When the final whistle blows at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night there will be at least two certainties facing the revamped Uefa Champions League.
Firstly, either reigning champions Real Madrid or the 2023 victors Manchester City will be absent from the last-16 draw that takes place on Friday in Switzerland.
And secondly, the knockout stages of European football's premier club competition are set to be without one of the two most ruthlessly prolific goalscorers in world football.
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland were both on target for their respective clubs in the play-off phase first leg, with the latter scoring twice at the Etihad Stadium – but it was Mbappe's Real Madrid that prevailed 3-2.
Mbappe's miscued shot put his team 1-0 up in the first leg, the French striker's 24th goal of the campaign across competitions
Haaland's double, that took his season's tally to 27, proved insufficient to earn City a first-leg advantage after late goals from Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham secured victory for Real.
Speaking after City's 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle United on Saturday – when January signing Omar Marmoush bagged a 14-minute hat-trick – manager Pep Guardiola made clear the size of the task facing his side in the Spanish capital on Wednesday.
“The margin to win in Bernabeu in that position, everybody knows that if you ask before the game, the percentage to go through … we arrive at one per cent, it will be minimal, but as much as you have a chance, we will try, that's for sure,” he said.
If City are to have any chance of producing a turnaround, they will need Norwegian goal machine Haaland – who trained on Tuesday despite jarring his knee against Newcastle – to be spearheading the unlikely comeback.
Haaland's stats since his switch from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 have been phenomenally consistent – notching 117 goals in 133 games, including a remarkable 11 hat-tricks.
In the Premier League, the 24-year-old has 82 goals in 91 appearances which has seen him secure successive Golden Boots.
Haaland's 52-goal haul helped City win the treble – including the club's first European Cup – in his first season, while his 27 league strikes last season helped them seal a historic fourth title in a row.
The current campaign, though, has seen a collapse in form from City that has all but ended their hopes of a fifth successive title. They are fourth in the table, a mammoth 16 points behind leaders Liverpool with 13 games to go.
And City needed a victory over Club Brugge in their final group-stage game to even reach the play-offs, after finishing five points shy of an automatic qualification spot.
During City's horror run at the end of 2024, that saw them lose nine times in 13 games, Haaland was blunt about his form. “First, I'm looking at myself,” he admitted after a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa in December. “I haven't been good enough.”
That mea culpa sparked an equally blunt response from his manager. “When you have problems at the back, in the middle, it is for everyone, it is a team, it is not about one player,” said Guardiola. “It would be easy, if it was just one player.”
And his faith in the big striker – who signed a new 10-year deal with the club last month – remained clear when Guardiola insisted Haaland took over the captaincy against Newcastle.
“When Kyle [Walker] left, Kevin [De Bruyne] became the first but I nominated Erling, not them,” said the Catalonian, who had agreed a contract extension himself less than two months earlier.
“When a player is going to be here 10 years, sooner or later, you need to take the responsibility.”
Over in Spain, Mbappe appears to be clicking into goalscoring gear at just the right time after a mixed start at Los Blancos – his 17 La Liga strikes leave him second only to Robert Lewandowski's 20 for Barca in the Pichichi Trophy chase.
Mbappe – who became PSG's all-time top scorer with 256 goals in 308 appearances before leaving Parc des Princes last summer – is on a roll with seven in five La Liga games, including a first Real treble against Real Valladolid. His eight goals in nine January matches also saw him pick up the club's Player of the Month award.
“I don’t see anything new,” manager Carlo Ancelotti said of Mbappe's form in Tuesday's pre-match press conference.
“He’s motivated, physically well, he shows it … He handles the stress before the game very well, he’s very calm. He has good stress management. At the moment he is doing very well.”
The same cannot be said of Real's form which has stalled of late. Two points from a possible nine in La Liga has allowed Barcelona to retake top spot, albeit only on goal difference, with Atletico Madrid close behind.
And Ancelotti was quick to dismiss Guardiola's suggestion the record 15-time European Cup winners have all but secured their last-16 place.
“He does not truly think that, tomorrow I'll ask him before the game 'Do you really think you've got a one per cent chance?'” said the Italian coach, who revealed that centre-half Antonio Rudiger will be fit to start but right-back Lucas Vazquez would only be ready for the bench.
“He really thinks they've got more chance than that … we don't think we have 99 per cent chance.
“We have a small advantage that we have to take advantage of, and try to play the same game we set up in the first leg, which went well.”
SEMI-FINAL
Monterrey 1
Funes Mori (14)
Liverpool 2
Keita (11), Firmino (90 1)
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
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Fixtures
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWednesday%2C%20April%203%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArsenal%20v%20Luton%20Town%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Aston%20Villa%2C%2011.15pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThursday%2C%20April%204%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELiverpool%20v%20Sheffield%20United%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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.
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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%20SPECS
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AIDA%20RETURNS
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
·
Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
·
What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
·
How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
·
Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Astra%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdallah%20Abu%20Sheikh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20technology%20investment%20and%20development%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
