."

In addition to missing out on Pogba, Braida says Barca also passed on signing Haaland, who was earmarked as a target alongside the likes of Inter's Nico Barella and Roma's Nicolo Zaniolo, players that went on to become Italian internationals.

"They did not give me the responsibility, they put others in charge of this work," he said. "I was studying players and I wrote down some names like Haaland from Borussia Dortmund when he was still playing for Rosenborg. But at the club, they told me no, that he didn't have the Barca profile. 

"From Italy, I also suggested other names, such as Barella, who is now at Inter, or Zaniolo, from Roma. But if you do not have the responsibility to execute this because it has been given to others, you cannot do anything. I was separated."

Braida went on to add that he had no real relationship with Barca president Bartomeu, who is currently under fire amid a vote of no confidence from the club's members.

"You say that I know him, but in reality I had nothing to do with him," he said. "At first it is true that we talked a little, but later it was non-existent. This was also new for me because normally in Milan, I did have contact with my superior. I think that talking once a year is not having a great relationship.

"I met him several times in the sports complex and we greeted each other, but I had very little relationship with him. We didn't talk every day or every week."

Pep Guardiola fears Sergio Aguero could be out for as much as a month after the Manchester City striker suffered a hamstring injury.

The Argentine has not travelled to Marseille for his club's second Champions League clash and is expected to miss next month's Premier League match-up with Liverpool.

Guardiola hopes he could be back sooner but the injury is another blow for City, who flew to France on Monday without a recognised striker.

“It depends on the injury, 10-15 days is the minimum,” Guardiola said. “If it’s a little bit longer it will be three weeks, one month.”

Guardiola does at least have Kevin De Bruyne fit again after he came off the bench in Saturday's draw, while Aymeric Laporte has travelled to France after missing City's last three matches.

But they are still without Gabriel Jesus, however, who is stepping up his recovery from the thigh injury he suffered in the opening game against Wolves, while academy forward Liam Delap is not eligible after being left out of the squad submitted to UEFA.

“Kevin is back again, he played a few minutes at West Ham,” Guardiola added. “Aymeric is back, Nathan [Ake] is so close, Gabriel is a week to 10 days to returning. The rest will be two or three weeks - Sergio and [Benjamin] Mendy.”

Jesus is still to return to first-team training, although he hopes to be back on the pitch later this week, while Delap is available for the Premier League and Saturday's trip to Sheffield United.

Guardiola said they considered adding another striker in the last transfer window but decided to strengthen in other areas.

“We thought about it, another type of striker, but we couldn't [do it],” he added.

“It’s not a club that wants revenues at the end of the year, they want what’s best for the team. Our team is young in many positions and we have guys with experience.

“If you decide to buy a striker, it has to be a striker in the league of Gabriel and Sergio. But we cannot afford it.

“I’m not saying the club didn’t want to do it, not just in terms of strikers but in every position, but we thought: Okay, Sergio is back. We didn’t expect Gabriel to be injured but sometimes it happens.”

Defenders Mendy and Ake are also missing from the squad that travelled to France, with injury and illness having ravaged Guardiola's squad in the early weeks of the season.

Guardiola said he must carefully manage his squad but warned that he expects all top clubs to lose players to muscle injuries because of the gruelling schedule that is seeing them play twice a week up until the New Year.

“We are not an exception compared to the other teams in Europe, we’re on the same schedule,” he said. “Now it is recovery and preparation, recovery and preparation, recovery and preparation. We don’t have time to practice much.

“Everyone got the statistics than in the Premier League; we have 47 per cent more muscular injuries than the same period last season. It’s not just about City, it's about everyone.

“Now we have to protect the players as best as possible. The strongest ones will survive, the others will fall down.”

Toni Kroos says he has had offers to leave Real Madrid but turned them down as he intends to see out his playing days at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 30-year-old is now into his seventh season in the Spanish capital, having won 13 major honours including three Champions League titles since his move from Bayern Munich in 2014.

There has been some speculation in recent months linking Kroos with a move back to his homeland to see out the final few years of his playing career.

Kroos, though, is not interested in a return home just yet and plans to remain in the Spanish capital until retirement.

"I always like to go back to Germany because it is my country and it is my language," Kroos told reporters. But I really enjoy life in Madrid and playing for Real Madrid.

