Defining derby for Al Jazira
For some time, the title has seemed destined for the Garden City. Al Ain settled into the top spot two months ago, with the AGL’s most talented squad looking set to confirm their superiority with a third championship in four seasons.
Five matches from the finish line, they hold a four-point lead over Al Jazira and on Saturday travel to an Al Nasr side with two wins in 10 rounds. Al Ain will expect to depart with the points. That places even more pressure on Jazira, who make the short trip across Abu Dhabi to fourth-place Al Wahda.
Eric Gerets’s men cannot afford to slip up, but they should be confident of maintaining their challenge as Wahda have managed a solitary victory in five league matches since Sami Al Jaber took the reins. Anything less than a win and Jazira’s faint title hopes will be extinguished.
Al Wasl’s Fabio focus
The Dubai club have been the league’s form side, securing four victories and two draws from six matches to become prime contenders for a top-four place. They sit one spot and three points back.
Yet the feel-good factor enveloping the Zabeel Stadium received a jolt this week when Sharjah officially questioned the nationality of Fabio Lima, the Brazil-born playmaker who is registered as an Uzbek and thus qualifies as Wasl’s Asian player.
The club maintain Lima’s legitimacy, but it has cast a shadow over preparations for Sunday’s crucial clash with third-placed Al Shabab.
Coach Gabriel Calderon says it will not affect his squad, but Lima has been integral to their rise and, understandably, his focus might be elsewhere. Retaining the shine on the pitch has been made more difficult given the cloud that looms off it. Concentration is key.
Al Ahli’s top-four push
Tuesday night's Asian Champions League victory could be as restorative as it was important. The 1-0 win over Nasaf Qarshi in Uzbekistan hoisted Ahli off the bottom of their group and into second place, breathing fresh life into their knockout-stage ambitions.
It could also spark a disappointing domestic challenge. Last week’s league defeat to Al Ain officially ended hopes of a successful title defence – with 15 points up for grabs, the champions lie 19 points behind the leaders – but much remains at stake.
Ahli languish in seventh, but they sit six points from fourth and retain designs on a top-four finish. Admittedly, there is plenty to do, and their outlook is bleak, yet Ahli’s squad still boast the capacity to take full points from their remaining matches.
That will be tested on Sunday at Emirates.
D-Day for Ajman
The writing has been on the wall for much of the campaign, but Ajman’s relegation to Division One could be confirmed on Saturday. The league’s second-worst team host the club immediately above them knowing that victory for Sharjah would consign them to the second tier next term. Paulo Bonamigo’s side are nine points ahead and seem sure to move another three clear, which would condemn Ajman to the drop by dint of the clubs’ head-to-head record.
It would mark the conclusion to a sorry season for Ajman, who have flitted between managers and floundered for form. In 21 rounds, they have won twice. It is simply not good enough.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow our sports coverage on Twitter @NatSportUAE
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Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
7.05pm Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
9.25pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
The National selections:
6.30pm Underwriter
7.05pm Rayig
7.40pm Torno Subito
8.15pm Talento Puma
8.50pm Etisalat
9.25pm Gundogdu
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed PDK
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 820Nm
Price: Dh683,200
On sale: now
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
