As the Premier League returns to action following the international break, Thomas Woods predicts the outcomes of the latest round of matches.
[Weekend preview: Raheem Sterling faces Liverpool for first time since bitter exit + kick-off times]
[Greg Lea: Once the world's best striker, Falcao's Manchester United misery shows no sign of abating at Chelsea]
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Watford 0 Manchester United 1
United are sweating on Anthony Martial’s injury but the absence of the Frenchman could actually benefit Louis van Gaal’s side. Martial has been stuck out on the wing in recent games, which doesn’t seem to suit him. If he is out, the likes of Memphis Depay and Ashley Young could come in, both of whom are more natural wide men. Watford are well organised, but they don’t score enough goals. The key to this is when and if United score. The longer it stays goalless, the more confident Watford will become about grabbing at least a point.
Chelsea 2 Norwich City 0
Norwich are above Chelsea in the table but this is a game the home side should win comfortably. “Should” being the key word. Jose Mourinho’s position is already shaky and I’m not sure he could survive another slip-up, especially against a team Chelsea would normally expect to beat nine times out of 10. Time for Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and co to start Chelsea’s revival.
Everton 2 Aston Villa 0
Villa put in a gutsy performance in holding Manchester City to a 0-0 draw two weeks ago but the score shouldn’t mask the amount of work new manager Remi Garde has to do. It could have been 3-0 City had they converted several glaring chances and Villa did not have a shot on goal. It’s hard to see them scoring against an Everton side with plenty of attacking potential.
Newcastle 0 Leicester City 1
Newcastle are another team whose last result does not reflect the story of the match. They were dominated by Bournemouth, yet scored a breakaway goal to take a 1-0 win back home with them. They can’t play as badly again against a Leicester side who always seem to find a way to score. Who would pick against Jamie Vardy, who can equal Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of scoring in 10 straight league games, if he is fit enough to play?
Southampton 1 Stoke City 0
A clash of two form sides with Southampton unbeaten in six, having won four of those. Stoke have lost just once in seven and beat Chelsea last time around. Both sides boast among the best defences outside the top four but you have to fancy the home side, with Graziano Pelle in great form, to win a tight one.
Swansea City 1 Bournemouth 0
Swansea need a win badly after just one in their past eight games. The goals have dried up, with centre forward Bafetimbi Gomis struggling of late. The same can be said of Bournemouth, who have also been hampered by injury. They should have beaten Newcastle last time out, but lacked cutting edge.
West Bromwich Albion 0 Arsenal 1
Arsenal have enough quality to take three points from the Hawthorns, but West Brom have proved on several occasions under Tony Pulis they are capable of super defensive performances. Similar to Manchester United’s trip to Watford, one goal should be enough for Arsenal. Olivier Giroud is coming into top form for them and should be one to watch.
Manchester City 2 Liverpool 0
City are expecting to have David Silva and Sergio Aguero back and that is the key. As good as Liverpool were in taking three points from Chelsea, City are on a different level. Jurgen Klopp’s side are also missing key players — Daniel Sturridge, Mamadou Sakho, Jordan Henderson — and they can’t keep relying on Philippe Coutinho to produce moments of brilliance.
Tottenham 2 West Ham United 0
Dimitri Payet has been one of the players of the season so far but he is now out for around three months and West Ham might take a while to adjust to losing him. In his absence, Slaven Bilic might consider moving Al Jazira loanee Manuel Lanzini more centrally, but whichever way you paint it, Payet will be missed. Tottenham are motoring and they probably deserved to beat Arsenal two weeks ago. Expect another strong display here.
Crystal Palace 4 Sunderland 0
Fresh off a 2-1 win at Anfield, Palace are handed the Premier League’s easiest three points at the moment — home against Sunderland. This game could be decided in the first 20 minutes. Palace tend to fly out of the blocks and have so much pace upfront — due to the fact they basically play four wingers — that Sunderland will struggle to cope.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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.”
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
CREW
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
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Blonde
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The Light of the Moon
Director: Jessica M Thompson
Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, Michael Stahl-David
Three stars
