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Leeds striker Patrick Bamford says that he loves what Marcelo Bielsa has achieved with the club, but admitted that the Argentine’s methods are painstaking at times.

After a 16-year wait, the Elland Road side are back in the Premier League, having claimed the Championship title by 10 points over second-placed West Brom.

The campaign was capped with a thumping 4-0 win over Charlton on Wednesday, and after that fixture Bamford spoke to LUTV to discuss the impact that the notoriously meticulous Bielsa has had over the course of his two-year reign to date.

“It’s almost like a love-hate relationship because he pushes us so hard and I know as a group of lads we moan a lot,” he said. “With the manager everyone says you don’t see that much of a personal side with him.

“We know, deep down he is getting the best out of us, he has improved us all as players and you can see the transformation he has done with the team.

“It was just the pure determination and willingness for him to achieve this goal with us and now you can see him relax. He’s such a loveable guy and me and the whole team owe so much to him.”

More broadly, the 16-goal forward discussed the outcome of the season.

“Who would’ve thought we’d have ended up winning the league by 10 points in the end? It was so tight until the last couple of games,” he said. “It means so much to everyone, the fans, staff and the whole club as a family has done the city proud.

“I don’t think we realise just how much we’ve achieved, there has been 16 years of heartache and we’ve managed to bring Premier League football back and until we retire from playing, I don’t think we’ll realise what kind of feat we’ve achieved here.

“I’m proud and I know the lads are proud, it has been a long season, but we deserve it.”

Although Bielsa has guided the club back into the top level of the English game, there are doubts over his future, with reports suggesting that Lionel Messi wants the former Argentina, Club Athletic and Marseille boss to take charge of Barcelona in the summer.

Jurgen Klopp has a boastful side, according to Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders – who says the German “walks around like Conor McGregor” if he gets one over his staff.

The highly rated Lijnders says Klopp’s competitive streak comes out when Liverpool’s coaches play padel tennis, which is played on an enclosed court a third the size of a tennis court.

The Dutchman says the staff started playing while they were away on a summer break.

“We started playing about four years ago during our training camp in Tenerife,” Lijnders told the Mirror.

“We were playing the game with our staff and a few players. At first, we didn’t quite know what a padel court looked like and thought it had to be played a bit like table tennis.

“Our media officer looked up the rules of the game on the internet. We didn’t know he had given us the wrong rules till this Spanish chap came by and asked us what on earth we were doing. We said: ‘Playing padel tennis’.

“He laughed and said: ‘Well, I know one thing – you don’t play it like that!’.

“When we got back, the owners built a court for us at Melwood and now we are playing this game almost every day at our training centre.

“Jurgen is fanatical about it – and he’s good, too. But we never say he’s the best out loud – otherwise he starts to walk round like Conor McGregor.

“He battles for every point, with massive focus, too. Even when I am winning, he gets right under my skin.

“So when I do beat him, I let everyone at the club hear about it!’’

Lijnders also says the distraction of a second sport has helped the Liverpool coaching staff come up with tactical solutions on the football pitch.

“The game has been a nice distraction from our daily routine,” he said. “And yet, sometimes we come up with the best ideas to solve issues during these games.

“We sit down on a bench in between two sets and we discuss solutions for football problems. In fact, we do that a lot. When you are constantly playing matches or doing top-level training sessions every day, there is no time to wind down.

“So, these games are the perfect moments to relax.”

Yusuf Ssozi has explained what motivated him to renew his contract with Police FC despite clear interest from Ugandan Premier League (UPL) champions Vipers SC.

Ssozi, who joined Police from Paidha Black Angles one year ago, signed a two-year contract extension with the law enforcers.

“It’s something I talked about with my agent. And I needed more time at Police because I didn’t feature in the second round due to a knee injury,” Ssozi told Sports Nation.

“We still have some deals in the pipeline from outside.”

The midfielder had a good time on the pitch during the first round of the 2019/20 season before he got injured and missed the second round.

“I missed a lot. I was called to the national team, named in the team of the first round by almost every journalist, so the injury was a major setback,” Ssozi said concerning the effects of the injury.

“I hope for the best next season as I want to join the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) squad, pursue a deal outside Uganda and to do better than last season.”

