Inter Milan's defence of their Serie A title will be tested again on Sunday when they take on league leaders Napoli hoping to close the seven-point gap between themselves and top spot.
Simone Inzaghi's side trail both Napoli and city rivals AC Milan, both unbeaten and level at the summit, after a series of big matches marked by missed chances and unfortunate refereeing decisions.
Inter drew their derby with Milan before the international break after missing a penalty and wasting several opportunities to secure a win before a late rally from their rivals almost cost them the match.
Now they host Napoli in front of a sold out San Siro with a chance to claw back some of the ground they lost with their controversial draw with Juventus and collapse at Lazio last month.
Inter enter the clash with a minor injury crisis coming to an end, with Edin Dzeko among those who looked to be out but who should be available.
They will be missing starting centre-back Stefan de Vrij but Alessandro Bastoni appears to have recovered from the muscle injury which kept him out of Italy's goalless draw with Northern Ireland on Monday.
Napoli have an almost full squad available for their trip north, with Kalidou Koulibaly back following his suspension for a red card late last month.
Having Koulibaly back for such a huge match is great news for Luciano Spalletti, who returns to the San Siro for the first time since being replaced by Antonio Conte at Inter in 2019.
Napoli will hope Victor Osimhen can carry his international goalscoring form over to club level. The Nigeria forward had been going through an uncharacteristic fallow spell until joining up with his country for recent World Cup qualifiers, with his last Napoli goal coming a month ago against Legia Warsaw.
However, he netted against both Liberia and Cape Verde over the international break, and although the Super Eagles only scraped into the playoffs for next year's tournament in Qatar, Spalletti will be pleased to see the 22-year-old back in the goals.
Waiting to pounce on either side dropping points are Milan, who travel to Florence on Saturday night to take on a Fiorentina side which have most of their backline unavailable.
Juventus, meanwhile, sit 14 points off the pace ahead of their trip to Lazio, who have lost the league's top scorer Ciro Immobile to a calf injury.
Juve also have injury problems as key players again return from their national sides with niggles. Paulo Dybala, Giorgio Chiellini and Federico Bernadeschi are all doubts as they try to stay in touch with the Champions League spots.
Massimiliano Allegri's side are four points behind fourth-placed Atalanta, who kick the weekend off at Spezia.
Fixtures (all times UAE)
Saturday
Atalanta v Spezia (6pm), Lazio v Juventus (9pm), Fiorentina v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Sunday
Sassuolo v Cagliari (3.30pm), Bologna v Venezia, Salernitana v Sampdoria (both 6pm), Inter Milan v Napoli (9pm), Genoa v Roma (11.45pm)
Monday
Verona v Empoli (9.30pm), Torino v Udinese (11.45pm)
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
