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Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt says he would have preferred to open their 2020/21 Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign against any other opponent besides Mamelodi Sundowns.

Chiefs host Sundowns at FNB Stadium on Saturday in the highlight of the opening weekend of the league race.

It would be Hunt’s first league match in charge of Chiefs and the four-time championship-winning coach would have loved to have another opponent on his debut.

“It is not ideal to start the season with this kind of a match,” Hunt told the Kaizer Chiefs website.

“I am sure the opponents feel the same. But that is how fixtures are and we must be prepared and ready for the match. It is important to start well in the league and that is what we have planned to do this afternoon.

“It is going to be an interesting encounter. We are playing a Sundowns team that you will never know who they will be fielding today. I do not have much to say because this is the first match of the season.

“I am working with my team and pulling all stops to bring the best out of everyone. We cannot say we are settled or have a settled team yet. I know our shortcomings and we are working on every aspect of our game.”

Chiefs welcome back midfielder Willard Katsande and attacker Lebogang Manyama who were both suspended for last week’s MTN8 quarter-final match against Maritzburg United.

Eric Mathoho is still out injured which could see Ramahlwe Mphahlele again starting as a centre-back partnering Daniel Cardoso.

Kenyan midfielder Anthony Akumu is doubtful but Hunt might not be worrying himself much as he has already stated that Njabulo Bloem is fit for the defensive midfield role.

“We are ready,” declares Hunt. “The mood in the camp is good and we have gone through the training sessions very well. Again, we cannot wait to get on the pitch to kick off and see how it goes.”

Meanwhile, new Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Richard Ofori could made his debut against AmaZulu on Saturday.

Pirates travel to Jonsson Kings Park Stadium as they kickoff their bid for a first league title since 2012.

Ghana goalkeeper Ofori was signed on Tuesday and has already been in full swing training, in the process lining himself up for selection against Wayne Sandilands and Siyabonga Mpontshane.

“Training has been good,” Ofori told the Pirates website.

“I have been welcomed in the team with open arms by everybody here which has been great. Everyone here is very friendly. The organization and professionalism have been of international standard.

“As for training, well what I can say is that the intensity is very high, but I am adapting well. I’m also getting accustomed to a different methodology of training under the goalkeeper coach Jyri [Nieminen] which has been good.”

It is yet to be seen who coach Josef Zinnbauer would start in goal between Ofori and Sandilands.

Pirates go into this match on a high after eliminating Cape Town City from the MTN8 seven days earlier.

Troy Deeney says social media companies don’t do enough to combat racism on their platforms, and has called on the FA to hand out mandatory lifetime bans for abusers.

The Watford captain says he regularly reports racist abuse on Instagram, only to be told the messages he reports don’t qualify as hate speech.

“Do these companies even want to change things? Do they want to stop the abuse?” Deeney questioned in the Sun.

“If a high-profile black player such as Raheem Sterling is experiencing racial abuse then everyone piles in and that drives traffic, which increases their advertising and profits.

“If I scroll down my Instagram replies, the tenth one down features a racist emoji — which is not unusual.

“So I follow the protocol, which is to block the user and report the message under the category of ‘hate speech and symbols’.

“Then I am told that an emoji with a monkey and a banana is not considered racist.

“I’ve even reported being called a ‘black c***’ and been told that isn’t hate speech either.

“They need to change their algorithms to reflect what are obviously racist posts — but do they even want to?”

Deeney also believes the punishments for players found guilty of racist abuse in English football aren’t severe enough.

Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla was found guilty of using racist language towards West Brom forward Jonathan Leko in 2019, and was banned for eight games.

Leko later said he was disappointed by the lengthy process required to reach a verdict – during which Casilla remained first-choice as Leeds won promotion – and would think twice before reporting such an incident again.

“There have been lifetime bans handed down by clubs, but not in all cases, and the FA and the leagues should insist on that being mandatory,” Deeney said.

“And when the Leeds keeper was found guilty of calling an opponent a ‘n*****’ — the worst term of racial abuse — then how can an eight-match ban and a £60,000 fine be enough?

