La Liga leaders Real Madrid face one of their toughest tests since embarking on a 22-game winning streak back in September when they start 2015 with a trip to Valencia on Sunday.
Madrid spent their New Year festive period in Dubai, where they played AC Milan in a friendly at The Sevens and were thoroughly beaten 4-2 by their Serie A challengers.
That result didn’t seem to worry manager Carlo Ancelotti over his streaking side, however, as he said afterward, “this doesn’t affect what we have already achieved”.
“There’s no problem. We’re optimistic for January,” he addded.
Valencia, for their part, have reason to be optimistic in the new year with a return to Champions League football for next season top of their agenda.
Valencia sit fourth, a solitary point above Sevilla, Villarreal and Malaga, but demonstrated their financial advantage over the other Champions League hopefuls following Singaporean businessman Peter Lim’s recent acquisition of the club by splashing out EU€25 million (Dh110.2m) on Argentine international midfielder Enzo Perez this week.
“I have the greatest expectations of making a good start here,” Perez said as he was presented to the Valencia fans on Friday.
“I hope that this new project at Valencia grows, and that 2015 will be a happy year for us all.”
Perez is expected to make his Mestalla debut against a Real Madrid side still shorn of Luka Modric through injury.
Sergio Ramos is also a serious doubt having played with a calf injury as the European champions ended 2014 by collecting their fourth trophy of the year in the Club World Cup against San Lorenzo a fortnight ago.
Unusually the opening of the transfer window has sparked rumours of possible departures from the Santiago Bernabeu rather than big money signings with Gareth Bale linked with a move to Manchester United.
However, the Welshman, who scored in his third final for Madrid with his 11th of the season in the Club World Cup final, has dismissed suggestions that he could leave the Spanish capital after a remarkably successful 18 months since joining from Tottenham Hotspur.
“It has been a fantastic year for me. I wanted to come to Real Madrid to win titles and work alongside the best players and that is exactly what I have done in a single year,” he told the club’s website.
“Hopefully we can keep improving, keep winning titles and I can keep showing my best.”
Barcelona start the year just a point adrift of Real at the top, but having played a game more.
The Catalans also face a potentially tricky trip away to David Moyes’ Real Sociedad on Sunday and have had little time to prepare for the game as a group following the Christmas break.
Lionel Messi, Neymar and Dani Alves only returned to training on Friday, while the latter remains a doubt due to a hamstring injury.
“Every game now is a chance to cut the gap,” said Barca goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who will be facing the club he played with for eight years before joining Barca in June.
“It depends on us playing well and, sooner or later, our rivals will drop points.”
Moyes, meanwhile, has urged his players to summon the spirit and performance levels which saw them defeat Real and Atletico Madrid at home this season before his appointment.
“We respect Barcelona because they are a very good team, but they are coming to San Sebastian and we have to show them this is not an easy place to come and win,” said the Scot.
“My players have already shown that they are capable of beating Barcelona.”
Champions Atletico Madrid host Levante in the first La Liga match of the year on Saturday, but Fernando Torres will not be available to mark his return to the Vicente Calderon as his move from AC Milan cannot be formally completed until the Italian transfer window opens on Monday.
Fixtures
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Levante, Sevilla v Celta Vigo, Elche v Villarreal, Deportivo la Coruna v Athletic Bilbao, Malaga v Almeria
Sunday
Getafe v Rayo Vallecano, Valencia v Real Madrid, Espanyol v Eibar, Real Sociedad v Barcelona
Monday
Cordoba v Granada
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Sweet%20Tooth
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Racecard
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
