Pierre Kalulu is set to stay at Milan until 2027 after the defender signed a two-year extension to his previous deal at San Siro.

The 22-year-old, who arrived just over two years ago from Lyon's reserve team, has emerged as a regular fixture in the Rossoneri's back-line and has been rewarded for his fine form.

Kalulu was originally contracted to Milan until 2025, but he has become the latest key man to commit his long-term future to the Serie A champions.

"Milan is pleased to announce the extension of Pierre Kalulu's contract until 30 June 2027," read a brief club statement.

"Pierre joined AC Milan in the summer of 2020 and has since made 75 appearances, carving out an important space in the Rossoneri defence."

Fikayo Tomori, Kalulu's defensive partner, and Sandro Tonali have also both signed new deals since the start of the season, as has coach Stefano Pioli. Theo Hernandez agreed an extension back in February.

Kalulu played 28 games and scored one goal in Serie A last season. He has featured 14 times in the league this term, as well as starting all six of Milan's Champions League matches.

Joao Felix is angling for a way out of Atletico Madrid, having fallen out of favour in Spain.

The 22-year-old has started only eight of the 17 games he has played in this season, netting three goals.

The forward is contracted with Atletico until 2026, having signed a bumper seven-year deal when joining from Benfica in 2019.

TOP STORY – PSG PLOTTING JANUARY LOAN MOVE FOR JOAO FELIX

Paris Saint-Germain have joined the list of clubs interested in Atletico Madrid's wantaway forward Joao Felix, according to Le Parisien.

PSG may look to sign the Portuguese on loan in January, having been interested in a move for him during the last transfer window.

Joao Felix has also been linked with Bayern Munich and Manchester United, with both clubs reportedly bidding for him in the last transfer window.

ROUND-UP

– Borussia Dortmund are bullish they can ward off interest in their 19-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham and retain his services, reports 90min. Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are all keen on the England international.

– Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa may have penned a new contract last week, but Manchester United are still monitoring the 23-year-old, reports Nicolo Schira. United will keep an eye on him during the World Cup, although he has a €75million (£65m) release clause.

– Arsenal are willing to fork out £56m to land Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Mykhailo Mudryk, according to Dean Jones on GiveMeSport.

– Roma are interested in out-of-favour Barcelona full-back Hector Bellerin, having failed to lure Manchester United's Diogo Dalot, reports Calciomercato.

– West Ham have identified Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Kouadio Kone as their top transfer target, reports Bild.

The Danish Football Association (DBU) says it is "regrettable" that FIFA have rejected their request to train with shirts emblazoned with the phrase "human rights for all" at the World Cup.

Denmark revealed in September toned down Hummel kits for their World Cup jerseys, including a third black kit, as a protest to Qatar's human rights record.

The DBU have been proactive in their criticism of Qatar's treatment of foreign workers and restrictive social laws, minimizing commercial activities in the nation while stating last year that training kit sponsors would make way for messages.

DBU chief executive Jakob Jensen revealed on Thursday that FIFA had turned down their training shirts submission.

"We have today got a message from FIFA that the training shirts our players were to train in, where it would say 'human rights for all' at the stomach [of the shirt], have been rejected due to technical reasons, which is regrettable," Jensen told Ritzau news agency.

"We believe the message "human rights for all" is universal and not a political call, but something everyone can support."

FIFA's rules stipulate that any team equipment cannot have political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, while the organization wrote to teams recently to urge them to focus on football in Qatar rather than ideological or political issues.

Players from Australia, who are in Denmark's group along with France and Tunisia, recently released a video criticizing the human rights record of Qatar, specifically migrant workers and LGBTQ+ people.

Veteran strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani have earned selection to their fourth consecutive World Cup, headlining Uruguay's squad announcement on Thursday.

Cavani, 35, was considered in doubt due to a recurring ankle injury, which has seen him complete a full 90 minutes just once this LaLiga season for Valencia. 

Following that 90-minute performance, he was withdrawn just 18 minutes into Valencia's following game against Barcelona on October 29, and is yet to return.