The Abdalla Mubiru side has already signed experienced Tony Mawejje, Hassan Muhamood and Eric Ssenjobe.

To Ssozi, Mawejje’s arrival will be a chance for him to learn a lot from his compatriot.

“Mawejje is a senior player and a legend so I expect to learn a lot from him and improve a lot in my career because we play in the same position,” the midfielder concluded.

Meanwhile, Express FC striker Frank Ssenyondo has explained how he was signed by the club and eventually went on to register some good performances in the top-tier.

In 25 matches, the former Teronoya star got eight goals and made five assists in his first season with the Red Eagles.

“I came over to Wankulukuku [Express home stadium] for trials and was selected then subsequently signed for the new season,” Ssenyondo told the club’s website.

“Honestly, the stage was big but I believed in myself. As a player, you have to jump at the available opportunity and I did just that and proved myself.”

The forward hopes to have a better season than the previous one.

“I am hoping to surpass last season’s numbers, I want to register double digits and help the team,” he concluded.

Bayern Munich are awaiting updates after Benjamin Pavard suffered an injury two weeks ahead of the Champions League last-16 second leg against Chelsea.

Pavard reportedly injured his ankle in a training game on Sunday and had to cut the session short to receive treatment.

The scare comes as Bayern step up preparations for their August 8 clash with Frank Lampard's side in Munich, where they will look to defend a 3-0 lead from the first game.

"Benjamin Pavard sustained an injury," head coach Hansi Flick confirmed in a media conference after training on Sunday. "We are not quite sure exactly what happened, we will have to wait for the diagnosis now. We're not quite sure how long he will be missing, or if he will be missing. We will have to wait and see."

There was better news for Niklas Sule, who continues to work his way back from a serious knee injury. The centre-back has not played since rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in October, although he did make the bench for the DFP-Pokal final win over Bayer Leverkusen this month.

Sule, 24, put in extra training time while his team-mates took a break after that match and the Germany international could get the chance to prove his fitness in a friendly against Marseille on Friday.

"I'm very happy with him, with the way he's training and the intensity he's training with," Flick said. "I assume he's at 100 per cent, we've been working on that. During the holiday, he stayed here and worked with our staff, so he is on track.

"He's missing match practice, but we possibly have the opportunity for him to play against Marseille. We shall see what happens."

New signings Leroy Sane and Tanguy Kouassi are ineligible to face Chelsea and will not be used in the Marseille match, but Flick has been happy with how the pair have adapted to their surroundings.

"All of the new players have integrated well," he said. "For them, it's a new environment so they might need a little time, but I'm very happy with how things are going.

"With Kouassi, we all know that he's an outstanding football player and that we will greatly benefit from him.

"We know in the last few months he's had a couple of injury problems, so we are all hoping that, following this recent injury, he can train pain-free, possibly play. We will have to see what happens in the next couple of days and see what happens.

"I can only confirm that the new signings will not play against Marseille or in the Champions League."

Harambee Stars striker Michael Olunga added three goals to his J1 League tally after a 5-1 Kashiwa Reysol win against Vegalta Sendai.

After going for three matches without a goal since the Japanese league resumed on July 4, Olunga has so far scored in the last three matches and went top of the scorers’ chart.

With eight goals now, the former Thika United and Gor Mahia forward has a four-goal cushion against his closest challengers, 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.

Hayato Nakama, who has been a key player for Kashiwa Reysol since the resumption alongside his Kenyan teammate, opened the scoring for the home side in the 20th minute with an assist from Ataru Esaka.

Olunga headed into the net in the 40th minute when Yusuke Segawa’s cross found him at the right place inside a sparsely crowded box.

The Kenyan international scored his seventh goal of the season in the 58th minute with an assist from Esaka to stretch Kashiwa Reysol’s lead further from Vegalta Sendai.

The former Tusker striker earned his hat-trick in the 73rd minute when he found the back of the net after he collected a neat pass from Masatoshi Mihara and made it 4-1 for the J2 League 2019 champions.

Segawa, who had provided the first assist for Olunga, scored the fifth goal for Kashiwa Reysol in the 86th minute with an assist from Sachiro Toshima.

Vegalta Sendai’s 48th-minute goal which denied Olunga’s side a home clean sheet was scored by Takuma Nishimura.