"I have had offers, but I never spoke with other clubs because my idea is to finish my career at Real Madrid ".

Kroos also insists the Real Madrid squad still has faith in coach Zinedine Zidane after the Frenchman came under scrutiny in the wake of some recent poor results.

Although Madrid head into Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Borussia Monchengladbach on the back of a 3-1 Clasico win over Barcelona, prior back-to-back defeats to promoted Cadiz and a depleted Shakhtar Donetsk raised questions.

Both shock losses came at home, with the 3-2 reverse to Shakhtar – in which they found themselves 3-0 down at half-time – seeing Los Blancos playing catch-up right away in Champions League Group B.

The Clasico victory at Camp Nou on Saturday prevented the pressure from increasing, though another poor result in Europe will surely have Zidane on the back foot again.

But Kroos is adamant such defeats are not on the coach.

"For our part, there have never been doubts with Zidane," he said. "We lose and win together.

"It is easy if something is not going well to say that there are doubts, but the result of the Clasico showed that it is not like that.

"If you play for Madrid you have to accept that if you lose matches there is criticism. The important thing is how you react and we did very well, but it is only one victory and you have to continue like this."

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu claims that he knew that he would be criticised for refusing to let Lionel Messi leave this summer, but says that it was in the best interests of the club to keep the Argentine at the Camp Nou for at least one more year.

Messi's desire to leave Barca was the story of the summer, with the Blaugrana icon making his intentions known shortly after the club's humiliating Champions League humiliation.

Following an 8-2 loss to eventual champions Bayern Munich, Messi alerted the club of his wish to move on, having spent his entire professional career with the club.

However, Bartomeu and Barca held firm, stating that Messi's ability to opt out of an extension had passed and that any club wishing to sign him would have to pay his €700 million (£630m/$825m) release clause.

Messi eventually relented, telling Goal that he would remain with the club to avoid having to drag Barcelona to court in an attempt to force an exit.

The Argentine did say that Bartomeu “did not keep his word”, with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner saying that he'd repeatedly told the president he wanted to leave.

On Monday, Bartomeu said that Messi's departure was something he simply couldn't allow to happen, as it was in the club's best interests to make sure their captain stays on.

“Our priority was keeping Messi as part of our new project so I decided against starting a discussion,” he said. 

“I had been accused of forcing his departure in order to balance our books. Well, no, we put the interests of the club first and didn't want to reinforce a direct rival. We made that decision knowing that we would be criticised for it.”

He added: “I understand the positions of everyone, empathising is important. In the case of Leo, it is good to get angry because it is not good to accept defeat and we have all gotten angry. 

“But there was a deadline for him to announce whether or not he was going unilaterally. He didn't and here it is. We all want him to retire at Barca.”

Bartomeu also discussed calls for him to resign from his post, with the president currently facing a vote of no confidence.

He insists it was never a thought that crossed his mind as he is determined to help Barca usher in a new era.

“Because of the Messi case, it never occurred to me to resign. For Barcelona, for the club, for the team, having Messi and having him retire here is the best option for everyone,” he said.

“The project is very interesting with young people and veterans, like Messi. And I think that, with him, we are going to win a title this season."

Messi and Barcelona have gotten off to a difficult start in La Liga, as the club currently sits 12th in the league after losing El Clasico to Real Madrid this past weekend.

They did get off to a good start in the Champions League, though, taking down Hungarian side Ferncvaros by a 5-1 scoreline.

Barca will face Juventus on Wednesday in their second Champions League group stage match before visiting Alaves this weekend in La Liga.

Zinedine Zidane says that he has not thought about resigning despite all of the pressure that comes with managing Real Madrid.

The Frenchman was briefly under fire following a Champions League loss to Shakhtar Donetsk last week in the first game of the group stage.

That loss was preceded by a loss to Cadiz, with pressure mounting on Zidane following back-to-back losses.

However, Zidane's side bounced back this past weekend by taking down Barcelona in the first Clasico of the season, with goals from Federico Valverde, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric leading Real Madrid to victory.

Real Madrid are set to face Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on Tuesday and, although he knows that every loss brings fresh pressure, the French icon isn't concerned with the fact that his job is seemingly always on the line.

