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Brazilian forward Claudinho will move to RB Leipzig this summer from sister club Red Bull Bragantino, Goal understands.

The 23-year-old has impressed in his homeland and is set to make the move to Europe in June, with Bragantino hoping for a price of around €12 million (£10.8m/$15m).

Goal understands that RB Leipzig, part of the Red Bull global stable of clubs, are his most likely destination with manager Julien Nagelsmann a big fan of the Brazilian's talents.

Other clubs have attempted to do a deal for Claudinho, most notably Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, who tabled a €10m (£9m/$12m) bid for the forward. This was rejected, with Claudinho instead in line for a high profile move to Europe and potentially Champions League football.

He moved to his current club in 2018, when they were still known by their old name of Red Bull Brasil. In 2020, Claudinho played 39 games for the Sao Paulo club, scoring 12 goals.

Claudinho primarily operates as a left winger, but can also play on the right side or behind the central forward in a creative No 10 role.

He started his career with Corinthians, but as a young player endured a nomadic start to his career with several loans around Brazil. After being released by Corinthians in 2017, he moved to Ponte Preta before initially moving to Red Bull Brasil in a loan deal for the second half of the 2017-18 campaign.

He was then loaned to Oeste, before a second temporary transfer to the Red Bull club in January 2019. He eventually made the permanent switch to Bragantino in September that year.

Leipzig have developed a reputation for signing promising young players and improving them in top level competition. Among them is Timo Werner, with the Germany international striker impressing with the Bundesliga club before his big money move to Chelsea last summer.

They will hope to sign Claudinho after becoming Bundesliga champions for the first time. Leipzig are currently second in the German top division, two points behind champions Bayern Munich with 31 points after 14 games. They are also eyeing Champions League qualification, having made the semi-finals for the first time last season.

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi is “not excited” that their side lacked patience as they pushed for an early goal which affected the flow of their game in Tuesday’s Caf Champions League first round, second leg 3-1 win over Jwaneng Galaxy at Loftus Versfeld.

Kermit Erasmus’ opener as well as two second half goals from Mothobi Mvala and Thapelo Morena saw Sundowns dismiss Galaxy who got their consolation from substitute Tebogo Sembowa.

After recording a 2-0 away victory, Downs proceeded to the group phase of the tournament on a 5-1 aggregate scoreline.

But Mngqithi is not too pleased in the manner they did business at home on Tuesday despite the convincing victory.

“The game was a little bit scrappy in my opinion. I was not very excited with the flow of the game itself,” Mngqithi told the media.

“I think to a certain extent we also showed desperation that we wanted to get an early goal. Even when circumstances were not allowing we never really patiently tried to keep the ball and frustrate them and tire their first line of defence.

“I felt in the later stages of the first half, that is when we started to play and put a lot of strain on their striker [Junior] Dion who was very important in their offensive play. Overall we did our work, we knew the areas to worry about.

“We did the business, it was not the most exciting game to watch for me as a coach. But I was encouraged that at least, today we managed to score three goals even though I believe we could have scored more. We are still not as clinical as one would like in front of the goals.”

Sundowns have not been fielding their best squad in the last five matches due to injuries and some medical issues.

But Mngqithi is not worried about that as he hails his squad’s depth after missing star player Themba Zwane in their last four games in which they have performed well.

“In terms of variations we present, in terms of style of play and shape are guided by the availability of players at a certain time because when we have Themba, we will obviously play differently,” said Mngqithi.

“When we have Gaston [Sirino] and Themba we will play differently and we have not had that combination. Maybe it was only in the first match against Celtic when we had both of them on the pitch. We are working on a lot of variations. But one thing that is encouraging to me and the other coaches is we have managed to give quite a number of players a chance to play.

“That is building the base where we can pick from and maybe circumstances to a certain extent have also contributed to us being forced to play all these variations in order to make sure that we have realistic depth. Not depth in numbers but there are players that never got a chance to play.

“When we give them a chance everybody asks ‘Why are you playing this one today?’ But we have broken the deadlock and people are now looking at it differently. We are trying to have a very big squad that is practically helping us to win matches. We are only reliant on 14 or 15 players throughout the season.”

Downs now shift focus to the domestic scene as they prepare to travel to Baroka FC for a Premier Soccer League match on Saturday.

Dean Henderson has called on Manchester United to "paint the city red" by securing a "dream" derby victory in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

United will welcome arch-rivals Manchester City to Old Trafford for a huge last-four tie on Wednesday night.

The two teams met at the same stage last term, with the Blues coming out on top after two legs, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are in better shape this time around.

The Red Devils have won nine of their last 11 domestic outings, emerging as the closest challengers for Liverpool's Premier League crown in the process.

