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Red-hot Victor Osimhen has been ruled out of Napoli’s Europa League clash with Legia Warsaw on Thursday evening.

The Nigeria international suffered a muscle strain that saw him miss the Parthenopeans’ 1-0 triumph at the Stadio Arechi over the weekend.

The Serie A side had announced the Super Eagle’s return to training on Tuesday, dispelling fears that he could miss the blockbuster fixture against the Polish topflight side.

“After the success against Salernitana, Napoli resumed training today at the SSC Napoli Konami Training Center,” a statement from the club read.

“The Azzurri will prepare for the match against Legia Warsaw scheduled for Thursday in Poland for the fourth matchday of the Europa League.

“The team trained on field 3 starting the session with dry activation and bull. Subsequently tactical technical work and force work.

“[Lorenzo] Insigne and [Adam] Ounas held an entire session with the team. Osimhen has done personalized work in the field. Malcuit did personalized work in the gym. Swimming pool for [Kostas] Manolas.”

Nevertheless, he did not make the cut for the game against Marek Golebiewski’s team. Also missing in action is Algeria's Faouzi Ghoulam.

Whereas, Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly and Algeria's Adam Ounas and Fulham loanee Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa are part of the 28-man squad that boasts Andrea Petagna, David Ospina and Hirving Lozano.

“We've come here with the idea of winning because we want to advance in the Europa League. I have complete confidence in the team despite any absentees,” Luciano Spalletti told the media.

“You're always going to pick up a few niggles playing every three days. Some of the players have been rested as a precaution given all the games we've got. I have lots of players who deserve playing time and I'm sure they'll show their worth to the team.

“The substitutes have often proved decisive. With five subs, everyone has a part to play and is a potential starter. You need the whole squad to get a result."

With four points from three games, the Serie A outfit are second in Group C and anything short of victory at the Stadion Wojska Polskiego in Warsaw could cost them a place in the next round.

After an impressive spell with Lille, Osimhen was snapped up by Napoli for a club-record fee of €80 million.

He has since proven to be a bargain for the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona side. The Nigerian has been a standout player in the 2021-22 Italian topflight campaign scoring five times so far.

Tusker FC goalkeeper Emery Mvuyekure is among the Rwanda provisional squad members preparing for back-to-back Group E World Cup qualifiers against Mali and Kenya respectively.

The custodian has struggled for game time this season at Tusker with Brian Bwire, Michael Wanjala, and Patrick Matasi battling for a starting berth. However, he has not lost his place at Amavubi and has been considered while the team prepares for the final matches in their pool.

With just a point in the group, Rwanda are out of the race to Qatar, with Mali, who are on 10 points, and Uganda -who are on eight points, battling for the top position to seal progression to the next phase of the qualifiers.

Haruna Niyonzima is another experienced head in the team, but there is no place for veteran attackers Meddie Kagere and Jacques Tuyisenge.

Amavubi will host group leaders Mali on November 11 aiming at causing an upset after falling by a solitary goal away. They will then travel to Kenya to play Harambee Stars four days later. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the previous meeting.

After a stalemate in Nairobi in their last meeting, Cranes will be aiming at collecting maximum points against their fierce rivals Kenya before traveling to play the Eagles away.

Rwanda Provisional squad:

Goalkeepers: Emery Mvuyekure (Tusker FC), Clement Buhake (Strommen IF), Eric Ndayishimiye (Police FC), Fiacre Ntwali.

Defenders: Denis Rukundo (AS Kigali), Mark Nkubana (Gasogi United), Emmanuel Imanishimwe (FAR Rabat), Eric Rutanga (Police FC), Salomon Nirisarike (Urartu FC, Armenia), Thierry Manzi (FC Dila Gori, Georgia), Clement Niyigena (Rayon Sports), Ali Serumogo (SC Kiyovu)

Midfielders: Djihad Bizimana (KMSK Deinze), Kevin Muhire (Rayon Sports), York Rafael (AFC Eskilstuna, Sweden), Olivier Niyonzima (AS Kigali), Djabel Manishimwe (APR FC), Blaise Nishimwe (Rayon Sports), Ruboneka Jean Bosco (APR FC), Bryan Clovis Ngwabije (SC Lyon, France), Jean Philippe Rutabayiru (SD Lenense Proinastur), Keddy Nsanzimfura (APR FC), Haruna Niyonzima (AS Kigali).

