After a physically and emotionally draining few days, you might think the last thing Al Wasl need is Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Ivan Toney and their mates rocking up ready for a game.
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
The UAE champions have been to the well twice over the past week and a bit, facing their two biggest domestic rivals in a pair of the finest adverts imaginable for the game in this country. And now they will be asked to go again in the AFC Champions League Elite, against one of the most star-studded squads in all of Asia.
Al Ahli arrive from Jeddah with the likes of Firmino, Mahrez, Toney, Franck Kessie and Edouard Mendy in tow. Daunting? Far from it, according to Milos Milojevic. Al Wasl’s Serbian manager points out games like these are the ones players want to be involved in.
“We are playing tough games and again I have to read from them who is on the energetic level, and motivationally and mentally ready to play this game,” Milojevic said.
“We know what kind of squad Al Ahli has and we have to dig deep to get something from this game, and I hope we can do that. I think it’s good when you do bad and then shortly after you have a game. I know my players. They have character. They want to show [losing 4-2 to Al Ain on Thursday] was just a bad day. [Five] days ago we had a good game.”
Al Wasl’s return to Champions League action follows four days after their trip to a pulsating Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.
The UAE Pro League meeting pitted together the champions of the Emirates and the champions of Asia. It was a match deemed so big that Clement Turpin, the Frenchman who is regarded by many as the leading official in the game, was flown in to take charge.
Even he had his work cut out to keep order, so combustible was the occasion, as he meted out three yellow cards, a red, and gave a penalty, too.
Five days before that, Al Wasl had met their other great rivals, Al Nasr, in the Oud Metha derby. That, too, was a classic, as they overturned an early Adel Taarabt goal to win 3-1, thanks largely to a virtuoso display by winger Ali Saleh.
For all the emotional energy they were expending, there was the added consideration of the sweltering conditions that this phase of the season is played in. But Milojevic is glad his side are facing so many tough challenges in a short space of time. He says it will help develop the type of mental strength required to add to the double they won last season and become repeat champions.
“The key thing is mental endurance,” Milojevic said. “That is the difference between being champions two, or three times in a row, to win three titles in five years, or to win occasionally.
“That is the difference. Mental endurance means, week in and week out, you are happy that you win but you just forget it and go again. It is tough. You are like balloons with air and balloons without air. Those are the things we have to learn.
“We have to go back to basics, go on the training ground, work on defensive things, respect the ball and respect our opponents. To blame one player is not right. If anyone wants to blame someone, they can blame me.”
The Al Ain loss was Al Wasl’s first of their title defence. After four matches they sit sixth in the 14-team UAE Pro League. They return to continental competition having taken three points from their opening game in the new-look Champions League, beating Pakhtakor in Uzbekistan two weeks ago.
For all the riches of their playing squad, Al Ahli have been in indifferent form themselves so far this season. They are seventh in the 18-team Saudi Pro League, having been beaten 1-0 by Al Qadsiah on Friday via a penalty by Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang.
They also won their Champions League opener, when a Kessie goal gave them a win over Iranian side Persepolis. Milojevic is hoping his side can bounce straight back to winning ways.
“In football, there is no past,” the Al Wasl manager said. “You are only as good as your last game, and our last game was against Al Ain, so it looks like we were not good.
“It is the process of growing [the players’] minds and hopefully we can do it. We played against a great team. When you get to Al Ain you are in the hall and you see all the trophies.
“You cannot disrespect that. We are not taking anything from Al Ain and blaming ourselves. We played against a good opponent and we were not at our max, so it is a good chance against Al Ahli to bounce back. That is what good teams do.”
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
