Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 28, 2014. Ben Stansall / AFP
Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 28, 2014. Ben Stansall / AFP
Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 28, 2014. Ben Stansall / AFP
Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 28, 2014. Ben

Ozil says overdue trophy will be ‘springboard for more’ for Arsenal


  • English
  • Arabic

Mesut Ozil, Arsenal's club-record signing, is convinced that if his side can overcome Hull City to lift the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, more titles will follow.

Arsenal face Hull manager Steve Bruce’s side, looking to end a near decade without silverware, with their last success coming in the 2005 FA Cup final.

Ozil, signed from Real Madrid for £43.5 million (Dh268.9m) in September, just returned following a hamstring injury to provide a timely boost for Arsenal, who should have England midfielder Jack Wilshere available along with Aaron Ramsey, although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is battling to overcome a groin problem.

Ozil, 25, said that once the current Arsenal squad get their first taste of success, it will prove a springboard for more.

“We are in the final and we want to take this silverware now,” the German said. “I am convinced we will achieve that.

“We can win titles with this squad. This is very important for the fans as well, because they have been waiting for so long.

“I am very proud of the team. We qualified for the [Uefa] Champions League and we are in the FA Cup final. If we can win the cup, then it will be a great season.

“However, it will be a tough game because Hull fights till the end. Nowhere else other than in England are there so many teams who never give up.”

Ozil could be one of three Germans in the Arsenal starting line-up at Wembley, along with forward Lukas Podolski and defender Per Mertesacker.

Podolski knows the weight of expectation will firmly be on his side to finally deliver.

“We want a victory, so do the fans, and it is important for the club as well, after nine years with nothing,” he said.

“You go to Wembley, there are 40,000 or 50,000 Arsenal fans. The FA Cup is a big cup with a lot of history. It is not like the other cups in other leagues, so it is an important game.

“When I win the FA Cup, it will be great when I look back after my career.”

Arsenal are prepared for the challenge of ending the drought, Podolski said.

“We have a lot of players with confidence who have played a lot of games,” he said. “We go there on the pitch and we play our game, and when we play like the last five [Premier League] games, we will win the match.”

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.

Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans
Jasmin Mujanović, Hurst Publishers

Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Date: Sunday, November 25

Match info

Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace

Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)

THE SPECS

Aston Martin Rapide AMR

Engine: 6.0-litre V12

Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic

Power: 595bhp

Torque: 630Nm

Price: Dh999,563

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Pension support
  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
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The Matrix Resurrections

Director: Lana Wachowski

Stars:  Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick 

Rating:****

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

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1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012 
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps

While you're here
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer

Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist

Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi

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Hobbies: Reading and drawing