The Kenyan star would have come out of the pitch with four goals but his 61st-minute penalty was saved by goalkeeper Yuma Obata.

In the latest interview, Olunga explained how the coronavirus break affected him and revealed his hope of continuing with the current encouraging goal-scoring form.

“When we stopped playing everything went down and we came back and started but lost in the first three games. The condition was not good but then again when you lose you try and work even harder,” Olunga said during the interview.

“I have been working hard during the training sessions and during my own time. The first two goals that I scored gave me the required motivation.

“I am looking forward to the upcoming games hoping my condition gets better and better.”

Kashiwa Reysol will be up against Nagoya Grampus on August 1 for another league encounter.

Albin Ekdal has opened a war of words with former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, claiming the veteran was a detrimental influence on the national team.

Now 38, the centre forward is starring with Milan in Serie A as they fight for a European spot next season, after he retired from international duty in 2016, having won 116 caps and scored 62 goals – a record for his nation.

While Ibrahimovic’s statistics look formidable, Ekdal has claimed that the presence of the former Juventus, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain striker did not allow others to reach their maximum potential.

“Many players couldn’t handle his gesturing and sharp comments which shot holes in the confidence of some players. I’ve seen that many times, and it seldom benefits the team,” 30-year-old Ekdal told Sverige Radio program ‘Sommar & Vinter i P1’. 

“Probably many people couldn’t handle his massive winning mentality and temperament which he has, despite everything which has taken him to the best clubs in the world and made him Sweden’s best player of all time.”

Ekdal gave an example of the contrasting spirit in the camp for Euro 2016, which was Ibrahimovic’s swansong, and World Cup 2018.

“We were a team made up of one star and a few team-mates in 2016 but we travelled to the World Cup in 2018 in Russia two years later. The entire team was players who were making their debut at the World Cup," he said.

“Zlatan was the big star. He was the one who was supposed to do it, lead Sweden through thick and thin. National team manager Erik Hamren had given him the baton and made him the captain, and the rest of us were supposed to put our trust in him.

“Our team consisted of one superstar and 10 decent players around him helping him to dominate. That idea didn’t pan out.”

Ekdal could suffer a backlash on Wednesday, when his Sampdoria side play host to in-form Milan in Serie A, but first they will aim to stop Juventus securing the league title when they travel to Turin on Sunday.

Ibrahimovic’s Milan, meanwhile, are undefeated since the restart, with the Swede scoring seven in 16 Serie A outings since arriving as a free agent from LA Galaxy on January 1.

Parfait Bizoza scored his first goal for Aalesunds as they bowed 3-2 to Odds Ballklubb in Saturday’s Eliteserien encounter.

With the fixture heading for a 2-2 draw at the Skagerak Arena, Holmbert Fridjonsson turned the ball inside his net in the second minute of added time.

The Burundian joined Lars Bohinen’s men from Raufoss earlier this year, however, he has gone on a run of five games without finding the target.

However, that run came to an end in his sixth league cap, against Jan Nornes’ side, to bag his maiden goal for the Orange and Blue.

Tobias Lauritsen put Ballklubb ahead in the 11th minute after converting a penalty following a foul committed in the visitors’ goal area.

Seven minutes later, Simen Nordli beat goalkeeper Sondre Rossbach to level the scores with Bizoza supplying the assist.

Aalesunds’ chances of getting an away win were reduced in the 22nd minute after David Olafsson was sent off by referee Kai Erik Steen for a second caution.

Espen Ruud restored the hosts’ lead from the penalty spot in the 37th minute, but Bizoza levelled matters for his side in the 43rd minute as the goal-laden first-half ended 2-2.

The second-half produced little spark as both sides adopted a cautious approach. And when it appeared that the encounter would end all square, Fridjonsson turned the ball into his net to hand Ballklubb all points at stake. 

While Bizoza was in action from start to finish, one-cap Nigeria international Izunna Uzochukwu was brought on for Niklas Castro in the 57th minute.

Following this defeat, Aalesunds have now failed to win any of their ten games played in the Norweigian elite division this season, with three draws and seven defeats, to sit at the base of the league table.

