Kiev prepares to host Real Madrid and Liverpool in Uefa Champions League final on May 26 - in pictures


Steve Luckings
  • English
  • Arabic

The finishing touches are being applied to the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev as the Ukraine capital gets ready to host the Uefa Champions League final at the end of the month.

Two-time defending champions Real Madrid face Liverpool in the May 26 showdown. Madrid, looking to win the European Cup for a record-extending 13th time, take on five-time champions Liverpool who are playing in their first final since 2007.

Liverpool recently concluded their domestic campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, ensuring their participation in next season's Champions League if they can successfully negotiate a play-off.

Of course, they could eliminate that need by beating Madrid on May 26 and qualifying automatically for the 2018/19 edition.

Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian superstar, will spearhead Liverpool's attack. The forward's opening goal in the final-day victory over Brighton & Hove Albion set a new league record for number of goals in a 38-game season of 32.

Opponents Real Madrid have the ultimate weapon when it comes to Champions League knockout games: Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Fifa World Player of the Year has 15 goals in this season's competition, five more than Salah, with both instrumental in successfully guiding their respective teams to Kiev.

Ronaldo's spectacular bicycle kick against Juventus in Madrid's quarter-final first leg even had Juve fans applauding, and his late penalty against the Italian club in the final minute at the Bernabeu in the return leg showed nerves of steel.

Salah's goals against Manchester City in the last eight and his one-man demolition job of Roma in the semi-final first leg at Anfield will live long in the memory.

Who will prevail on May 26?

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Read more:

Team of the Season: Five Manchester City players join record-breaker Salah

Why Liverpool will go on to win the title

Why Real Madrid will win the Champions League

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Six tips to secure your smart home

Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.

Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.

Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.

Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.

Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.

Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.

'The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure' ​​​​
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, Penguin Randomhouse

10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
  • Grade 9 = above an A*
  • Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
  • Grade 7 = grade A
  • Grade 6 = just above a grade B
  • Grade 5 = between grades B and C
  • Grade 4 = grade C
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  • Grade 1 = between grades F and G