That run also included a Carabao Cup quarter-final victory against Everton, during which Henderson impressed after being handed a rare start ahead of David de Gea.

The England goalkeeper will likely be restored to Solskjaer's starting line-up against City, and he knows exactly how much it will mean to supporters if United can get one over on their old enemy.

"This one will mean a lot,” Henderson told the club's official website. “Obviously the vibe will be massive throughout the city.

"The city is mostly red, and we need to paint it red. But we’re getting better all the time, so hopefully we can get a good result.

“One team has got to win it, so I think both teams will go for it. We’ll probably take the game to them and have a go, and see what comes off.”

Asked how it would feel to help the Red Devils reach their first final since 2017 by beating City, the 23-year-old responded: “It’d be fantastic.

"I know a few Man City fans from when I was growing up, and obviously there was rivalry between us, even at school and things like that.

“To beat them and to be involved in it would be a dream come true.

“They’re the sort of things you think about as a young kid. It’d be amazing, and something I’m really looking forward to.”

United haven't won a major trophy in three years, and Henderson has stressed the importance of bringing that lean spell to an end as soon as possible with a ticket to Wembley to face Tottenham up for grabs in midweek.

He added: “[It's] massive. The club’s built on silverware. We need to win trophies and obviously we’re improving and evolving on the pitch, but no one cares unless we win trophies. So we need to put that to the forefront of our minds, and we need to find a way to do that.

"Whether it’s the Carabao Cup, the Premier League or the Europa League or the FA Cup, we need to turn these good performances into silverware.”

Arsenal loanee Sead Kolasinac has addressed speculation over Mesut Ozil's future while opening up on his return to Schalke.

Kolasinac rejoined Schalke last week on a six-month loan deal  having been deemed surplus to requirements at Emirates Stadium by Mikel Arteta.

The 27-year-old began his career at Veltins-Arena in 2012 and spent five years in Gelsenkirchen before being snapped up by Arsenal.

Schalke were regulars in European competition when he left the club, but they are now in danger of being relegated from the Bundesliga after a nightmare start to the 2020-21 campaign.

Kolasinac is determined to help Christian Gross's side beat the drop and has not ruled out the possibility of remaining on the club's books beyond the summer.

Asked if he is open to a potential loan extension, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international old a press conference: "I want to concentrate on this season, the aim is to take as many points as possible.

'We will see about everything else after the season."

Kolasinac was also quizzed on Ozil's current situation at Arsenal, with the German midfielder being strongly linked with a move away from Emirates Stadium after being exiled from the senior squad.

The 31-year-old hasn't played for the Gunners since March and it appears he will not be offered the chance to renew his current contract, which is due to expire in June.

Ozil also started his professional career at Schalke, before going on to play for Werder Bremen and Real Madrid, but Kolasinac is not sure whether heading back to the Bundesliga is on his team-mate's agenda.

"We talked about Schalke, but not about whether he wants to come back too. He comes from Gelsenkirchen so Schalke is always a topic," he said of Ozil.

Kolasinac added on how he much he has changed as both a player and person since his first stint at Schalke: "I have developed personally and athletically.

"The Premier League is the best league in the world, there are players in the team who have achieved a lot in their careers.

"I left as a teenager and came back as a family man."

Kolasinac will be in line to make his first appearance of the season for Schalke when they play host to Hoffenheim on Saturday.

Philippe Coutinho would “most likely be brilliant” back at Liverpool, says John Barnes, but the Reds legend is not convinced that a goalscoring midfielder is needed at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have been enduring uncharacteristic struggles in the final third of late, with just one goal recorded through their last three Premier League outings.

Only two points have been collected from those fixtures, with end product drying up for the likes of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool have been so reliant on their front three during a period of domestic dominance that any drop off from that unit hits the collective cause hard.

The goals certainly have not been spread around enough in the 2020-21 campaign, with Takumi Minamino, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones the only others to have netted more than once this term.

It could be argued that added threat from deep, such as that once provided by Brazil international Coutinho, would aid efforts on Merseyside, but Barnes is not convinced.

He has told BonusCodeBets: “Well, when we had a Coutinho-type of player we finished 20-odd points off the top.

“So, although a Coutinho-type player may chip in with goals, which would create a completely different style of play, as a result the front three would score less.

“Personally, I don’t think it works with a midfield player scoring goals when the front three want to continue scoring the same level of goals as they’re used to as it’ll uproot the balance.

“And, Liverpool have managed to create a great balance and harmony amongst the players so I wouldn’t recommend to change that any time soon.

“If Coutinho came back, he would most likely be brilliant, but I don't think the front three would be scoring as many goals, nor would they have the same impact, which a team like Liverpool needs.