Having accrued 16 points from the same number of matches, Odds Ballklubb are now ranked third - 11 points behind leaders Bodoe/Glimt.

Born to Burundian parents in Norway in March 1999, the 21-year-old is eligible to represent Burundi at senior level. He was called up by the Football Federation of Burundi in 2019 - an honour he declined.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Luc Eymael has revealed why he will have two goalkeepers on the bench when they take on Lipuli FC in their last Mainland Premier League match of the season on Sunday.

The Jangwani Street-based giants will be keen to seal the second spot ahead of closest challengers Azam FC, who will face Tanzania Prisons as the curtain comes down on the 2019/20 season.

Both Yanga and Azam are tied on 69 points, though the latter have a better goal difference which has seen them currently occupy the second slot while Yanga are third, followed by Namungo FC in fourth.

However, Yanga are heading into their match missing at least eight players, a situation coach Eymael has told Goal will force him to have two goalkeepers on the bench because he only has15 outfield players to use in the match.

“I explained to you everything, I explained all the details about the players and the problem as not changed from our last league match in Morogoro,” Eymael told Goal on Sunday.

“Lamine [Moro] got an injury in the last game and he will be out, he got a hard tackle and twisted his ankle and thus he will be out, he was stretchered off the pitch, Deus [Keseke] my winger was the best in attack for the moment is got to yellow cards, and that is one red card, so he is missing next game,

“So I have to play minus two players, two less than the players who were there in our last league match, so I have to put two goalkeepers in the bench and use Farouk [Shikalo] between the sticks, so that is the condition at the moment, I don’t have any more options.”

“Kevin [Yondani] did not travel, Patrick [Sibomana] did not travel and both don’t have permission to be away, the saga surrounding Bernard [Morrison], you know about it, the other midfielders, Papy [Tshishimbi] is out injured, Ally Ally, Dauda and Dante, have never reported to training with reasons best known to them, but it all comes down to indiscipline from the three players.”

Asked whether they still have a chance to finish second on the log, Eymael said: “Yes, we have a big chance, we are tied on points with Azam and we all play away from home, so anything can happen, all we need is win our match and hope Azam lose theirs, I know it not be easy but we will play to win our match and wait to see what happens.

“I still insist missing on the second position will not be a good season for me with the club, I joined the club when they were lying in position four, and the gap between them and Simba SC was too huge to close down, but we managed to come to the second position and also reduce the gap with Simba.”

Both matches will kick-off at the same time – 16:00.

Simba SC coach Sven Vandenbroeck has revealed the reason their final Mainland Premier League match against Polisi Tanzania will be difficult for his side.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi have already been crowned champions for the third season in a row but will play their last league match at Ushirika Stadium as the curtain comes down on the 2019-20 season on Sunday.

However, Vandenbroeck has claimed because of the poor condition of the playing surface at Ushirika, his side will have a difficult game.

“We have always had problems playing our usual passing game when playing away from Dar es Salaam and Sunday will not be an exception,” Vandenbroeck told the club’s official website ahead of the match.

“We trained at the match venue on Saturday and to be honest I am very sure my players will have difficulties playing there, the pitch is bumpy and looks bad from all perspectives and it is unfortunate we are allowed to play in such a pitch.

“We were not able to give passes as we do in Dar es Salaam during training, and I am very sure the same thing will happen during matchday, it is not a good pitch at all and if you ask me, maybe we should have gone for an alternative venue but again, where?”

Vandenbroeck further said they will go into the match with a lot of care to avoid picking up unnecessary injuries ahead of their FA Cup final against Namungo FC on August 2.

“We will have to be very cautious to avoid picking injuries here because we have a huge domestic cup game coming up, we don’t want to play as if we have not won the league…no, we will play to entertain the fans but with one eye on the FA Cup final,” Vandenbroeck continued.

Vandenbroeck also confirmed he will make changes to the starting XI, a move he said will see regular starters rested ahead of the domestic Cup final.

“We only travelled with 22 players, and I want to make sure each and every player gets at least a few minutes to play, and especially those who missed our last league match against Coastal Union will play a part," he concluded.

The match will kick-off at 16:00.

Liverpool will look to add the finishing touches to their incredible 2019-20 Premier League season when they travel to Newcastle United on Sunday.

