Lionel Messi closes in on his 200th Barcelona goal



With Lionel Messi having rediscovered his scoring touch, Barcelona can clinch a berth in the second round of the Champions League when they plays at Czech champions Viktoria Plzen tonight

Messi ended a goal drought of three matches with his 13th career hat-trick to take his tally to 19 goals this campaign when Barcelona beat Mallorca 5-0 on Saturday to extend their unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions.

The European champions are tied at the top of Group H with AC Milan, who can also advance tonight if they beat BATE Borisov of Belarus away.

Messi also hit the post twice on Saturday and with Plzen needing to go for the win, he has a good chance of exploiting the home side to score what would be his 200th goal for the club.

"We know Messi is the world's best player, that he's the leader of this team and a player who changes a game," Sergio Busquets, the Barcelona midfielder said. "But he's not a machine and there are games when he won't score goals."

Coming off 4-1 and 5-0 league victories since losing at Barcelona last time out, Plzen are upbeat.

"When you score, it boosts confidence," Milan Petrzela, the midfielder, said. "I hope we could be better than in the previous game. Barcelona come to win, that's for sure. They play a game of their own and they don't care who they face."

Elsewhere, Chelsea have the chance for some respite from their domestic form when they travel to Genk, the Belgian champions, who are bottom of Group E.

Bayer Leverkusen face Valencia in the group's other game.

Saturday's 5-3 home defeat to London rivals Arsenal was Chelsea's second successive loss in the Premier League and a worst home defeat by Arsenal since 1934. Chelsea have not kept a clean sheet since the opening day of the season, but Andre Villas-Boas will not change the way his team plays.

"The philosophy is a personal value and a club value," the manager said. "It is something that makes us all proud and we will stick to this philosophy. It is our way of playing and we are proud of the way we play. We just have to correct things."

* Agencies

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Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm
RESULTS

6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).

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While you're here
Results

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Aahid Al Khalediah II, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)

5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Whistle, Harry Bentley, Abdallah Al Hammadi

6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup - Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alsaied, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

6.30pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mumayaza, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel

7pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi

7.30pm: President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle

8pm: President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Medahim, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

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How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Asia Cup Qualifier

Final
UAE v Hong Kong

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