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SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo has bemoaned his side's lack of practice matches, saying his players would only be “about 70 to 80 percent ready” by the time they resume their Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign.

Tembo and his men get back to action by hosting Bloemfontein Celtic at Bidvest Stadium on August 16.

Since the beginning of July, SuperSport have been training on the pitch but players were working out in small units, before starting full training as a whole group “a few days ago.”

“I think we will probably be about 70 to 80 percent ready by the time we play our first match. We are going to take that match as a preparation match because we have not had time to play friendly matches because of this Covid-19‚” said Tembo as per Sowetan Live.

“Confirmation of the restart date by the chairman of the league Dr Khoza is helpful because it allows us as coaches and the players to plan properly. I am not saying things are going to be easy but it definitely makes planning a little bit better when you know when‚ what time and where you are going to play.”

While Tembo is unhappy about the lack of friendly matches, his side would restart against a Bloemfontein Celtic outfit that would have gained some match fitness following their Nedbank Cup semi-finals clash with Baroka FC on August 8.

“It is not going to be easy because we only started training as a group a few days ago as we had to observe social distancing rules when we returned to training about a month ago,” Tembo said.

“We will only know after the first match where the guys are in terms of match fitness because the reality of the situation is that players are not match fit now. We have been training for a few weeks but it was difficult to plan and load players not knowing when we are going to start.

“It was also difficult to push the guys at training in terms of fitness but we are excited that the league is going to resume and we want to thank all the people who worked hard behind the scenes to ensure that we get back to action.”

Currently placed third on the PSL standings, a top-three finish would see SuperSport return to the Caf Confederation Cup, where they reached the final in 2017 but lost to Tour Puissant Mazembe.

SuperSport’s remaining six league games include visiting Orlando Pirates, who also have a top-three finish as realistically the best they could end the season.

Kieran Tierney is “just like” Virgil van Dijk, according to former Celtic and Scotland manager Gordon Strachan, with the Arsenal defender considered to boast a “lunatic mentality” and the ability to “smell danger”.

The Gunners bought into that skill set when luring the 23-year-old away from Parkhead in the summer of 2019.

A move to the Premier League had been mooted for some time, with Tierney having caught the eye across five seasons as a senior performer at his boyhood club.

He is now treading a familiar path when it comes to ex-Celtic stars illuminating an English stage, with Liverpool centre-half Van Dijk among the more prominent to have made that transition with ease in recent times.

Strachan believes Tierney will scale similar heights, with his “first-class” attitude and undoubted ability set to carry him to the very top of the game.

“He has what I call that lunatic mentality, and I mean that in a good way,” Strachan told the Daily Mail .

“He was like Scott Brown at Celtic. It gets cold in Glasgow you know but those two would walk around with just their T-shirts on.

“Kieran has a first-class approach. He listens and takes in information and, crucially, he listens to what you are telling other players too so that he understands their roles also.

“He is bright and he smells danger, just like Virgil van Dijk does at Liverpool. He isn't in that class yet but there are similarities.

“And he backs himself. He is brave like that.

“Many full backs or central defenders won't push out on to a winger, for example. They are happy to let them cross. At least they can't get beaten or embarrassed that way.

“Kieran won't do that. He will get out there and say, ‘If you are going to cross this, you will have to get by me first’.”

Strachan handed Tierney his international debut back in 2017, with his versatility put to good use after finding himself in direct competition with Andy Robertson – who is now another Premier League title winner at Liverpool – for a more natural left-back berth.

Strachan added: “He has the type of mind that allows him to think that whatever he tries will come off. He has complete faith in himself and it's totally justified.

“I played him at three positions for Scotland - left back, left of three centre-backs and also right-back.

“My two best players were left backs — Kieran and Andy Robertson — so I shifted Kieran across. He never complained. He just got on with it. That's how good he is and that's how good his attitude is.”

Former Bafana Bafana and SuperSport United defender Nasief Morris has revealed he was once close to signing for Orlando Pirates. 

This was when Morris was playing for Santos just before he went abroad, after having a discussion with Augusto Palacios who was then coaching the South African U20 national team. 

According to Morris, the desire to play in Europe was enough for him to turn Pirates down even after receiving a call from Dr Irvin Khoza at the time. 

"I few years before I even to Europe... while I was at Santos, Augusto Palacios was my coach at the U20 national team. He asked me if I would be interested in coming to Orlando Pirates. I said to him, 'definitely, we can look at it' and things like that," Morris told Goal.  

"Then suddenly the break for me came when I was invited to come to Greece for a trial." 

Morris' response to Khoza was that he would like to go try his luck abroad first and he would come back to join the Sea Robbers if things didn't go well.

"And I think a week before I left, I got a call from Mr Irvin Khoza himself asking that he spoke to Mr Palacios and he wanted to know if I wanted to come to Orlando Pirates. I said, 'by all means, I'd like to come but my first goal is that I want to go to Europe. If I don't make it in Europe, I'll definitely come to Orlando Pirates," he recalled.   

"And that was my goal and I made sure when I got the opportunity, I took it."

