Having shaken off the hangover from their title celebrations on Sunday, Portuguese champions Benfica host Juventus in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday.
Benfica have been driven this season by the bitter memory of 12 months ago, when they found themselves on the verge of winning a treble of the Portuguese Primeira Liga and Cup and Europa League, only to miss out on all three trophies in an agonising two weeks.
Jorge Jesus’ side beat Olhanense 2-0 in front of almost 64,000 fans at the Estadio da Luz on Sunday to open up an unassailable seven-point lead with two games remaining in the Portuguese top flight and secure their 33rd league title.
“This was our main objective and we are all delighted,” said Jesus on Sunday as thousands of fans gathered to celebrate and welcome the team in their open-top bus at Marques de Pombal square in the centre of Lisbon.
Now, though, Benfica have a possible quadruple in their sights.
Having lost just once in 35 games, they are through to the Taça de Portugal cup final, in which they will play Rio Ave next month, and they face Porto in the semi-finals of the Taça da Liga cup this weekend.
European success may be the hardest to achieve for a club who have lost all seven continental final appearances since winning their second European Cup back in 1962.
But it would be a fitting way to pay tribute to 1960s greats Mario Coluna and Eusebio, who died earlier this year.
Standing in their way are a Juve side who are motivated by the prospect of reaching a final that will be played in their own stadium in Turin.
Juve are on the brink of retaining their Serie A title - they could be crowned champions this weekend - but success in Europe is also hugely important for a club whose last continental trophy was the Champions League in 1996.
“Many players in this team have never won a European competition and Juventus haven’t won a trophy in Europe for so many years,” midfielder Claudio Marchisio told Uefa’s website.
“When you reach this stage of the competition motivation can make the difference. So even if we’re coming to the end of the season and our legs are beginning to feel heavy, the trophy can give you that energy to give that bit extra.”
It remains to be seen whether key duo Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez will feature after both were left on the bench in the weekend win against Bologna after respective fitness problems.
Benfica are without the injured Eduardo Salvio and Silvio, while Nico Gaitan is a doubt after picking up a knock in the weekend win against Olhanense and Ljubomir Fejsa is also struggling.
The winner will face Spanish opposition in the final itself, with La Liga rivals Sevilla and Valencia facing off in the other last-four tie.
Sevilla, who beat city neighbours Betis in the last 16 before eliminating Porto in the quarter-finals, will be at home in the first leg and their recent form should make them favourites.
They have won 12 of their last 15 matches in all competitions, form that means they remain in the running to qualify for next season’s Champions League, and coach Unai Emery can look forward to coming up against his former club.
Emery spent four years in charge of Valencia until 2012, leading them to three third-place finishes in La Liga and a Europa League semi-final.
Since his departure in 2012, Valencia have struggled and they look unlikely to qualify for Europe next season via their domestic league, so the pressure is on current coach Juan Antonio Pizzi.
“It will be a great tie. We know each other well, but you can’t say either side is the favourite,” insisted Sevilla’s Argentinian defender Federico Fazio.
Both clubs enjoyed success in the Uefa Cup in the last decade, with Valencia lifting the trophy in 2004 before Sevilla won it in 2006 and 2007.
Fixtures
At Lisbon
Benfica (POR) v Juventus (ITA)
At Seville, Spain
Sevilla (ESP) v Valencia (ESP)
Second legs to be played next Thursday, May 1
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
