This could be the clash that will decide where the Nigerian league title will swing at the end of the current season. Remo Stars, the suprise team of the current Nigerian football season, have been unrelenting in making bold statement on the league title.

For the greater part of the season, they have been the team to beat as they held on tenaciously to the top position which following a day delay in their matchday 5 tie, they temporarily relinquished to established powerhouse, Rivers United.

Now the two top contenders go head-to-head in Ikenne on Sunday.

This is a highly anticipated clash as both sides are the only unbeaten teams on the NPFL this season.The Gbenga Ogunbote’s boys currently sit second on the log having same points with Rivers United who are currently on top of the league, with the Sky Blue Stars behind on goal difference.

The Sky Blue Stars held former champions, Rangers International to a goalless draw at the Ifeanyi Ubah Stadium in Anambra on Wednesday, while the Pride of Rivers defeated Heartland 3-1 in Porthacourt.

Sunday’s encounter will be the fifth meeting for both sides in the NPFL, with Rivers United having edged out the Sky Blue Stars in all previous four meetings.

Bernard Ovoke gave the Pride of Rivers all three points in the 21st minute back in 2017 when both sides met at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Porthacourt.

Remo Stars were defeated 3-1 back at the Gateway Stadium in Sagamu with goals from Bernard Ovoke, Emeka Ogbuh and Esosa Igbinoba with Oche Salefu scoring the consolation goal two minutes to the end of the game for Remo Stars.

When both side met in January 2019, Wasiu Jimoh gave Rivers United the maximum victory at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Portharcourt.

Three months later, Justice Charles won the game for the Pride of Rivers at the Gateway International Stadium in Sagamu to win all four matches against the Sky Blue Stars.

The Sky Blue Stars will be looking to continue their unbeaten run in the ongoing season with Dayo Ojo, Junior Nduka, Andy Okpe, Samuel Anakwe, Sunday Williams, Ifegwu Ojukwu and Kayode Bankole all available for this match.

The backline of Remo Stars will be wary of their former player, Rafiu Isahq who is currently the highest goalscorer in the NPFL with 7 goals, former MFM player, Akuneto Chijioke who has 3 goals, Nyima Nwangua, Chidiebude Duru, Uche Onwuansanya and Maurice Chukwu.

Former Remo Stars Head Coach, Fatai Osho will also make his way back to Ikenne as he leads the Pride of Rivers to the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State for the crunchy tie.

The Sky Blue Stars have kept 6 clean sheets, one ahead of the Pride of Rivers as both sides biggest win this season was a 3-0 victory against Heartland for Remo Stars and 3-0 victory against Katsina United for Rivers United.

Round of 16 – Guinea v Gambia – Stade de Kouekong, Bafoussam, Cameroon – January 24, 2022 Gambia’s Musa Barrow celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates

Hosts Cameroon will go into the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals wary of an ignominious exit as they take on giant killers Gambia in the first of the weekend’s matches.

Cameroon have been far from convincing as they have advanced through the group stages and one round of knockout matches while lowly ranked Gambia have thrilled with their attacking approach and improbable run to the last eight of the tournament.

Burkina Faso and Tunisia meet in Garoua in Saturday’s second quarter-final clash while Egypt play Morocco and Senegal take on another upstart in Equatorial Guinea in Sunday’s two quarter-finals in Yaounde.

Gambia are making their Nations Cup debut and are ranked 150 in world football – the lowest of all 24 teams at the Cup of Nations finals – but have yet proven able to win two out of three group matches, and then upset Guinea in the last-16, conceding only one goal, which was from the penalty spot, in four matches in Cameroon.

Cameroon, in contrast, have turned in largely mediocre performances and, although they had all the odds heavily staked in their favour in their last game against the other tournament debutants, Comoros Islands, they laboured through to the quarter-finals in a controversial 2-1 victory.

“We have seen teams ranked as underdogs stand up to high calibre countries and my players have been warned,” said Cameroon coach Toni Conceiçao.

Elimination of the hosts at this stage would come as a blow to tournament already hard hit by the death of eight spectators in a stampede ahead of Cameroon’s last game on Monday.

As a result, Yaounde’s Olembe Stadium, where the final is scheduled to be played on Feb. 6, is not being used this weekend.