“At the end of the day, the balance is the most important thing for a team. And at the moment, the balance is perfect.”

Liverpool have moved back to the top of the Premier League table without having a goal-getting playmaker in their ranks, but the chasing pack have reeled them in and Barnes expects another thrilling fight to the finish.

He added on the battle for domestic supremacy: “Although this season is much more unpredictable than the previous one, Man City is most definitely Liverpool’s biggest threat.

“At the moment, Man Utd can go on top of us if they get a point, but I think over the season, and of course we're not even halfway yet, a lot can happen and I do think it’ll end up being Liverpool and Man City battling it out.

“Liverpool still terrify teams when they pour forward and they very much have got that winning mentality in mind.

“And if you go to the bookies, they're not going to tell you that Man Utd are favourites. They're going to say Liverpool and City are still the two favourites and, in my opinion, they very much are.” 

Jose Mourinho labelled Son Heung-min a "special player" after Tottenham reached the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday.

Moussa Sissoko and Son scored as Spurs recorded a 2-0 win over Brentford, who were reduced to 10 men after Josh Dasilva's late red card.

Only Harry Kane, with 17, has scored more goals in all competitions this season than Son's 16 among Premier League players.

Mourinho lauded the forward, who had more key passes and shots on target - three and two respectively - than any other player against Brentford.

"That's the humility of a player. That's Sonny. That's the human nature. He's like that. Some other guys they are not like that. For him it's the team," the Spurs head coach told a news conference.

"For him, for [Harry] Kane, for Lucas [Moura], for many the team is first and of course we depend a lot on the characteristics of some players. Sonny is one of them.

"He had two chances. He had a good volley. I saw the ball in the net but unfortunately, I was wrong and the ball went out. Then he faced the keeper in a difficult moment of the game, where the game is open.

"The opponent is trying and pushing and he goes and he kills the game. So special player but also a special human being."

Spurs have not won a major trophy since they last won the League Cup in 2008, when they beat Chelsea 2-1 with Jonathan Woodgate scoring the winner. Their last domestic cup final came in 2015 in the same competition against the same opponents, but with the Blues triumphing 2-0.

Returning to a major cup final is a "massive statement", according to former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp, with his old club having broken a run of three straight defeats in domestic semi-final matches.

"It's huge for Mourinho and for the whole club in trying to change their mentality," Redknapp told  Sky Sports. "Now it's a big opportunity for him.

"They will have to play an incredible side, be it Manchester City or Manchester United in the final, but that's where they want to be. It's been over 12 years since this club won a trophy which is too long.

"They were professional and did it the right way, and they always had it in them to win this game with the likes of Son and Kane but it's a big win.

"Fans will all get brainwashed nowadays with the idea of getting into the Champions League and the money that it brings into the club, but when you look back at your career, you want to win trophies. So for Spurs, this is a massive statement."

Spurs' next outing is a trip to non-league side Marine in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has confirmed Gor Mahia will not be allowed to stream their Caf Champions League return leg clash against CR Belouizdad on Wednesday.

The Kenyan champions had requested the federation through Caf to be allowed to stream the match on their Facebook page.

However, FKF has now confirmed in a signed statement obtained by Goal it will not be possible for the club to air the match on their social media pages because their request was made outside of the provided Caf timelines.

“Reference is made to your letter dated January 5, 2021, informing the federation of Gor Mahia’s intention to live stream the Caf Champions League match no. 76 Gor Mahia vs CR Belouizdad, scheduled for January 6, 2021,” read the statement from FKF obtained by Goal and signed by CEO Barry Otieno.

“In this regard, and further to Caf guidelines on the broadcast of Caf competitions, the federation has regrettably been unable to obtain a clearance from Caf for the match to be broadcasted, as the request by Gor Mahia was made outside of the provided Caf timelines.

“In light of the aforementioned, please be advised that live streaming of the said match will not be possible, unless with prior written consent from Caf.”

Gor Mahia had already announced plans to stream the match through the support of their shirt sponsors BetSafe.

Gor Mahia announced on their social media pages : “Gor Mahia versus CR Belouizdad's Champions League return leg will be streamed live on our shirt sponsor's [Betsafe Kenya] Facebook page today (Wednesday) from 3 pm.”

K’Ogalo are facing a tall order to overturn the 6-0 defeat suffered in the first leg played in Algiers on December 26.

Gor Mahia stand-in coach Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo has openly admitted it will be difficult to reverse the first leg defeat but pointed out a win against the North African giants will boost their morale ahead of the Confederation Cup fixtures.