Suarez, who is also 35, played in both September friendlies, contributing an assist in a 2-0 win against fellow World Cup qualifiers Canada to indicate he is still at the required level, despite playing his club football for Nacional in the Uruguayan First Division.

While the seasoned strike partnership will provide experience, Uruguay's squad also has a strong mix of younger emerging talent, headlined by 24-year-old Real Madrid star Federico Valverde.

Cavani and Valverde lead an impressive group joining the squad from LaLiga, which includes centre-backs Ronald Araujo from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez.

Liverpool's Darwin Nunez, Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur and Manchester United's Facundo Pellistri are the squad's only Premier League representatives, while Napoli's Mathias Olivera, Roma's Matias Vina and Lazio's Matias Vecino represent Serie A.

Uruguay begin their campaign on November 24 against South Korea, before facing Portugal on November 28 and wrapping up Group H against Ghana on December 2.

Uruguay squad: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Sergio Rochet (Nacional), Sebastián Sosa (Independiente); Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), Martín Caceres (LA Galaxy), Sebastian Coates (Sporting CP), Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Diego Godín (Velez Sarsfield), Mathias Olivera (Napoli), Jose Luis Rodriguez (Nacional), Guillermo Varela (Flamengo), Matias Vina (Roma); Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham), Nicolas de la Cruz (River Plate), Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray), Manuel Ugarte (Sporting CP), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Matías Vecino (Lazio); Agustín Cannobio (Athletico Paranaense), Edinson Cavani (Valencia), Maxi Gomez (Trabzonspor), Darwin Nunez (Liverpool), Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United), Luis Suarez (Nacional), Facundo Torres (Orlando City).

Carlo Ancelotti lamented Real Madrid's late showing for inviting "unnecessary suffering" in what should have been a more comfortable victory over Cadiz.

Madrid will head into November's World Cup break trailing LaLiga leaders Barcelona by two points after overcoming Cadiz 2-1 on Thursday.

Eder Militao's second goal in as many games and a thunderous Toni Kroos volley seemingly had Madrid cruising to victory, before Lucas Perez's 81st-minute strike ensured a nervy ending at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ancelotti acknowledged there were a lot of positives to take from Madrid's first victory in three league games, though the Blancos coach was frustrated to see his side concede late on.

"Yes, we played very well until 2-1. We were able to score 3-0 with [Luka] Modric, who had an easy chance," the Italian told DAZN. 

"Then it's normal. It was unnecessary suffering. Three deserved points and we finished well [before the World Cup]."

Modric, who will aim for World Cup glory with Croatia in Qatar, missed a gilt-edged chance at 2-0 up as he fired wide of an open goal following Vinicius Junior's offload.

The failure in front of goal did not come back to haunt Madrid, allowing Ancelotti to joke about the miss, saying: "I've told him Croatia have already given him the call-up, so he won't have a problem."

Cadiz attempted to ruffle Madrid feathers by imposing their physical presence, leading to six yellow cards being shown in an ill-tempered clash.

Vinicius voiced his displeasure in the first half after team-mate Rodrygo and centre-back Fali clashed off the ball, with Ancelotti stunned by the lack of retrospective VAR action.

"Yes, they told me that [Fali] punched [Rodrygo]. I saw a video and it seemed like an attack to me," Ancelotti said of the altercation where Fali appeared to elbow the Madrid attacker.

The Cadiz defender suggested he may have let the heat of the moment get to him, too.

"In the end it's true that I did hit him. He says it's an elbow and I say no," Fali said. "I try to stop him and try to grab him. The VAR sees it and gives me a yellow card. 

"In this action maybe, I went a little too far. It is not to hurt him. The still image seems to be more than it is. I try to grab his head. He says that I elbowed him, and tell him I did not."

Madrid will not be in action until a trip to Real Valladolid on December 31 after the break for the World Cup.

Erik ten Hag was proud of Manchester United's resilience after the Red Devils twice came from behind to seal a frantic 4-2 win over Aston Villa in the EFL Cup on Thursday.

United were heading for a second consecutive third-round exit from the competition when Ollie Watkins opened the scoring at Old Trafford, and again when Diogo Dalot put through his own net after Anthony Martial equalised.

