ABU DHABI // Al Ain and Al Wahda meet for the second time in two weeks on Friday with both severely hampered because of national team call-ups and injuries.
Wahda inflicted Al Ain’s first defeat in the Arabian Gulf League this season at the end of last month and will be looking to replicate that 2-1 success when they host their rivals again at Al Nahyan Stadium in the Arabian Gulf Cup.
Al Ain are the worst hit of the two teams as they have 11 players on national duty including their star Nigerian forward Emmanuel Emenike.
“We know we travel with a depleted squad but I have a lot of confidence with our bench strength,” said Zlatko Dalic, the Al Ain coach.
“Teams like Al Ain are worst affected in the cup games as we have a majority of the players in the national team. That’s something we can be proud of.
“However, this is also an opportunity for the reserves to prove they too are made up of sterner stuff. It is in games like against Wahda they can rise to the occasion.”
Wahda and Al Ain are both looking for their first win in Group B. Wahda will be without their marquee signing Jorge Valdivia, who is with the Chile national team for their 2018 World Cup qualifier against Brazil.
Wahda are also without the services of several key players through injury, with Hussain Fadhel, the Kuwaiti centre-back, and Emiratis Ahmed Al Akbari, Ismail Matar, the captain, and Hamdan Al Kamali all ruled out.
In Friday’s other Arabian Gulf Cup fixtures, Al Wasl will be at home to Baniyas while Al Shaab make the long journey to Al Dhafra.
Al Shabab will be hoping to consolidate their position at the top of Group B when they face Al Jazira at home on Saturday.
Sharjah meet Dibba and Al Ahli play Al Nasr in Saturday’s late matches.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Points classification after Stage 4
1. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 124
2. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 81
3. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 66
4. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 63
5. Alexander Kristoff (Norway / Katusha) 43
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
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Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The%20specs
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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
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