“We don’t have any pressure, I have spoken to the boys and urged them to enjoy the game, of course, it will be very important for us if we can get a good result and of course it will be a very good platform also if we are going to drop to the Confederation Cup, it will give us that opportunity to prepare more than before, than how we prepare for the Champions League.”

The Kenyan champions qualified for the next phase after they managed to secure a 4-3 aggregate win against APR of Rwanda in a two-legged affair.

The Rwandan champions came into the return leg with a 2-1 advantage from their first leg meeting in Kigali, but could not withstand the pressure as Gor Mahia scored two quick goals in added time to win 3-1 to advance.

CR Belouizdad reached the next round after a 4-0 aggregate win against Al Nasr of Libya. The Algerian champions won the first leg away in Tripoli 2-0 and returned home to complete the job with another 2-0 win.

Kerala Blasters haven’t had the best of seasons so far in the seventh edition of the Indian Super League (ISL). In their eight matches, they have only a single win and have suffered as many as four defeats.

Kibu Vicuna’s team are up against bottom placed Odisha FC on Thursday evening and the Spaniard believes that despite the latter’s position on the ISL table, they cannot be taken lightly. It must be noted that there is only a four-point gap between the two teams.

“Every game is a new challenge. Odisha are no different from others. While we are looking for the three points against Odisha, it needs to be said that they have been performing well. They played well against East Bengal too.

“We need to control the game and make the most of our chances. But we need to be defensively better as well. Football is a balance between attack, defence and transition. We have to improve in every aspect,” he mentioned.

Kerala haven’t scored a single goal in four games however, Vicuna pointed that his players have been creating several goalscoring opportunities.

“We are working in training to improve our finishing. The good thing is that we created chances but the bad thing is that we didn't convert them in the previous match. We are trying to improve in this aspect. 

Vicuna was questioned if Kerala would choose to sign players in the January transfer market in order to strengthen their squad.

“We are not looking for anything or anyone in particular. I am happy with the team we have. Juande has arrived and so has Subha (Ghosh). We are not looking for anyone right now, but anything can happen so so let's see what happens,” was Vicuna’s ambivalent response.

Vicuna also mentioned that new signing Juande will be available for selection for their game against East Bengal after completing his quarantine. He refused to give away much on the status of striker Gary Hooper.

"Gary Hooper is training with the team and we have to see whether he will be available,” said Vicuna.

He also shared his thoughts on the upcoming edition of the I-League – which won’t feature Mohun Bagan and East Bengal for the very first time since its inception. Last season Mohun Bagan won the league title with Vicuna being at the helm of affairs. Since then, Mohun Bagan have 

“It is going to be interesting without East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. It is going to be more open. Mohammedan (Sporting) is going to be a tough team to beat playing from Kolkata. (Gokulam) Kerala and Churchill (Brothers) are very good teams.

“Punjab is a good team with Joseba (Beitia). There will be more opportunities for Indians as there will be fewer foreigners. We will follow the I-League and there are many players from I-League who are doing well in ISL,” observed Vicuna.

Kerala Blasters are in action on Thursday and once again would play another match on Sunday. Vicuna said that while the schedule is tough on players in terms of recovery, it is the same issue every team has to contend with in this pandemic-affected campaign.

"We cannot do anything about the schedule. In December we played just four matches and in January, we play eight. It is going to be hard in terms of recovery. It is difficult to recover in one-two days time. Some players need even three days to feel better. the only thing we can do is to focus on the next match. But we know three days later we have another match. All teams have a similar schedule," he noted.

The immediate events after Manchester United defeated Aston Villa 2-1 on New Year’s Day were pleasing to see.

Almost every player for the home side surrounded Eric Bailly following a match-winning block at the death to deny Keinan Davis’ goal-bound effort. Villa deserved something from the game on the balance of play, but the Ivory Coast defender was having none of that.

There’s always the tendency to focus on attacking players alone when dishing out post-match adulation, but Bailly’s late intervention is the sort of moment that never goes unnoticed. For a United side that’d been building momentum with a ten-game unbeaten run since losing 1-0 to Arsenal in November, dropping two points rather than claiming all three vs the West Midlands side would have hurt.

Fast forward to Monday night, as Southampton got the better of Liverpool 1-0, and the immediate importance of the Ivory Coast defender’s effort was truly felt.

The Red Devils find themselves level with their age-old rivals with a game in hand; win vs Burnley on January 12 and the side from Manchester could be three points ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s men going into their meeting at Anfield five days later.

While Bailly’s desperate block at the end defined his showing on Friday night, the centre-back had a pretty good game beyond this contribution, continuing his eye-catching form since returning to the side to partner Harry Maguire at the heart of the defence.