Attackers: Antoine Dominique Ndayishimiye (Police FC), Ernest Sugira (As Kigali FC), Bienvenue Mugenzi (SC Kiyovu), Allain Kwitonda (APR FC), Danny Usengimana (Police FC), Muhadjiri Hakizimana (Police FC), Dominique Savio Nshuti (Police FC), Innocent Nshuti (APR FC).

Tusker FC coach Robert Matano has cited laxity and lack of concentration as the main reasons why his team conceded in Wednesday's Football Kenya Federation Premier League 2-1 win over Kenya Police FC.

The Brewers suffered a poor start as Police took the lead in the second minute when Samuel Ndung’u scored but Ibrahim Joshua levelled in the sixth minute before Shami Kibwana converted from the penalty spot in the 40th minute to claim the maximum points.

But the veteran tactician was not impressed with the poor start from the reigning champions.

Concentration levels have to improve

"As usual it was a tough game, it wasn't easy because Police FC had lost their initial game [away to Kakamega Homeboyz] so we knew they would give absolutely everything to try and get a positive outcome," Matano told Goal.

"But they tried, and we also gave our best; getting the two goals in the first half really helped us. The spirit and organization we had, played a crucial role in helping us get points. 

"We all know Police have the best technical bench led by [former Harambee Stars coach] Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee, and so it was a hard game.

"We conceded because of laxity, poor communication, and poor marking as well, meaning our concentration levels have to improve. Because if they had cleared the ball early enough, we would not have given a corner from which we conceded.

"It is seemingly just a few details that may seem small but they end up harming the team. Assuming they end up hurting any team. Usually, when the game starts, no team settles instantly, they are usually shaky and that is when the team concedes and it happened in our situation."

How is Muchiri's situation?

The Brewers had to finish the game without their influential attacker Boniface Muchiri who was injured. It was an unwelcome situation for the Ruaraka-based charges who are aiming at maintaining their consistency after a poor start to the season that saw them lose their opening two matches.

But Matano is optimistic the player will be fit soon enough to even take part in the Harambee Stars training sessions ahead of their trip to Uganda in Group E's 2022 World Cup qualifier.

"The Boniface Muchiri injury is beyond our control, we have nothing to do but I am optimistic he will take the least time possible to heal. I don't think it is something big, but he will recover soonest," he continued.

"We hope he will recover in time to be involved with the national team assignments."

After the win, the reigning champions are now tenth with 10 points from four matches.

AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho believes Ghanaian wonderkid Felix Ohene Afena-Gyan brings a new bite to his attack.

The teenager has been the subject of attention since making his senior debut in the Italian Serie last week, going on to feature in his second game in as many days in a defeat to AC Milan on Sunday.

I Giallorossi will, however, have to do without the 18-year-old in Thursday’s Europa Conference League clash with Bodo/Glimt as he has not been registered for the competition.

“With Felix, tomorrow he is a player who is not registered for the Conference League. But he is a player with qualities that we don’t really have in the squad. He’s a player who looks for opportunities that we don’t often try to exploit,” Mourinho said at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

“We have a lot of players who want the ball at the feet; we don’t have many who look for the spaces to run into. I like him because of how he tries to run into space and how he works out on the pitch. How he presses. He’s aggressive in the spaces.

“He is a long, long way from being the finished product - a long way from being a complete player and a long way from being the perfect player to start for a team like Roma. But he is a player that deserves to be worked with and deserves a chance to play.

“It’s good for him that he is training with us, just as it is good for other players.”

Afena-Gyan joined Roma in January after impressing on trial, having caught the attention of scouts while playing school football back home in Ghana.