The retired defender went on to sign for Aris Thessaloniki in Greece before cementing his legendary status at Panathinaikos. 

Morris spent seven years at Panathinaikos - but he would spend the final two years of his contract on loan at Real Club Recreativo de Huelva and Racing de Santander. 

He returned to South Africa in 2011 to join SuperSport United before returning to the Mother City to reunite with his former club Santos. 

Morris, now 39, retired from professional football in 2017 after three seasons with Milano United.  

Kenya international Michael Olunga scored yet again as Kashiwa Reysol defeated Nagoya Grampus 1-0 on Saturday.

Olunga found the back of the net in the 71st minute with an assist from Ataru Esaka as Kashiwa Reysol picked up their fourth win in the last five matches.

There were four yellow cards recorded in the tightly fought tie at Aichi. Olunga’s teammate Tatsuya Yamashita was the first player to be cautioned in the 23rd minute before Kosuke Nakamura was booked in the 29th minute.

Nagoya Grampus’ Sho Inagaki entered into the referee's book in the 32nd minute before his Brazilian teammate Joao Schmidt was yellow-carded in the 53rd minute.

Olunga has turned out to be a dependable and prolific striker for the 2019 J2 League champions in the top-flight as he has now scored in the last four matches.

The former Thika United, Tusker and Gor Mahia centre-forward failed to score in the first three matches since J1 League restarted on July 4 but his recent fine form now sees him top the scorers’ chart with nine goals.

Olunga’s closest Golden Boot challengers include Yu Kobayashi of Kawasaki Frontale, Musashi Suzuki of Consadole Sapporo, Marcos Junior of Yokohama Marinos, Leonardo Perreira of Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Kyogo Furuhashi of Vissel Kobe.

Saturday's win has enabled Olunga and his teammates rise on the log and are now placed at position three, temporarily though, with 15 points from eight games, with one more point than Nagoya Grampus, who have played seven matches so far.

Wins for Cerezo Osaka against Shonan Bellmare and Tokyo against Sagan Tosu in the other Saturday actions will see Kashiwa Reysol drop to fifth.

Olunga, who scored his first J1 League hat-trick against Vegalta Sendai on July 26, has established himself as one of the clear runners for the Golden Boot at this stage.

He was the runner-up in the second division when he managed 27 goals in a successful campaign which pushed Kashiwa Reysol back to the top tier.

In other matches, Vegalta Sendai recorded a second consecutive loss after falling 1-0 to Yokohama Marinos

Yokohama FC were defeated 2-0 by Sanfrecce Hiroshima with more games yet to conclude.

On Sunday, eighth-placed Consadole Sapporo will host Vissel Kobe, who are 11th after playing seven matches.

Olunga will have another opportunity to try and add more goals when Kashiwa Reysol face Shonan Bellmare on August 5.

Cesar Azpilicueta admits that nobody knew who he was when Chelsea snapped him up from Marseille in 2012, but the Spaniard insists that quitting the Blues was never an option.

The versatile defender arrived at Stamford Bridge as a relative unknown after seeing a £7 million ($9m) transfer put in place.

Few knew what to expect from that deal, with Azpilicueta facing fierce competition for places from the likes of John Terry, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic.

He was, however, to see his hard work and remarkable consistency nail down a regular role and now, at the age of 30 and with eight years of experience in England behind him, he is club captain and a two-time Premier League title winner.

As he prepares to go in pursuit of more major silverware in the 2020 FA Cup final, Azpilicueta told the Daily Mail of his early experiences in west London: “Most of them didn't know who I was.

“There wasn't a big fee or a lot of talk about me as a player. I knew I would have to fight. I knew many players came here and had to go on loan because they couldn't find their place.

“My first game in a Chelsea shirt was for the Under-23s on an academy pitch. I remember it well. My first months, nearly every time on the bench. I didn't play a lot but I didn't think to quit. This was a massive opportunity for me and from the bench, I thought I could start to learn and understand the English game.

“Ivanovic was in my position. Branna was an amazing player, great passion and desire and I watched how he would counter-attack on the set-plays. We scored lots of goals like this. So, in the League Cup against Arsenal, in my second year, I tried my luck and that's how I came by my first Chelsea goal.”

Azpilicueta is now a long-serving stalwart at Stamford Bridge and has retained his place under a succession of managers.

He has seen a number of coaches and talented performers come and go, with the challenge being for him to help nurture the club’s exciting young class of 2020 into potential title winners of the future.

“I have played with the past generation who won all those trophies. Football changes and this is a time for change. They have done the first steps,” Azpilicueta added.

“They went through the academy and the process of going on loan. They trained hard and did well but it is different to going into the first team, to have an impact and be consistent. You're not going to have a clear path. There will be bumps and you have to take them and be stronger for the next one.

“It is important to have confidence in them. Our future is bright. They won trophies with the academy. Most of them won the FA Youth Cup. Now we will see if they can replicate these trophies with the first team. They have the opportunity to go to Wembley and fight for the FA Cup as a senior.