He made a joint-high two blocks on the night, led the way for interceptions and cleared the ball from harm’s way on more occasions than any teammate. The West African’s more robust method of defending complements the United captain’s style than Victor Lindelof, in theory, even though long-term doubts remain about the sustainability of the current partnership.

With Bailly, it feels like we’ve been here before, and the salient question that’s been asked ever since he arrived from Villarreal will never go away: can he stay fit for a significant portion of a season?

From the outside looking in, you’d forgive Man United supporters for not throwing all their eggs in the defender’s basket, despite appreciating the 26-year-old’s performances since that League Cup return against Everton in December.

Given that he’s never started more than 24 Premier League games since signing from the Yellow Submarine, the feeling that the central defender won’t be around for an extended period is understandable.

His league starts since that impressive debut season are 11, eight and one in 17/18, 18/19 and 19/20 respectively, while the old-school centre-back has already been used from the off on four occasions this season.

Even though one of the aforementioned starts was a calamitous showing in that 6-1 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur in October, Bailly’s defensive underlying numbers make for good reading regardless.

The defender tops the interceptions per 90 charts, just as he leads the way for clearances per 90. Only Fred and Nemanja Matic outdo the Ivorian for average recoveries, while he sits fourth for aerial duels won per 90.

In the main, the stats make for good reading, but the injury history certainly doesn’t. The centre-back has missed over 70 games through injury since arriving from the La Liga side, with the highest volume of non-involvements coming last term (28).

Bailly’s already been absent for a total of nine matches so far this season, leading to the suggestion that another layoff may be around the corner, despite the strong hope that the injury-plagued defender will finally have Lady Luck on his side in 2021.

Regardless of the criticism of Maguire, the 27-year-old’s ball-carrying and progressive passing assist the Red Devils in playing out from the back, while his strength in aerial duels is second to none in the United team and 16th in the entire division (he’s won 74.1 percent of tussles in the air).

Ideally, the perfect partner for the England international is arguably Bailly, however, the constant injuries question his overall dependability and leave supporters of the club asking for someone of that profile featuring alongside their club captain.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer commended Bailly’s physicality, pace and ‘second to none bravery’ after Friday’s hard-fought win at Old Trafford, now, the United boss will hope he can rely on those qualities as the Red Devils look to return to the summit of English football, at most, or win a trophy, at least, to finally give his squad that winning feeling it needs to finally go to the next level.

Slaven Bilic has landed a new job just three weeks after being sacked by West Brom, with Beijing Guoan appointing him as their new permanent head coach.

Bilic has been handed a two-year deal by the Chinese Super League club, replacing previous manager Bruno Genesio who was not offered an extension on his contract.

The Chinese side confirmed the Croatian's arrival in a statement on Tuesday, which read: "Today we officially announce the appointment of Slaven Bilic as the first team manager of Beijing Sinobo Guoan Football Club. 

"Slaven Bilic and his team have signed with Beijing Sinobo Guoan Football Club until the end of 2022.

"We would like to welcome Slaven Bilic to Beijing Sinobo Guoan Football Club and hope that he will give his full experience and coaching skills and lead the team to achieve good results in the new season."

Bilic has taken less than a month to find a new role following an ill-fated end to his spell at The Hawthorns. The 52-year-old guided West Brom to promotion from the Championship last season, but they were unable to hit the ground running in the first half of the 2020-21 campaign.

The Baggies only managed to pick up seven points from their opening 13 Premier League fixtures under Bilic, and club officials decided to make a change in the dugout following a 1-1 draw with Manchester City on December 15.

Bilic will now embark on the next stage of his coaching career in China, having already amassed a wealth of experience across the globe.

The former West Brom boss has previously had spells at Hajduk Split, Lokomotiv Moscow, Besiktas, West Ham and Al-Ittihad, while also earning his stripes at international level with Croatia between 2006 and 2012.

He guided his country to the finals of the 2008 European Championships, knocking England out of qualifying and beating Germany in the group stage before falling to Turkey on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Bilic won't oversee his first competitive match for Beijing Guoan until the new CSL season begins in the spring, but he will be aiming to improve on the club's second place finish in 2019.

Bandari FC have suffered an injury blow after their striker Shaban Kenga has been ruled out of FKF Premier League action for the next four months.

Kenga, who was the team’s lead striker following the exit of Wycliffe Ochomo, picked up a nasty knee injury against Western Stima in the 2-0 home win and has now undergone successful surgery which doctors say will keep him out for four months.

“Shaban Kenga underwent successful surgery yesterday [Tuesday] and will be discharged later today [Wednesday],” Bandari confirmed on their social media pages. “Kenga will be sidelined for four months, we take this opportunity to wish him a quick recovery.

