Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr have been paired with Yokohama F. Marinos from Japan in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League Elite – but have been placed on the opposite side of the draw to Riyadh rivals Al Hilal.
Hilal, winners of the title on a record four occasions, will meet Gwangju in the opening game of the finals phase on April 25.
Should they make it through then they will face the winners of the last-eight clash between Kawasaki Frontale of Japan and Qatar's Al Sadd.
Should Nassr see off Yokohama – beaten in last year's final by UAE's Al Ain – then they will meet either their Saudi Pro League rivals Al Ahli or Buriram United of Thailand.
The draw creates a pathway for a potential Riyadh derby in the final.
All four quarter-finals will be played in Jeddah as part of a new-look finals week. The semi-finals will be played on April 29 and 30, with the final to be held at the King Abdullah Sports City on May 3.
Yokohama are managed by former England assistant manager Steve Holland, who spent many years as No 2 to Gareth Southgate.
Club ambassador Yasuhiro Hato is confident they can pose a serious threat to Ronaldo and Nassr.
“We are very honoured to finish as the top team in the East zone. We will do our best to justify this position with our performance,” said Hato
“We are still going through a familiarisation phase under the new head coach. In the domestic league, we went through a difficult stage but we are now in a better shape and we have to use this to the best of our abilities to compete in Jeddah.”
Al Hilal, meanwhile, will consider themselves strong favourites to reach the last four, but will have to be on their guard against a Gwangju team seeking to create more history.
The only side from Korea to have advanced to the quarter-finals, Gwangju are enjoying a memorable debut on the continental stage and technical director Jang Ki-bong is confident they will not be overawed when taking on one of Asia’s biggest teams.
“We believe in our qualities and we feel that our performances showed that we deserve to be here,” he said. “We created some drama with a dramatic comeback [against Japan's Vissel Kobe in the Round of 16] and we are looking forward to more matches in this competition.
“Al Hilal are a good team – like most West teams are – and to be honest, are better than teams from the East. But we are not afraid and we will fight to defy the odds and make sure that we do everything we can to compete against them.”
Jeddah side Al Ahli, twice runners-up in the competition, will look to land the silverware on home turf after reaching the quarter-finals with an impressive record of nine wins and a draw on their continental journey so far.
Ahli spokesman Faisal Yahya Zaid admitted he was pleased to be drawn against Thai outfit Buriram United.
“The draw was amazing, it’s going to be a tough tournament. Every match is considered a knockout match. The road to the title will be very exciting,” he said. “Our efforts are going to be intensified and we’re going to take it game by game to get to the final.”
Kawasaki Frontale’s immediate target will be to reach the semi-finals, with the Japanese side having fallen at the quarter-final stage three times.
Special ambassador Tetsuo Nakanishi believes that Frontale have a very good chance of upsetting Al Sadd and ending their quarter-final jinx.
“It’s a very difficult situation for the East teams, because we always play very difficult games against West Asian teams. Therefore, we need to prepare well,” he said. “We are very happy to have reached the knockout stage and want to make it to the semi-finals for the first time. We will be ready to face Al Sadd, who are a strong team.”
Al Sadd team manager Abdul Aziz Al Jaidi said the Qatari champions will not take Frontale lightly.
“We will not underestimate any team, especially since we will be playing against a side that has put in strong performances in this year's AFC Champions League,” he said. “We will be ready for the occasion, and we are very motivated.”
AFC Champions League Elite draw
Quarter-finals (April 25-27)
Al Hilal v Gwangju
Al Ahli v Buriram United
Yokohama F. Marinos v Al Nassr
Kawasaki Frontale v Al Sadd
Semi-finals (April 29-30)
Al Hilal/Gwangju v Al Ahli/Buriram United
Yokohama F. Marinos/Al Nassr v Kawasaki Frontale/Al Sadd
*Final to be played on May 3 at King Abdullah Sports City
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEnablers%20of%20digital%20services%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Blockchain%20and%20cryptocurrency%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Crowdfunding%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Banking-as-a-service%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Banking%20identification%20number%20sponsors%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Issuers%2Fprocessors%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Programme%20managers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDigital%20issuance%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Blockchain%20and%20cryptocurrency%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Alternative%20lending%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Personal%20financial%20management%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Money%20transfer%20and%20remittance%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Digital%20banking%20(neo%20banks)%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Digital%20wallets%2C%20peer-to-peer%20and%20transfers%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Employee%20benefits%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Payables%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Corporate%20cards%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EValue-add%20for%20merchants%2Fconsumers%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Data%20and%20analytics%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20ID%2C%20authentication%20and%20security%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Insurance%20technology%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Loyalty%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Merchant%20services%20and%20tools%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Process%20and%20payment%20infrastructure%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Retail%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESME%20recovery%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Money%20movement%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Acceptance%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Risk%20management%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Brand%20management%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ENew%20categories%20for%202023%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Sustainable%20FinTechs%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Risk%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%20Urban%20mobility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Kandahar%20
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The past winners
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
Southampton 0
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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.”
