BARCELONA // All eyes will be on new Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane and on how he delivers his brand of attacking football spearheaded by the “BBC” in his first match in charge against Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga on Saturday.
So far the quietly-spoken Frenchman has given little indication of the way he plans to breathe new life into a side that boasts plenty of talent but failed to perform in big games under former coach Rafa Benitez.
Read more
Diego Forlan: I wish Zidane good luck at Real Madrid. He is going to need it
Vote: Will Zinedine Zidane be a success as Real Madrid manager?
In pictures: Zinedine Zidane puts Cristiano Ronaldo and Co through their paces
Andy Mitten: Quiet thinker Zidane's first task is to command notoriously difficult Real Madrid dressing room
"The idea is to play with the three of them," Zidane told reporters as he explained the roles of top forwards Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, known in Spain as the "BBC".
“It is important to see attractive football and that is the line I will look to go down. Attacking and balanced.”
Benitez was never able to win over the dressing room with his studious approach following the departure of the more easy-going Italian Carlo Ancelotti last summer.
Fans and the media also criticised the Spaniard for being too defensive and Zidane will now need his three leading performers to show more willingness to track back.
Madrid’s attacking trident are as prolific with league goals as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez at Barcelona but it is in other facets to their play that the difference shows.
Both trios have hit 35 La Liga goals this season but the perception is that Madrid’s players have been less willing to defend.
France great Zidane’s illustrious career as a player demands the respect of the squad even though this is his first stint as a top-flight coach.
It was the first time since February that a side comprising Messi, Neymar and Suarez failed to score as Barca drew 0-0 with Espanyol last weekend but they quickly got back on track with a 4-1 win over the same opponents on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey.
A magical Messi display saw him score twice and set up goals for Gerard Pique and Neymar as Barca strolled to victory in the last-16 first-leg clash.
Fixtures (all kick offs UAE time)
Saturday
Barcelona V Granada, 7pm
Getafe V Real Betis, 9.15pm
Sevilla V Athletic Bilbao, 9.15pm
Real Madrid V Deportivo de La Coruna, 11.30pm
Levante V Rayo Vallecano, 1.05am (Sunday)
Sunday
Villarreal V Sporting Gijon, 3pm
Real Sociedad V Valencia, 7pm
Eibar V Espanyol, 9.15pm
Las Palmas V Malaga, 9.15pm
Celta Vigo V Atletico Madrid, 11.30pm
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
More on animal trafficking
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Neo%20Mobility%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20February%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abhishek%20Shah%20and%20Anish%20Garg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Logistics%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Delta%20Corp%2C%20Pyse%20Sustainability%20Fund%2C%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
Opening Premier League fixtures, August 14
- Brentford v Arsenal
- Burnley v Brighton
- Chelsea v Crystal Palace
- Everton v Southampton
- Leicester City v Wolves
- Manchester United v Leeds United
- Newcastle United v West Ham United
- Norwich City v Liverpool
- Tottenham v Manchester City
- Watford v Aston Villa
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?