Boxing Day: Manchester City v Everton (4.30pm kick-off UAE)
Manchester City will be desperately hoping for some festive cheer having won just once in seven Premier League fixtures and losing nine games out of 12 across all competitions. They sit seventh in the table, four points outside the top four and 12 behind leaders Liverpool.
Everton have shown their defensive steel of late, holding top four sides Arsenal and Chelsea to consecutive goalless draws, making it seven clean sheets for the season. But only bottom club Southampton have scored less than their 14 goals which explains why they are 15th in the table, four points above the drop zone.
Prediction: Man City 2 Everton 0
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Buoyant Bournemouth are up to seventh in the standings after battering Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford for the second season running. The Cherries have also beaten 'Big Six' sides Arsenal, Manchester City and Spurs this season.
Palace fell to only their second league defeat in nine matches, albeit a heavy 5-1 beating off Arsenal, but are still struggling for wins – the Eagles have won just three times in 17 games leaving them two places and four points above the bottom three.
Prediction: Bournemouth 2 Palace 1
Chelsea v Fulham (7pm)
Chelsea go into the West London derby having missed out on the chance of temporarily taking over the top spot last time out when they could only draw at Everton, ending an eight-game winning run in all competitions.
Fulham made it four draws in five games after their match at home to Southampton ended in a goalless stalemate. Manager Marco Silva called the draw a “missed opportunity” that would have moved them just four points behind fourth-placed Nottingham Forest.
Prediction: Chelsea 3 Fulham 1
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (7pm)
Newcastle made it two 4-0 wins on the spin when they thrashed Ipswich Town – with Alexander Isak scoring a hat-trick – after beating Leicester by the same scoreline in their previous match. The Magpies can leapfrog sixth-place Villa by winning at St James' Park.
Villa's 2-1 win over Manchester City – courtesy of goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers – was their third victory in four games leaving them just three points behind Forest in fourth.
Prediction: Newcastle 2 Villa 0
Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur (7pm)
Forest's superb season continued after they made it three wins on the trot with an impressive 2-0 win at Brentford's previously impenetrable home fortress and are two points shy of third-placed Arsenal.
Spurs' defensive injury crisis saw them fall to a disastrous 6-3 defeat at Liverpool which was their third loss in four games, leaving Ange Postecoglou's side 11th in the table, eight points off a top-four slot.
Prediction: Forest 3 Spurs 2
Southampton v West Ham United
New Southampton manager Ivan Juric watched from the stands as rock-bottom Saints battled to a hard-fought draw at in-form Fulham. The size of his task remains clear though – Southampton are eight points from safety having won just once in 17 games.
A goal from Mohammed Kudus earned West Ham a point at home to Brighton on Saturday with the Hammers now eight points above the bottom three having won and drawn two of their last three games.
Prediction: Southampton 1 West Ham 2
Wolves v Manchester United (9.30pm)
Vitor Pereira's reign as Wolves manager was off to a flyer as his side swept aside Leicester at the King Power Stadium with Goncalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha supplying the goals. Wolves are within two points of fourth-bottom Leicester.
United were once again humiliated by Bournemouth with Ruben Amorim's side booed off by the Old Trafford crowd after suffering a defeat that meant they spent Christmas languishing down in 13th.
Prediction: Wolves 1 Man United 1
Liverpool v Leicester City
The Liverpool machine rumbles on after Arne Slot's side stuck six past Tottenham, meaning they would be top of the pile over Christmas for the first time since 2020. The Reds have won 12 out of 16 games, losing just once.
Leicester form has dropped off a cliff in the last two games which has seen them thrashed by Newcastle and Wolves, dragging Ruud van Nistelrooy's men to the edge of relegation zone.
Prediction: Liverpool 5 Leicester 0
Friday: Brighton v Brentford (11.30pm)
Brighton have now gone five games without a win following their draw at West Ham, although they will feel frustrated at having to settle for point at the London Stadium with only a lack of clinical finishing in front of goal preventing them from sealing all three points.
Brentford's top-flight leading home record of seven wins and one draw came crashing to a halt as they lost 2-0 to Forest. The Bees dropped to 12th in the table after three defeats in four games.
Prediction: Brighton 2 Brentford 1
Arsenal v Ipswich Town (12.15am)
Arsenal's 5-1 demolition of Palace last weekend came at a price: key attacker Bukayo Saka suffered a torn hamstring which will rule him out of action for a few months. The Gunners are third, two points behind Chelsea and six shy of Liverpool.
Ipswich's home battering off Newcastle was their fourth loss in five games, leaving them second bottom, four points shy of safety. The Tractor Boys have won just twice and have not tasted victory since November 10 when they edged past Spurs 1-0.
Prediction: Arsenal 4 Ipswich 1
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
more from Janine di Giovanni
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Norway
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Canada
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
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
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
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
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