“At Chelsea we fight to be at the top. It is important to develop players who were not in the Premier League last season. They have played in the Champions League but we know there is a gap of more than 30 points to Liverpool and that means we can be better.

“It's up to us to close that. We can do it by being humble and accepting when we don't do it well we must train harder to make it right.”

Dylan Kerr has revealed how Kenya international Michael Olunga could have ended up playing in England, but he instead opted to sign for Kashiwa Reysol in Japan.

The former Gor Mahia coach, who currently handles Baroka FC in South Africa, has exclusively revealed to Goal how he negotiated for Olunga to go for trials with Bolton Wanderers but the striker instead decided to sign in Japan.

Olunga signed for Reysol on a two-year deal worth Ksh300million two seasons ago, a deal that saw him earn more than Ksh15million per month, making him the first Kenyan footballer to professionally play in Japan.

The deal to Reysol saw the towering Olunga end a loan spell with Spanish side Girona and also terminate a contract with top Chinese club Guizhou Zhicheng.

“He [Olunga] was interested to go to England and I asked a friend who said he’d be interested having a look at the player,” Kerr told Goal on Saturday from his base in South Africa.

“But that is it because he already decided to go to Japan, it was to happen two years ago but now the deal could not be sealed because he opted to sign in Japan.

“It was to happen at [Bolton], I got a chance for him at Bolton but he went to Japan, that is it, nothing much to say, I know [Olunga] is happy he went to Japan, he chose Japan for his career.

“Bolton would have loved to have a look at him but he was signed by Reysol, so whilst Bolton would have invited him, he had already picked his destination as Japan, I don’t think this is a story, because it never happened anyway.”

Asked on how he managed to secure a trial for Olunga at Bolton, Kerr explained: “It was a conversation I had with my friend as I do for many players I know could add value to a team.

“I’ve recommended players to may clubs that I believe they can add value to their teams all over the world, but then that is all I can do, my work is to recommend then the club can act, and it was the same case with Olunga.

“I’ve recommended [Olunga] and other players to people I know and who trust my opinions in the game across Asia, America, and Europe.

“Just recently, a team in the USA asked my opinion on Kenneth [Muguna] of Gor Mahia and I told them I think he can be a good acquisition to any squad, I am always asked by agents for African players to play even in Asia.”

Olunga has gone ahead to make a name in Japan and is currently leading the goal-scoring chart with eight goals since the J1-League resumed a month ago.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane says exciting prospect Promise Mkhuma reminds him of Brighton and Hove Albion forward Percy Tau. 

Mkhuma was promoted to the Masandawana senior team in January 2020 and he is now part of the club's camp in Rustenburg, North West, where the team is preparing for the resumption of the 2019/2020 campaign.

The Sundowns reserve team captain scored 11 goals and registered six assists in the Multichoice Diski (MDC) this season.

Mosimane, who is widely credited by many for Bafana Bafana international Tau's exploits at Sundowns, explained that Mkhuma will have to work hard and learn under his guidance.

“A free-kick specialist, a quick scorer who has a good left foot and good one-on-one situations and reminds me of Percy [Tau]," Mosimane told the club's official website.

"But I don’t wanna use the name Percy a lot and put him under pressure, he has to work more and learn.

“He is coming from our youth [Sundowns Academy] which is a plus for us."

Currently enrolled at the Tshwane University Of Technology where he is studying towards a Diploma in Officiating and Sport Science, Mkhuma is a South Africa youth international.

The talented youngster represented the country at the Under-20 World Cup and Caf U20 Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2019.

Mosimane feels that Mkhuma is finding his feet in the first team with the current season scheduled to resume next week, having been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"He is training very well whilst slowly adjusting to the intensity of the game here and is finding his feet. It’s okay," Mosimane added.

"We have time and patience for it because he is a young player."

Sundowns are placed second on the PSL standings and they will be looking to beat leaders Kaizer Chiefs to the coveted league title when the season resumes in a Biologically Safe Environment (BSE) in Gauteng.

Masandawana are set to take on Bidvest Wits in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals on August 8, before facing Orlando Pirates in a massive league clash on August 11.

Azam FC have started the clean-out of unwanted players after they confirmed the release of three ahead of the new season.

The players released are all foreigners, led by goalkeeper Razak Abalora, winger Emmanuel Mvuyekure, and striker Donald Ngoma, who the club had loaned to KMC FC.

According to club CEO Abdulkarim ‘Popat’ Amin, they have reached an agreement to release the three players after they ran down their respective contracts.

"We have decided to release the three players because they have run down their contract and we are not keen to renew them, both parties have agreed that we part ways,” Amin told Goal.

“We released [Ngoma] whom we had taken on loan to KMC, and Razak, whose contract ended last Sunday, same as Mvuyekure, we don’t have them now in our squad, they have all left and we wish them well in their future engagements.”

In an earlier interview after unveiling their first signing – Awesu Ally Awesu from Kagera Sugar – Amin promised to sign players in every position for the club.

“As usual and especially here at Azam since I took up my position, we always sign players according to what the coach wants and the good thing is that the coach has already given us the list of players he wants and that is what we want to fulfil,” Amin told Goal.

