Inter Milan captain Andrea Ranocchia has called on the Serie A giants to appease long-suffering fans by dominating the derby against AC Milan on Sunday, when Lazio travel to leaders Juventus looking to cause an upset.
With both Milan sides enduring yet another tough season in Italy’s top flight, the second derby of the season will be crucial for their respective Europa League hopes.
Seven-time European champions Milan sit ninth, 28 points behind leaders Juventus and seven behind Fiorentina in the first Europa League qualifying spot. Inter are 10th, a point further behind, with eight games remaining this season.
Although Inter coach Roberto Mancini last week admitted that “perhaps we feel the pressure more at the San Siro”, Ranocchia echoed the Italian handler’s call for Inter to adopt a winning attitude for Sunday’s game.
“You don’t play derbies, you win them,” Ranocchi said. “We need to give our fans something to smile about after a pretty tough season. The derby is always a good chance to make people happy.”
Mancini, who returned for his second spell at Inter in time for the first Milan derby of the season – which finished 1-1 – in November, is under just as much pressure as AC Milan counterpart Filippo Inzaghi.
But while the former Manchester City manager has the full backing of the club, former Milan striker Inzaghi is walking a tightrope.
Milan defender Ignazio Abate admitted the “Derby della Madonnina” has lost some of its lustre, but claims their motivation to win remains intact.
“Obviously, it won’t be like the derbies we used to have, but the passion remains the same,” said Abate.
“We want to go out and give something back to the club, and to the fans.”
With Juventus 12 points clear of Lazio, the Turin giants are virtually assured of their fourth consecutive title.
But Massimiliano Allegri’s leaders host the capital side only four days after labouring to a 1-0 win over AS Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Lazio fans have plenty of reason to believe Stefano Pioli’s men can cause an upset and close the gap to nine points with eight games remaining.
Although Juventus remain unbeaten at home this campaign, the champions were humbled 1-0 away at basement side Parma last week. At the same time, Lazio put four unanswered goals past Empoli to register their eighth win on the trot.
Lazio have the momentum and could have the physical edge given Juve’s exertions in midweek, and Brazilian forward Felipe Anderson says Pioli wants more.
“Pioli is not getting carried away. We’ve won eight Serie A games in a row and he keeps telling us we’ve achieved nothing yet,” Anderson told Lazio Style Radio.
With 10 goals in 24 games, the 22-year-old Brazilian has been a revelation this season and Manchester United, Liverpool and Barcelona are reportedly showing interest.
Anderson said Lazio – who also face Juventus in the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) final on June 7 – have to focus on playing the game that has seen them score the most goals of any team (58) so far this season.
“We have to go to Turin and be confident in playing our own game. It won’t be easy to beat Gigi Buffon, but we’ll give it everything and try to win.”
With AS Roma now a point adrift of Lazio in third place, a duel for the second automatic Champions League qualifying spot looks imminent, and Lazio midfielder Antonio Candreva has added to the existing rivalry.
Candreva, who claimed his seventh league goal last week with a long-range strike at the Stadio Olimpico, said he was proud to wear the Lazio shirt “because it’s the symbol of this city”.
His declaration has already caused a backlash among Roma fans on social media ahead of Saturday’s home game against Atalanta.
Roma captain Francesco Totti could return following a three-game absence due to injury although Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic is expected to be sidelined with a sore right ankle.
Serie A fixtures (in UAE time)
Saturday
Sampdoria v Cesena (8pm), Juventus v Lazio (10.45pm)
Sunday
Sassuolo v Torino (2.30pm), Chievo v Udinese (5pm), Empoli v Parma (5pm), Palermo v Genoa (5pm), AS Roma v Atalanta (5pm), Cagliari v Napoli (8pm), Inter Milan v AC Milan (10.45pm)
Monday
Fiorentina v Verona (10.45pm)
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MATCH INFO
Aston Villa 1 (Konsa 63')
Sheffield United 0
Red card: Jon Egan (Sheffield United)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Roll of honour: Who won what in 2018/19?
West Asia Premiership: Winners – Bahrain; Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership: Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Winners – Dubai Hurricanes; Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference: Winners – Dubai Tigers; Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
more from Janine di Giovanni
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
The%20specs
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