Wayne Rooney is confident Manchester United will start to hit top form now they can spot where the season ends.
United embarked on a tough sequence of fixtures, which their manager Sir Alex Ferguson says will determine their hopes of landing silverware this term, by beating Arsenal on Sunday.
Now they head to Rooney's native Merseyside to face Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday knowing Kenny Dalglish's team must also visit Old Trafford in the Premier League, with trips to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on either side.
Already trailing leaders Manchester City by three points, it is a tough ask of United just to stay in contention.
However, now in his seventh season at Old Trafford, Rooney has been around long enough to know it is also the time of year when the defending champions tend to reach their peak.
"We relish this part of the season," he said. "Once we get into the new year we can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Every game is massive and we don't want to be dropping points.
"But I always feel we are at our best around now because we can see the end of the season and that there are trophies there to be won."
Rooney said that the way the fixtures had turned out could also be a massive benefit for a squad that have been battling such a lengthy injury list for so long.
"It's been quite an unusual period in that we've only had one game a week," the England forward said.
A trip to Liverpool is always a test for Rooney, who was introduced from the bench during the stormy Premier League clash between the north-west rivals in October that is best remembered for the racism row between Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez.
That selection decision is unlikely to be repeated by Ferguson this weekend. It is widely anticipated Nani will be ruled out with a foot injury, leaving Ferguson with just one orthodox winger. However, Phil Jones may be available if he can shrug off the injury that forced him to be substituted at Emirates Stadium.
Everton have agreed a fee to sell winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov to Spartak Moscow, the Premier League club have announced.
The moves marks a return to his home country for the Russian 26-year-old, who moved to Goodison Park from Lokomotiv Moscow in August 2009.
He has made 77 appearances for the club since, scoring nine goals in the process, but has never fully settled and made a regular starting berth his own on Merseyside.
Manchester City confirmed yesterday that they would not appeal Mario Balotelli's four-match suspension, and the Italian striker began the punishment by missing last night's Carling Cup match against Liverpool.
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
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.
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Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court (4pm UAE/12pm GMT)
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) v Heather Watson (GBR)
Rafael Nadal (ESP x4) v Karen Khachanov (RUS x30)
Andy Murray (GBR x1) v Fabio Fognini (ITA x28)
Court 1 (4pm UAE)
Steve Johnson (USA x26) v Marin Cilic (CRO x7)
Johanna Konta (GBR x6) v Maria Sakkari (GRE)
Naomi Osaka (JPN) v Venus Williams (USA x10)
Court 2 (2.30pm UAE)
Aljaz Bedene (GBR) v Gilles Muller (LUX x16)
Peng Shuai (CHN) v Simona Halep (ROM x2)
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x13) v Camila Giorgi (ITA)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x12) v Sam Querrey (USA x24)
Court 3 (2.30pm UAE)
Kei Nishikori (JPN x9) v Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x18)
Carina Witthoeft (GER) v Elina Svitolina (UKR x4)
Court 12 (2.30pm UAE)
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x8) v Ana Konjuh (CRO x27)
Kevin Anderson (RSA) v Ruben Bemelmans (BEL)
Court 18 (2.30pm UAE)
Caroline Garcia (FRA x21) v Madison Brengle (USA)
Benoit Paire (FRA) v Jerzy Janowicz (POL)
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