“Two days after we played our last league match, our coach [Cioaba] gave us the list of what players he wants, what areas he wants the team to work on and I can confirm he wants us to buy at least 12 players for the new season.

“We have already discussed as officials, we sat and discussed the list from the coach and out of the 12 players we have already landed [Awesu] and are also talking to the other targets.”

Amin continued: “The coach wants, two fullbacks, one defensive midfielder, two wing-backs, and one striker, because it was one of our weakest links this season, we did not score many goals because we lacked an out and out striker, and so the areas will be looked.

“And also out of the 12 players, we will also sign one goalkeeper, to give a challenge to existing keepers that we already have in our ranks, so it is going to be a beehive of activities as far as transfer of new players is concerned at Azam this window.”

The ‘Ice Cream Makers’ did not enjoy as good a season as they had anticipated at the beginning of the campaign, as they managed to finish third in the league with 70 points, 18 fewer than winners Simba SC, and two behind second-placed Yanga SC. They managed to get 20 wins, 10 draws and eight defeats.

The team also failed to retain their FA Cup title to stand a chance of representing the country in the Caf Confederation Cup. They were paired with Wekundu wa Msimbazi in the quarter-finals and fell 2-0.

Ugandan goalkeeper Tom Ikara has revealed why his initial Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA FC) move was a mistake.

Ikara has already been unveiled by Ugandan Premier League (UPL) side Police FC as their fourth signing of the transfer window so far.

Ikara was released by the former league champions, the Kassasiro Boys, after a one-year loan stint at Mbarara City, a move he has now claimed was a mistake.

He joined KCCA FC in 2018 after he played a key role in helping Busoga United earn promotion to the Premier League.

“Joining Police, I wanted playing time and did not want to make the same mistake I made at first while joining KCCA because I did not get chance to play enough as I expected,” Ikara told Ndibba.

The custodian had been heavily linked with another two Premier League sides but has now stated why he did not consider those interests.

“At Police, I am expecting to get enough playing time which will help regain my form and confidence and I am contented with the deal that is why I left out Vipers SC and URA FC deals,” he added.

“I know Police are a historical club in the country and will do my level best to put them where they belong.”

Ikara is expected to fight for starting positions with Davis Mutebi under coach Abdalla Mubiru.

Meanwhile, Ezra Bida has reportedly agreed to join Kyetume FC from rivals Onduparaka FC.

The forward is said to have held unsuccessful talks with the Caterpillars over a possible contract extension and the stalled talks forced him to engage Kyetume.

Reports indicate Bida has already agreed on a two-year deal and the expected move will see him reunite with coach Livingstone Mbabazi.

The talks between the player and Onduparaka reportedly hit a dead end when Bida demanded a sign-on fee attached to a new contract.

“We’ve had verbal talks and I have made my intentions known to them [Onduparaka], however, they haven’t tabled a contract for me yet,” Bida told Football256.

“When I get to view the contract and it satisfies me, then I will decide.”

Bida arrived at Onduparaka two years ago as a teenager and managed five goals in five seasons with intermittent injuries affecting his performances.

Ferran Torres says he wants to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo as he nears a move to the Premier League.

As revealed by Goal, The Valencia winger is on the brink of completing a  £21m ($27m) transfer to Manchester City this summer.

The 20-year-old has already reached an agreement over a five-year contract with Pep Guardiola's side and is expected to replace Leroy Sane, who departed for Bayern Munich.

While Torres has been inspired by City legend David Silva and former Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa, it is former Manchester United star Ronaldo he hopes to emulate with his conduct on and off the field.  

"From an early age I had two main references, one when I was very small and he arrived at Valencia and that was David Villa. Villa and David Silva the duo that took Valencia to such great heights," Torres said in an interview with Guillem Balague.

"But for me, Cristiano above all is a great reference not just because of the way he plays his football but also because of the way he carries himself away from football.

"It is worthy of admiration and I would like to follow his steps."

He added: "Maybe my best position at the moment is on the flanks but with the passing years when I get a bit older and perhaps lose a bit of speed and the power that I am known for then maybe I will finish playing inside because I have played there in the past.

"Something else they have instilled in me since I was small is that the more positions you can cover on the pitch then the more possibilities you have to play and the more you can contribute.

"As a player I consider myself to be ambitious, someone that wants to win, win, win and of course it is true that as time passes and you feel you are better prepared then you want to take on greater challenges, experience a change of environment. I think I am ready to do so.

"Inside I always think that I am the best, and that I want to be the best and I work to try to be the best. If you don’t believe yourself that you are the best then no one is ever going to believe that you are."

Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates legend Pollen Ndlanya has urged his former clubs to purchase quality players.

The retired striker believes that it is the only way the two Soweto giants can start winning major trophies again and also compete with serial winners, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Chiefs are hoping to end their five-year trophy drought this season, while the last time Pirates won major silverware was in 2014 and both clubs have been inactive in the transfer market thus far.

On the other hand, Sundowns have already signed experienced central midfielder George Maluleka and gifted playmaker Lesedi Kapinga, from Chiefs and Black Leopards, respectively.

