A December trip to Kiev is seldom relished by players from western European giants like Barcelona.
The temperature is predicted to be minus one Celsius and snowing when the Catalans meet the Ukrainian champions Dynamo tonight in the Olympic Stadium, a vast socialist style bowl which is inhospitable at the best of times.
Barca have travelled extensively this year and while the players will cherish the two-week winter break after the trip to Abu Dhabi, one was happy to leave the Catalan sunshine on the plane east yesterday.
Defender Gaby Milito, who has been named in their 20-man squad, is back after a horrific 19-month absence with injury.
"Only God and Gaby knows what pain he has been through during that time," said Barca's club doctor at the weekend.
Injuries have cursed Milito's career. The Buenos Aires-born star, a big-money signing from Zaragoza in the summer of 2007, made his top-flight debut in his homeland aged just 17 after rising through the ranks at Independiente.
Although highly regarded, his four years at Independiente were hampered by injury, including a torn cruciate ligament in 2001.
He was back to enjoy his side's Apertura victory in 2002 and was named Argentine player of the year in 2004 - the year he moved to Spain. He was about to sign for Real Madrid until club doctors suggested he had not fully recovered from his knee injury. He went instead to Zaragoza, who beat Real in the Copa del Rey final of 2003. A victory Milito enjoyed hugely.
A full international, he was joined at Zaragoza by his striker brother Diego and the pair were instrumental in leading the side to a sixth-placed finish in 2007.
An offer to play for Barca was considered too good to turn down and he played 41 games in his first season. Sharing the same strength, aggression and leadership qualities as his sometime defensive partner Carles Puyol, life was looking as good for Gaby as his free scoring brother. Then he got injured again.
The recent victory over Inter Milan, now home to Diego, saw Barcelona qualify from Group C, but they need to win in Kiev to make sure they win the group. Kiev, with five points to Barca's eight, still have qualification hopes as Inter and Rubin Kazan, the group's other teams, both have six points.
"It's a great chance for us to top the group," said the in-form striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, "but it's going to be a tough game."
Three Barca players have been short listed for 2009 Fifa World Player of the Year, three players who did not cost Barcelona a cent having come through their youth ranks.
Lionel Messi - who won the Ballon d'Or last week - is the favourite, with the midfield duo of Andres Iniesta and Xavi also nominated for the award which will be presented in Zurich on December 21. By that time, Barca could have become the first club in football history to win six major trophies in a year.
Gaby Milito has missed out on all the success. Just to play football again will mean as much to him as any of the awards being lavished on Barca's supreme talents.
@Email:amitten@thenational.ae
Dynamo Kiev v Barcelona, KO 11.45pm, Aljazeera Sport + 5
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Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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.
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Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 320hp @ 5,700rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.7L / 100km
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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
Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
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