After a disappointing week in the Asian Champions League, Al Ain and Al Jazira face each other in the Arabian Gulf League on Sunday. John McAuley previews the marquee match of Round 20:
Asian angst
Both sides suffered damaging defeats in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Al Ain losing 2-1 at Qatar’s El Jaish and Jazira beaten 1-0 at home by Tractor Sazi, the Iranian side.
The results made it zero points from two group matches for both UAE clubs, with Al Ain and Jazira each rooted to the bottom of their respective pools.
Domestic differences
While both clubs have struggled on the continent, they are experiencing contrasting fortunes in the Arabian Gulf League. Having headed the table for most of the season, Al Ain are now four points behind leaders Al Ahli.
Jazira, meanwhile, have endured a poor campaign, however a run of three successive league victories has moved them away from the relegation battle and into eighth.
What’s at stake
Given the current state of play in the league, Al Ain have undoubtedly more to lose. The UAE champions went down 2-1 to Al Shabab in the last round, allowing Ahli to leapfrog them into first.
On Friday, the Dubai club stretched that advantage to four points, meaning Al Ain travel to the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in desperate need of a victory. With only six rounds remaining after this, they simply must respond.
Al Jazira’s take
“For me, Al Ain are the best team in the league, who I personally enjoy watching as they offer the most beautiful football in the UAE,” said Henk ten Cate, the Jazira coach.
“But when we face them I’m sure the players will fight for the whole 90 minutes to make up for our high amount of injuries, until we get a positive result from the match.
“Al Ain are going through a poor spell of results, but I don’t believe that will affect them negatively against us. But we have the fighting spirit, the mentality and the faith in our ability to overcome any opponent.”
Al Ain’s take
“This current period is not the best for us, since we have lost three games in the last 20 days,” said Zlatko Dalic, the Al Ain coach.
“We must respond and it’s my responsibility to correct the mistakes and make sure the players go into the game in the best way. This is a good opportunity to return to winning again, but we realise our task will not be easy.
“Our destiny is in our hands in the race for all titles, but I’m aware the situation is not easy for my players, the supporters. I expect a positive result against Jazira.”
Shabab stay in ACL contention
An second-half own-goal by Ali Al Ameri gave Al Shabab a 1-0 derby victory over Al Nasr as the race for the final Asian Champions League (ACL) place in the Arabian Gulf League hots up.
The away defeat means Nasr slipped to fourth over the weekend, with Al Wasl’s 1-1 draw against Emirates on Friday putting them in the third. With leaders Al Ahli and champions Al Ain clear in first and second place, our teams are in contention for the final ACL qualiftying spot.
Wasl (34 points), Nasr (33), Wahda (32) and Shabab (29) all have a strong chance while Baniyas (26) were hurt by a 2-0 home defeat on Saturday by Al Dhafra.
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Company%20profile
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
