Ahead of a big weekend of European football, Thomas Woods breaks down the key talking points and key matches.
Can Sevilla consider themselves title contenders in Spain?
Instead of the usual three-horse race in Spain — involving Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid — four teams look to be in the mix this season.
With more than a quarter of the season played, Real lead on 24 points followed by Barca (22), Atletico and Sevilla on 21.
Sevilla are managed by Jorge Sampaoli, who led Chile to the Copa America in 2015, and has created quite an impression so far.
They are a team who have to reinvent themselves on a regular basis. Nine players left the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in the summer, including key Polish defender Grzegorz Krychowiak, who joined PSG, and 16-goal French forward Kevin Gameiro, who was signed by Atletico. Six players arrived on permanent deals, plus another four on loan.
• Video: Barcelona's Luis Suarez, with Lionel Messi in support, controls ball dropped from 35m crane
Sevilla have enjoyed great success in recent years, winning the Europa League in three successive years, but they have never challenged Barca and Real Madrid for the title in the way Atletico, Valencia or Real Sociedad have.
Sevilla’s best finish since 2010 is fifth, which they have managed three times, and have always been at least 18 points off the pace. In 2010/11, a fifth-placed finish was 38 points behind first.
What is different this time? The key to Sevilla’s continued success, despite varied finances, is their recruitment policy, led by director of football Monchi.
Because of this, Sampaoli has a squad full of players eager to prove a point and make an impact. The talented Samir Nasri, on loan from Manchester City after being deemed surplus to Pep Guardiola’s requirements, has started brightly, while Luciano Vietto, who struggled at Atletico Madrid last season, has started his loan spell at Sevilla with four Primera Liga goals and two assists in eight games.
On Sunday night, they face Barcelona in a huge test. They have taken points off Luis Enrique’s men before, but have also had their fair share of hidings.
Barca misfired last week in a 1-0 home win at Granada and Sevilla could be taking on the champions at the right time.
Can Tottenham’s title hopes survive a derby defeat?
Manchester City and Liverpool look to have relatively straightforward wins on the cards this weekend, against Middlesbrough and Watford at home respectively. It puts an extra emphasis on Sunday’s north London derby at the Emirates.
It is a game where a positive result seems even more important to the away side, Tottenham.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men are three points off the pace and a defeat, combined with the assumed victories for City and Liverpool, would make it a six-point gap.
It’s not insurmountable, but Spurs also have away trips to Chelsea and Manchester United in their next four league games, plus a home match against rivals West Ham United.
Tottenham remain the only unbeaten team in the Premier League, although their run of six matches in all competitions without a win is a concern. Pochettino will need to get his team rolling again otherwise, given their upcoming fixtures, the title race might leave them behind.
• Premier League predictions: Arsenal break down Spurs, Chelsea do enough to beat Everton
Is Mario Balotelli ‘back’?
Sometimes players need a change of scenery to rediscover their form and Nice seems to be a good place for it.
Hatem Ben Arfa, a player whose attitude had been questioned in the past, thrived on the French south coast last season and earned a big-money move to PSG.
This season it is Mario Balotelli’s turn. In the low-key setting, the famously volatile Italian is scoring goals for fun.
He’s scored seven goals in seven games this season, six in the league, and has netted in all but two of the games he has played. Balotelli was also sent off against Lorient, but it was very harsh.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for a player who last season scored once in 20 matches for AC Milan, and in the 2014/15 campaign, again managed a single goal for Liverpool in 16 Premier League appearances.
What are the chances of Balotelli, who is on a one year deal at Nice, following Ben Arfa’s example and earning a transfer to a bigger club next summer? If he sustains his current level, there are sure to be a few takers.
Matches to watch
Chelsea v Everton, 9.30pm
One plot line here is a battle between two of the league's top scorers. Chelsea's Diego Costa leads the way with eight goals with Romelu Lukaku of Everton just one less. Lukaku's power will trouble Chelsea's three-man defence, especially if he can get one-on-one with David Luiz. Costa meanwhile, has controlled his aggression this season which has contributed to a fantastic run of form. Both could well get on the scoresheet.
Sevilla v Barcelona, 11.45pm Sunday
We talked about Sevilla’s chances but Barcelona can ill afford defeat here, with Real Madrid two points ahead of them at the top of the Primera Liga. This is Barca’s second tough away trip in a week, following their 3-1 Uefa Champions League defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday. Their 1-0 win at Camp Nou against Granada last week was proof that sometimes they don’t click — 15 shots but just one goal against a team that had previously let in 23 in nine games.
Arsenal v Tottenham Sunday, 4pm
The north London derby is rarely a tight affair. Last season these two met three times and there were nine goals. The match comes at a pivotal time as the Premier League title race takes shape and Spurs will still be seething from last season’s home game, when they let a lead slip against 10 men. Arsenal’s come-from-behind win at Ludogorets in the Champions League on Tuesday would have provided some extra bounce, although Tottenham’s home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen 24 hours later could have the opposite effect.
Porto v Benfica, 10pm
Portuguese football's clasico has all the elements needed for a cracker. Last season Porto did the double over their rivals, which was surprising given they finished 18 points behind eventual champions Benfica. There were 15 yellow cards in the two games and expect the same level of commitment again, along with plenty of attacking flair.
Inter Milan v Crotone, Sunday, 9pm
Despite high expectations, Inter's season has gone off the rails. They have lost five of their last seven in all competitions and sacked manager Frank de Boer on Tuesday after just 85 days in charge. Meanwhile, the club's ultras have turned on captain Mauro Icardi for comments made in his autobiography. A great time to be playing bottom-placed Crotone then? Imagine if they lost.
Plan your weekend — the best TV games
• (All games on BeIN Sports, times in UAE)
Friday
Bundesliga — Hertha Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach, 11.30pm
Ligue 1 — Montpellier v Marseille, 11.45pm
Saturday
Scottish Premiership — Celtic v Inverness, 7pm
Bundesliga — Bayern Munich v Hoffenheim, 6.30pm
Bundesliga — Hamburg v Borussia Dortmund, 6.30pm
Premier League — Manchester City v Middlesbrough, 7pm
Primera Liga — Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid, 7.15pm
Premier League — Chelsea v Everton, 9.30pm
Serie A — Napoli v Lazio, 11.45pm
Sunday
Primera Liga — Real Madrid v Leganes, 3pm
Scottish Premiership — Ross County v Rangers, 4pm
Premier League — Arsenal v Tottenham, 4pm
Serie A — Chievo v Juventus, 6pm
Serie A — Palermo v AC Milan, 6pm
Premier League — Liverpool v Watford, 6.15pm
Premier League — Swansea v Manchester United, 7pm
Serie A — Inter v Crotone, 9pm
Portuguese Primeira Liga — Porto v Benfica, 10pm
Primera Liga — Sevilla v Barcelona, 11.45pm
Serie A — Roma v Bologna, 11.45pm
Ligue 1 — PSG v Rennes, 11.45pm
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The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
List of alleged parties
- May 15 2020: Boris Johnson is said to have attended a Downing Street pizza party
- 27 Nov 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
- Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
- Dec 13 2020: Mr Johnson and his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds throw a flat party
- Dec 14 2020: Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative Party headquarters
- Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
- Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
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Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Switch%20Foods%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Edward%20Hamod%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Plant-based%20meat%20production%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2034%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%246.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20round%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Based%20in%20US%20and%20across%20Middle%20East%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.”
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