With the league title long since sewn up and the trophy finally presented at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp and his side will look back with immense satisfaction at their form over the year.

When the Premier League returned from coronavirus suspension, it looked like being a record-breaking campaign.

While their patchier form in recent weeks has meant some of those potential milestones have fallen away, there are still some all-time records which can still be beaten or equalled on a team and individual level.

Goal rounds up the Premier League records which Liverpool can still beat or level, the ones they have already set, and the ones they have missed.

Premier League records that Liverpool could break or equal

Biggest winning margin (19 points)

Liverpool are 18 points clear of Manchester City going into the final matchday of the season, and need a slip-up from City at home to Norwich if they are to equal or beat their record.

City finished 19 points clear of Manchester United in 2017-18.

Most wins (32)

If Liverpool beat Newcastle on Sunday, they will level the record of 32 wins out of 38 Premier League games.

Manchester City hold this record too, also from the 2017-18 season.

Premier League records that Liverpool have broken or equalled

Most assists from a defender (13)

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross for Roberto Firmino’s goal against Chelsea was his 13th assist of the season – a record total for a defender which he can add to against Newcastle.

The previous record was 12, which Alexander-Arnold set himself last season.

Fastest title win (seven games to spare)

Liverpool lifted the Premier League title after Chelsea beat Man City, with the Reds still having seven of their 38 games still to play.

The previous best was five games. Manchester United achieved this in 1907-08 and 2000-01, Man City in 2017-18, and Everton did so in 1984-85.

Longest winning run at home (24)

Liverpool won 24 consecutive Premier League games at Anfield, a run stretching back to the previous season.

That beat a record which already belonged on Merseyside, with Bill Shankly’s Liverpool winning 21 straight home games between 1971 and 1972.

Most home wins (18)

Liverpool won 18 of their 19 league games at Anfield, only slipping up in a draw against Burnley.

Chelsea, Man City and Man Utd have all won 18 out of 19 in the past, with no club ever finishing with a 100 per cent home record.

Longest winning run (18 games)

Liverpool looked destined to break Man City’s 18-game record for the most consecutive wins in the top flight, only to be thrashed 3-0 at Watford.

Nevertheless, they made it level on 18 – beating their previous attempt of 17, which came to an end earlier in the season.

Biggest lead (25 points)

Before their form slipped after the title was confirmed, Liverpool were 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League, beating the previous record of 21.

Best start in Europe

Liverpool won 20 of their first 21 Premier League games, taking 61 points from a potential 63.

No side in any of Europe’s top five leagues – the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 – has ever started a season so well.

Beat every other team in the Premier League

Klopp's side successfully defeated all 19 other teams in the Premier League, the last of which being West Ham in January.

In the Premier League era, Manchester City (twice), Manchester United (twice) and Chelsea have also achieved the same feat.

Premier League records Liverpool cannot break

Most points (100)

When the season resumed, Liverpool were targeting a potential 107 points, if they managed a perfect finish to the season.

Now, the most they can finish on is 99 – one shy of Man City’s 100-point record.

Most away wins (16)

If Liverpool beat Newcastle on Sunday, they will set a new club record of 14 away wins in a league season.

The league record of 16 was set by Man City in 2017-18.

Just when they seemed to be down and out, heading back to the Championship after securing promotion via the playoffs last year, Aston Villa have found a previously lacking resilience to pick up seven points from the last nine.

Tuesday night’s 1-0 defeat of FA Cup finalists Arsenal was probably the most significant result of a topsy-turvy campaign which ends with a trip to West Ham United, a side that were until recently fighting for their Premier League status as well.

The unforeseen run cobbled together by Smith’s side will probably be attributed to many of Villa’s players realising the ramifications of being back in the Championship in a pandemic-hit universe.

The Villans are now seemingly giving that extra bit at the back and up front, and statistics against Mikel Arteta’s men somewhat validates this claim. The West Midlands side made 16 tackles and cleared the ball away from danger a staggering 32 times, the highest numbers they’ve recorded in both metrics since the restart.

In attack, even the much-maligned Trezeguet is on the goal scoring trail again. Having failed to score a Premier League goal since early December, the Egypt star has now netted three in both wins over Crystal Palace and the Gunners to take his league tally for his maiden campaign in English football to six – only talisman Jack Grealish has more.