However, Marcus Rashford got United back on level terms before goals from Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay took the game away from Villa, helping the Red Devils into the fourth round.

Ten Hag hit out at an "unacceptable" performance when United fell to a 3-1 Premier League defeat to Villa on Sunday, but he was thrilled by Thursday's comeback against the same opponents.

"Two halves are never the same, it's true. First half, we controlled the game by good pressing, we won a lot of balls in the opponents' half, but then did the wrong things," he told Sky Sports shortly before United were drawn with Burnley in the fourth round.

"At half-time, we said, 'keep the pressing but be more direct, pass the ball behind their defence'. Then we came back, we fought back. 

"I'm really proud of the team that they could do that after Sunday's defeat.

"I'm really happy with that resilience, that's what we need to show every game, that's why I was so disappointed – so mad – with the performance on Sunday.

"We didn't fight, we didn't cooperate, we were sloppy – especially in the defensive discipline, and a United player always has to show 100 per cent discipline."

United travel to Fulham for their final Premier League game before the World Cup on Sunday, and Ten Hag says the extended break will allow for a better analysis of his team's progress.

"Now we have a little more time, we can go a bit deeper, and we will see where we can improve. We will have a good reflection, definitely," Ten Hag added.

"It's a quick game, an intense game, and what we have to do better is to play football at a high intensity, that's what the top teams do. 

"I think we have made a step in the right direction, but on the ball, we can be more in control. There's still a long way to go."

Meanwhile, Rashford hit the net for the eighth time this season on the day he was named in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the World Cup, and the 25-year-old believes focusing on United has benefited him.

"For me, the focus is United. If you're performing for United then England is always going to be around the corner," Rashford said.

"I'm obviously really pleased to be back in the mix and back with the squad, and it's going to be a massive month so I'm looking forward to that, but hopefully we can close this chapter off with a win on Sunday."

Toni Kroos scored a superb volley and assisted another goal as Real Madrid moved within two points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona by beating Cadiz 2-1 in their final match before the World Cup break.

Carlo Ancelotti's side suffered their first loss of the top-flight season at Rayo Vallecano on Monday, but returned to winning ways with a much-improved showing at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Eder Militao opened the scoring with a first-half header from Kroos' cross on Thursday, marking the centre-back's second goal in as many league games.

Kroos' emphatic second-half strike meant Lucas Perez's late goal proved irrelevant as Madrid closed the gap on Barca.

Alfonso Espino offered Madrid an early scare as his long-range strike clipped the top of the crossbar, before Federico Valverde fired narrowly wide at the other end.

A frenetic first half continued with tempers flaring for both sides before Militao headed Toni Kroos' left-wing cross into the bottom-right corner five minutes before half-time.

Thibaut Courtois thwarted Ruben Sobrino from a rare Cadiz chance after the interval, before Kroos powered into the bottom-left corner stylishly from the edge of the area. 

Luka Modric inexplicably missed an open goal to add a late third and was punished as Perez pounced on a spilled Courtois save, though Madrid held on for victory.

What does it mean? Los Blancos back on track

Madrid were a shadow of their usual high standards in their last two league outings and faced a three-match winless LaLiga run for the first time in two years – under Zinedine Zidane.

However, Ancelotti's side bounced back to record just their second victory in five league games against Cadiz, who have won just three of their 38 top-flight visits to Madrid (D5 L30).

With the World Cup now taking centre stage, Ancelotti will be delighted to head into the break with victory before Madrid reconvene in their seemingly two-horse race for the LaLiga title with Barca.

Kroos control

Kroos will be an integral figure for Germany in their bid to lift the Jules Rimet trophy in the Middle East and the veteran midfielder offered a timely reminder of his qualities with his second-half strike.

The 32-year-old appeared to be everywhere for Madrid, assisting Militao's header with one of his game-high four chances created, as well as regaining possession eight times – another game-leading figure.

Gonzalez struggles again

Cadiz coach Sergio Gonzalez must be pondering what he must do to taste victory against Madrid.

He has gone 11 games without defeating Los Blancos in LaLiga (D2 L9), more than against any other team in the competition.

