Five key questions in the Champions League final at Berlin's Olympiastadion on Saturday between Juventus and Barcelona:
Can the Juventus defence contain Barcelona’s MSN strike-force?
Barcelona's South American strike-force of Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, Brazil's Neymar and Uruguay's Luis Suarez have scored 120 goals between them already this season as Suarez has slotted seamlessly into Barca's attack and Messi has been in the form of his career.
But the Juventus back four managed to subdue Real Madrid’s star-studded attack and soaked up all that Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema threw at them in the second leg of their semi-final tie. Now, without the injured Giorgio Chiellini, they must repeat that performance.
Can Juventus get a grip on Barcelona in midfield?
Led by the class of veteran Andrea Pirlo, and with Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and Paul Pogba in there too, there is enough quality in the Juventus midfield for them to take on the Barcelona trio of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta.
Barcelona can also call on the veteran Xavi Hernandez, who will at some point during the game make his final appearance for the Catalan club before joining Qatari side Al Sadd next season.
Can the old master Gianluigi Buffon outshine Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen?
As the only survivor from Juventus’ last Champions League final appearance in 2003, the 37-year-old Buffon is showing no signs of ageing and is determined to win his first European Cup.
Buffon, who was outstanding in Juve’s 3-2 semi-final win on aggregate over Real Madrid, is relishing a return to the Olympiastadion where he won the World Cup with Italy in 2006.
In the opposite goal, Ter Stegen, who is 14 years Buffon’s junior, has got the nod in Europe this season despite coach Luis Enrique selecting the Chilean Claudio Bravo in La Liga.
Now, in his first season playing in Europe’s elite club competition, he is looking forward to facing one of his childhood heroes.
“Buffon is a legend. He really has played a remarkable season. It was great to see him perform the way he did against Real Madrid,” said Ter Stegen. “It’s a good opportunity for him, but I hope I can win the final, not him.”
Can Morata and Tevez break their Barcelona scoring drought?
With 14 and 29 goals respectively, Alvaro Morata and Carlos Tevez have forged an impressive partnership up front for Juventus, but both have an extra point to prove against Barcelona.
Morata never scored against Barca when he was on the books at Real Madrid, while Tevez was on the losing side for Manchester United against Barcelona in his last Champions League final appearance.
Having lifted the trophy with United in Moscow in May 2008 by beating Chelsea on penalties in the final, Tevez played the second half of the 2009 final in Rome when Messi orchestrated Barca’s 2-0 victory.
While Messi threatens to again steal the limelight in Berlin, Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano warns their Argentinian compatriot Tevez is just as deadly in front of goal.
“He is one of the best players I have ever shared a pitch with and he has an incredible winning mentality,” said Mascherano.
“He is a player that likes to play these type of games and clearly is one of the most important players in the Juventus team.”
Can Juventus break Barcelona’s resolve at set-pieces?
Only once this season has Barcelona’s defence been breached from a set-piece, when Bayern Munich defender Medhi Benatia headed past Ter Stegen from a corner early in the Champions League semi-final second leg.
But with their height and strength, Juventus will test the Catalans’ defence in the air from dead-ball situations.
Morata’s crucial equaliser following a Pirlo free-kick in the semi-final second leg against Madrid ultimately booked Juve’s ticket to Berlin. Barcelona’s centre-backs Mascherano and Gerard Pique will therefore need to be at the top of their game in the final, especially whenever Pirlo gets the chance to send in a free-kick.
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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
MATCH INFO
Day 1 at Mount Maunganui
England 241-4
Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28
New Zealand
Yet to bat
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
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Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
GAC GS8 Specs
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FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
More coverage from the Future Forum
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
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ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