“Michael Wanyika is also out as we await the doctors report, but William Wadri, Collins Agade, and Abdallah Hassan have all started light training with the team’s physiotherapist.”

During the league match played at Mbaraki grounds, Kenga was replaced in the first half with a suspected broken leg after an awful tackle by Mukisa Junior while Agade limped off in the second half before Wadri left the pitch later.

The injury crisis facing the Dockers will not be good news for new coach Casa Mbungo, who was unveiled on Monday to replace Ken Odhiambo.

The former AFC Leopards tactician is, however, ready to steer the ship to a good campaign and promised to give them a title soon.

“I am delighted to have joined Bandari, it is a club any tactician would love to coach,” Mbungo said after being unveiled. “As a matter of fact, I am here to win titles with Bandari. I want to nurture talents which are in plenty here in Mombasa.”

On why he opted to join Bandari instead, of champions Gor Mahia, who were also seeking his services, Mbungo said: “It was an easy decision for me to join Bandari, they convinced me of their project.

“Bandari showed they needed me more and that is why it was easy for me to consider them ahead of Gor Mahia. I had been in talks with Bandari for quite some time.”

Bandari will be the second Kenyan club Mbungo will be coaching after a short stint at AFC Leopards, where he quit in December 2019 after going for months without pay.

Mbungo’s first assignment will be an away clash against Zoo FC on January 9.

Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA FC) coach Mike Mutebi has maintained the team will stick to their style of play when they take on AS Kigali in their Caf Confederation Cup match on Wednesday.

The Kasasiro Boys will head into the return leg fixture 2-0 down, this is after AS Kigali were awarded the first leg match after the former Ugandan Premier League (UPL) champions failed to raise the required quorum of 15 players to start the match.

KCCA headed into the match minus 12 first team players and three officials led by coach Mutebi, who had tested positive for Covid-19, as the team prepared to leave Kampala.

And while in Kigali, two more players also returned positive results, and thus Caf decided to cancel the match and award it to AS Kigali on a 2-0-win basis.

With the return leg now set for St Mary’s Kitende, Mutebi, who has already recovered from the virus, has now said the team will apply their usual tactics since it will help them to overturn the result and qualify for the next stage.

“We have everybody available and it is a huge task, they got an advantage back home by not playing but getting the two goals, so now it is up to us to do the same thing, try to win and qualify,” Mutebi told KCCA TV.

“We are not going to change the way we play; we are going to play the way we have been playing what has made us be above others, we don’t want to look desperate, we will play our way, and in that way, it will help us pick the result we want and qualify.”

Apart from Mutebi, others who were affected by Covid-19 but have now returned negative results include his assistants Badru Kaddu, Moses Oloya, Jackson Magera, players Charles Lukwago, Denis Iguma, Kezironi Kizito, Brian Aheebwa, Stefano Mazengo, Hassan Matovu, Samson Kigozi, and Hassan Musana.

On Saturday, KCCA confirmed the players and officials already in camp had returned negative results ahead of the fixture.

“All the players and officials in camp have undergone Covid-19 testing and returned negative results,” the club said on their official website.

“The camp has been organised in line with preparations for the Confederation Cup return leg game between KCCA and AS Kigali on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.”

Despite the problems they are facing, midfielder Ashraf Mugume is confident they will turn the tables and advance to the next stage.

The Kasasiro Boys got a bye in the first preliminary round and will face the Rwandan side who eliminated Orapa United of Botswana. AS Kigali lost the first leg played in Gaborone 2-1 before returning to Kigali to manage a 2-2 draw and advance on the away goals rule.

In Goal's earliest chat with Australian-born defender Quentin Cheng in early 2020, the then-Selangor FC 2 player mentioned aiming for a promotion to their first team for this season.

At first things had gone well for the 21 year old right back. When the 2020 league campaign ended, he was selected to play with the Selangor first team in the post-season competition, Malaysia Cup.

Unfortunately, the competition was cancelled only days after the first round was played due to the increasing number of new Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, with Quentin never getting the chance to feature for the first team.

"I had been upset that I did not get to play in the first game (Selangor's round of 16 match against Melaka United), but there was nothing anyone could do about the Covid situation."

And when his name was not on the list of the five Selangor reserve team members promoted permanently to the first team for 2021, he asked for a loan move to another top-tier side, promotion side Penang FC.

"I pushed for it (loan move to Penang). They were interested in me and the lifestyle over here is pretty good. 

"I've been to Georgetown a couple of times before and had fun, I enjoyed the food and it felt like a good place to enjoy my football," he said to Goal in a telephone call late last week.