“I think about tomorrow's game, not whether I thought about resigning or not,” he said. “I will fight until the last day. The rest… we'll see ”

Zidane was recently the subject of criticism from Real Madrid midfielder Isco, who said that he is being ostracised by the Frenchman.

The Spaniard says that he does not play enough under Zidane, who he says will either take him off early or put him on after the game is decided.

On Monday, Zidane responded, saying that he understands Isco's frustrations but that line-up decisions ultimately lie with him

“He is ambitious and he wants to play,” he said. “Everybody wants it but it's my responsibility that they play or not. They must be ready when it is their turn to play.”

Zidane, who returned to Real Madrid in 2019 after leading the club to three Champions League titles during his first stint in charge, also reflected on the win over Barcelona, one which saw the club move to second in La Liga.

The match saw Clement Lenglet concede a controversial penalty, which Ramos buried to lead Real Madrid to victory.

After the match, Barca boss Ronald Koeman was critical of the decision, but Zidane says he does not worry about what others think of what was a vital Real Madrid win.

“It doesn't bother me that they talk, that's the way it is. We are left with what we did there: fight, stay focused, work," he said.

He added: “We are happy with what we did last weekend against Barcelona, as a team. We just look at our work.

“It is the game we needed to play. We have to play how we did in Barcelona and try to play a good game.”

Tanzania's national women's team Twiga Stars head coach Bakari Shime has said he will use the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) competition to prepare his team for the forthcoming U20 Women's World Cup qualifier.

Tanzania will play Senegal hoping to get an aggregate win to advance to the next round. The experienced coach has now set his sight on the Cosafa tournament hoping to use it to gauge the preparedness of the team.

"This will surely be our best chance to assess our team prior to the tense world cup qualifiers, whose exact date to begin unfolding are yet to be announced," Shime said ahead of the competition.  

"We have been in camp since September 22 with the main purpose being to let the players gain the required rhythm [considering the fact that] they stayed for a long time without engaging themselves in football."

The tactician has also explained the selection of the team to do duty on behalf of the East Africa nation.

"We got some players from the women's league but our tradition is that we do not frequently select new players whenever the national team is named because we want to create a long-term consistency in the squad."

Tanzania, who are the guest team in the competition, will open their Cosafa campaign on November 4 against Zimbabwe at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

The second game for Twiga Stars will be on November 7 against Botswana.

10 countries will be battling for the trophy in the 2020 edition. Defending champions and hosts South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Tanzania, and Angola are the nations in the annual competition.

Group A is made up of South Africa, Eswatini, Comoros, and Angola while Zambia, Malawi, and Lesotho comprise Group B. Group C is made up of Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Tanzania.

In the 2019 edition, South Africa defeated Zambia by a solitary goal in the final to win their record sixth title.

The competition will commence on November 3 with Eswatini playing Comoros before the hosts South Africa take on Angola. Zambia will open their campaign against Lesotho on November 4.

South Africa national team coach Molefi Ntseki has brought back Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, Bongani Zungu and forward Bradley Grobler for the November back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying Group C matches against Sao Tome e Principe.

Bafana are set to host the islanders at FNB Stadium on November 13, before travelling to Sao Tome for the return fixture three days later.

Khune headlines returnees in Ntseki’s 25-man squad as the goalkeeper last featured for the national team in November 2018 in a 2019 Afcon qualifier against Nigeria.

The Chiefs skipper had been called up for the same matches against Sao Tome in March this year before the games were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But after being excluded from last month’s international friendly matches against Namibia and Zambia, Khune had appeared not to be in Ntseki’s plans.

Rangers midfielder Zungu is also back after being overlooked by Ntseki in Bafana’s last games, with the player publicly expressing frustration over being ignored.

Also making a return to the South Africa squad is SuperSport United forward Bradley Grobler who was omitted for the Namibia and Zambia friendlies but convinced Ntseki with a brace in the opening weekend of the Premier Soccer League season.

Dean Furman who is now with English League Two side Carlisle United is also back, together with US-based Kamohelo Mokotjo.

Mamelodi Sundowns utility player Lyle Lakay has also been included.

Ntseki has kept faith in the bulk of players he used in the 1-1 draw against Namibia and the 2-1 defeat to Zambia.

South Africa are second in Group C and are keen to dislodge Ghana from the top in the bid for the next Afcon edition to be hosted by Cameroon.

