Laurent Blanc, the Bordeaux manager, wants his players to stay "focused" as they look to wrap up their first league title triumph in a decade on a potentially dramatic final day in France's Ligue 1.
Les Girondins lead the title rivals Marseille by three points, which means Bordeaux need only a point away to the relegation candidates Caen tonight to claim the sixth league crown of their 128-year history.
Marseille host Rennes, who also have something to play for as they are chasing a Europa League place, but the only way Marseille can be crowned champions is if they win and Bordeaux lose.
So Bordeaux's fate is in their hands, and Blanc has told his players to go out and enjoy themselves in front of a sell-out 21,000 crowd at Stade Michel-d'Ornano.
"We know how much is at stake," said the former France international, who led Bordeaux to the runners-up spot in his rookie season as a coach last term. "It's an exciting situation, and we're motivated. We're trying to enjoy it as much as we can.
"We're focused without worrying too much. We're under pressure, just as Caen, Marseille, Rennes and other teams are. The team that handles the pressure better will become champions. It's up to us to make sure our players use the pressure positively rather than buckle under it."
Bordeaux - who will set a Ligue 1 record of 11 straight victories if they win tonight - received a huge boost on Thursday night when Yoann Gourcuff announced he had signed a permanent deal with the club.
The France playmaker, 22, has had a massive impact since arriving on loan from AC Milan last summer. He has scored 12 goals - including five in his last five games - provided eight assists and recently collected the Ligue 1 Player of the Year and Goal of the Season prizes, the latter for a dazzling individual effort against PSG last January.
Bordeaux will pay Milan a transfer fee of ?15 million (Dh77.5m).
Gourcuff's monthly salary in Gironde is estimated to be around ?350,000.
Even if Marseille overtake Bordeaux to become champions, their fixture against Rennes at Stade Velodrome will be Eric Gerets' last as their coach.
The former Belgium international defender, 55, has signed a two-year deal to take over at Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal from July.
Toulouse, PSG, Rennes and Lille are battling for two Europa League places, while St Etienne, Caen, Le Mans and Sochaux will fight to avoid joining Nantes and Le Havre in Ligue 2 next season.
@Email:jeastham@thenational.ae
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
How to avoid crypto fraud
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- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
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Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
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Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India