AS Roma seek to consolidate their summit spot at Inter Milan on Saturday as sleeping Serie A giants Juventus need a much needed pick-me-up in their derby clash with Torino.
Roma arrive at the San Siro on a six-match winning streak after Wednesday’s Maicon-inspired 3-1 success over Udinese.
That lifted them back into the Serie A lead, two points clear of Napoli, Fiorentina and Inter, who saw off Bologna 24 hours earlier.
Roma’s Greek international Kostas Manolas, who set up Gervinho for the third goal against Udinese, says the mood is buoyant at the Stadio Olimpico.
“We have a great side here ... we’re getting more and more confident. We have to carry on like this, but we need to work even more. Next up is Inter and we want to win that game.”
Brazilian star Maicon, who scored one and set up another on Wednesday, says despite Roma's surge to the summit it was too soon to start contemplating a first scudetto title since 2001.
“It’s too early. I’ve won many titles and I know it doesn’t work like that.
“We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re on the right track and we have to keep on moving in this direction.”
Roberto Mancini’s Inter snapped a four-game winless run in midweek to put them in an improved frame of mind for their top-of-the-table clash.
Whatever the outcome Inter’s Slovenia keeper Samir Handanovic can expect to put in a busier shift on Saturday than the one against Bologna.
“The team is flying right now. We’ve got another match coming up on Saturday and we need to recover before then, plain and simple. Roma will be a big test in our home stadium,” he said.
While Roma and Inter’s stars are in the ascendancy, Juve’s appears on the wane – Wednesday’s 1-0 loss at Sampdoria leaving the defending champions in a lowly 12th position, 11 adrift of Roma.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri did not mince his words about what he wanted from himself and his under-achieving titleholders.
Speaking after the Sampdoria loss he said: “There was no need for us to be tense and commit fouls near our area.
“There’s absolutely no excuse for it, we must grow quickly and take responsibility. We are Juventus and our approach needs to be different.
“We need to get through this by working and preparing for Saturday’s derby, then we’ve got the Champions League.
“Everyone needs to take the blame for tonight and I’m the first to hold my hands up. We must do better.”
Sunday’s action sees Napoli, in second on goal difference, at Genoa and third-placed Fiorentina hosting strugglers Frosinone.
Maurizio Sarri’s highflying Napoli extended their winning run in all competitions to seven with a 2-0 defeat of Palermo in midweek.
“I’m satisfied with our performances but we can’t become big headed,” said Sarri.
“We need to remain balanced, only two points cover five teams and we’re not even at the halfway point of the season.”
One team brushed aside by Napoli this month, AC Milan, travel to Lazio seemingly in good heart after back-to-back wins but they'll need to be with their hosts having won all eight of their home games this campaign.
Fixtures (UAE times)
Saturday
Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Fiorentina v Frosinone (3.30pm), Bologna v Atalanta (6pm), Carpi v Verona (6pm), Genoa v Napoli (6pm), Udinese v Sassuolo (6pm), Lazio v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
Chievo v Sampdoria (10pm), Palermo v Empoli (Midnght)
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Company%20Profile
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Arrogate's winning run
1. Maiden Special Weight, Santa Anita Park, June 5, 2016
2. Allowance Optional Claiming, Santa Anita Park, June 24, 2016
3. Allowance Optional Claiming, Del Mar, August 4, 2016
4. Travers Stakes, Saratoga, August 27, 2016
5. Breeders' Cup Classic, Santa Anita Park, November 5, 2016
6. Pegasus World Cup, Gulfstream Park, January 28, 2017
7. Dubai World Cup, Meydan Racecourse, March 25, 2017
ASSASSIN'S%20CREED%20MIRAGE
%3Cp%3E%0DDeveloper%3A%20Ubisoft%20Bordeaux%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Ubisoft%0D%3Cbr%3EConsoles%3A%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20Series%20S%26amp%3BX%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
england euro squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