He follows in the footsteps of ex-midfielder Ahmed Barruso in the list of Ghanaians to play for the Italian outfit.

''First of all, I will like to say thank you to Roma and everyone for the opportunity they gave me. I am very happy,'' Afena-Gyan said after his debut.

''The coach believed in me that's why he sent me to the field and due to that I didn't want to prove him wrong or prove myself wrong. So I need to work hard and have a strong mentality and give my best on the field to support the team.''

Manchester United and Manchester City lock horns in the first Manchester derby of the ongoing 2021-22 Premier League season on Saturday at Old Trafford.

Only three points separate the two clubs as the Cityzens currently grab the third position on the league table after 10 matches with 20 points in their kitty. Their rivals, on the other hand, occupy the fifth position with 17 points.

The two clubs have to date met each other 185 times in competitive matches out of which the Red Devils have won on 77 occasions while City have 55 wins. 53 matches have ended in a draw.

Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney is the all-time highest goalscorer in Manchester derby's history with 11 goals to his name. Ryan Giggs is the most capped player in the derby's history with 36 appearances.

The last time Cristiano Ronaldo, who has returned to Manchester United after a gap of 12 years, met the Sky Blues in the Premier League was in 2009 where they registered a 2-0 with the Portuguese on the score-sheet. 

Overall, Ronaldo enjoys a very healthy record against Manchester City. He has played against them on 14 occasions for Manchester United and Real Madrid respectively and has been on the winning side on nine occasions. He has five goals to his name against Manchester City.

Here, we take a look at all the records of this classic encounter between the two Manchester sides.

Who has won more Manchester Derbies - Manchester United or Manchester City?

Who are the top five goalscorers in Manchester Derby?

What are the biggest wins in Manchester Derby history?

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a later equaliser against Atalanta in a Champions League 2021/22 group stage tie on November 2 as Manchester United came back from behind twice to seal a crucial point against the Serie A side.

Atalanta took the lead twice in the match but on both occasions, Ronaldo restored parity for the Red Devils. This was the 13th time in the Champions League, that Ronaldo scored a goal in the 90th minute or after it. He went past former Manchester City star, Sergio Aguero's record of scoring the most number of match-winning goals on or after 90 minutes. 

Ronaldo has three game-winning goals in the Champions League after the 90th minute. He has scored match-winning goals against Villarreal, Sporting Lisbon (2007/08) and Manchester City (2012/13).

When it comes to scoring late goals in the Champions League, Ronaldo's rival Lionel Messi is quite far. The Argentine has managed to score late goals in only six matches in his career compared to Ronaldo's tally of 12.

Here, we take a look at all the Champions League matches in which Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have scored on or after 90 minutes.

Champions League Matches in which Ronaldo scored in the 90th minute or after it.

Champions League Matches in which Lionel Messi scored in the 90th minute or after it.

The Indian players were seen fist-pumping and hugging each other after Dheeraj Singh made two incredible saves in the tie-breaker against Kyrgyzstan to ensure the second spot in Group E in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers last Saturday. However, their celebrations were short-lived as they soon found out that their win against Oman won't be counted while determining the rankings of the second-placed teams from all groups.

Why did India fail to qualify for AFC U-23 Asian Cup?

India finished with four points from three games and occupied the second spot in Group E behind leaders UAE. They won 2-1 against Oman in their campaign opener which opened a window of hope to qualify for the main event. And after squeezing themselves into second place ahead of Kyrgyzstan, there was an air of optimisim, at least for a few minutes. 

However, a sense of despair descended on the team as they came so near to make history and yet remained so far. Amongst the 11 groups participating in the Asian Under-23 qualifiers, three clusters had only three participating nations while one of the groups had only two contestants. Hence, from the remaining seven groups, the result against the bottom-placed team weren't counted when determining the best second-placed team amongst all groups.

So that meant India's result against Oman (who finished fourth in India's group) was not considered. This implied that India just had one point from the two matches (for the second-placed team ranking).

