Paris // French champions Paris Saint-Germain continue to tick off their remaining league fixtures as they welcome Rennes to the capital on Friday night, knowing that a win would equal their own Ligue 1 points record.
Laurent Blanc’s men made it three French League Cup triumphs in a row last weekend, despite being reduced to 10 men, thanks to Angel Di Maria’s winner against Lille.
Now they will turn their attention back to the league, where they are 27 points clear at the top of the table with just four matches to play.
PSG have just one game left this season of any real importance, the French Cup final against arch rivals Marseille at the Stade de France on May 21, although they need just four more points to break the Ligue 1 record of 89 that they set in 2013/14.
Read more: 'We can end on a good note' as PSG hone in on clean sweep of French titles after beating Lille in League Cup final
Also see: PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez rules out PSG move: 'France does not excite me, I love England'
The only disappointment for the club this season was the Uefa Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Manchester City, but Qatari chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi quashed speculation about coach Blanc’s future by saying that he would stay at the club next term.
Some of the PSG players, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Javier Pastore, were allowed to go on holiday to Las Vegas after the French League Cup win.
Rennes coach Rolland Courbis though brushed off any thoughts that the weekend trip could affect their performance or fitness levels on Friday.
“Given that they have had three days’ rest, I have other things to do than to judge PSG players and they had permission to go to Las Vegas,” he told sports daily L’Equipe.
“I would have preferred them to have just played in the Champions League semi-finals, or to have just played a Ligue 1 game like Lille and Angers (on Wednesday), but we are not in charge.
“After their three days’ rest, they can do what they want.”
Rennes have dropped out of the race for Champions League qualification after picking up just one point in their last three matches, although Courbis still thinks that a top-six finish and a possible Europa League place are within his side’s grasp with three games to go.
“Two wins could be enough to finish sixth, which would be much better than seventh,” Courbis, whose team sit one point behind sixth-placed Lille, added.
“The minimum target for our last three games against PSG, Montpellier and Bastia is six points.
“We must stay professional and not let go when there is still something we can achieve, and that something is sixth. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible.”
It will be tough for Rennes to pick up one of their two targeted victories at the Parc des Princes, where PSG have lost just once in 37 league matches.
Having said that, the Brittany club have only been defeated twice in their last eight Ligue 1 trips to the capital.
German goalkeeper Kevin Trapp is likely to return in place of Salvatore Sirigu for PSG, with Di Maria and Ibrahimovic looking to cap off a week in which they were both nominated for the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award.
Courbis has said that striker Kamil Grosicki is a doubt with a muscle problem, while Fallou Diagne is suspended.
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Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Fourth-round clashes for British players
- Andy Murray (1) v Benoit Paire, Centre Court (not before 4pm)
- Johanna Konta (6) v Caroline Garcia (21), Court 1 (4pm)
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
