LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)
Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)
Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)
Real Madrid and Barcelona are gaining momentum but Atletico Madrid have stayed strong at the top of La Liga, ahead of what should be a crucial month in the title race.
Atletico's surprise loss to third division side Cornella in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday came in stark contrast to their league form, where only defeat to their capital city rivals last month blots an otherwise perfect run of results that stretches back to mid-October.
Two narrow victories over Getafe and Alaves last week made it four league victories on the bounce since Atletico's setback at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium, where a hesitant, passive performance frustrated manager Diego Simeone reassurance.
Atletico had caved when it mattered most and many thought that spelled danger for their prospects longer-term.
But while Zinedine Zidane's Real have used the derby victory to string together an unbeaten run of eight games, seven of them wins and five with clean sheets, Atletico have also responded.
Luis Suarez scored consecutive winners against Getafe and Alaves, his tap-in at Mendizorroza on Sunday prompting the kind of celebrations to suggest his team genuinely believes they can go the distance.
"We have to keep going down this path," said Simeone. "The league is complex, there are lots of traps and you have to be constantly prepared, you can't let yourselves relax."
When Real last put together a run like this, it was to secure last season's title, as Barcelona wilted with the trophy in sight.
Yet Atletico have marched on, even if the last-gasp nature of their win against Alaves, coupled with Wednesday's defeat by Cornella, means there can be no room for complacency this weekend.
"Everyone wants to win and in the second half of the season there is no longer the same calmness," Simeone said. "It will be tougher, with teams fighting to save themselves, to qualify for Europe. You have to stay alert."
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Gallery: Bilbao 2 Barca 3
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The disappointing cup defeat, though, clearly affected Simeone and he seemed to suggest after the match that his future might lie elsewhere.
"Things change all the time in football, and you have to be open to all possibilities. I'm very happy here but you have to be open to whatever the club decides,' Simeone, who has a contract until 2022, said.
Atletico face Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and then Sevilla on Tuesday, two tough games that will again test their mettle, especially as Bilbao will be eager to secure a first win under new manager Marcelino.
Real, in contrast, have what appears to be an easier run of games ahead of them. Their next six matches are all against teams currently in the bottom seven of the table, starting at Osasuna on Saturday.
When they lost away at Shakhtar Donestsk at the start of December, Zidane was back in the firing line but the Frenchman has reverted to his most trusted players and his side have quickly recovered.
Barcelona look rejuvenated too, their 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday coming after a scintillating performance from Lionel Messi.
He scored twice and could have had a hat-trick while the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong all contributed to a slick attacking display.
It was also enough to rekindle their hope, even if a seven-point deficit behind Atletico, who have two games in hand on both the Catalans and Madrid, still looks a large gap to close.
"There is always a chance," said Barca manager Ronald Koeman. "The season is very long. You can have ups and downs in a season and it may be that a team that is doing very well will suddenly find it difficult."
If Barcelona can win away at Granada on Saturday, belief will grow. Madrid travel to Osasuna later on Saturday night. Earlier in the day, Sevilla, in sixth, face Real Sociedad in fourth.
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Gallery: Real Madrid 2 Celta Vigo 0
Match info
Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
How to report a beggar
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Baby Driver
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James
Three and a half stars
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)
Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)
Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)