Cameroon take on Gambia in Douala where the condition of the pitch at the Japoma Stadium been declared poor and where there will be no further games, the Confederation of African Football decided this week.

On Sunday, both matches are being played at Yaounde’s older Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium.

Egypt’s clash with Morocco will be keenly anticipated and could reveal the identity of the eventual winner although Senegal remain strong favourites, even if they, too, have not delivered any strong evidence of their potential.

Senegal have scored only three goals in four outings at the tournament but have not conceded a goal and will be heavily fancied to end the run of Equatorial Guinea, although Sadio Mane’s participation is unsure after he suffered concussion in their last game on Tuesday.

The quarter-final winners advance to the semi-finals, both to be played in Yaounde, on Wednesday and Thursday.

With the clock ticking down to a World Cup qualifier with Nigeria, Ghana may have settled for former Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion manager, Chris Hughton.

According to numerous sources in Ghana, the Irish trainer is currently in Ghana  and there are strong indications that he could be named to assume the  vacant Black Stars coaching job.

He is among a number of coaches listed as possible candidates to take over the managerial job following the sacking of Milovan Rajevac on Wednesday, January 26.

Hughton, 63, is of Ghanaian heritage through his father and is expected to have a meeting with the executive council of the Ghana Football Association during his time in the country.

It is understood that a high ranking member of the government is pushing for the appointment of the former Norwich City manager as the next head coach of the senior national team.

Meanwhile, the GFA’s executive council have a different option for the job. Other persons being linked to the job include Borussia Dortmund assistant coach Otto Addo, Aston Villa youth coach George Boateng and former Cameroon assistant coach Ibrahim Tanko.

A stampede that led to the deaths of eight people outside an Africa Cup of Nations stadium was caused by a “reckless” decision to open a gate in the face of a “flood of people”, Cameroon’s sports minister said on Friday (Jan 28).

“That entry gate was momentarily closed by security forces in the face of a surge of spectators despite other entry gates being in operation,” said Narcisse Mouelle Kombi at a press conference.

“Overwhelmed by this surge of people, the security forces took the reckless decision to open the south gate, leading to a crush,” which caused the tragedy on Monday at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde.

The minister also acknowledged that the number of security staff was “insufficient” at the match at Olembe Stadium in Yaounde for the match between the home nation and Comoros.

He also blamed the number of people trying to get in with fake or used tickets or even without tickets for the crush.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, which also left 38 people injured, Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAN), announced that Sunday’s quarter-final due to be played at the Olembe Stadium will be switched to the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium, also in Yaounde.

He also announced that CAF would not allow other matches to be played there if the Cameroonian authorities did not submit an investigation report by Friday.

“That gate was supposed to be open because if it was open they would have walked through, and for inexplicable reasons it was closed,” Mostsepe said on Tuesday.

Everton have offered their vacant managerial position to former England midfielder Frank Lampard.

Lampard, 43, has been out of work for a year after being sacked as Chelsea manager last January, leaving the Blues after 18 months in charge.

Portuguese Vitor Pereira and caretaker Duncan Ferguson also had their second interviews for the job on Friday, but the club decided to move for Lampard.

Rafael Benitez was sacked after winning just one of his last 13 games.

The former Liverpool manager lasted less than seven months and a side lacking in confidence lies 16th in the Premier League, just six points above the relegation zone.

Pereira initially looked set to be offered the job after holding “very positive” talks and said club officials were “enthusiastic of what I proposed to them”.

But graffiti daubed on Everton’s Goodison Park home this week opposed the move and read ‘Pereira out, Lampard in’.

And on Wednesday night around 100 fans held a protest at Goodison at the way the club is being run.

Former Toffee Wayne Rooney was also in contention for the role but turned down thew chance to talk with Everton as he wants to stay at Championship strugglers Derby.

Ex-Rams boss Lampard held talks about becoming Norwich boss in November before dropping out of the running, with the Canaries appointing Dean Smith instead.

He could be appointed as Everton manager by the time they next play on 5 February against Brentford in the FA Cup.

What was Lampard’s record at Chelsea?

During his 13 seasons as a player at Stamford Bridge, Lampard made 648 appearances and won 11 major trophies – including four Premier League titles and the 2012 Champions League.

He guided Chelsea to fourth place and the FA Cup final in his first season in charge but a run of five defeats in eight games saw him sacked by owner Roman Abramovich.