Sudan are third in this group while Sao Tome anchor the standings.

Bafana Bafana squad

Goalkeepers: Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United), Darren Keet (Oud-Haverlee Leuven) Defenders: Thibang Phete (OS Belenenses SAD (Portugal), Motjeka Madisha, Lyle Lakay (both Mamelodi Sundowns), Thulani Hlatshwayo (Orlando Pirates), Innocent Maela (Orlando Pirates), Abubaker Mobara (Cape Town City), Reeve Frosler (Kaizer Chiefs), Rushine De Reuck (Maritzburg United)

Midfielders: Andile Jali (Mamelodi Sundowns), Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns), Teboho Mokoena (Supersport United), Keagan Dolly (Montpellier, France), Percy Tau (RSC Anderlecht, Belgium), Luther Singh (Braga FC, Portugal), Thulani Serero (Al Jazira, UAE), Bongani Zungu (Rangers FC, Scotland), Lebogang Manyama (Kaizer Chiefs), Kamohelo Mokotjo (FC Cincinnati, USA), Dean Furman (Carlisle United, England)

Forwards: Thabiso Kutumela (Maritzburg United), Bradley Grobler (SuperSport United), Kermit Erasmus (Mamelodi Sundowns)

Inter striker Lautaro Martinez says he does not know what the future holds, but feels happy with the club despite being linked with a departure throughout the summer.

The Argentinian star was heavily linked with Barcelona this summer as the club moved on from long-time striker Luis Suarez.

However, a move never came to fruition, with Martinez remaining at Inter while Barca moved forward without a major addition at the striker position.

Martinez, who has recently been linked to a new deal with the Serie A club, has gone on to score three goals in his first five Serie A matches of the season and, when asked about his future, the 23-year-old forward says he is only concerned with shining at Inter.

“I work every day to improve. Today I am an Inter player and I want to do the best of the team,” Lautaro said in a pre-match press conference ahead of his side's Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.

“I’m happy, we work every day, we want to win and to bring Inter as high as possible. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, today I can say that I am at Inter and that I’m happy.”

“I thank the fans for all their affection," he added. "The same goes for all the people who work for the club and who have always been close to me.”

The striker did experience a moment of frustration recently as he was seen to be visibly upset when Antonio Conte subbed him off in the second half of Inter’s win over Genoa on Saturday.

Martinez was seen punching the bench in frustration, but he says that he was mostly upset with his own performance, not Conte's decision to take him out of the match.

“I was angry with myself because I didn’t play the game I wanted," he said. "It came out of me but today I am happy and ready for tomorrow.”

Inter settled for a draw in their first Champions League group stage match against Shakhtar Donetsk and currently sit behind Shakhtar and ahead of Real Madrid following the Ukrainian side's stunning win over the Spanish champions.

In Serie A, Inter are in fourth place, having collected 10 points from five games with only Sassuolo, Napoli and league-leaders AC Milan performing better to start the Italian campaign.

After their clash with Shakhtar on Tuesday, Inter will play host to Parma over the weekend back in domestic action.

Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes should be used together as an advanced pairing in Manchester United's midfield, according to Gary Neville.

The French World Cup winner has been a substitute in the Red Devils' last two Premier League matches, while Fernandes has been an ever-present fixture in the starting line-up since joining the club from Sporting Lisbon in January.

A number of midfield configurations have been deployed by United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with Fernandes ahead of Scott McTominay and Fred the current iteration - preferred ahead of the Portugal international in front of Pogba and Matic.

Neville feels Solskjaer should playing Pogba and Fernandes further forward together and use one defensive midfielder to cover - much like Manchester City have used Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva in past seasons.

"I think it's a problem when you have a £150 million worth of midfield players on the bench," Neville told Sky Sports. 

"You've got a player (Pogba) who has won a World Cup, he's been dominant in Europe with Juventus, he's Manchester United's record signing - yet he can't get in the team at the moment.

"Me and Patrice Evra disagreed before the [Man Utd vs Chelsea] game on Saturday. Patrice was disappointed with the team selected because he felt that Manchester United were rotating and not playing their strongest team.