What's next?

Madrid are not in action until visiting Real Valladolid on December 31 after the World Cup in Qatar, while Cadiz travel to Real Union Club on Sunday in the Copa del Rey first round.

Manchester United twice came from behind to seal a thrilling 4-2 win over Aston Villa in the EFL Cup, avenging Sunday's Premier League defeat to Unai Emery's men.

With Erik ten Hag resting several key players and Cristiano Ronaldo absent through illness at Old Trafford, United fell behind through Ollie Watkins' well-taken finish at the start of a frantic second half, though Anthony Martial swiftly levelled.

United then went 2-1 down when Diogo Dalot put into his own net, but Marcus Rashford's strike set up a grandstand finish.

Fernandes saw an effort deflect off Tyrone Mings before nestling in the top-left corner and McTominay finished the visitors off to ensure United advanced to the fourth round following a back-and-forth encounter.

Massimiliano Allegri was grateful after Alex Sandro's cynical red card helped Juventus to a 1-0 win over bottom-placed Hellas Verona on Thursday.

Moise Kean's strike with half an hour to play looked to be enough for Juve to make it five victories and five clean sheets in a row, but in injury time, a Thomas Henry throughball put Kevin Lasagna in on goal.

However, Sandro barged Lasagna over before the Verona forward reached the box and though the full-back was sent off, the resulting free-kick was skied over and Juve saw the game out to secure the three points.

Allegri was delighted after the match with his side's dogged performance and Sandro's unselfish decision to take Lasagna down, telling Sky Sport: "Alex Sandro's red card is worth a goal.

"He should not be fined but given a prize.

"It certainly wasn't a great match on a technical level. In some situations we could have done better but it is an important sign for the team. We came through a tiring period and with players out, and luckily the changes helped us."

Allegri also spoke of his joy for Kean, who has now scored in three straight starts in all competitions after failing to hit the target in his previous seven, saying: "If he played many games, he would score many goals.

"For me he is very important and I'm happy. It took a while to get out of the way to find space, he [Kean] and [Arkadiusz] Milik did it better in the second half."

Angel Di Maria continued his return from injury with a cameo and though he failed to make much of an impact, Allegri was understanding with the former Real Madrid man expected to be in Argentina's World Cup squad.

"On a technical level, he did well. Angel managed the ball," Allegri added. 

"It's normal, there's a World Cup in a few days and you unconsciously leave something on the pitch. It's not wanted, but that's the way it is."

France international Benjamin Pavard has hinted he could leave Bayern Munich if presented with an appealing project elsewhere.

Pavard joined Bayern from Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart in 2019 and has won three German top-flight titles during his time with the Bavarian giants, as well as lifting the Champions League trophy in 2020.

The 26-year-old has made 20 appearances for Bayern this season, starting 16 times and contributing to five clean sheets.

However, in an interview with L'Equipe, Pavard suggested he may be open to swapping the Bundesliga for a new challenge, saying: "I'm not against discovering a new project. This may be the time. 

"There have been no specific discussions. For the moment, I am focused on the World Cup.

"I have immense respect for Bayern. Here, I learnt the requirements of the very top level, and it is an honour to wear this jersey.

"Why not discover a new country, a new culture? But the sports project must be interesting. I'm not going to leave for nothing."

The wing-back played a key role as France won their second World Cup in 2018, but Les Bleus' preparations for their defence of the trophy in Qatar have been fraught with difficulties.

France narrowly avoided relegation from the top tier of the Nations League after losing three of their six fixtures in Group A1 this year, but Pavard has no concerns about the team's form ahead of the World Cup.

"I'm not worried. It is better to have difficulties before the big competition than during it," Pavard added. "We have a team with new young players who just arrived, it is normal to need time."

Gareth Southgate says it may have been perceived as "arrogant" to select Reece James for England at the World Cup with "too many unknowns" over his recovery from injury.

The Chelsea full-back was left out of England's 26-man squad for the World Cup, which starts on November 20 in Qatar, after being sidelined since October 11 with a knee issue.

James sustained the injury in a Champions League clash with Milan and, despite no initial concern, scans revealed damaged ligaments could keep him out for up to eight weeks.