Where did India finish amongst second-placed teams? 

India finished on the ninth spot amongst the second-placed ranked teams. Only the top four teams qualified for the Asian Cup Under-23 main event.

Which teams qualified for AFC U-23 Asian Cup as the best second-placed teams? 

Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan qualified as the best-four second-placed teams. Let us take a look at the table of the second-placed teams. 

Karolis Skinkys has explained his role as Sporting Director at Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League (ISL) and wants the fans of the club to trust the process at the club.

"What's going on in the mind currently, being in this position, you are always thinking not about the current moment but at least two transfer windows ahead," he told Goal in an exclusive chat.

"Unfortunately, we are still in the season of COVID where the mid-season window, it's not so active as it should be. And because of foreigner limits, you can't change much. But you are observing what can be done how the plan works and how it's going. You observe and take decisions about the future and some direction over which things we can count on and which we cannot," he added.

The Blasters have appointed their 11th manager ahead of their eighth year in the ISL with Ivan Vukomanovic coming on board. Last season, as a result of just 3 wins after 18 games, Kibu Vicuna decided to step down from his post as assistant Ishfaq Ahmed saw through the rest of the season wherein they finished second from bottom.

"To part ways with a coach is always difficult. It's always about thinking about the future and what it gives us. It's a long process for me. I spoke to 35 coaches before taking a call about Ivan. It's a serious process, we try to know football style, way of work, motivation. I'd like to mention that we're very happy that Ivan and his team are here," Skinkys remarked.

The Blasters official went on to describe the process behind the recruitment of foreigners for the upcoming season, pointing out the language barrier among players last season as a factor behind things not quite working out for the team.

"The communication and connection between foreigners are very important. This, I must admit, was not ideal last season because of different languages. All our attackers this season are Spanish-speaking people. Chencho Chencho Gyeltshen is like a local, he speaks Hindi, I don't count him as a foreigner."

Among other topics, Skinkys spoke about the importance of having a proper youth structure at the club wherein longer contracts are offered to players who show promise.

"We will try to be a team that is hard to beat," the 31-year-old averred while requesting the club's supporters to keep backing their team.

"We're one of the clubs who have lost the most due to empty stadiums. Fans probably aren't happy about the displays of the last two years - it's normal. Thank you to all [the fans] for staying supportive. Keep supporting us. Maybe last season we were too naive and didn't start things from basics. Please trust us because all of us want the best (for Kerala Blasters)."

Ajax striker Sebastian Haller has become the fifth player to score in his first four appearances in the Uefa Champions League.

Haller scored Ajax's second goal at Signal-Iduna Park in the 83rd minute as they completed a 3-1 victory over their German hosts on Wednesday.

The Ivorian star headed in Antony's cross after Dusan Tadic drew Erik ten Hag's men level in 72nd minute.

Their passage into the round of 16 was confirmed by Davy Klaassen's stoppage-time goal. It also stretched their dominance in Group C to 12 points after four games - six points above second-placed Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon.

Haller's second-half effort at Dortmund was his seventh goal after four appearances in the elite European competition this season.

The 27-year-old joined the Sons of the Gods on a permanent deal from West Ham United in January and he instantly established his presence in their attack.

So far this season, Haller has scored 15 goals in 23 games across all competitions for Ajax.

Meanwhile, Ajax coach Erik ten Hag rued his team's first-half display after they conceded their only goal in the 37th minute and he summed up how they completed the comeback win.

"The first half was a poor performance. We made the opponent big by being too hesitant ourselves. We did what we wanted to prevent: that they came into the switch," Ten Hag said after the game, via the club's website.

"We have to be critical about that. But you can do that better if you win yourself and go through to the next round."

"We put Gravenberch as a playmaker and brought in Davy Klaassen. That worked better. We struck at the right time. That is a big compliment to the team."

Next up for Ajax, is a trip to Besiktas for their next Group C fixture on November 24.

Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels slammed the "absurd" decision to send him off in the first half of his side's 3-1 Champions League defeat to Ajax on Wednesday.

With the game scoreless, Hummels was shown a red card for a challenge on Antony in the 29th minute despite minimal contact after the defender attempted to pull out of the tackle.

The decision was upheld after a VAR review, with the home side forced to play the final hour down a man.

What was said?

"I have no idea how you can give red as a referee at supposed Champions League level," Hummels told DAZN after the match.

"I was in complete disbelief, that's an absurd wrong decision. The referee decided the game today and I think he knows that. I'll ask him about it again in the dressing room, because I'm very interested in what he saw.

"He (Antony) came to me himself and said it was not a red card. But the video referee, if he does it full-time, has to see that for himself. He is a super footballer. Now he still has to learn to be a sportsman, then maybe he'll be even better."

How does Group C stand?

After their win at Signal Iduna Park, Ajax have reached the last 16 of the Champions League with two games to spare having won all four of their matches thus far.

Dortmund appear set to battle with Sporting CP for the second spot in the knockout stage, with both sides currently on six points. Besiktas are in last place in the group with four losses.

Further reading

Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland will likely be out until at least Christmas with a hip injury, his father Alf-Inge has confirmed.

The 21-year-old has not played since October 19, and Dortmund will now be forced to do without their top striker for several more weeks.

Haaland, who has 13 goals in 10 games this season, appears likely to be sidelined until the new year

What was said?

"He's doing relatively well considering the situation, but he'll be out for a little while," Alf-Inge told TV 2 Norway of his son's injury. "It would be a bonus if he gets some games before Christmas, but it's rather unlikely."

How have Dortmund fared without Haaland?

While the Norway star is unquestionably Dortmund's biggest attacking threat, the team have done reasonably well without him so far this season.

Haaland missed two games earlier this season with a different injury and in the six matches they've played without him thus far, Dortmund have won four and lost two.

Which games will Haaland miss?

Dortmund have seven Bundesliga games remaining before the winter break, and it appears likely Haaland will miss all of them.

The club's final game before the break comes on December 18 against Hertha, with their next game not until January 8 against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Haaland also looks set to miss his side's final two Champions League group games against Sporting CP and Besiktas.

Further reading

Al-Sadd boss Xavi has urged his current club to allow him to leave and take over as Barcelona manager.

Barcelona executives were in Doha on Wednesday to meet with Al-Sadd officials over Xavi, who has been identified as Barca's top choice to take over after Ronald Koeman was sacked.

WhileAl-Sadd released a statement saying they aimed to keep Xavi, the 41-year-old has now expressed his desire to "go home" to the club where he starred as a player for 17 seasons.

What was said?

"I've been talking to Barca for days, it's done," Xavi said after Al-Sadd drew Al-Duhail 3-3 in a Qatar Stars League match on Wednesday. "But now it depends on the conversations between clubs, they need to reach an agreement. Barca is coming to talk, we are all eager and excited. We'll see if it ends up being done.

"I really want to go home. I hope it happens. I have a contract and now the clubs have to negotiate. They already know my position."

Al-Sadd captain Abdelkarim Hassan seemed resigned to his manager's departure, saying after the game: "Everyone is sad because of Xavi's departure, but he will coach a big team like Barcelona."

"Xavi presented a new idea to Qatari football and Al-Sadd players and helped us as a great player and coach, and his ideas led us to achieve a lot despite the criticism. We will miss him a lot." 

Following Wednesday's game Xavi made sure he shook the hands of all of his players and the referees, in what could have been seen as a farewell.

What's next?

Goal reported earlier on Wednesday that the two clubs were closing in on a deal for Xavi to take over at Barca.

Al-Sadd however later released a statement saying: "We are committed to keeping our coach Xavi with us and we cannot have him leave at this sensitive time of the season."

Nevertheless, Xavi now appears to be trying to force Al-Sadd's hand. Should a deal be completed, Xavi could be presented next week with his first match in charge to come on November 20 against Espanyol.

Further reading