“For a team like Pirates and Chiefs, they need to buy quality players for the sake of their reputation," Ndlanya told The Citizen.

"These are two big teams and they have to buy quality so that they can maintain their standard. I really do not know how Pirates and Chiefs do their dealings but Sundowns have an edge over them and they need to catch up?

“You cannot take a Toyota and a Ferrari and want the Toyota to win the race for you, never! The Ferrari is expensive because it has got all those qualities. You cannot take a Toyota to race a Ferrari, you are risking."

Reigning Telkom Knockout Cup champions Sundowns, who have won the last two PSL titles, have been successful scouting players abroad, having signed influential South Americans Gaston Sirino and Ricardo Nascimento.

Ndlanya lifted major trophies with both Chiefs and Pirates during his playing days and he has urged the two powerhouses of South African football to adopt vigilant scouting departments.

"But it looks like they have got someone who has got an eye on players and at the same time they open the cheque book," he added.

"If you need quality, you must open the cheque book, that is just reality. Yes, you can develop your own players but you cannot take all of the young players and put them in the senior team," he added.

"You need to at least have three players from the development and buy quality players. Sundowns are really on top in scouting and opening the cheque book.

"You look at the likes of Gaston Sirino, Mauricio Affonso, those are the top players and they are delivering.”

The 2019/20 season, which has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic since March, will resume next week in a Biologically Safe Environment (BSE) in Gauteng.

Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison has refused to rule out a conspiracy that Young Africans (Yanga SC) were involved after he was arrested in Tanzania two days ago.

The 27-year-old was arrested on Thursday by police in Tanzania, who was doing a routine check at a roadblock and was later released.

Morrison has since come out to clarify that he had done nothing wrong when the police impounded his vehicle and that he had seen the hand of Yanga in the whole saga to have him arrested.

“You know I am a visitor here in Tanzania and I have a feeling the whole plan [to arrest me] was planned by people at Yanga,” Morrison is quoted by Sokaletu.

“I just have that feeling Yanga were involved in the whole saga but anyway all is in the past now and I leave everything to God.”

On what transpired during his encounter with the police, Morrison explained: “I was on my way to the bank when the police officers stopped the car I was driving in, they demanded we come out which we did.

“They also started demanded for my phone saying I am a foreigner and that is when a commotion ensured and that was it, after that, they realised we had done nothing wrong and they allowed us to proceed our way.”

Morrisson was signed by disgraced former Yanga SC coach Luc Eymael at the beginning of the season, and while he struggled in South Africa, the West African settled quickly for the Timu Ya Wananchi and became an instant hit.

His goal on March 8 against Simba SC in the Kariakoo Derby won maximum points for the Jangwani-based side, although it's not been entirely plain sailing for the attacker, who has been accused of ill-discipline on occasion. 

The latest incident was a failure to report back to the camp after his team lost 4-1 against Wekundu wa Msimbazi in the FA Cup semi-final.

It was during this match when Morrison’s conduct came under scrutiny after he was substituted for Patrick Sibomana, and instead of going to the bench, the player threw a tantrum close to the technical bench and headed straight to the dressing room, where he changed and duly left the stadium.

Yanga have always insisted Morrison, who has been linked with a transfer to Simba, has two years left on his contract but the player insists he had run down his deal and was free to leave.

Nemanja Matic is determined to claim Premier League title glory with Manchester United and says he and his team-mates "cannot allow" Liverpool to win the league with seven games to spare, as they did in 2019-20.

United have been unable to mount a proper challenge for the English top-flight crown since Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in charge in 2013.

The Red Devils were fifth in the table before they embarked on a 14-game unbeaten run to climb to a third-place finish, beating Leicester City on the final day to secure their spot in the Champions League.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team did, however, finish 15 points behind rivals City and a further 18 adrift of champions Liverpool, but midfielder Matic believes they should be aiming to put pressure on the top two in the 2020-21 campaign. 

"Me, personally, I would like to win the Premier League with Manchester United. I think that our club always needs to fight for the title," the 32-year-old said in an interview with the club's magazine, Inside United .

"We always need to try to do the best for this club, which we are doing at the moment, and I think we cannot allow any club to win the league seven or 10 games before the season finishes. So we have to fight until the end.

"Of course, we have a young team, but this cannot be an excuse. I think these young players already have a few seasons behind them playing. So, from the next season, we have to fight for the title. I don’t know if we’re going to win [it] but I’m sure that we can fight until the end.

"That’s my personal target and I think the rest of my team-mates think the same."

While United's domestic campaign is over, they will return to Europa League duty next week when they take on LASK in the second leg of their last-16 tie.

United won 5-0 in the first leg in Austria, with Odion Ighalo, Daniel James, Juan Mata, Mason Greenwood and Andreas Pereira all finding the net.

Awaiting the English club in the quarter-finals will be either İstanbul Basaksehir or Copenhagen. The Turkish side are 1-0 up from the first leg of their tie.