“What sort of message does that send?”

Casilla returned to the Leeds starting XI after serving his suspension last season, but has since been replaced by Illan Meslier.

The first LaLiga El Clasico of the 2020/21 season sees both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid come into the game after suffering surprise defeats last weekend, when the ultra-competitive nature of LaLiga Santander was again shown by deserved victories for Getafe CF and Cadiz CF.

Defending champions Real Madrid remain just a point off the top of the early LaLiga Santander standings after losing 1-0 at home to newly promoted Cadiz last Saturday, while Barça’s defeat by the same scoreline at a typically rugged Getafe leaves the Catalans a further three points back, down in an unfamiliar ninth position.

Another factor to consider is the staggered start to the 2020/21 campaign meaning that Los Blancos still have one game in hand on current joint leaders Real Sociedad and Villarreal, while Barcelona have played two games fewer at this point.

Zinedine Zidane’s side also picked up some new injury worries on Saturday, with club captain Sergio Ramos leaving the game at half-time with a knee injury which makes him a doubt for this weekend’s game at the Camp Nou. Zidane is already without Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal for the first El Clasico of the new campaign, but has better fitness news with Eder Militao and Marco Asensio back available again after recent absences.

New Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman also has his selection issues ahead of the game, including left-back Jordi Alba being in a ‘race against the clock’ to be ready for Saturday. Either way new blaugrana full-back Sergino Dest looks set to become the first ever USA international to play in ElClasico, having settled very well since arriving from Ajax late in the transfer window.

Sure to feature is Barca club captain Lionel Messi, whose 18 goals in 27 LaLiga El Clasicos is an all-time record.

Koeman will be looking forward to his first ElClasico as a manager, having picked up five wins and scored five goals in his 11 LaLiga meetings with Real Madrid during his time as a Barca player. The Dutchman scored a double as the Catalans won his first 3-1 at the Camp Nou in October 1989, and also found the net in the historic 5-0 for Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ in January 1994, although he was on the other end of the same ‘manita’ scoreline the following season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

As a coach Koeman has faced the reigning champions just once: a 3-2 victory at the Bernabeu when in charge of Valencia in March 2008, a game in which Ramos and Marcelo both featured for Los Blancos. Zidane had retired as a player by then but has his own enviable record in El Clasico since becoming a coach. The Frenchman has lost just two of nine meetings with Barca across his two spells, and his two wins and three draws from five visits to the Camp Nou is the best record of any Real Madrid coach in history in this fixture.

Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory in the most recent LaLiga ElClasico, thanks to goals from Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz, means the Bernabeu outfit have moved just ahead in the all-time head to head record – 73 wins to 72.

There have also been 35 draws - the latest of which was a tightly fought 0-0 at the Camp Nou last December. That game was an outlier given the fixture has regularly produced goals in recent seasons, as well as lots of drama, including Barca’s 5-1 home victory in October 2018.

Saturday will see a potential 650 million fans around the world tuning for the eagerly awaited match-up. The staggered start to 2020/21 has made it difficult to judge the teams so far, but a winner on Saturday would immediately become favourite to win this year’s LaLiga Santander title, while a loser would already have a lot of ground to make up.

Pep Guardiola says managers can only pray that players don’t get injured because there is too much football packed into the calendar.

Saturday’s trip to West Ham is Manchester City’s eighth game of the season, after Guardiola’s side had only five weeks between their Champions League exit at the end of last season and the start of 2020-21.

City were rocked by an injury to midfield lynchpin Fernandinho against Porto in midweek, and Guardiola believes the clubs that don't play in Europe have a "huge advantage" in this regard.

"I love football, I love to play football, I love watching it on television - I love everything, but it’s too much,” Guardiola said.

"I know the business but it's too much for the players. The players don't have a rest mentally or physically.

"This is going to happen because they are not consulting with anyone. There are 365 days and you have to put all the competitions and all the games [in], and especially right now with what happened last season with Covid-19, it's reduced the calendar so it's more difficult - but it's too much.