Still, one deficiency remains for Smith’s side: their centre-forwards’ inability to score.

The signing of Mbwana Samatta, the January addition from Belgian side Genk, has bore little fruit since making his £8.5 million switch in the winter window. With one goal in 13 league appearances since becoming the first Tanzanian to play in the Prem, Villa have had to look for goals from elsewhere in their battle to avoid relegation.

Samatta had found the back of the net seven times in 17 starts in Belgium before his transfer, while an even more impressive three goals in six in the Champions League group stage, including one against Liverpool, presented encouraging signs for Smith’s team.

Given the season-ending injury of £22 million record signing Wesley on New Year’s Day, the East African forward was supposed to fill the void of the Brazilian striker, who’d scored a decent five times in 21 games pre-injury.

However, the club’s January addition last scored on his league debut at Bournemouth in February, a strike which incidentally was the club’s first headed goal of the season. At the time it bade well for Smith’s team as it seemed like his strength in the air could be harnessed to win more points for a side heavily reliant on Grealish to create and score.

When Samatta then scored a bullet header exactly a month later to halve the deficit in the EFL Cup final defeat by Manchester City, those assumptions were given further credence.

Unfortunately, the Tanzania star hasn’t scored since March, with his confidence seemingly ebbed away as the goals have dried up. His countenance after heading over from a pin-point Ahmed El-Mohamady cross against Palace was telling; it depicted a forward on a scoreless run that’s now affecting his self-belief.

Interestingly, having attempted a total of seven shots in his first three league games against the Cherries, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, the ex-Genk man has had a miserly three in Villa’s last three games. Against Arsenal on Tuesday, he had none and carried little threat against a Gunners defence that, recent wins over Liverpool and Man City aside, have shown they can be got at.

Even more fascinating has been Samatta’s tendency to not be in the box in recent games, instead retaining a preference to graft for long punts downfield or win knockdowns. This is a departure from his opening games in English football where he was regularly in the box and available to be picked out via crosses or cut-backs.

The upshot of this loss of morale has seen Smith’s side struggle to hit the back of the net before Trezeguet recently pick up the mantle. Two of Villa’s goals before the North African attacker’s improvement in form were scored by defenders (Kortney Hause against Chelsea and El-Mohamady vs Newcastle United).

The other member of the side to have scored since the restart is centre-back Ezri Konsa, who netted in a 1-1 draw with Everton last week. The fact 50 percent of Villa’s goals in the last month have come from defenders highlights the drop-off in productivity of Smith’s attacking players since June’s resumption, including Grealish, who hasn’t played particularly well post-lockdown.

Smith’s current strikers, Samatta and Keinan Davis, account for one goal between them since February, a truly inadequate return in front of goal. There won’t be a better time to come up trumps than at the London Stadium on Sunday, but recent evidence indicates this could be a long shot.

Having had on-loan Tammy Abraham score a staggering 25 goals last year, the West Midlands team have had their strikers largely toil this term, probably an indicator of why they’ve struggled this term.

If Villa do stay up, and their latest results suggest they just might, Smith will need to ask serious questions about Samatta as well as his colleagues at centre-forward, and whether the strikers who never seem to score are the right crop for the club going forward.

Harry Maguire says Manchester United won’t settle for a draw in their Premier League season decider against his former side Leicester on Sunday.

With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side third and the Foxes fifth, a point would be enough to secure Champions League qualification.

But, with Chelsea behind them on goal difference alone, United are keen to make third place their own as they travel to the King Power Stadium.

“We won’t be going to Leicester and playing for the draw, that’s for sure,” Maguire told MUTV.

“We’ll go into the game wanting to win it. We want to get the three points; we’ll approach it like we approach any other game.

“Maybe if we’re drawing in the last couple of minutes, we might approach it a little bit differently but for sure we’re going to go into the game and try to get the three points.

“We’re sat third in the league and that’s where we want to be by the end of Sunday.

“At the start of the season we wanted to reach the top four - a lot of people didn’t think we would come Christmas, but we’ve put ourselves in a great position now and it’s an exciting game to be involved in.

