Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has warned his squad that they cannot use their current injury list as an excuse for failure going into the Champions League last-16 second leg against Naples on Tuesday.
The two sides drew 1-1 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in February which saw Robert Lewandowski put Barca into a second-half lead only for Victor Osimhen to salvage a draw for Napoli 15 minutes from time, in what was Francesco Calzona's first game in charge of the Serie A side.
Barcelona are aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the competition they last won in 2015 but will be without three key midfielders in Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, as well as attacker Ferran Torres and left-back Alejandro Balde.
The Catalonians defeated Mallorca 1-0 in La Liga on Friday thanks to a sensational goal from 16-year-old Lamine Yamal and are third in the table, one point behind Girona and eight shy of leaders Real Madrid.
And Xavi believes his squad must forget about the missing players and concentrate on reaching the quarter-finals while urging his teenage stars Pau Cubarsi and Yamal to seize the opportunity and demanding a “magic night” at the club's temporary Olympic Stadium.
“It's the moment to be able to reach the quarter-finals, for four years we haven't got to the last eight of the Champions League, I see it as an opportunity,” said the coach ahead of taking on the reigning Italian champions who are seventh in the standings and 31 points adrift of leaders Inter Milan.
“It's true that we have players out, but it's not an excuse. It's an opportunity. To Lamine and Cubarsi, the same, that they enjoy it, that at 16 and 17 years old it is spectacular that they can be there, it is an opportunity to be among the eight best in Europe, that they compete.
“With Barcelona united, with the stadium full, we have to live a magic night. The players have to feel the support of the fans.”
Despite leading Barcelona to the Spanish title last season, Barca are off the pace in third in La Liga, out of the Copa del Rey and were thrashed by Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup.
And in January, Xavi announced he would be leaving at the end of the season, saying Barca needed “a change of dynamic” and that he had been worn down by the pressured of leading one of the world's biggest clubs.
And now the Champions League is Xavi's best chance of ending his reign on a high. “I am not the important thing here, the club is the important thing – I have an expiry date,” he insisted.
“It’s a day of being united and I’m going to tell the players not to be afraid, that we have to take a step forward to be in the quarter-finals after four years without.”
After the match last week, Mallorca coach Javier Aguirre gave Yamal, who became the youngest player ever to feature in the Champions League knockout stage when he started in Naples, the ultimate of compliments when he compared him to Barcelona's greatest player, Lionel Messi.
“I saw Messi 21 years ago, when he was a youth,” said the Mexican coach. “They told me to go see him and I had enough in five minutes. He was as fast as a rat. And Lamine is similar. If he continues like this he is going to give many joys to Barcelona.”
With veteran striker Lewandowski playing inconsistently and winger Ousmane Dembele departing for Paris Saint-Germain last summer, Yamal has become a vital source of goals and inspiration for Barcelona.
The forward has netted six goals and provided seven assists in 37 appearances across all competitions this season, many as a substitute.
In recent weeks he has become an essential component for Xavi, starting in nine of his last 10 appearances.
Yamal hit a brace to rescue Barcelona a 3-3 draw against Granada in La Liga in February, coincidentally against the same side he netted in October to become the division's youngest ever goalscorer.
Xavi, though, has been quick to shut down the Messi description. “Comparisons don't help him, because he is totally different, anyone who has been compared with Messi comes out losing,” he said.
“There are moments in which he has flashes of Messi, because he's left footed playing on the right and comes inside, but the comparison with the best player in history is not good, because he will lose.”
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
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%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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John%20Wick%3A%20Chapter%204
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Company%20Profile
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More about Middle East geopolitics
The%20Killer
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
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Andor
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
India cancels school-leaving examinations
