After the opening round of European fixtures in midweek, we are straight back into the Premier League programme starting with a hectic Saturday schedule.
The day's action starts with a London derby between West Ham United and Chelsea which kicks off at 3.30pm UAE time.
That is followed by six matches at 6pm with Aston Villa playing host to Wolves, Fulham taking on Newcastle United at Craven Cottage, Leicester City tackling Everton at the King Power Stadium, Liverpool entertaining Bournemouth on Merseyside, Southampton facing Ipswich Town on the south coast and Tottenham Hotspur's clash with Brentford in North London.
Crystal Palace are up against Manchester United at Selhurst Park in the late game (8.30pm).
There are two games on Sunday – Brighton versus Nottingham Forest at the Amex (5pm) followed by the top-of-the-table match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium (7.30pm). We pick out the main talking points as we head into Matchday 5.
How will Villa cope after midweek Euro fixtures?
Aston Villa's return to European football's top table for the first time in 41 years could not have gone better as they coasted to a 3-0 Champions League win over Young Boys in Switzerland on Tuesday.
Goals from Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Onana earned Villa three points. But it is how Unai Emery's squad react to the quick turnaround of European to domestic matches that will define their season, with the added burden of a Champions League that has increased in size. “Every game's going to be really tough. This new format makes it even tougher,” admitted Tielemans, who became the first Villa player to score in the competition since Peter Withe in 1983.
When Newcastle returned to Champions League action for the first time in 20 years, the team suffered a nightmare run of injuries that would decimate their 2023/24 campaign and ultimately leave them without European football this season.
And the only down side to the midweek win was the sight of striker Ollie Watkins with an ice pack round his ankle after being substituted in the second half with what is sure to be a blood and thunder derby against Wolves next up.
Can Sancho find a home at Chelsea?
Jadon Sancho made an instant impact after coming on at half time for Chelsea against Bournemouth last week in what was his first Premier League game in more than a year.
The winger – on a season-long loan from Manchester United – immediately looked lively, provided the through-ball for Christopher Nkunku's late winner and was named man of the match for his 45-minute cameo.
Sancho spent last season on loan at former club Borussia Dortmund and helped the German club reach the Champions League final, where they would eventually lose to Real Madrid.
If he can sprinkle some of that stardust at Stamford Bridge then Chelsea will be delighted to sign the 24-year-old England international permanently next summer and Sancho can put his nightmare spell at United firmly behind him.
“Very happy, very happy for him. He was very good,” said Blues manager Enzo Maresca after the Bournemouth win. “I have a feeling that Jadon is a guy that needs love.”
How long will Southampton and Everton remain pointless?
The two teams without a Premier League point this season clashed at Goodison Park in the League Cup on Tuesday when Southampton came out on top in a penalty shoot-out against Everton after the match finished 1-1 in normal time.
“I am really proud of the players,” said Southampton manager Russell Martin. “I understand what we are asking them to do is so tough but they do it with so much courage, conviction and intensity.”
It was a much-needed boost for the promoted Saints who have managed just one goal in the league – a consolation from Yukinari Sugawara in the 3-1 loss at Brentford.
While Southampton have scored the fewest, Everton have conceded the most with Sean Dyche's side leaking 13 goals, having fallen to successive 3-2 defeats where they have been two up on both occasions.
“I didn't walk here blind, I knew it was going to be a big challenge, it has been a bigger challenge than what I thought,” said Dyche after last week's loss to Aston Villa.
Can Newcastle go top of the league?
There could be a new team top of the Premier League on Saturday night, for at least 24 hours anyway. If Newcastle triumph at Fulham, they will leapfrog the current top two in Arsenal and Manchester City who face-off on Sunday.
It will be an unlikely turn of events after a summer of turmoil off the pitch and performances on it which have not justified the current unbeaten record and third place they occupy.
But the ability to grind out wins has worked for Eddie Howe's side so far and last week's comeback victory at Wolves – courtesy of a sublime Harvey Barnes strike – means Newcastle have made their best start to a season in 29 years with three wins and a draw.
The big test will come next weekend when they face a rampant Erling Haaland and Manchester City at St James' Park but first the Magpies will be hoping to wake up on Sunday morning as the division's top dogs.
“It fell in line with other games this season,” said Howe after beating Wolves. “We’ve played really well in passages but not all the way through. What shines through is the ability to find a way through. We can get better but on the whole it was an improvement.”
Will Manchester City or Arsenal land early blow in title battle?
All eyes will be on the Etihad Stadium when title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal go head-to-head for the first time since March when the two teams played out a tense goalless draw at the same venue.
Reigning champions City enjoy the only 100 per cent record in the division with Haaland's brace earning them a 2-1 win over Brentford last weekend.
It was Haaland's eighth and ninth goals already this season which means the Norwegian has scored more goals than every other team as a whole in the top-flight. “I don't expect him to score three, two goals every game,” admitted manager Pep Guardiola on Tuesday.
As for the unbeaten Gunners, who sit two points behind City, they showed a gritty side to their nature in their 1-0 North London derby win at Spurs, achieved without key midfielders Declan Rice and captain Martin Odegaard.
“The players have thick skin,” manager Mikel Arteta said of his team. “Sometimes to win you have to do the ugly things and they love to do that … day after day the players are hungrier and hungrier.”
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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
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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2252 – Dh 50
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6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
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Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
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Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
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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.”
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Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
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On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
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UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
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Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
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Paatal Lok season two
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Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
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