"I think Ole thought Saturday's team was the strongest team. For me, I've never understood why Ole hasn't tried - maybe he has looked it at in training and hasn't liked it - why he hasn't tried one sitter with Pogba and Fernandes in front, like De Bruyne and Silva. De Bruyne and Silva weren't disciplined midfield players before Pep Guardiola came to Man City - he made them that.

"That's the only system I can see where it would be obvious where you could get those two into a position. More often than not, Ole has played Matic with Pogba sitting alongside and Fernandes in front. Pogba can't play there well because you need to be disciplined, but with a one and two I think you can have a bit more freedom to run forward."

The Red Devils have a crucial period of fixtures approaching as they host RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, before two crunch league fixtures against Arsenal (home) and Everton (away).

William Troost-Ekong praised Watford manager Vladimir Ivic for his communication skills, especially when it comes to handling resources.

The Nigeria international was an unused substitute at Reading, featured for 70 minutes at Derby County before returning to the bench against Blackburn Rovers.

In Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, the former Udinese player was on parade from start to finish as the Hornets missed a chance to climb to second in the Championship log.

According to Troost-Ekong, he loves how the former Serbia and Montenegro international is not afraid to rotate his squad and his ability to communicate the decision to the players.

“The coach has made it clear what he expects from us,” the 27-year-old told Hive Live Extra.

“That's the biggest thing. He also talks to the players. People see him as a serious person, but he speaks to the players and he keeps everyone in the loop about what he's doing.

“If you've played well and yet are rotated, he gives you the heads up and that helps so there are no surprises.

“We have lots of competition and everyone is fighting to do well when they get the chance.”

Against the Cherries at the Vicarage Road, the Super Eagles' start was dogged in defence, albeit, he lamented his side’s inability to secure all points at stake – allowing Chris Mepham to rescue a point for the visitors deep into injury time.

“We are a little bit disappointed to only get a point, but if you'd have said before the game we'd get a point, we'd have probably taken it,” he said.

“Of course it's disappointing when you concede so late in the game and it felt a bit like a loss, but if you look back at the game, without a biased view, they had the ball a lot so a draw was probably a fair result.

“We should have perhaps tried to defend a bit higher, especially in the second half, but it's quite difficult as we didn't have the right pressure on the ball.

“They tried to play behind us quite a lot, so they pinned us back a bit with the ball in behind. They moved the ball well and as soon as we tried to get up the pitch, they tried to get behind us. They had quick players, so we had to cover the space.”

Third-placed Watford take on Wycombe Wanderers in their next game on Tuesday at Adams Park.

Dietmar Hamann has slammed Borussia Dortmund for their decision to keep Marcos Reus on captaincy duties, insisting "you can't have a captain who only makes half of the games".

Dortmund forked out €17 million (£15m/$20m) to bring Reus to Westfalenstadion from in 2012, and he quickly established himself as a talismanic figure in the senior squad.

The German midfielder has won four trophies during his time with BVB while also appearing in a Champions League final, scoring an impressive 131 goals in 274 appearances.

He has, however, struggled with a series of niggling injuries which have prevented him from realising his full potential, and he is no longer a guaranteed starter under Lucien Favre.

Reus was named Dortmund's permanent captain in 2018, and despite his reduced role in the squad this season he has retained the armband ahead of several other candidates.

Hamann doesn't think the 31-year-old was the right man to lead BVB in the first place, and has suggested that the time has come for him to pass the torch on for the good of the team.

Asked what the Bundesliga giants are missing in their bid to re-emerge as a major European force, the ex-Germany international told Sky Sports: "Mentality, leadership. You can't have a captain who only makes half of the games.

"I didn't understand why they didn't take the captain's armband off him in the summer. The other question is whether I would have given it to him two years ago. You have a player that you have to pull along."

Hamann thinks Dortmund's 3-0 home win over Schalke on Saturday proved that they are stronger in Reus' absence, as he added: "BVB has a problem with him, If he is not on the starting grid for a while. You can't make a decision just to make a player feel comfortable or not to upset him. You have to do what is best for the team and the club. 

"Dortmund is better at the moment without Reus. That has to do with the fact that [Giovanni] Reyna is in good shape, that [Erling] Haaland is in very good shape, [Julian] Brandt played well and with [Jadon] Sancho they have an outstanding player."