The Malaysian passport holder is now focused on fighting for his spot at his new club, with the first week of pre-season just starting.

"It has been a pretty good first week for me. The new head coach (Tomas Trucha) has just arrived a couple days ago, all the boys have been very welcoming and helpful in getting me settled in. I've been pretty happy here.

"I hope I can start [games], but I guess I have to fight for my position in the first eleven. For me, I just want to start and play in as many Super League and cup games as possible, abd hopefully put in good performances," he added.

Quentin however has not thrown in the towel on his chance of returning to the Red Giants yet. 

"I would very much like to go back to Selangor, so hopefully I will impress everyone here and get first team opportunities back at Selangor. That would be good."

The expectations were sky-high when Sergio Lobera took over from Jorge Costa as the head coach of Mumbai City ahead of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season. 

It wasn't like any other managerial change. It was a transition to an expensive new philosophy that had proved to be a success in Indian football. It was also a statement of intent from the City Football Group-owned (CFG) club. 

The Islanders lost their season opener against NorthEast United but Lobera's team managed to bounce back in style. They are currently on an eight-match unbeaten run and sit atop the ISL table at the end of matchday nine.

But there were a few questions about Lobera's Islanders that remained unanswered. But on Tuesday, they outclassed Bengaluru to a 3-1 win in a manner that served a strong reminder to all doubters about the ability of the team to perform in big fixtures. 

The ease with which the Islanders cruised to a win against Bengaluru was impressive. While Bengaluru are usually a tough opponent for any team to face, Mumbai City have had the upper hand in the fixtures between the two teams in the last two seasons. The Blues are winless against the Islanders in the last two seasons and Lobera has kept that tradition alive. 

Carles Cuadrat's team is also known to be very good with set-pieces but Mumbai nullified that threat quite easily. Two out of the three goals Mumbai scored came from set-pieces, which is concerning for the Bengaluru boss and pleasing for Lobera whose gameplan was executed to perfection by his players. 

Lobera brought quite a few players with him from FC Goa and while they have all slotted into the setup seamlessly, what is even more remarkable is the improvement the other Indian players have made in the nine games so far. Left-winger Bipin Singh is one of the many players who have benefitted from Lobera's arrival and the 25-year-old once again impressed with a fine display against the Blues that included a goal. 

Mourtada Fall took advantage of Bengaluru's poor defending during a corner-kick to open the scoring. Mandar Rao Dessai delivered a 'cross-of-the-season' contender to assist Bipin's first goal of the season, minutes later. Mumbai were 2-0 ahead in less than 15 minutes.

After the referee thought that a terrific tackle by Fall on Silva inside the box deserved to be punished, the otherwise ineffective Sunil Chhetri gave his team a glimmer of hope from the spot. However, substitute Bartholomew Ogbeche headed the ball towards Gurpreet Sandhu from a corner and the goalkeeper failed to hold onto the ball and conceded the third goal of the night. 

Not only did Mumbai make Bengaluru's attacking prowess look non-existent, but they also kept knocking on the doors of the defence and threatened to score every time they pushed forward, especially in the first half. The changes to the Bengaluru squad in terms of player departures, short pre-season and adaptability have affected their rhythm.

As for Lobera, the drop in intensity after the break in the last few matches would be a concern as he would want the contest to be put to bed. But from the start they have made, it looks like Mumbai City are in for a fantastic ride.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists that Donny van de Beek's time will come as he backed the Dutch midfielder to be a key piece for Manchester United going forward.

Van de Beek arrived from Ajax in the summer but has yet to seal a regular role under Solskjaer since arriving at Old Trafford.

The Dutch midfielder has featured 10 times in the Premier League this season, but only two of those appearances have been starts.

Van de Beek has played only 251 Premier League minutes, although he has started three times each in the Champions League and League Cup.

While the former Ajax star hasn't quite hit the ground running, Solskjaer says that he does have high hopes for Van de Beek to become an important player when given a real chance to shine.

“Donny has played well when he’s got the chance,” Solskjaer said. “I think we are too quick sometimes to jump on that if he isn’t playing, that it is a failure.

“Victor [Lindelof] and Fred are good examples in my team that it takes a little bit of time and now they are massively important players in our squad and in our team and it will be the same with Donny.

"He has come in and is in a midfield pool of players with quality, challenging with Bruno [Fernandes], Juan [Mata], Jesse [Lingard].

“I’ve got loads of no.10s and loads of centre-midfielders with Paul [Pogba], Nemanja [Matic], Scott [McTominay], Fred.

"There are many of them and Donny has played well when he’s got the chance and that is a big thing, that you are ready.

“He is always ready, he works hard in training, [is] positive and he will make differences in many games for us this season, but he’ll grow more and more even for next year.”