Life in the Indian Super League (ISL) has been sort of strange for Jamshedpur FC in the three seasons since their inception in 2017.

The Tata Steel-owned club has a dedicated fan following, extremely good facilities and managed to bring in very good overseas players and accomplished coaches. However, they remain the only side in the 10-team competition to never have reached the play-offs.

And it is not like they have not threatened to do so. In each of the three seasons, Jamshedpur have seen themselves miss out narrowly on the top-four. A lot of it is down to a combination of factors including a medley of coaches, none of whom have stayed at the club for more than a season.

Now, having managed to secure a coach who arguably was one of best in the ISL last year despite coming in midway through the season, Jamshedpur will be finally hoping to break that jinx.

It was Steve Coppell who was entrusted with the job in their first season. Coppell was fresh off a run to the final with Kerala Blasters and managed to turn Jamshedpur into a very tough outfit. Coppell, known for his pragmatic approach, took a while to get the squad to churn out results. However, they managed to put together a good run of results towards the business end of the league.

If not for a loss to FC Goa in the final group stage match, where a brainfade from Subrata Paul and his subsequent sending off cost them dearly, Jamshedpur would have reached the play-off in their very first season.

Jamshedpur opted to undertake a change in philosophy after that season, bringing in Spanish coach Cesar Ferrando. With the Spanish revolution, came a big name in Tim Cahill along with influential midfielders like Mario Arques and Sergio Cidoncha.

Much was expected of the team and they started the season well, only to lose momentum and form midway, thanks to . Once again, they finished fifth on the table, two points off the play-off spots.

It was a similar case in the 2019-20 season as well. Jamshedpur had a partnership with Atletico Madrid for their junior team. But they did have a technical director in Julian Villar Aragon from Atletico. On paper there was no formal tie-up for the senior team but through that network, in came a young, exciting striker Sergio Castel. Cesar Ferrando was replaced by his compatriot Antonio Iriondo. Once again, Jamshedpur started brightly and looked favourites for a place in the play-offs.

But injuries to key players including Castel and a lack of quality among their Indian contingent saw them lose their way and finish a lowly eighth.

Now the mantle has been passed to Owen Coyle. The Scotland-born coach's arrival will most definitely be greeted with a sense of excitement, for such was the turnaround he impacted at Chennaiyin FC last season.

He turned a rigid team that lacked confidence and invention in attack into one of the most feared attacks in the league in a very short span. When Coyle came in, Chennaiyin FC had scored just four goals in six matches and were wallowing at the wrong end of the table.

But when the group stage ended, Coyle's side had scored 26 goals in the 12 games they played under him. From a hopeless position, he managed to turn the mood completely around the club and sealed a play-off spot with a match to spare. Then he went on to knock the league-stage toppers FC Goa out in a two-legged play-offs where they pumped six goals past them.

Of course, a fitting climax eluded them as a compact ATK team did just about enough to win the title in the final.

The 54-year-old's adventurous approach to football is very different to what people identify with managers from the United Kingdom and Ireland. However, it is always how he has played football. Even his Wigan, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers sides were known to play positive football.

In many ways, Coyle's Chennaiyin FC played with more verve and imagination in attack than many other coaches from regions famous for attacking football managed to display. And he did it with a squad in which he had absolutely no say.

Not one player in that Chennaiyin squad was brought in by him, not even during the winter transfer window. Coyle managed to bring out the very best with the hand he was dealt with.

Numerous Indian players also had stellar campaigns, re-inventing their game and playing with confidence under Coyle. Jerry Lalrinzuala found his mojo at left-back again, thriving in his role after stalling a bit last season. Edwin Vanspaul was an absolute revelation, be it at right-back or as a holding midfielder. Anirudh Thapa proved what a precocious talent he is, running the midfield with aplomb for Coyle, to name a few.

Coyle obviously has an eye for detail and trusts Indian players to perform, at key positions. He has made it clear more than often that improving the local players is a priority for him. In fact, he is one of the very few coaches who played an all-Indian midfield last season.

Jamshedpur do have an exciting bunch of youngsters in Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Aniket Jadhav, Mobashir Rahman and Sandip Mandi in their roster. These players can look forward to playing under Coyle.

It is this committed approach that Jamshedpur FC can expect from the former Irish international. Of course, there will be higher expectations from him, given that he will have a big say in choosing his squad this time around.

Is he the right man to do the job at Jamshedpur? Only time will tell. But Coyle's signature is an excellent start for the club for the upcoming season.

Shyam Thapa has played for both the Kolkata giants in his illustrious career. In fact, he started his career in East Bengal when he was still a teenager after he was signed by East Bengal's General Secretary Jyotish Guha in 1966. 

The young forward grabbed headlines when he scored the winner in Subroto Mukherjee Cup final for Gorkha Higher Secondary school. But it was in Dehradun that he was spotted by Guha during a friendly match and was roped in for East Bengal. Back in the 1960s, the Calcutta Football League (CFL) was fiercely fought and upon the insistence of Guha, the young striker was given a start. 

Thapa did not disappoint and he scored a hat-trick against Rajasthan Football Club. 

