Martin Jol, the Hamburg manager, is prepared for a tough battle against Aston Villa.
Martin Jol, the Hamburg manager, is prepared for a tough battle against Aston Villa.

Top spot the incentive for Villa and Co.



With three teams qualifying, the Uefa Cup looks to be a confused muddle as it enters the finale of the group stages. But finishing top is the target as those already through look ahead to the next round. Aston Villa, Hamburg and Ajax all have the chance to be Group F winners and avoid a tougher test in the knockout phase. That is when the third-place finishers from the Champions League enter and few would want to meet Marseille, Dynamo Kiev or Fiorentina. Hamburg host Villa and their coach Martin Jol said: "It will be anything but a friendly game."

Villa will prove a major obstacle, as they sit fourth in England's Premier League. Their young strike duo Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor have impressed this season, but Martin O'Neill is also looking for another man to make his mark now that he is back in the side after injury problems. Steve Sidwell always proved a goalscoring threat when at Reading and is now getting the chance to repeat that at Villa Park after his disappointing spell at Chelsea.

The midfielder has three so far, but O'Neill said: "He certainly has the ability to score goals. That's the great thing about Steve. Given an ordinary amount of time on the pitch over an entire season, he will get into double figures." Ajax will hoping for a draw in Hamburg so they can take top spot by beating Slavia Prague at home. Group E also has an interesting look with AC Milan hoping to topple current leaders Wolfsburg with victory at the San Siro.

Carlo Ancelotti's men are smarting from the Serie A defeat to Juventus and the loss of their combative midfielder Gennaro Gattuso for six months with a knee injury. The winter break and their camp in Dubai seems to have come at the perfect time for Milan, but their coach is eager to finish this year on a high. "This team wants to have an important season, but we are going through a delicate moment," he said. "We want to finish first in the Uefa Cup group and beat Udinese on Sunday to reach the break in a positive way."

Portsmouth play for pride as they host Heerenveen, but Tony Adams could do with a win to lift morale. A run of one victory in seven has put him under pressure and, after Paul Ince's departure at Blackburn, it shows no manager is safe. akhan@thenational.ae

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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion

The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.

Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".

The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.

He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.

"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.

As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.

Federer's 11 Wimbledon finals

2003 Beat Mark Philippoussis

2004 Beat Andy Roddick

2005 Beat Andy Roddick

2006 Beat Rafael Nadal

2007 Beat Rafael Nadal

2008 Lost to Rafael Nadal

2009 Beat Andy Roddick

2012 Beat Andy Murray

2014 Lost to Novak Djokovic

2015 Lost to Novak Djokovic

2017 Beat Marin Cilic

 

 

RESULT

Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1 
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’

Our legal advisor

Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.

Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The biog

Name: Capt Shadia Khasif

Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police

Family: Five sons and three daughters

The first female investigator in Hatta.

Role Model: Father

She believes that there is a solution to every problem

 

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.