Hosts Germany received a major boost with news that defender Antonio Rudiger will be fit for Saturday's Euro 2024 last-16 clash with Denmark, having missed training sessions this week with a hamstring strain.
Rudiger's potential absence was a concern for Germany, who are already without fellow centre-back Jonathan Tah, who misses the game through suspension.
Real Madrid defender Rudiger was in high spirits at Friday's training session, joking with Jamal Musiala while doing laps of the pitch at the German training base in Herzogenaurach.
Rudiger injured his hamstring towards the end of Germany's 1-1 draw with Switzerland in the final group game but played on and completed the match.
Nico Schlotterbeck, who faced off against Rudiger in the Champions League final with club side Borussia Dortmund, will take Tah's place in central defence.
Schlotterbeck will be playing on his home pitch at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday (11pm UAE), and he believes it is the perfect venue for the tournament hosts to ride a wave of partisan support against the Danes.
"I think the stadium is something very special because it’s simply the biggest in Germany, the most atmospheric in Germany," said Schlotterbeck. "We have triggered a little euphoria in Germany and are now trying to spread it. And I think if we play a good game, then all the fans will be happy and can cheer us on.”
Having eased to victory against Scotland and Hungary in their opening two group games, Germany had to scramble for a point against the Swiss, needing a late headed equaliser from substitute Niclas Fullkrug. Taking a positive view, manager Julian Nagelsmann believes that experience of mild jeopardy will help them prosper as they transition to knockout football.
He said: "We took a lot of risks [in the final stages against Switzerland]. It was a very good test for the knockout games and a good sign that we can come back. There is a special spirit in this squad. We need to maintain that, as it can have a big impact. The law of a tournament is that the opponents tend to get better the further you go."
The Danes, meanwhile, are sweating on the fitness of midfielder Christian Eriksen, who did not take to the pitch in their pre-match training session. A spokesperson from the Danish FA said Eriksen had taken part in a gym workout instead.
Kasper Hjulmand, the Denmark coach, accepts their status as outsiders, but says they have a game plan to upset the hosts.
"We have to trust our own tactics," he said. "We have to get the ball away from them and give them something to think about. We have to show who we are all the way through and play with courage. We are the underdogs, but are going to use this psychology to our advantage and apply pressure on Germany. As I have said from the start, we can go into this game feeling relaxed and just give it all we have got."
Switzerland coach Yakin backs side to eliminate holders Italy
In the earlier game on Saturday, Switzerland face Italy in Berlin (8pm UAE), with boss Murat Yakin confident his "in-form" side can dump out the holders.
"Italy have some great players, so it will be a big challenge," he said. "We're staying focused on ourselves, but also need to make sure we're prepared for the strengths and weaknesses that Italy have.
"What makes them dangerous is that they can play in a number of different ways. But, they will also be worried about us. We're in good form, are unpredictable and will try to come out on top of this game."
Italy set up the Round of 16 tie with a last-minute equaliser from Mattia Zaccagni in their final group game – a 1-1 draw which eliminated opponents Croatia.
Coach Luciano Spalletti said the result should inspire confidence, even it revealed they have much to improve on.
"We brought home a point from a very difficult game against Croatia; the lads did something extraordinary, particularly from the mental point of view.
"We have to congratulate them, but we also have things that we have to review and try to improve. Sometimes the mistakes they make are the result of too much commitment and desire. We don't have many players who are used to these competitions."
Euro 2024 Round of 16 in full
Saturday, June 29 Switzerland v Italy (Berlin, 8pm UAE) Germany v Denmark (Dortmund, 11pm)
Sunday, June 30 England v Slovakia (Gelsenkirchen, 8pm) Spain v Georgia (Cologne, 11pm)
Monday, July 1 France v Belgium (Dusseldorf, 8pm) Portugal v Slovenia (Frankfurt, 11pm)
Tuesday, July 2 Romania v Netherlands (Munich, 8pm) Austria v Turkey (Leipzig, 11pm)
WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
The biog
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Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
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Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
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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.”