"I owe my gratitude to Jyotish Guha. He signed me for East Bengal when I was a nobody and provided me the platform to shine. Whatever I am today, it is due to that man," reminisced the former India international to Goal on the eve of East Bengal's centenary foundation day. 

He spent one year at the club and returned to Gorkha Brigade only to come back to East Bengal in 1970. In that season, East Bengal won back the CFL title but Thapa had to leave for Mumbai as he received an offer from Mafatlal Mills, where he would rejoin several former teammates from Gorkha Brigade like Ranjit Thapa, Bhupender Singh Rawat, and Amar Bahadur. 

"After winning the CFL in 1970-71 I left for Mumbai. Santo Mitra (former East Bengal captain) requested me to come back. But I told him that I cannot leave a lucrative job in Mumbai and get back to Kolkata. But he was adamant. He assured me that he would help me get a job in Kolkata as well. So, with a lot of uncertainty, I came to Kolkata in 1974."

Thapa reached Kolkata to help the Red and Golds clinch a sixth successive CFL title which would help them surpass Mohammedan Sporting's five consecutive wins from 1934-38. 

"I was a man on a mission. In 1975, all good players like Mohammed Habib, Syed Nayeemuddin, left East Bengal for Mohammedan just to weaken East Bengal so that the record stays intact. It hurt me a lot. Mohun Bagan also made a good team that year to stop East Bengal. The onus was on me and Subash Bhowmick. 

"In one of the first few rounds, we had to face Mohun Bagan. I cannot forget that match. I beat four defenders and scored a goal. It was eventually the winner. I regret that the match was not televised. The goal has no clipping. It is the best goal I scored. We also beat Mohammedan 3-1 and I scored the opener beating (Mohammed) Akbar and Naim (Syed Nayeemuddin)," recounted the striker. 

Thapa was also the protagonist in the IFA Shield final where East Bengal created history by humiliating Mohun Bagan 5-0. Thapa scored a brace and he could have become the first player to score a hat-trick in a derby only if he had converted a spot-kick in the 11th minute. 

"It is one of my biggest regrets. I missed the hat-trick in that match. I could not convert a penalty. And interestingly, I took all penalties for the Indian national team. Later, Bhaichung (Bhutia) became the first to score a hat-trick in a derby. But I heard that a Bagan supporter could not bear the 5-0 loss and ended his life. It hurt me a lot. After that incident, I always wanted to come to Mohun Bagan and win for them. So it was one of the reasons behind joining Mohun Bagan in 1977," stated Thapa. 

During his first three East Bengal stints, Thapa won the Calcutta League and IFA Shield thrice and the Rovers Cup title in 1975. In ’75 East Bengal did the Rovers-Shield-League treble with Thapa being an instrumental figure in the dressing room.

Injured superstar Kylian Mbappe could make a miraculous recovery to play in PSG's Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta, according to team-mate Ander Herrera.

Mbappe suffered a nasty ankle sprain in last week's Coupe de France final victory over Saint-Etienne, with PSG releasing a statement saying the 21-year-old will be out for three weeks, meaning he would miss the August 12 European tie.

But despite coach Thomas Tuchel insisting Mbappe would need a 'miracle' to recover in time, Herrera believes the World Cup winner should not be ruled out yet.

Speaking on Friday after PSG lifted the Coupe de la Ligue, Herrera said: "We are optimistic with Kylian (Mbappe).

"We have seen that he can walk quietly. He's very professional, he's young. He really wants to play and we can be very calm. He works every day, morning and afternoon.

"But if it's not possible for him to play, we also have other solutions. Kylian is very important and I'm sure he will try to play."

Mbappe's absence didn't matter for PSG as they made it a clean sweep of French domestic competitions with a 6-5 penalties win in the Coupe de la Ligue final against Lyon after the match ended 0-0 after extra time.

The French giants were awarded the league during the coronavirus hiatus, and have also picked up the Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions.

Tuchel hailed his team's achievement of winning four trophies this season, insisting that the clean sweep of domestic trophies wasn't easy.

"We did not lose the concentration, the hunger to win, the confidence, we won on penalties and that counts," he said. 

"We won these four titles, there is a good atmosphere in the locker room. And I'm very happy because everyone thinks it's okay to win, but it's not that easy. 

"Winning four titles is the merit of this team and I am happy.

"They are reliable guys who play, enjoy working and suffering together."

PSG's match against Atalanta will be played in Lisbon, with the winner of the tie set to square off against the victor in the RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid quarter-final.

Indian football is experiencing a milestone event on Saturday as millions of East Bengals fans get together, whilst staying apart, to celebrate the club’s centenary day. Exactly 100 years ago, the foundation stone was laid for one half of the famous ‘Bengal Giants’. 

The origin story encapsulates what the club stands for – a club with a unique identity born out of resilience against discrimination.

On July 28th Mohun Bagan was to face Jora Bagan in Coochbehar Cup and star half back Sailesh Bose and Nasha Singh were excluded from the latter’s side. Jora Bagan’s vice-president and chairman Suresh Chandra Chaudhari requested for their inclusion but his request fell on deaf ears and so, he severed all his connections with the club.