"It's too much for everyone, at least for the teams who play in Europe - for the other ones maybe it's less.

"You finish the season and you start another one, you finish the season and you start another one. I would love to play a lot of games, to play during eight, nine or 10 months an incredible amount of games is okay, but you have to take a break for one or two months and make a good preparation to protect the players.”

Players will have to wait for an extended break with an international summer including the European Championship and Copa America scheduled to follow the 2020-21 season.

"To have a pre-season like it was before of five or six weeks that can relax minds and players can enjoy their own lives, but now you have 10 or 15 days you have to start again,” Guardiola added.

"You go to the pre-season and you have to win the pre-season, you have the Community Shield, you have the first games and that's why the players get injured, so it's normal.

“It's no secret so you just pray every day and [hope] everyone finishes the game without a problem. But it is what it is."

La Liga continues this weekend with some exciting games on offer including El Clasico, where Barcelona host Real Madrid at Camp Nou.

Both sides have suffered early-season defeats meaning this early Clasico could help shape how the title race could play out.

Live Stream: Fanatiz English (stream now)

How to watch Barcelona vs Real Madrid in El Clasico on US TV

Barcelona slumped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Getafe last weekend, but bounced back in midweek in the Champions League.

U.S national team star Sergino Dest became the first American player to start for the club in La Liga and then in Europe and will play the biggest game in his career so far at Camp Nou on Saturday.

Real Madrid also had a poor result last time out in the league, with Cadiz taking all three points on the road in a 1-0 victory.

Despite the defeat, Real Madrid remains in the top four, with Barcelona back outside the European places as they have played one game fewer.

Last season's Clasico matches saw Real Madrid earn a point at Camp Nou in December before recording a 2-0 home win in the return visit in March.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid can be streamed in the US through Fanatiz  with a 7-day free trial and kicks off at 7am PT and 10pm ET.

La Liga matches on US TV this weekend

Watch La Liga live on Fanatiz.

The All India Football Federation's (AIFF) developmental side Indian Arrows are set to start training from November first week in Bhubaneswar. The matter had come up in the AIFF Executive Committee meeting on Thursday. 

The Arrows side will be training under Shanmugam Venkatesh as part of their preparations for the upcoming edition of I-League, which is set to commence in January 2021. 

This time there will be a number of new faces in the squad as most players from the previous batch have secured a contract with Indian Super League (ISL) sides and are set to ply their trade in the top tier. 

Whereas, India U16 team will also organie a preparatory camp in Goa from November to prepare for the AFC Championship which has been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has postponed the AFC U16 Championship that was scheduled to be held in Bahrain from November 25 due to the rise in number of Covid-19 cases in most of the countries. 

A couple of the participating nations had requested the apex body of football in Asia to shift the dates as they were not being able to adequately prepare for the tournament due to the worsening Coronavirus situations in their respective countries. 

The 2020 AFC U16 Championship will feature 16 teams - 12 of them qualified after winning their qualification groups while four best runners-up were also handed a spot.

The format for the final tournament will feature four groups of four teams each. The winner and runner-up in each group will progress to the quarter-finals.

India qualified for the 2020 AFC U-16 Championship finals in September 2019 as the table-toppers from Group B. With two wins and a draw, India managed to pick up seven points from three matches to finish above Bahrain, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in the qualifiers held in Uzbekistan.

The top four teams of the AFC U-16 Championship finals qualify for the U-17 World Cup as representatives of the AFC.  

Meanwhile, in the Executive Committee meeting on Thursday evening, it was decided that the Covid-grant will be equally divided amongst state associations for this year. However, from the next footballing calendar, only the top 10 ranked state associations will be eligible for the grant.

The 2020-21 La Liga season started on September 12 and has seen an interesting start. 

After the international break, Real Sociedad and Villarreal were top the standings. 

Atletico Madrid are still eighth - a spot above Barcelona as Ronald Koeman suffered the first defeat of his reign, slipping to a narrow defeat at Getafe. However, Real Madrid also suffered their first La Liga defeat of the season as they went down in dismal fashion at home to minnows Cadiz ahead of the El Clasico.

