BERLIN // The withdrawals of many stars have left both Germany and England with a chance of using their friendly to test new players ahead of qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup.
A long list of injuries on both sides may have also taken some edge out of next chapter in the long, rich rivalry between the teams when they meet on Wednesday at Berlin's Olympic Stadium.
"It's not a meaningless friendly," the Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick said. "Germany vs. England at any level is a huge game."
Germany have never beaten England in seven matches in Berlin. The last match in Berlin was in 1972, a 0-0 draw.
"I didn't know these statistics and I am not impressed by them," the Germany defender Arne Friedrich said. "But England has played very well recently and it won't be easy. We are Germany, however, and we want to win."
The most famous of England victories on German soil was in the World Cup qualifying campaign in 2001 when they defeat the hosts 5-1 in Munich.
Germany have had the upper hand in championship finals, twice defeating England on penalties in 1990 at the World Cup semi-finals and in 1996 for the European Championships semi-finals at Wembley.
The Germany coach Joachim Low believes he will still face a strong England even without Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Owen Hargreaves and Theo Walcott. The captain John Terry passed a fitness test on Monday.
"England have made a lot of progress, they have taken big steps forward. England have one of the strongest teams in years," Low said.
"They learned their lesson from failing to qualify for the European Championship and now they have some Italian qualities (in coach Fabio Capello)."
Capello has also chosen to leave out striker Michael Owen because of a lack of fitness and form and David Beckham because he has been inactive since the Los Angeles Galaxy's failure to reach the MLS playoffs.
"We'll be playing against a very strong team nevertheless," Low added. "England have 20-25 world-class players and they (can) step into the system smoothly."
Low recalled that Germany were severely depleted by injuries when the two teams last met in August 2007 and still won 2-1 at Wembley.
"Why can't they do the same? Their young players will want to prove themselves. England is now a very disciplined team, very quick in transition, very fast and nothing will change in their game even if some players are missing," Loew said. Loew will be without the captain Michael Ballack and his midfield colleague Torsten Frings, who had a public row with Low last month before apologising in separate private meetings with the coach.
Frings played only seven minutes in the last two World Cup qualifiers, a 2-1 win over Russia and a 1-0 victory over Wales, prompting Ballack to speak out on behalf of his longtime friend. Ballack was deemed still not fully fit, although he made a comeback appearance for Chelsea over the weekend.
Frings was left out by mutual agreement. Also missing through injuries are Philipp Lahm, Clemens Fritz, Marcell Jansen and Christian Pander, all defensive players.
Ballack, Frings and Lahm, who make up the players' council, were in Berlin to negotiate over bonuses if the Germans qualify for the World Cup. They clinched a deal that will pay each player up to ?200,000 (Dh930,000). Loew has called up three newcomers, the defender Marvin Compper and the midfielder Tobias Weis, both of high-flying Hoffenheim and the Wolfsburg defender Marcel Schaefer.
Schaefer, the only true left back in the team, could be handed a debut. Weis has been an important player in Hoffenheim's unexpected stay at the top of the Bundesliga.
"We need to get some insight into the future and we should use Wednesday's game to test one or two players," Low said. "It's important to integrate some young players ahead of 2010."
Capello has called up Chelsea's 19-year-old defender Michael Mancienne, who has never played in the Premier League and is loan to the Coca-Cola Championship leaders Wolves.
Mancienne may just be there for experience but Capello clearly sees him as potential star. Under Capello, England has won its first four World Cup qualifiers.
"I think we are a very good team," Capello said. "We can play against all the countries at the same level."
*AP
Specs
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Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Fourth-round clashes for British players
- Andy Murray (1) v Benoit Paire, Centre Court (not before 4pm)
- Johanna Konta (6) v Caroline Garcia (21), Court 1 (4pm)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
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On sale: from January 2022
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
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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A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Mountain%20Boy
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
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Torque: 780Nm
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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