“It’s really important [to play Champions League football]. I joined this club to win the biggest trophies and the Champions League is one of the biggest of them all. As a club and a player, we want to be in the Champions League, so it’s really important to be there.”

Maguire is also targeting a personal milestone as the clock ticks towards kick-off time.

In his debut season at Old Trafford, the 27-year-old hasn’t missed a minute of action in the league, and he is keen to keep up his 100 per cent record.

“Touch wood I manage to play the game on Sunday and do that [play every minute of every Premier League game this season],” he said.

“It’s something I do really take pride in, being available and looking after myself in order to play every game.

“It’s important for a top defender to play every game. I’ve done it once in my career, at Leicester in my first season where I played every minute of every game, and it’s been nice, touch wood, that I’ve stayed injury-free and not picked up any silly suspensions this season.”

Fatawu Safiu has recorded his first hat-trick for club and country after striking thrice in Trelleborgs’ 4-1 defeat of Dalkurd FF in Saturday’s Swedish second division encounter.

The visitors went to the Vangavallen with the ambition of ending their five-game winless run, however, they were silenced by Kristian Haynes’ side.

Erik Andersson handed Trelleborgs a sixth-minute lead before Safiu doubled his team’s advantage five minutes later after beating goalkeeper Filip Anger.

Guinean forward Kerfala Cissoko reduced the deficit for the visitors after slotting past Fritiof Bjorken from the penalty mark in the 21st minute.

Safiu, the unfamiliar Ghanaian hero, scored two quickfire goals in the 41st and 43rd minute to complete a first-half hat-trick as Haynes’ men went into the half-time break with a comfortable lead.

Before then, the visitors had Christoffer Styff shown the way out by referee Robert Daradic for a second caution.

In the second half, neither side found the net with the only significant moment Mouhammed-Ali Dhaini’s caution in the 51st minute.

After putting up an impressive display, Safiu was replaced with seven minutes left to play by Sweden’s Henrik Johansson.

For the visitors, Cissoko was substituted for Suleman Zurmati in the 66th minute, while Nigeria’s Okechukwu Offia came off for Arian Kabashi in the 73rd minute.

His compatriot John Igbarumah - who was handed a starter’s role - was substituted for on-loan Malmo striker Patriot Sejdiu in the 66th minute.

The Ghanaian’s feat ensured that he ended his eight-month goal drought since his last strike against Jonkopings Sodra on November 3, 2019.

Inspired by his achievement, the 25-year-old went on social media to celebrate his goals.

“You can’t stop a beast who is hungry for a better life,” Safiu tweeted.

Thanks to this result, Trelleborgs climbed to ninth on the Superettan log having garnered 11 points from eight games as Dalkurd remained 13th with seven points from the same number of games.

The former Asante Kotoko man will be hoping to continue this newly discovered form when they take on hosts Umea FC on Thursday, with Dalkurd welcoming relegation-threatened Orgryte to Nya Studenternas on Wednesday.

Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack has suggested he will not hesitate to handle the Kenyan national team if the seat falls vacant.

The British coach has told Goal he will not mind coaching any national team in Africa if an offer presents itself and will also not mind dropping off his CV if and when the Harambee Stars need a coach.

“Being a coach and also having coached in Africa I feel one day I will give it a try to handle a national team, and Kenya is not an exceptional, maybe, who knows if the chance comes up I will definitely drop in my CV,” Polack told Goal on Sunday.

“Every coach would love to handle a national team, not me alone and if they advertise the job I will put in my CV in, that is it because also my CV has been seen in Africa already.

“I know Kenya well and this might even make it easier for me to work here but for now I am committed elsewhere, I have a contract with Gor Mahia which I have to honour, but maybe one day, you never know, I might be among a thousand of coaches applying to coach the Kenya national team."

Polack continued: “I have never walked out of my job, I always make sure that I see through my contract and that is what I will strive to do with Gor Mahia, I signed a contract with them and I have to honour it to the end, unless they tell me they don’t want me, I will remain committed to the course.”

In a recent interview, Polack told Goal how he has missed his family back home in Finland since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and promised to travel once international flights are allowed to resume in Kenya.