Now, both giants of La Liga, Real Madrid and Barcelona, will play the first El Clasico of the season. Here's how to watch the match in India. 
 

Contents

Where to watch or stream the El Clasico

El Clasico in India is available to be streamed Live on  Facebook . The match starts at 7:30 pm IST. 

Preview: Real Madrid vs Barcelona

Even in front of an empty stadium, the Clasico should still be a spectacle, as these two old rivals collide again in a meeting of the world’s biggest club sides.

Neither have been particularly convincing in recent months, as Barca pick themselves up after a horror 2019-20 and the Lionel Messi affair that utterly overshadowed their offseason.

Real Madrid won the last meeting between these two back in March, but their limitations and vulnerabilities were exposed in their 3-2 Champions League defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk.

Barcelona, by contrast riding high after a 5-1 thumping of Hungarian heavyweights Ferencvaros, will be in fine fettle, although they will still be without Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who missed out with a tendon injury.

Samuel Umtiti is another absentee, while Jordi Alba is in contention to feature.

Real, meanwhile, will be able to call upon fit-again Sergio Ramos, who will start alongside Raphael Varane.

La Liga fixtures

Matchday 7

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New Harambee Stars coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee has promised to stick with the squad selected by his predecessor Francis Kimanzi ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations double-header against Comoros in November.

The 52-year-old tactician was handed the mantle to handle the team on a three-year contract following the exit of Francis Kimanzi, whom the Federation claims they parted with on mutual agreement last Tuesday.

‘Ghost’ has now revealed to Goal he will not make changes to the Kenya squad which beat Zambia 2-1 in a Fifa international friendly a fortnight ago by revealing, “It would not be in order to change a winning squad.”

“As we speak now, my mind is already in the Comoros double-header and any good coach cannot change a winning team, they just beat Zambia a few days ago, I will stick with the team which played against Zambia,” ‘Ghost’ told Goal.

“What I saw against Zambia [during the friendly] is a Harambee Stars team that has the pedigree to go head to head with some of the best teams in Africa. I just want to build on the squad and hopefully, we should register good results against Comoros, especially in the first match at home.”

‘Ghost’ continued: “We have a large pool of quality players in the current squad but what I will do maybe is to add a few if necessary. I watched the match against Zambia and will further look at the players individually to ascertain each one’s role, but my main target is to make sure we win home matches and also try as hard as we can to get decent results away so as to stand a chance of making it to Afcon.”

In an earlier interview, Mulee assured Kenyans they will do everything possible to have all the professional players link up with the team ahead of the clash against the Islanders.

During the friendly against Zambia, Kenya missed the services of at least five professional players due to various reasons, but the new man at the helm of the team came out to assure that all the foreign-based players who are in his plans will be available for the clash.

“It is a tricky situation now dealing with foreign-based players, I say tricky because some clubs will not want [or will not be comfortable] to release their players to honour national team duty owing to the Covid-19 restrictions,” Mulee told Goal.

“The scenario is a very tricky situation but we will see how we can get our players, we will try and make sure we get our players, we will write to the clubs and try to explain to them the importance of the Comoros match, we will do our best to have our professionals come for the match.

“We hope the clubs will also understand and release the players we need for the double-header.”

Among the professionals who missed the Zambia friendly, which Kenya won 2-1, include goalkeeper Arnold Origi, who was returning to the team after five years out, captain Victor Wanyama, midfielder Johanna Omollo, defender Joseph Akumu, and striker Michael Olunga.

Kenya will move to residential training on October 26, first with local-based players, before the foreign-based stars start arriving on November 2, ahead of the first match set for Kasarani Stadium on November 11.

Kenya are currently second in Group G after managing two draws from their first two matches – 1-1 against Egypt away in Cairo and the same scoreline against Togo in Nairobi.

AmaZulu FC will play host to Orlando Pirates in their opening 2020/21 Premier Soccer League (PSL) match at Jonsson Kings Park Stadium on Saturday.