Hamann concluded by suggesting that Mats Hummels would be the ideal man to inherit the armband, having seen him lead Dortmund towards the end of his first spell at the club

"With Hummels, you have a brilliant leader who has shown in the past that he can lead teams, that he has leadership qualities, that he can speak up, that he can inspire people," he said.

Alisson has thanked Liverpool's staff for accelerating his recovery from injury while revealing he "told the doctors two or three weeks max" after initially being told he could be out for over a month.

Liverpool saw their first-choice goalkeeper sidelined when he sustained damage to his shoulder in training ahead of their meeting with Aston Villa on October 4.

His absence was felt as the Reds suffered a surprise 7-2 thrashing at Villa Park with Adrian filling in between the sticks, and he was also forced to miss the Merseyside derby draw against Everton and the 1-0 win at Ajax in the Champions League.

The 28-year-old was, however, cleared to return ahead of schedule when Sheffield United arrived at Anfield on Saturday, with the Brazilian slotting back into his usual role between the sticks seamlessly as Jurgen Klopp's side ran out 2-1 winners.

Alisson says he was touted for a far longer rehabilitation period at first, but he refused to accept the prognosis and worked his way back to full fitness quicker with the help of the club's specialist medical team and coaches.

“It’s good to be back. I’m really happy. I try to give my best and I have the top physios on my side, helping me to accelerate the recovery process," the Brazilian shot-stopper told a press conference ahead of Liverpool's European clash against Midtjylland on Tuesday.

“As soon as the doctor told me it was four to six weeks, I told him ‘no doc, we go to two or three weeks maximum!’

"He agreed with me, and then we just went for it. I’m really happy to be back, and I want to thank the physios, the fitness staff, the doctors and the goalie coaches who helped me on this process.

“It’s bad not being involved in a football game. It’s the worst thing for a player, but it’s part of the job, injuries. We try to avoid them, but sometimes they happen. I’m glad it was only three weeks, but it was a long three weeks, more like three months! 

“Being not involved is always hard, not only Atletico [Madrid] or Aston Villa. You want to help, you want to do what you love to do, help your teammates go for our goals.”

Asked to outline the steps he took to get back on the pitch as quickly as possible, Alisson responded: “I pray a lot! Seriously! But I also did a lot of sessions. I was in every day for five, six hours with the physios having treatment and working with the fitness department, and after two weeks I could do some catches with the goalie coaches.

"Then after two and a half weeks I started to dive, and three days before the [Sheff Utd] match I could work hard, do some hard shooting and catches, full-range diving.

"So on Friday I gave the green light to the boss. I believe in my faith, and working hard helped me in this fast recovery.”

Alisson added on his condition after a testing return to action against Sheffield: “Whenever you have an injury on the ligament – shoulder, ankle or knee – you still feel something weird. It’s not pain, just weird. You feel it for a couple of weeks, but it’s nothing that limits my ability to play. I’m 100 per cent fit to play and comfortable with that.”

The Reds began the competition with a 1-0 win over Ajax, suffering from a number of selection difficulties, and it seems that manager Jurgen Klopp will also have to juggle his options ahead of the encounter against the Danish outfit.

Liverpool overcame Sheffield United 2-1 on Saturday, coming from a goal down to win, without the trio, and the former Borussia Dortmund boss does not forecast that any will return for the match on Tuesday.

Asked in a press conference if any will be ready, he replied: “I don’t think so. It’s still what I said last week, we look day by day.

“It looks like we will need a few more days. For tomorrow night, they probably will not be ready.”

The German did, however, receive a boost in that no-one picked up a significant knock in the come-from-behind success over the Blades – a match in which Diogo Jota scored a late winner. 

When quizzed on any fresh injury news, he explained: “Not as far as I know… nobody told me yet. I don’t know exactly. It’s probable that no-one will be added to the squad, but we didn’t lose anybody as well.”

Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum featured in the heart of the Liverpool midfield at the weekend, replacing Thiago and Keita, while Fabinho was drafted in as cover at centre-back, where the Reds are without long-term injury victim Virgil van Dijk.

Such are the depth of Liverpool’s problems, they have little significant experience open to them on the bench, with James Milner, Takumi Minamino and Xherdan Shaqiri their seasoned available outfield substitutes.