The 22-year-old still hoped to make England's travelling party but Three Lions manager Southgate opted to leave the right-back out due to the unknown nature of his recovery.

"We had to make a very difficult call with Reece, who is a fantastic player," Southgate said.

"He was not going to be available – if everything went perfectly – until the latter stages of the tournament and there were too many unknowns for us on that road to recovery."

Kyle Walker was still selected despite not playing since limping off in Manchester City's derby-day victory over Manchester United on October 2.

Southgate suggested Walker has made more encouraging progression in his recovery as he claimed including James may not be looked upon favourably due to issues over his group-stage availability.

"I do not think we can take a player who is not available for the group stage, that would be deemed arrogant in some circles," the 52-year-old added.

"But if everything went well and he was available, we would be dropping him into a quarter-final after eight weeks out. That would be really demanding. So it was a tough call.

"Kyle is a long way ahead of that and is progressing really well."

England face Iran in their World Cup opener before Group B fixtures against the United States and Wales.

Gareth Southgate does not want the World Cup to be "diminished" amid human rights concerns in Qatar but the England manager vowed to continue discussing issues "we think should be talked about".

The 2022 World Cup has come under repeated scrutiny before the November 20 opener, with concerns cited over the human rights standards in a country where same-sex relationships are prohibited.

FIFA aimed to quieten the discussion around the global tournament in the Middle East, penning a letter telling the 32 teams to "now focus on the football", but it was met with a backlash.

Southgate has repeatedly acknowledged the criticism of Qatar hosting the World Cup and he cannot foresee England adhering to FIFA's demands when the opportunity arises to vocalise their opinions.

"We have always spoken about issues we think should be talked about, particularly the ones we feel we can affect," Southgate said on Thursday after announcing his 26-man squad.

"Contrary to one or two observations in the last few weeks, we have spoken in the same way other nations have spoken about this tournament, the human rights challenges.

"We've been very clear on our standpoint on that. So, look, I think we would like to focus primarily on football. For every player, every coach and everybody travelling to a World Cup, this is a carnival of football.

"It is the thing you work for this your whole life and you don't want that to be diminished by everything else that is going on around it currently.

"But we recognise we are going to be in that situation, we've got to accept and deal with it."

England captain Harry Kane will be among 10 skippers to wear a distinctive rainbow heart-adorned armband at the tournament, raising awareness for the OneLove campaign against discrimination.

Southgate previously pinpointed the role of gay players in the Women's Euros triumph for England earlier in the year and reiterated his desire for inclusivity across the world.

"So regarding the [LGBTQ+] community, we stand for inclusivity and we are very, very strong on that," he said when asked about Qatar's same-sex relationship laws. "We think that is important in terms of all our supporters. 

"We understand the challenges this tournament brings within that. If it wasn't for the strength of that community, we wouldn't be women's European champions. So it's very, very important to us."

He hopes hosting world football's showpiece event will help educate Qatar and inspire change within the country.

"I think we have seen that. There have been improvements, there has been change," he added.

"We have released statements already saying that change could improve in certain areas and we are very clear on that.

"But I think the process of the World Cup being in Qatar will of course put them under the spotlight and that will be uncomfortable for them.

"At times that will be a bit harsh for them, but I think the whole thing has improved certain areas that I think everyone will recognise has helped."

England start their World Cup campaign against Iran on November 21 before facing United States and Wales in Group B.

Juventus made it five straight Serie A wins as Moise Kean's goal was enough to see off bottom-placed hosts Hellas Verona on Thursday.

Verona had lost eight consecutive league games while Massimiliano Allegri's men had won four in a row.

However, Salvatore Bocchetti's men made it difficult for Juve and it looked as if they had a chance of earning an important point.

But Kean's deflected 60th-minute strike made it three goals in three starts for him and his team held on to continue their winning streak, despite a late red card for Alex Sandro.

Verona started brightly and went close within three minutes, though Sulemana's powerful drive flew just past the post after a corner was cleared to him outside the box.

Juve grew into the game, with Arkadiusz Milik and Manuel Locatelli both testing Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo.