Usuthu are starting an era under new and ambitious owner Sandile Zungu, who has promised to transform the team into top four contenders this season.

This has put Ayanda Dlamini under pressure and the 36-year tactician will be keen to start his first full campaign as AmaZulu head coach with a win over Pirates.

The KwaZulu-Natal giants will be up against a Pirates side which is oozing with confidence after securing a 1-0 win over Cape Town City in the MTN8 quarter-finals last weekend. 

Coach Josef Zinnbauer will also be under pressure to guide the Buccaneers to their maiden major trophy since 2014 t and a win over AmaZulu will indicate that the team is on the right path.

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

The game will be shown live on SuperSport TV. 

Squads & Team News

AmaZulu have not reported any injuries in their camp and they have no players in this weekend's PSL suspension list which has boosted coach Dlamini's team selection

The retired striker is most likely keep faith in the striking partnership of Bonginkosi Ntuli and Lehlohonolo Majoro which played an instrumental role in helping the team avoid relegation last season.

Dlamini also has the luxury to include former Pirates attackers Luvuyo Memela and Augustine Mulenga in the starting line-up, while ex-Kaizer Chiefs captain Siphiwe Tshabalala is also an option after joining the Durban-based side.

Meanwhile, Pirates defender Innocent Maela is set to return from suspension and the Bafana Bafana international is expected to start as he is the club's first-choice left-back.

Ghana international Richard Ofori has been brought in by the club to strengthen Zinnbauer's goalkeeping department, but Wayne Sandilands is unlikely to be dropped after keeping a clean sheet against City.

The German coach will look to Terrence Dzvukamanja, who marked his debut for Pirates with a goal in the victory over City and he could be partnered with last season's PSL Golden Boot award winner Frank Mhango upfront.

Match Preview

AmaZulu are enjoying a four-match unbeaten run across all competitions having recorded three draws and one victory.

Usuthu also have a similar home record having registered three draws and one win in their last four competitive games as the hosts. 

While Pirates are in good form at the moment as they are undefeated in their last four matches across all competitions having recorded four successive wins.

The Soweto giants have lost just one of their last nine competitive matches on the road and registered four wins and four draws as visitors. 

In head-to-head stats since 1985, Pirates and AmaZulu have met in 59 league matches.

Bucs have dominated this fixture claiming 26 victories compared to 10 for Usuthu, while 23 matches have been drawn.

The two teams drew 0-0 in a first-round league game in Durban last season, before Pirates secured a 1-0 win in a second-round encounter in Soweto. 

France international Sebastien Corchia says it is “fantastic” to be back playing in Ligue 1 with Nantes and has promised there is much more to come after a promising debut.

The right-back featured in last weekend’s 3-1 derby win over Brest, turning in a solid display as Christian Gourcuff’s side secured a first victory since overcoming Nimes on August 30.

With a Sunday fixture against Lens to come, the 29-year-old believes his form will quickly improve, having had his 2019-20 campaign ended by a combination of knee surgery and the coronavirus crisis, which prevented him leaving his home for treatment or training.

“It was happy to get my debut in yellow with 90 minutes and a win at La Beaujoire. That was a perfect start,” he told Goal. 

“Personally, I believe that I had a good first game, but of course it will get better. I am in good form physically because I have been training with Sevilla since July, and my appetite for football is enormous, but I also need a little more match fitness. For me, it is all about ambition and hard work - and the happy feeling of playing football.

“It is absolutely fantastic to be back in Ligue 1. I could have gone to other clubs, other leagues, and I heard about interest from Germany, Italy, and top clubs from Greece and Turkey, but when my agent told me about the interest from Nantes, I instantly felt, that this was the right move. For me - and for my family. 

“I know the club well, having played here many times. There’s a magnificent stadium, fantastic fans, a good team - and when I talked to the coach, I was convinced, that this project was the perfect one for me.”

Since leaving France, where he made his breakthrough with Sochaux and Lille, Corchia has turned out for Sevilla, Benfica and Espanyol, and he believes his time abroad has improved him.