Manchester United are preparing for a Carabao Cup semi-final, where they will meet rivals Manchester City with the hopes of booking a date in the finale against Tottenham.

The Red Devils also remain in the Premier League title race, level on points with first-place Liverpool with a game in hand.

After facing Manchester City, Man Utd will take on Watford in the FA Cup third round before then visiting Burnley on January 12 in their next Premier League match.

Jose Mourinho says insists that there is "no secret" to his success in the Carabao Cup, but he did admit that he believes that Tottenham do have one ingredient that leads to trophies.

Mourinho and Spurs booked a spot in the League Cup finale on Tuesday, toppling Brentford 2-0 to book their spot at Wembley.

There they will face either Manchester United or Manchester City in April, as Mourinho will look to get his hands on the Carabao Cup for the fourth time.

He'd done so three times with Chelsea and once with Manchester United and, this time around, he believes he can do so again.

While there isn't any big secret to Carabao Cup success, Mourinho says there is one key to cup runs: desire.

"There is no secret. I come to England in 2004 and I remember that in that period I had to learn the meaning of the cups here and I always took it serious," he said after the match. 

"If there is any secret, it's to take it seriously, to respect what English football is, what English clubs are, what English lower divisions are, and try to not be surprised in any of the games from smaller quality and, when you have like we had this season a game against Chelsea, to go serious and with ambition. Apart from that there is no other secret

"What I sense in the team is exactly that: desire. I'm not saying winning mentality, I'm not saying we are this or that. I just say we are honest people. Since the first game against Chelsea, then Stoke, and now, the guys took it seriously.

"And that's what I hope to do on Sunday in Crosby against Marine [in the FA Cup]: try to be serious, respect the opponents, and try to progress."

Spurs are looking to end a 13-year trophy drought, having not won a cup since 2008.

And, although they sealed a chance to end that drought with Tuesday's win, Mourinho wasn't entirely happy with the performance.

"Defensively was good. We were always in control," he said."The disallowed goal was a throw-in, impossible to stop a ball that goes in the air then first ball, second ball, and they had one penetration through the right side when Davinson Sanchez was very clever not to touch him and he was very honest for not to dive like some players would do.

"Apart from that, we were always in control. With the ball we scored two goals, we could have scored a couple more.

"But I'm not happy. I think we have to play better. Sometimes bad decisions, sometimes technical mistakes. Many times recovering the ball and not being vertical in playing backwards.

"I think we have to do better but great respect for the opponent, for the game, for the responsibility, for the ambition. But job done, we are in the final."

Samuel Chukwueze has become Villarreal’s youngest-ever footballer to feature in 100 games.

The Nigeria international reached this hallowed rank having starred in the Yellow Submarine’s 4-1 defeat of Zamora in Tuesday’s Copa del Rey encounter.

At 21 years, seven months and 11 days, he eclipsed the record set by Argentina international and AC Milan centre back Mateo Musacchio who reached the centenary mark aged 21 years, 11 months and 20 days.

“A record-making centenarian. Samuel Chukwueze has reached 100 games with Villarreal’s first team after starting the Copa del Rey game against Zamora CF,” wrote the LaLiga side in a statement.

“The Nigerian forward has reached the 100-game mark (79 in LaLiga, 13 in the Europa League and eight in the Copa del Rey), aged just 21 years, seven months and 11 days, becoming the youngest player to reach this mark in official games for the Villarreal CF first team.”

To mark his latest achievement, the jet-heeled Super Eagles forward bagged an assist as Unai Emery’s men sent the fourth tier Spanish side packing from the competition with Carlos Bacca, Yeremi Pino,  Carlos Ramos, Fer Nino and Daniel Raba finding the net.

After an impressive shift, he was substituted for Dani Parejo in the 63rd minute of the encounter staged at the Estadio Ruta de la Plata.

Meanwhile, Nigeria football great and LaLiga ambassador Mutiu Adepoju has taken to social media to congratulate the 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup bronze boot winner on his historic feat.

The youngster was snapped up by the Spanish top-flight team from Diamond Football Academy thanks to his impressive outing where he helped Emmanuel Amuneke’s Golden Eaglets win the 2017 Fifa U17 World Cup in Chile.

There, he was named third-best player behind Johannes Eggestein and compatriot Victor Osimhen.

Having impressed for the club’s reserves in the third tier, he was promoted to the senior team – making his debut in a Europa League game against Rangers – as manager Javi Calleja brought him in as a 79th-minute replacement for Nicola Sansone.

Since then, he has been a regular in the Yellow Submarine setup - while accentuating his importance to the team with eye-catching performances.