Pawel Dawidowicz missed a decent opportunity after the interval when he scooped over after the ball fell kindly to him in the area.

Juve nearly went ahead when Adrien Rabiot crossed for Kean, but the low delivery just evaded the former Everton striker's outstretched boot.

The game was becoming more stretched, and Juve hit the hosts on a sublime counter to grab the lead on the hour.

Kean took Rabiot's pass in his stride before his deflected effort was pawed at by Montipo, but not enough to stop it bouncing in.

Juve had an almighty scare when a collision between Leonardo Bonucci and Simone Verdi in the box led to the referee pointing to the spot, but a VAR check encouraged him to reverse his decision.

Sandro was shown a second yellow card in injury-time for cynically barging over Kevin Lasagna as the forward charged down on goal, but it did not matter as the resulting free-kick flew over and the final whistle eventually came, much to Juve's relief.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Renato Sanches has been left out of Portugal's World Cup squad, joining the country's second-most capped player Joao Moutinho in missing out on the trip to Qatar.

Sanches has won 32 senior caps for Portugal since his 2016 debut and was named Young Player of the Tournament as Portugal clinched their first major trophy at the European Championship in France that year.

However, since swapping Lille for Ligue 1 rivals PSG this August, Sanches has struggled for game-time, starting just three matches in all competitions and playing a total of 427 minutes.

Fellow PSG midfielders Marco Verratti, Vitinha, Danilo Pereira, Fabian Ruiz, Pablo Sarabia and Carlos Soler have all made more starts this campaign, leaving Sanches out of Fernando Santos' plans.

Sanches' PSG team-mates Vitinha, Pereira and Nuno Mendes have all been included in Portugal's squad for the tournament, where they will face Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea after being drawn into Group H.

Meanwhile, fellow midfielder Moutinho, whose tally of 146 Portugal caps is only bettered by Cristiano Ronaldo's remarkable total of 191, has been overlooked in favour of Wolves team-mates Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes.

Despite enduring a frustrating season with Manchester United, Ronaldo will captain Portugal in Qatar, where he will bid to become the first player to score at five separate World Cups.

The 37-year-old is one of just four players to hit the net at four separate editions of the tournament, alongside Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose.

However, all seven of Ronaldo's World Cup goals have arrived in the group stage, making him the highest scoring player in the tournament's history to fail to hit the net in the knockouts (in six such appearances).

Portugal squad: Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves), Rui Patricio (Roma); Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain), Pepe (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund); Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Ruben Neves (Wolves), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Mario (Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Wolves), Otavio (Porto), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), William Carvalho (Real Betis); Andre Silva (RB Leipzig), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Goncalo Ramos (Benfica), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid), Rafael Leao (Milan), Ricardo Horta (Braga).

Jamaica Football Federation President Michael Ricketts is hopeful that the Reggae Girlz will make it out of the first round at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

“I personally want us to go beyond the first round,” said Ricketts when speaking to SportsMax.TV.

It will be a tough task for the girls who were drawn in Group F alongside powerhouses France and Brazil as well as either Chinese Taipei, Panama, Papua New Guinea or Paraguay. They kick-off their World Cup campaign against the French in Sydney on July 23.

Jamaica will host the Paraguayans for two friendlies in Montego Bay on Thursday and Kingston on Sunday. Ricketts says these games are designed to prepare the girls for the type of opposition they will have to overcome if they are to make noise in Australia and New Zealand.

“We play two games against Paraguay. One in Montego Bay and one in Kingston. It’s a part of our preparation process,” he said.

“We just want some good results. It’s not all about winning but the coaches certainly want to establish a philosophy and a style of play that would make them competitive when they go to the World Cup,” he added.

Ricketts also said that we can expect more friendlies to be scheduled for the girls in the new year.

“We will have discussions with the coaches when we get to Montego Bay just to get an idea of exactly who they would want to play or which teams they would want to engage and then we’ll be having discussions with teams coming up for the February FIFA window.”

The Catherine Hall Sports Complex will play host to the first Paraguay friendly at 8:00pm local time while the second game kicks off at 6:00pm on Sunday at the National Stadium.