Liverpool are seeking to improve upon their round-of-16 performance in the Champions League last season, having been dumped out of the competition at Anfield by Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. They kicked off their latest campaign with a win in Amsterdam last week, with Nicolas Tagliafico netting an unfortunate own goal for Ajax.

Meanwhile, the Reds have enjoyed a broadly satisfactory start to the defence of their Premier League title and find themselves second behind city rivals Everton on goal difference, albeit having played a game more than third-placed Aston Villa.

Orlando Pirates begin their MTN8 semi-final, first leg at home against Kaizer Chiefs on October 31, before visiting their sworn rivals for the return fixture on November 8 at FNB Stadium.

To reach the MTN8 last four, Pirates beat Cape Town City 1-0 at Orlando Stadium while Chiefs, on the other hand, edged Maritzburg United 2-1 at FNB Stadium to storm into the semi-finals.

Saturday’s clash at Orlando Stadium will be Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt’s first-ever taste of the Soweto Derby and Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer’s second.

The winner between the Soweto giants will face either Bloemfontein Celtic or defending champions SuperSport United in the final.

In the semi-finals, SuperSport start at home at Lucas Moripe Stadium on November 1, before visiting Celtic for the second leg at Dr Molemela Stadium six days later.

Kaitano Tembo’s SuperSport United saw off Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila 3-2 to reach the semi-finals.

They face a Celtic side that performed arguably the biggest upset of the tournament so far after booting out favourites Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0.

All the MTN8 semi-finalists, however, have an opportunity to gear themselves up for weekend action as they have midweek Premier Soccer League (PSL) fixtures.

Before meeting Pirates, Chiefs travel to Port Elizabeth for a league date with Chippa United on Tuesday.

Hunt and his men arrive at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium keen to recover from last weekend’s 3-0 defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns in their league opener.

The Soweto Derby will see Chiefs facing another traditional giant within seven days and a win over Chippa would boost morale in Amakhosi’s camp ahead of the Pirates showdown.

The Buccaneers, on the other hand, will warm up for Chiefs with a PSL clash against Stellenbosch at home on Wednesday.

After drawing 1-1 with AmaZulu last Saturday, beating Stellenbosch could psych up Josef Zinnbauer’s men for the Amakhosi challenge.

As for SuperSport United, they gear up for Celtic with a league encounter away at Golden Arrows on Wednesday.

Celtic visit Swallows FC first before remaining in Gauteng for the Matsatsantsa MTN8 date.

Jurgen Klopp says he had been pleased with Liverpool's reaction to their thrashing at Aston Villa, and has praised his players for showing "resilience".

The Premier League champions were sensationally hammered 7-2 by Aston Villa prior to the October international break, then lost Virgil van Dijk to a serious knee injury on their return to action.

The Netherlands defender was hurt in the early stages of the 2-2 draw with Merseyside rivals Everton, a game the Reds twice led before eventually having to settle for a point.

However, since then Liverpool have recorded a win away at Ajax in the Champions League and also fought back from a goal down to beat Sheffield United.

"It's all about showing a reaction - you cannot influence the things that have happened to you in life. You can influence the response you show - and I like the response, to be honest," Klopp told the media ahead of facing Midtjylland on Tuesday.

"The boys were really ready to work extremely hard again, show real resilience and fighting for results. All those kinds of things are important. I expect them, actually, but after the very, very long good times we had, people react differently.

"They did exactly what I thought they would do - they fought and we won both games."

While Liverpool triumphed 1-0 in Amsterdam in their Champions League opener, Midtjylland suffered a 4-0 loss at home to Atalanta on their debut in the group stage of the competition.

Yet Klopp - who revealed he is set to be without injured trio Naby Keita, Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara again - does not feel the scoreline reflected the Danish side's overall display.

"The 4-0 against Atalanta was not a 4-0," the German manager said. "It didn't look like that kind of game. They were really in it and possession was pretty level.

"They are a football-playing side with different ideas. They are flexible as well, so it's a challenge, a real challenge. We have to be ready for it."

This will be Liverpool's first home game in Europe since they lost 3-2 against Atletico Madrid in March, a game played out with fans present at Anfield amid the breakout of the coronavirus pandemic across the continent.

The extra-time defeat in the second leg of the last-16 tie was the Reds' final outing before the 2019-20 season was put on hold, with Klopp admitting it was a "strange time".

