Liverpool manager Arne Slot during the Premier League match against Fulham. EPA
Liverpool manager Arne Slot during the Premier League match against Fulham. EPA
Liverpool manager Arne Slot during the Premier League match against Fulham. EPA
Liverpool manager Arne Slot during the Premier League match against Fulham. EPA

Sport

Football

Southampton v Liverpool: Arne Slot targets glory on all fronts ahead of League Cup tie

Premier League leaders face Saints for place in last four as they look to retain trophy

The National

December 18, 2024

  • English
  • Arabic

Arne Slot says Liverpool have the depth to fight on all fronts as he prepares to rest some star names for their League Cup quarter-final against Southampton on Wednesday night.

The Reds are top of the Premier League and the Uefa Champions League, with 19 wins in 23 games in all competitions so far. Slot said at his pre-match press conference that it was "normal for Liverpool to be fighting for every trophy and to be for a long time in every cup".

"This happened last season when this club won this competition," he said. "So I am not surprised that with the quality we have we are competing at this moment for these three trophies, and the fourth one [the FA Cup] is starting in January."

The Dutch manager, short of fit defenders, is set to rotate his squad as he plans for a trip to Tottenham in the Premier League at the weekend.

He does not expect forward Diogo Jota, who scored as a substitute on his return from injury against Fulham, to be fit enough to start but Federico Chiesa could get an opportunity to impress for the first time since September.

Caoimhin Kelleher will be back in goal, having impressed while deputising for Alisson Becker during his injury lay-off, and defender Kostas Tsimikas is nearing a return.

"I'm aware of the fact that we have only four defenders available and probably the ones that have started a lot of times will not play 90 minutes for sure and maybe not even at all," said Slot.

"So, it's going to be either academy players that are going to get playing time or it's going to be players that nobody would expect to see in the last line that are going to play in the last line tomorrow."

  • Liverpool's Diogo Jota celebrates scoring their second goal in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Anfield as Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno reacts. AFP
    Liverpool's Diogo Jota celebrates scoring their second goal in the 2-2 Premier League draw at Anfield as Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno reacts. AFP
  • Diogo Jota of Liverpool scores his team's second goal. Getty Images
    Diogo Jota of Liverpool scores his team's second goal. Getty Images
  • Rodrigo Muniz of Fulham celebrates scoring his team's second goal. Getty Images
    Rodrigo Muniz of Fulham celebrates scoring his team's second goal. Getty Images
  • Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz scores their second. PA
    Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz scores their second. PA
  • Liverpool's Cody Gakpo celebrates with Luis Diaz after scoring his side's opening goal. AP
    Liverpool's Cody Gakpo celebrates with Luis Diaz after scoring his side's opening goal. AP
  • Liverpool's Cody Gakpo scores to make it 1-1 against Fulham. PA
    Liverpool's Cody Gakpo scores to make it 1-1 against Fulham. PA
  • Andreas Pereira of Fulham celebrates scoring his team's first goal with teammates. Getty Images
    Andreas Pereira of Fulham celebrates scoring his team's first goal with teammates. Getty Images
  • Fulham's Andreas Pereira scores their opening goal. AFP
    Fulham's Andreas Pereira scores their opening goal. AFP
  • Andreas Pereira of Fulham scores his team's first goal. Getty Images
    Andreas Pereira of Fulham scores his team's first goal. Getty Images
  • Liverpool's Mohamed Salah battles for the ball with Fulham's Jorge Cuenca. AP
    Liverpool's Mohamed Salah battles for the ball with Fulham's Jorge Cuenca. AP
  • Liverpool's Andrew Robertson fouls Fulham's Harry Wilson before being shown a red card. AFP
    Liverpool's Andrew Robertson fouls Fulham's Harry Wilson before being shown a red card. AFP
  • Referee Tony Harrington shows a red card to Liverpool's Andrew Robertson. AFP
    Referee Tony Harrington shows a red card to Liverpool's Andrew Robertson. AFP
  • Liverpool's Luis Diaz clips Fulham's Jorge Cuenca as he attempts a spectacular overhead kick before being shown a yellow card. EPA
    Liverpool's Luis Diaz clips Fulham's Jorge Cuenca as he attempts a spectacular overhead kick before being shown a yellow card. EPA
  • Liverpool manager Arne Slot shows his frustration on the touchline. EPA
    Liverpool manager Arne Slot shows his frustration on the touchline. EPA

Slot must sit in the stands for Wednesday's match after collecting a third booking of the season against Fulham. The former Feyenoord boss is calmer on the sidelines than his predecessor Jurgen Klopp but admitted he has "fire" inside him.

"I don't always think you have to show it to have that fire," he said. "I think it's clear that if you work at a club like this or around the world at a top club you do have this fire inside you that you want to win every game."

Southampton go into the game without a permanent manager having sacked Russell Martin this week. Martin led Saints to promotion to the Premier League but had taken just five points from 16 league games when the axe fell.

Former Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand has emerged as a contender to replace Martin. He is currently unemployed after leaving his position as Danish national team manager meaning he is free to take over as soon as possible.

The favourite remains Sheffield Wednesday's German coach Danny Rohl.

Rohl spent eight months at the club in 2019 as assistant manager to Ralph Hasenhuttl before joining Bayern Munich as an assistant coach to Hansi Flick.

The 35 year old took charge at Hillsborough in October 2023 with the club looking doomed to relegation but kept them up with wins over Blackburn, West Brom and Sunderland in their final three games of the season.

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.

A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.

Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.

A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.

On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.

The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.

Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.

The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later. 

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