Lampard’s points-per-game average of 1.67 is the lowest of any permanent Chelsea manager in the Premier League.

During the Abramovich era, only Andre Villas-Boas (47.5%) has a worse win rate than Lampard’s 52.4%, in all competitions among permanent Chelsea bosses.

Ashleigh Barty beat Danielle Collins to win the Australian Open title, ending the home nation’s 44-year wait for a Grand Slam women’s singles champion.

Top seed Barty fought back from 5-1 down in the second set to win 6-3 7-6 (7-2) on a jubilant Rod Laver Arena.

The 25-year-old Queenslander has won the title without dropping a set in Melbourne this fortnight.

“This is a dream come true for me. I am so proud of being Aussie,” said world number one Barty.

“As an Aussie, the most important part of this tournament has been being able to share this experience with the fans.

“This crowd is one of the most fun I’ve played in front of.”

Addressing the crowd, she added: “You relaxed me and forced me to play my best tennis. Thank you.”

After winning the 2019 French Open and last year’s Wimbledon title, Barty has now claimed three of the four majors.

Relief clear for Barty and the Australian crowd

With a partisan 12,000-strong crowd and a home nation watching on, Barty started and ended the final looking unburdened by the weight of expectation.

In between, there were anxious moments as Collins, troubling Barty with her powerful returning, earned a double break in the second set.

But Barty had dropped only 21 games on her way to the final and, although the second set looked to have got away from her, she regained her composure brilliantly to turn the match back in her favour.

Among those watching was Chris O’Neil, the last Australian to win the men’s or women’s singles title in Melbourne.

Barty, rarely overcome by emotion, shouted with delight when she clinched the title with a cross-court forehand winner.

Virtually everyone inside Rod Laver Arena jumped to their feet, roaring their approval, many with camera phones in hand to capture a long-awaited moment for the nation’s sports fans.

The world number one’s relief was clear.

Barty clenched both fists as she dropped to her haunches, before running over to the side where she beckoned former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua, now a television analyst, on to court for a warm hug.

After reaching the Melbourne semi-finals in 2020, with quarter-final defeats coming in the years either side, Barty finally landed the prize she really wanted.

Victory continued her supreme form in 2022, and she has now won all 11 of her singles matches this year.

After beating three top-20 players to win the Adelaide International title, she has continued that dominance in Melbourne.

Barty, who took a break from tennis in 2014 to pursue a professional cricket career, has often paid tribute to Dellacqua’s influence on her success and the kiss on her friend’s forehead indicated her gratitude.

There was another special moment for Barty – and the home fans – when the player’s idol, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, came on to court to present her with the Daphne Akhurst trophy.

Since O’Neil’s triumph in 1978, four players – Kim Warwick, Wendy Turnbull, Pat Cash and Lleyton Hewitt – had lost in the men’s or women’s singles final.

There had been home success in the wheelchair and quad events, through David Hall and Dylan Alcott, and in the doubles events.

Collins unable to spoil the Barty party

In her first Grand Slam final, American 27th seed Collins was aiming to spoil the Barty party.

Few, at least outside Australia, would have begrudged her claiming a major title after a difficult journey of her own.

In April, she said she was taking an indefinite break from tennis as she prepared to have surgery for endometriosis.

Collins returned to action two months later and, after surgery and helped by medication, says she is now having less painful periods and is able to train more consistently.

That resulted in a brilliant run in Melbourne, where she demonstrated her incredible power and will-to-win.

Against Barty, Collins looked to settle quickly and exploit any nerves the home favourite might be feeling.

The first break point of the match came the American’s way at 2-2 when Barty hit a loose forehand long, only for the Australian to save it with a gutsy forehand on to the line.

After holding with an ace, Barty settled down and was helped into a 4-2 lead when Collins threw in an double fault on break point.

Barty sealed the set to the sound of a rapturous crowd and, having only dropped serve once in the entire tournament, looked in a commanding position.

Collins, however, broke for a 2-0 lead in the second, leading to a passionate celebration from the American.

A double hand fist-pump squat perfectly illustrated her combative and competitive on-court personality.

The crowd started getting edgy as Collins moved 5-1 ahead and she was two points away from levelling the match at 5-3 30-0.

But Barty produced two forehand winners to unsettle her opponent and that sparked the fight-back that ended in Australian sporting immortality.