Reeling from their mid-week humbling by Bayern Munich, Arsenal face a test of nerve on Sunday when Tottenham Hotspur take their 10-game unbeaten Premier League run across North London.
Arsenal have been flying in the league, winning five consecutive games to draw level on points with leaders Manchester City, but Wednesday’s 5-1 drubbing in Munich left Arsene Wenger’s side in grave danger of failing to reach the Champions League knockout phase for the first time in 16 years.
It comes at a time when injuries have laid waste to the Arsenal squad and with Spurs unbeaten in the league since the season’s opening day, Wenger knows that his team will need every ounce of self-belief they can muster.
“It was a disappointing result on Wednesday night, but before that we did extremely well in the Premier League so we will try to continue from one competition (to) the other,” the Arsenal manager said.
“I believe that in the Premier League we have a strong confidence and focus and that is what we want to reproduce on Sunday against Tottenham.
“It is always a game where the commitment and nervous force will be important.”
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Diego Forlan: Has Jose Mourinho lost the Chelsea dressing room?
Arsenal’s travails will give Tottenham hope that they can bridge the five-point gap that currently separates them from their derby foes, despite a return of just one win from their 12 previous visits to the Emirates Stadium.
Striker Harry Kane, who has never previously played at the Emirates, is wary of an Arsenal backlash, but having played his part in successive home wins over Aston Villa and Anderlecht this week, he believes that Mauricio Pochettino’s side have nothing to fear.
“They took a bit of a hiding in mid-week and they are going to want to put that right,” said the England striker, who has rediscovered his scoring touch with five goals in his last three games.
“We have come off two very good wins so we are going into the game on a high and hopefully we can finish the week off well.”
He added: “It is going to be a great battle and everyone is looking forward to it. We want to go there, set a high tempo and play well.
“It was not a good night for them (against Bayern). A lot has been said about that result and, as fellow players, you know they will come out firing to try and put things right. So we know what to expect.”
Kane scored a double, including a memorable looping header in the 86th minute, when the teams last met in the league as Spurs ran out 2-1 victors at White Hart Lane in February.
But it was Arsenal who prevailed when their paths last crossed in late September, an unlikely double from defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini giving Wenger’s men a 2-1 victory in the League Cup.
Wenger has admitted to being “very concerned” about Arsenal’s injury crisis, which has left Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky on the treatment tables.
Arsenal hope that centre-back Laurent Koscielny will be fit to play after he sat out the drubbing in Bavaria with a hip problem, but right-back Hector Bellerin will not feature due to a groin injury.
Spurs left-back Danny Rose is expected to recover from a knock that forced him off during Monday’s 3-1 win over Villa, while Clinton N’Jie could return to the match-day squad following a hamstring complaint.
South Korea star Son Heung-min made his return following a six-week lay-off with a foot problem in Thursday’s Europa League victory against Anderlecht, which took Spurs to the top of Group J.
But midfielder Nabil Bentaleb and winger Nacer Chadli are both out with ankle injuries, while Andros Townsend has been sidelined after clashing with a fitness coach following the Villa game.
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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.”
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.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Results
Stage three:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
5. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
6. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s
General Classification:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s
4. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
6. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
All or Nothing
Amazon Prime
Four stars