“I enjoyed playing for Sevilla and Espanyol in La Liga, which is an amazing league. It was a great experience to be part of Benfica winning the title in Portugal, and I played in Europa League and Champions League for all three clubs,” the former France Under-21 captain said. 

“I have learned a lot since I left France, and I have a lot of experience. I have developed myself as a player - and as a person. No doubt, I return to France as a better player. I am in the best age as a football player, and I really expect to play the best football of my career now.”

And he believes that football, in conjunction with a talented squad, will see Nantes begin to head up the table after an awkward start.

“The team did well, and it was a very well deserved win against Brest,” he said. “We definitely have the potential to get higher in the table. Nantes is a club with a lot of tradition and a great history - and we want to write a new chapter in that history.”

Nantes currently lie 15th in Ligue 1 on eight points.

Kaizer Chiefs are set to renew their rivalry with Mamelodi Sundowns in their maiden game of the 2020/21 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season on Saturday.

Chiefs will be determined to secure a win in order to ease the pain of losing last season's PSL title to Sundowns on the final day of the campaign.

Amakhosi are coming off a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Maritzburg United in the MTN8 quarter-finals which was also coach Gavin Hunt's first game in charge of the team last weekend.

Hunt's charges will take on a Sundowns side which is licking its wounds after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Bloemfontein Celtic last weekend in the MTN8 last-eight.

Sundowns co-coaches Manqoba Mngqithi and Rhulani Mokwena will be keen to silence their critics by guiding the team to a victory over Chiefs in a battle between two Gauteng giants.

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

The game will be shown live on SuperSport TV. 

Squads & Team News

Chiefs will be welcoming back experienced midfielders Lebogang Manyama and Willard Katsande, who missed the clash against Maritzburg due to suspension.

However, influential striker Samir Nurkovic and towering central defender Erick Mathoho are still nursing injuries and they are expected to miss the clash against Masandawana.

Hunt will once again look to young defender Yagan Sasman, who produced a Man of the Match performance in the win over Maritzburg, while accomplished forwards Bernard Parker and Khama Billiat are expected to lead the attack.

Meanwhile, Sundowns left-back Tebogo Langerman will be missing as he completes a two-match suspension, while forward Sibusiso Vilakazi is out nursing a long-term injury.

The Brazilians have enough depth to cope without the duo with Lyle Lakay expected to start in the left-back position, while Kermit Erasmus, Mauricio Affonso and Peter Shalulile are the striking options which are available.

The technical team will be hoping that their two key players Themba Zwane and Gaston Sirino are in good form against Chiefs, with the duo having combined well before the latter netted Sundowns' winning goal in a league match between the two teams two months ago.

Match Preview

Chiefs are coming into this clash undefeated in their last three matches across all competitions having recorded two wins and one draw. 

Amakhosi have lost just one of their last five home competitive matches and recorded two wins and two draws in the process.

While Sundowns saw their three-match unbeaten run across all competitions come to an end when they lost to Celtic.

However, Masandawana are undefeated in their last four competitive matches on the road having registered three successive wins and one draw as the visitors.

In head-to-head stats since 1985, Sundowns and Chiefs have met in 70 league matches.

Amakhosi have the upper hand having recorded 28 wins compared to 22 for the Brazilians, while 20 matches have been drawn.

Chiefs defeated Sundowns 2-0 in their first-round league clash in Tshwane last season, but Masandawana got their revenge in the second round encounter as they emerged 1-0 winners in Soweto. 

Young Africans (Yanga SC) have landed safely in Mwanza in readiness for their Mainland Premier League match against KMC on October 25.

The Jangwani giants will, however, miss the services of defender Mapinduzi Balama, who remained in Dar es Salaam owing to injury which forced him to miss the clash against Polisi Tanzania two days ago.

Yanga team manager Hafidh Saleh has confirmed to Goal that all the players in the squad are fit to face KMC apart from Balama.

“The squad is ready and all of them are doing well,” Saleh told Goal. “We only don’t have one player in our travelling squad and that is Balama, who is not feeling well, and the coach requested that he remains behind because he will not use his services until he gets better.”

