Arsenal in FA Cup, Zidane makes Real Madrid debut and five must-see matches this week



Ahead of another weekend of football, Jon Turner selects the five must-see matches from around the world. Note: All kick-off times UAE.

ARABIAN GULF LEAGUE:

Al Wasl v Al Jazira, Friday, Abu Dhabi Sports HD, 7.45pm

It has been all change at Al Jazira this month. A new manager has arrived in the form of Henk Ten Cate, as have two new players. Cardiff City striker Kenwyne Jones has been signed until the end of the season to replace the injured Mirko Vucinic, and Getafe midfielder Angel Latifa has also been brought in. Changes were needed after first half of a campaign that has seen last season’s runners-up languish in 10th having lost seven of 13 matches. Ten Cate’s hopes of getting off to a winning start will not be made easy by a trip to a revitalised Al Wasl who currently occupy fourth spot and have lost just once at home this season. Wasl’s attacking pair of Fabio Lima and Edgar Bruno will ensure Jazira’s shaky backline will be tested, while Jazira will be hoping their two latest recruits hit the ground running. This one could have plenty of goals.

FA CUP THIRD ROUND:

Arsenal v Sunderland, beIN Sports HD, Saturday, 7pm

This weekend sees a break in the Premier League season as the FA Cup welcomes England’s top-flight clubs into the competition, including two-time defending champions Arsenal. After a nine-year wait for a trophy, Arsenal ended their drought by winning back-to-back FA Cups and will look to make it three in a row by the end of the season. Standing in the way of Arsene Wenger’s side is a Sunderland team battling relegation under Sam Allardyce. This should be a relatively straightforward outing for Arsenal, although should Wenger decide to rest key players with his focus on the league title, Sunderland may just spring a surprise. Factor in the “magic of the cup” and anything could happen. Couldn’t it?

PRIMERA LIGA:

Real Madrid v Deportivo, beIN Sports HD, Saturday, 11.45pm

We all know why this fixture makes this week’s top five. All eyes will be on legendary France midfielder Zinedine Zidane, who takes his first match as Real Madrid manager following the sacking of Rafa Benitez this week. Standing in Zidane’s way of opening his Madrid career with a victory is a tough opponent in Deportivo La Coruna, who are currently seventh in the Primera Liga and have lost just once in their past six matches. Such is the volatile nature of Real Madrid, defeat could put pressure on Zidane from the start, although given the fans’ affections toward him, he is sure to be afforded more time and patience than predessor Benitez was.

FA CUP THIRD ROUND:

Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City, beIN Sports HD, Sunday, 8pm

This is arguably the tie of the round as the Premier League’s second-placed team visits fourth. Tottenham and Leicester are both enjoying successful seasons to date, with each side losing just twice in the league. Not only should this be the closest match to call, but given the attacking, fast-paced football both teams play, hopefully there will be some goals too. As always with the early stages of the FA Cup, expect the absence of a few key players in each side, particularly given the lofty ambitions of both clubs this season, but nonetheless this should be an entertaining game (cue a drab 0-0 draw).

SERIE A:

Roma v Milan, beIN Sports HD, Sunday (kick-off 11.45pm)

Two of Italy’s traditional giants, two teams hovering just outside Serie A’s top four, fifth-placed Roma welcome sixth-placed AC Milan to the Stadio Olimpico in a match that could boost or batter the visiting team’s Uefa Champions League hopes. Under Sinisa Mihajlovic Milan have improved markedly on last season’s dismal 10th-place finish, while Roma have so far failed to match the standards they set last season in finishing runners-up. However, a win for the home side will open up a seven-point gap on Milan and keep Roma in the hunt for a top-four position, while a Milan win will thrust them into contention. This one could go some way to shaping each side’s season.

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MATCH INFO

Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')

Sevilla 0

Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

MATCH INFO

Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)

Charles 57, Amla 47

Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)

Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9

Bangla Tiger win by five wickets

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