“I want to be quite frank, I really want to go home, I really want to go and see my family, I miss my children, my children every time I call them they keep asking me when are you coming, when are you coming, every month, every month and they ask me the same question, and I would really want to go and spend some quality time with them,” Polack told Goal.

“I need to spend time with them, father and daughter and father and son quality time, be next to them and that is something I have been looking forward to and now that the President says international flights will open in August, I am ready to head home and be with my family.

“If they resume in August, then I will go home for even seven days and come back home, I also need to find out when I go home, will I be in isolation in my country for 14 days? And when I come back another 14 days in isolation in Kenya? I need to know this before I travel.”

Polack joined Gor Mahia at the start of the season, replacing Hassan Oktay, and managed to win the curtain-raiser – KPL Cup – and the league title, after the FKF moved to end the 2019-20 season owing to the effects caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and declare K’Ogalo the champions.

The 23-year-old player is happy to finally be back in training this month with the current season set to resume soon having been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sekgota explained that it is important to be mentally strong and remain focused as the Clever Boys look to perform well in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and Nedbank Cup.

“It is good to be back after a long time, football is something that we love and live for so this is a great feeling,” Sekgota told the club's official website.

“It is all about the dedication that you have, your goals in life. You have to stay strong. Challenges come and go, you just need to be mentally strong and remain focused."

Wits have nine matches left in their league campaign and they will also take on Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals when the season resumes.

Sekgota, who is a Bafana Bafana international, feels that there is still so much to play for, for the Clever Boys.

"We are in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals and we still have a few league games left so there is still a lot to play for," he added.

“Obviously we are a big team with a good coach [Gavin Hunt] that has a lot of experience."

Wits have agreed to sell their top-flight status to National First Division (NFD) club Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila.

Once the deal is approved by the PSL, Wits will relocate to the Limpopo Province and the club will be renamed Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila ahead of the 2020/21 season.

Sekgota explained that they will need to be competitive and professional in their remaining matches.

"We have a squad full of national team players so we will remain competitive and professional up until the end of the season,” he concluded.

The Seshego-born player is set to return to his parent club Vitoria Setubal following a successful loan spell at Wits.

The Portuguese Primeira Liga side has agreed to allow Sekgota to finish the suspended PSL season before returning to Europe.

He made seven appearances across all competitions for the Clever Boys before the campaign was halted.

Josep Maria Bartomeu says no club has been worse affected by the coronavirus crisis than Barcelona – but he claims the club’s debt levels are still healthy.

With spiralling wages for the club’s stars, a number of expensive signings who haven’t made an impact on the pitch and the ‘Espai Barca’ Camp Nou redevelopment project, some have predicted financial troubles ahead for the club.

President Bartomeu looks to be projecting a message of calm, though he had a stark warning about the effects of Covid-19 on football.

“We saw that there was a pandemic worldwide and said that it would be a complex summer with swap deals, and that’s what is happening,” Bartomeu told Mundo Deportivo.

“Since March 14 we have not received a euro. We have missed out on €200 million (£182m/$233m). €200m!

“We have recovered a lot by reducing wages and using ERTE’s (Temporary Employment Regulation File, with the government paying 70 per cent of wages).

“We have had to close the shops and the museum, there have been no ticket sales. We have paid back the ticket money for matches fans couldn’t attend. €200m is a big blow.

“This pandemic will have effects for two or three seasons,” he added. “Nobody should think that things will be fixed by next season. The great financial gurus talk about four years, but I think football will go faster.”

Bartomeu was keen to stress the point that Barca aren’t above feeling the effects of the economic downturn from the virus.

“In our Strategic Plan we had planned on earning €1.1 billion (£1bn/$1.3bn) and now we will bring in 30 per cent less because of Covid,” he said.

“I say this because if someone thinks that the pandemic does not affect Barca, they are wrong. It affects the big European clubs and Barca is the European club that makes the most money and is the most affected.”

But, when asked about reports of the club being in poor financial health, Bartomeu was defensive.

“It’s not true," he said We had a higher level of income than the other big clubs but on March 14, everything stopped and we had to adapt to the new situation.

“And despite the losses, we will continue to be the leader in revenue. The club's debt level is not very high.

“When the audit ends in mid-August, the economic vice president Jordi Moix will explain it and we will see that we are at normal debt levels."