Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappe have no room for error as they hope to avoid another disappointing exit from the Champions League.
PSG carry a 3-2 deficit into their quarter-final second leg against Barcelona on Tuesday, with their confidence dented.
After superstar Mbappe announced that he will not be staying beyond the end of his contract after this summer, there seemed to be a sense of purpose in PSG as they aimed to end the campaign on a positive note.
As luck would have it, PSG were handed a favourable draw for the last eight and semi-finals.
Luis Enrique's side had entered the first leg against Barcelona on a 27-game unbeaten run stretching back five months. They avoided any prospect of meeting Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Arsenal before the final.
A clash against a not-so-strong Barca and then a last-four tie against either Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund was seemingly the best possible scenario for PSG.
But they were far from their best against Barca in the first leg in the French capital.
Mbappe has scored 39 goals this season and the Parisians needed him to be at his best.
However, he was well off the mark, failing to hit the target from three shots, losing the ball 13 times and getting caught offside three times. PSG's goals came from Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha.
Despite the no-show, Mbappe received support even from those outside his team, including Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.
If Mbappe does not find his touch soon, PSG will be left with the prospect of a star-less squad by the end of the campaign and no European trophy in the cabinet.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, meanwhile, expects the quarter-final second leg to be similarly exciting.
Xavi said the second leg at Barcelona's temporary Olympic Stadium home on the city's Montjuic hill would produce more of the same spectacle.
"We're not a team that will sit on our lead, we want to take the ball off PSG and win the game," Xavi said.
"I hope we are at our best, they will test us to the limit – I see a game very similar to the first leg.
"It's the Champions League, it's Paris, and a game in which no one will be holding back."
Xavi said PSG's coach Luis Enrique, who was on the Barcelona bench the last time the Catalans won the Champions League in 2015, would send his team out to harry the hosts.
"Montjuic's [atmosphere] has to seem like the big nights at Camp Nou," added Xavi.
"Luis Enrique will not hold back, he will come here to press – we have to show a lot of personality to reach the semi-finals."
Xavi, who announced in January he was leaving at the end of the season, has led a resurgent Barcelona on a 12-game unbeaten run since.
"Me and my players, everyone has been liberated [by my decision]," said the coach.
"Everyone has felt more of a sense of belonging towards the club, and I think it has gone phenomenally.
"Happy to be where we are, proud to be where we are. I think it's a good moment and I'm excited. We feel it already.
"We have to control our emotions, our temperament. It's a game of heads or tails. We want to be in control with the ball, and we want to show the best side and personality of the team.
"We need our fans to be loud because PSG will make us suffer, there's no doubt about it, and we have to be a team to beat them. All of us, together."
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
FIGHT CARD
Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)
Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
