Talking points
How much will Manchester City miss Aguero?
Heading into a Manchester derby without your star striker – scorer of 24 Premier League goals last season – is not a great situation.
The Argentine is the one player in City's side who genuinely scares rival defences and Manchester United fans will be delighted that he is suspended for Saturday's derby at Old Trafford.
However, City actually won more points without Aguero in the team last season, when he missed nine games.
City have the back-up players to cope with Aguero’s absence along with a manager who will come up with an effective formation without Aguero in it, but an away trip to a confident United side is about as tough as they come.
An absent Aguero could be the fine margin that decides the outcome.
See also:
• Premier League predictions: Aguero sorely missed for Man City, Chelsea keep winning
• Diego Forlan: Rise of City to challenge United makes Manchester debry won of world's best
Will Suarez make way for Alcacer?
Lionel Messi could well miss Barcelona’s home match against Alaves on Saturday because of a hamstring injury. It would be wise of Luis Enrique to rest his star man with the Uefa Champions League starting soon.
Barca have just signed Paco Alcacer, the 23-year-old Spanish international, from Valencia and he will likely step in for Messi.
He is more of a central striker and his inclusion would mean Luis Suarez dropping to a deeper wide-right position as he did playing with Daniel Sturridge for Liverpool.
Alcacer will give Barcelona an more traditional striking option and it will be interesting to see how well he fits in initially. Barca need more strength in depth up front for the long season ahead.
Will there be a World Cup hangover?
With two rounds of qualifying games done, players have been busy and there could be some payback for their clubs when they arrive back fatigued. Particularly players who journeyed to South America.
Put it this way, I wouldn’t want the likes of Alexis Sanchez in my fantasy team this week.
• Team Talk podcast: Pogba, Ibrahimovic, David Luiz, Kante, Stones – who were the best summer transfer deals? – Ep 28
Players to watch
• Kevin-Prince Boateng (Las Palmas)
The flamboyant German-born Ghanaian is one of those players whose ability is not matched by his achievements. Boateng, 29, has flair, power and unpredictability in abundance and has played all over Europe, yet he has one Serie A title with AC Milan and one League Cup with Tottenham in his trophy cabinet.
He also has played at two World Cups for Ghana, but has only 14 caps, has retired and un-retired and has been sent home from a tournament for disciplinary issues.
It is fair to say he is a bit of an enigma and he now finds himself in the Canary Islands, following in the footsteps of another former Spurs player, Vinny Samways, in playing for Las Palmas. The team have only spent three seasons in Spain’s Primera Liga since 1988, but sit first in table after two games, a 5-1 win over Granada and a 4-2 victory at Valencia.
It looks like they will be an exciting team to watch this season with Boateng at the heart of it.
• David Luiz (Chelsea)
Luiz’s return to Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain on the last day of the transfer window was a shock. The Brazilian’s standing in the game is not as high as the transfer fees that have been paid for him.
Whatever his defensive weaknesses are, he is very comfortable on the ball and his signing offers manager Antonio Conte the option of playing the 3-5-2 he was so fond of for Juventus and Italy.
The trip to Swansea City will offer an interesting glimpse at what might be Chelsea’s new formation, with Luiz possibly playing a central sweeper-like role alongside two centre-backs.
All of Chelsea’s current back four could fit into a three-man defence, if Conte went that way, and Luiz would have two teammates to cover for him when he falls out of position.
• Claudio Bravo (Manchester City)
Pep Guardiola spent £13.75m (Dh67m) on the 33-year-old goalkeeper who now has a fair amount of expectations on his shoulders, especially given the fact that former City No 1 Joe Hart has been shipped out of the club to make way.
Bravo will make his debut on a major stage: the Manchester derby.
Games to watch
• Schalke v Bayern Munich, Friday, 10.30pm
Bayern’s 6-0 thrashing of Werder Bremen on the opening day suggests they could run away with the Bundesliga, but at Schalke they face a major test.
The home side have spent big in the transfer window, snatching Swiss forward Breel Embolo from under the noses of Manchester United and signing Benjamin Stambouli from PSG. They made a superb deadline-day signing when they loaned Ukraine’s best player, Yevhen Konoplyanka, from Sevilla.
Watch out Bayern!
• Manchester United v Manchester City, 3.30pm, Saturday
The way the season has started, it appears that the two Manchester clubs could be fighting out for the Premier League title come May, so this derby at Old Trafford offers an early chance to get an advantage.
There is little to choose between two sides in form; both have maximum points from their three league games but City have scored and conceded more.
United, however, should be favourites going into this fixture; it is at home and City are without their star man, Sergio Aguero, who is suspended.
Oh, and there is the small matter of Jose Mourinho resuming his rivalry with Pep Guardiola.
• Celtic v Rangers, 3pm, Saturday
The last Glasgow derby in the league took place in the 2011/12 season, before Rangers’ financial difficulties saw them demoted and forced them to make their way up the leagues.
Now they are back and ready to resume one of football’s most passionate rivalries. There will be goals (21 in the last six games) and plenty of cards, too.
Add to this one the meeting between two feisty central midfielders: Celtic’s Scott Brown and Rangers’ Joey Barton, and it could be explosive.
Your weekend ahead: The pick of the games
(All times UAE, all fixtures on BeIN Sport)
Friday
• Bundesliga - Schalke v Bayern Munich, Friday, 10.30pm
• Ligue 1 - PSG v St Etienne, 10.45pm
Saturday
• Scottish Premiership - Celtic v Rangers, 3pm, Saturday
• Primera Liga - Celta Vigo v Atletico, 3pm
• Premier League - Man United v Man City, 3.30pm
• Primera Liga - Real Madrid v Osasuna, 6pm
• Premier League - Arsenal v Southampton 6pm
• Premier League - Stoke v Tottenham, 6pm
• Serie A - Juventus v Sassuolo, 8pm
• Premier League - Liverpool v Leicester, 8.30pm
• Bundesliga - RB Leipizig v Dortmund, 8.30pm
• Primera Liga - Barcelona v Alaves, 10.30pm
• Serie A - Palermo v Napoli, 10.45pm
Sunday
• Serie A - Roma v Sampdoria, 5pm
• Serie A - Milan v Udinese, 5pm
• Premier League - Swansea v Chelsea, 7pm
• Serie A – Pescara v Inter Milan, 10.45pm
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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.
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
Stage 3 results
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 4:42:33
2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:03
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:30
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
5 Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
6 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:56
General Classification after Stage 3:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 12:30:02
2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:35
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40
5 Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
6 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Team Sunweb) 0:02:06
Racecard
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections: 6.30pm: RM Lam Tara, 7.05pm: Al Mukhtar Star, 7.40pm: Bochart, 8.15pm: Magic Lily, 8.50pm: Roulston Scar, 9.25pm: Quip, 10pm: Jalmoud
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
More on Quran memorisation:
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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