Yanga media officer Hassan Bumbuli has also revealed why the team travelled with a full squad to Mwanza ahead of the KMC clash.

“We have a new coach and it is good to have the full squad in Mwanza for him to check the players, the coach has been here for only a week, and for him to get to know his players, then it is good to have all included in the squad.

“We want the new coach to prepare his players well for the coming matches, we also have the derby coming up against Simba and that is why we want to have all the players available for him to monitor their progress.”

Bumbuli further asked the club’s fans in Mwanza to get ready and support the team saying they will give them a win.

“We mean business this season, we are serious and all we want is three points from every match we play so our fans in Mwanza should be ready to celebrate a win, let them welcome the team and give them the support, they will not be disappointed.”

It will be the second match for new coach Cedric Kaze, who started his reign with a 1-0 win against Polisi Tanzania at Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Thursday.

The Timu ya Mwananchi are lying second on the 18-team league table with 16 points, five less than leaders Azam FC, who have won all their matches so far in this campaign.

Diego Simeone trusts Atletico Madrid to show their character and bounce back from a heavy loss to Bayern Munich when they take on Real Betis on Saturday. 

Atletico suffered their first defeat of the 2020-21 season on Tuesday, going down 4-0 to Bayern in their Champions League Group A opener at the Allianz Arena  – their joint-heaviest defeat of Simeone's nine-year tenure. 

Taking on Betis at the Wanda Metropolitano is their next task, and by avoiding defeat they would make it a club-record 21 games unbeaten in La Liga. 

Manuel Pellegrini's team undoubtedly pose a threat, though. They have had a league-high 76 shots on goal this season, while the 57 chances they have created is only matched by Real Madrid. 

However, Atleti have conceded just one goal in their four La Liga games this term and Simeone is expecting them to produce a positive response after the disappointment of their defeat to Bayern. 

"I absolutely trust the team, despite the painful, heavy defeat in Munich," Simeone told a news conference on Friday. 

"I got a lot of positive things from the game and I totally believe in the team we have. I see them play with great enthusiasm, with great intensity and eager to be the protagonists. 

"Tomorrow we will see it [the team's personality]. I absolutely believe in my players, I know their quality. We face a team that with Manuel have improved a lot, especially their enthusiasm, defence, and the confidence you can see in Betis beyond the results. 

"They won twice away from home, so they are a dangerous team. Maybe, if I am not wrong, they are one of the teams who have created the most chances in La Liga." 

After Tuesday's defeat, Atletico midfielder Hector Herrera said he would take positives from being beaten by the team he believes are the best in the world.

"We played the champions face to face, the best team in the world," the Mexico international said. "With the score against us, we did not stop fighting and looking for the game.

"We had our opportunities and we did not take advantage of them in key moments. If we had done it would have been another story."

Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana believes correcting the mistakes they made against Bloemfontein Celtic last weekend will carry them past Kaizer Chiefs in Saturday’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) opener at FNB Stadium.

Downs go into this match fresh after being eliminated from the MTN8 by Celtic last weekend after losing 1-0.

“We were disappointed with the result. We watched the match and we were happy with a lot of things we achieved during that match,” Kekana told the Sundowns media.

“The new guys adapted very well. They showed that they are in it. Obviously, the result was not what we expected but that is football for you. We are looking forward to the next match. We will try and rectify some of the mistakes that we made against Celtic and I think we still have a good opportunity to correct them.”

While Sundowns would be trying to recover from the Celtic setback, Chiefs will be out for revenge after they were denied the league title by the reigning PSL champions, in agonising fashion, on the final day of last season.

The last meeting between the two giants saw Sundowns edging Chiefs 1-0 during the PSL bio-bubble, a result which aided the Brazilians to the champions podium.

“It is going to be a match of a lot of emotions. On their side obviously, they lost the league on the last day of the season and for us we will try and do the business,” said Kekana.

“We were fortunate to win the league in the manner we did because we were doing well. They spent about 12 months in position one and I believe they could have won the league but we did the business for the club.