Both these players were from the eastern part of Bengal and Suresh was also from the same region. It did not take him much time to connect the dots and he parted ways with the club immediately.

He went on to form a new club alongside Sailesh, Nasha, Shri Tait Bhusan Roy, Manmatha Nath Roy Chaudhari and Aurobindo Ghosh. Thus, on August 1, 1920, East Bengal was born.

Success followed almost immediately as the Red and Golds eased to the Hercules Cup, a seven-a-side tournament, in the same month. The club’s authority dreamed big and took measures accordingly. They appealed to the players of Eastern Bengal descent to sign for the club and things began to fall in place.

East Bengal gained acceptance to be affiliated with the Indian Football Association (IFA) and were soon playing the second division. Suresh, the Maharaja of Santosh, was an influential figure and played a key part in making it happen. It is worth mentioning here that the Santosh Trophy was named after him.

In 1924, East Bengal along with Cameroon’s B team, became joint champions of the second division. Given, Cameroon A were already playing in the first division, the B team could not be promoted. This paved the way for the Red and Gold brigade to march on, despite resistance from Mohun Bagan and Aryans.

Only two slots were available for Indian sides in the top divisions and those were occupied by the above-mentioned sides. The inclusion of East Bengal in the top division was hence, a massive milestone for Indian football at that time.

After being given the thumbs up, the Red and Gold brigade never turned back. In the very next year, they bettered rivals Mohun Bagan 1-0 in the first Kolkata derby ever played. 50,000 fans in the stadium were sent into a frenzy and a new religion was born in Bengal.

However, it took close to 10 years for the club to land coveted silverware. East Bengal won their first Calcutta Top Division football league in 1942 and went a step ahead by conquering the IFA Shield Trophy for the first time. In 1945, they did the double and gradually went on to establish themselves as the powerhouse of Indian football.

The Red and Gold brigade have managed to conquer the test of changing times and maintain its legacy as one of the biggest clubs in India. Players from the top echelons of Indian football history such as Tuslidas Balaram, Ahmed Khan, Bhaichung Bhutia, Sudip Chatterjee, Peter Thangaraj and several others have donned the famous Red and Gold .

The legendary PK Banerjee won 30 trophies at the club as manager and was the man behind their domination in the 1970s. 100 years since their foundation and East Bengal have won the IFA Shield a record 29 times, the Calcutta Football League a record 39 times, the National Football League thrice, the Federation Cup eight times and many other trophies.

East Bengal invokes a lot of passion in Kolkata and among the Indian football fraternity as they celebrate 100 years of a truly special institution.

Alexandre Lacazette has expressed his belief that an FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea would save Arsenal's season.

Arsenal finished their latest Premier League campaign down in eighth, which marked the club's worst top-flight showing in 25 years.

Unai Emery was sacked in November after overseeing a seven-match winless run, and the Gunners turned to former club captain Mikel Arteta to steady the ship.

The Spaniard has since managed to lift the mood of gloom surrounding Emirates Stadium, with two recent victories over Liverpool and Manchester City serving as solid proof of the team's progress.

Arsenal handed Jurgen Klopp's champions only their third defeat of the season before knocking City out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 victory at Wembley, thanks to a stunning Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang double.

Arteta will take his squad to the same venue for the showpiece event on Saturday, where they will come up against Frank Lampard's Chelsea.

The Gunners can still qualify for the Europa League if they win the competition for a record-extending 14th time, and Lacazette is desperate to deliver silverware to a success-starved fanbase after a turbulent 12 months.

"We are excited because we know we can save our season with a trophy, which would mean a lot for us and the fans," the 29-year-old told reporters ahead of this weekend's final.

"In the league, we finished in a bad position, we lost against Olympiacos early in the Europa League, so we missed a few of our targets. That's why I say it would save our season."

Lacazette added on European football being crucial for Arsenal to attract new players in the summer transfer window: “I came to Arsenal to win trophies. Yes, it’s been really frustrating, but this is part of football.

"Nothing is ever easy and this is why I love this sport because you can learn from this and become a great man with these kinds of experiences.

“But obviously at the end, you are a bit disappointed. So you just go forward to the next season to change this and to reach your targets. So obviously this time it’s a really big game for me and for Arsenal.

“We know Arsenal is the team that has won this cup the most, so even if the fans are not in the stadium we know they will be following us all over the world.

“European football is really important. It’s going to bring money to the club for the future. Players who have a lot of ambitions want to play in Europe and I think it will be easier to sign new players and to keep all the players in the group with the Europa League.”

The Arsenal frontman went on to discuss the ongoing speculation surrounding Aubameyang's future at the Emirates , insisting the club should do everything possible to tie him down to fresh terms beyond 2021.

“I think it is obvious we need to keep him. He has scored 44 goals in the league in the past two seasons," said Lacazette. "He is our captain and everybody likes him. He has love from the fans.

"I think it is obvious Arsenal should keep him but after this, it’s a conversation between him and the club and we are not involved in it.”