"We played a really good game at Madrid (when they lost 1-0 in the first leg), people forget that," he said. "Played a super game at home and lost, sounds crazy. What can you do more? If you use your chances, you go through. Performance-wise, it was not a problem.

"It was a strange time. We heard a lot of things, the last game before lockdown. This is not an example of how we should do things, football-wise.

"We love the competition, even when we got knocked out too early. It's the Champions League, Anfield but no crowd, but it's still the competition we love.

"We have to show that again tomorrow night. There are no guarantees, but a lot of opportunities."

The loss to Atletico is Liverpool's only blemish in their previous 26 home games in all European competitions. They have not suffered consecutive home defeats in Europe since December 2009.

Ghana will not sideline recovered coronavirus-struck players from October's 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Sudan, football association (GFA) communications director Henry Asante Twum has stated.

The West African nation's football's governing body has come under criticism for perceived negligence as about seven players of the Black Stars who faced Mali and Qatar in friendly matches earlier this month, tested positive for the deadly disease upon their return from international duty to their clubs.

Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew is undoubtedly the biggest star on the sick list, which also includes Celta Vigo defender Joseph Aidoo, Hoffenheim centre-back Kasim Nuhu Adams and Besiktas midfielder Bernard Mensah.

Vitoria Guimaraes left-back Gideon Mensah and Trabzonspor striker Caleb Ekuban also contracted the virus.

"It is unfortunate our players have contracted the virus," Asante Twum told Asempa FM.

"We ensured that every player and management member followed the protocols before and after the games. There were automated hand sanitiser machines at the hotel the team was lodging in and the same at the stadia we used for the matches.

"Tests were conducted every day to ensure we were all safe but it is unfortunate this has happened.

"We did not force these players to come and play for the national team but once they came, you take their health into consideration. We wish them well because we will still need their services next month.

"This is a virus that can be in your system and you cannot determine it but I don't think accusing the Ghana Football Association of failing to do the right thing is the right way.

"We did our best to ensure we all stayed safe but it did not happen."

Ghana first faced Mali on October 9, losing 3-0 in the friendly fixture in the Turkish city of Antalya. Before the game, some members of Mali's playing body tested positive for the coronavirus disease and were promptly withdrawn from the squad.

On October 12, the Black Stars took on Asian champions and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, responding to their earlier defeat with an impressive 5-1 triumph.

In November, CK Akonnor's outfit is set to take on Sudan in a double-header of games. 

Azam FC lost their first Mainland Premier League tie on Monday after going down 1-0 to Mtibwa Sugar at Jamhuri Stadium.

Azam had gone for seven matches unbeaten but their impeccable start has come to an abrupt end courtesy of Jaffary Kibaya’s second-half strike.

The result means the Ice-cream Makers have failed to extend their lead further away from Yanga SC who defeated Kinondoni Municipal Council (KMC FC) on Sunday. Azam, however, remain the leaders with 21 points as Yanga are second with 19.

Kibaya scored two minutes after the hour mark after the two sides fought hard but were unable to break the deadlock in the first half and in the first 15 minutes of the subsequent half.

The win is the second straight one for the Sugar Millers after picking up a similar result against Namungo FC in the previous encounter.

The loss has seen Azam fail to keep a clean sheet – as they had done in six out of seven matches while goalkeeper David Mapigano was in charge - for the second time since the league began.

The Aristica Cioaba side had established themselves as a ruthless team in front of goal given that they had scored 14 goals in the seven matches but were unable to breach Mtibwa’s defence which had failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their last six matches.

Mtibwa Sugar are now in position 10 with 11 points and their next game will be against Kagera Sugar on November 1. Azam will hope to resuscitate their campaign when they host JKT Tanzania at Chamazi Sports Complex on the same day.

Meanwhile, Dodoma Jiji went down at home to Tanzania Prisons with a 1-0 margin.

The goal that separated the debutants and Tanzania Prisons was scored by Ramadhan Ibata in the 88th minute. The two sides are tied on points as they have 12 each after eight matches.

Yanga now are the only remaining side which had not lost a game although they dropped points when they drew 1-1 against Tanzania Prisons in the season-opening game.

Defending champions Simba SC lost the second match when they allowed Ruvu Shooting to pick up a 1-0 win in Dar es Salaam.