“I believe we still stand a chance of winning against them. It is a match everyone is looking forward to. As players, we will be very motivated to play against Chiefs at this moment because I believe we will give a good performance.”

Sundowns are now under new technical leadership following the departure of former coach Pitso Mosimane.

Co-coaches Manqoba Mngqithi and Rhulani Mokwena are at the helm, as well as Steve Komphela who is the senior coach.

The trio received sharp criticism after Downs lost to Celtic last weekend but Kekana has faith in their coaches.

“The leadership has been with us for the past eight years. So for us it is just to continue with the philosophy that coach Pitso left,” Kekana said.

“The principles have to be the same for the club. We will try to work on continuity and I believe a lot of the senior guys are there to help the new guys. It is not much really but to really show them how we do things and how we want to win matches every time. Obviously, it comes with pressure because we have to continue doing well.” 

Chiefs go into this match on a high after beating Maritzburg United in last weekend's MTN8 quarter-final match.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has written to the Ministry of Sports seeking permission to organise the play-offs between Kisumu All-Stars and Vihiga United.

Kisumu All-Stars were 16th when the league was cancelled and will now get a chance to fight for their Premier League survival against Vihiga United who were third in the National Super League.

FKF was forced to reschedule the play-offs after the state failed to lift the ban on contact sports earlier and have now moved to seek direct permission from the government as they plan to play at the end of October and in early November.

“Football Kenya Federation wishes to seek the Ministry’s approval for the organisation of the FKF 2019/20 end of season play-off matches between Vihiga United and Kisumu All-Stars FC to be held in Mumias and Kisumu on October 30 and November 3, 2020, respectively,” an FKF letter to the Ministry of Sports obtained by Goal read.

“In this regard, the aforementioned dates are guided by the fact that the new league season is scheduled to kick-off on November 20, 2020, in line with the Confederation of African Football calendar and we, therefore, request your good office to allow the two matches proceed so as to give the two teams adequate time to prepare for the season.”

The local FA has promised to see the matches are organised in a manner that respects the coronavirus containment protocols put in place.

“In light of the foregoing, the federation would like to assure the ministry that the matches shall be organised and played under strict compliance to the protocols issued by the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Health which include mandatory testing of all participants and matches being played behind closed doors to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus,” the letter concluded.

The schedule for the 2020/21 season has already been released by the league managers. Vihiga United and Kisumu All-Stars will have to wait and see if the FKF request is granted before they learn the fate of the highly-anticipated play-offs.

The 2019/20 season was Kisumu All-Stars’ maiden appearance in the league while Vihiga United dropped to the NSL after struggling in the 2018/19 season.

 Al Ahly have reached the final of the Caf Champions League following their 3-1 victory over Wydad Athletic Club at Cairo International Stadium on Friday.

The Egyptian side went into the encounter with a 2-0 advantage and did enough to reach the final stage of the competition on a 5-1 aggregate.

Marwan Mohsen opened the scoring for the Cairo-based club with only seven minutes into the encounter, beating goalkeeper Ahmed Reda.

The goal was initially ruled out for offside but after the centre referee consulted with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) the effort was allowed to stand.

Wydad had their chance in the 22nd minute to find the back of the net after Kasengu Kazadi pounced on a poor pass from Al Ahly player but the forward fired his effort wide.

Nigeria forward Junior Ajayi came close to double the Red Devils’ lead in the 25th minute but was denied by Wydad goalkeeper Reda.

The moment eventually came for Al Ahly to add to their lead when Hussein Elshahat beat his marker before slotting home his effort.

The second-half continued in a similar fashion with the Red Devils dominating proceedings and dictating the pace and were rewarded for their fine displays when Yasser Ibrahim scored the third goal for his side with a powerful header.

Substitute Zouheir El Moutaraji scored an 82nd-minute effort which ended as a mere consolation as Al Ahly secured victory to progress to the final of the competition.

The Red Devils will take on the winner between El Zamalek and Raja Casablanca, scheduled for Saturday night, in the final.

The Cairo International Stadium have won the competition eight times and last tasted the title in 2013.