Mario Balotelli and Keisuke Honda remain doubtful for AC Milan when the stuttering Serie A giants host on-form Napoli looking to avoid becoming their second big-name victim on Sunday.
It took Napoli four games to secure their first Serie A win this season but, after shaking off the cobwebs with a 5-0 thumping of Lazio, they now have Serie A pundits purring about their scudetto-winning potential.
Napoli humbled champions Juventus 2-1 in clinical fashion at their Stadio San Paolo last week when Gonzalo Higuain hit a stunner before setting Lorenzo Insigne up for the winner.
And Higuain was again on target on Thursday night when he scored the second goal in a 2-0 win at Legia Warsaw in Europa League action.
Striker Balotelli is expected to start on the bench, at best, after missing several training sessions this week due to a slight muscle injury while playmaker Honda missed training Thursday with flu.
The only positive note for Milan ahead of Sunday night’s clash is the fact that Napoli have claimed only two points from their three away games in the league so far.
Otherwise, Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has plenty to keep him concerned.
Last week’s 1-0 defeat to Genoa meant that for the first time since 1983/84, Milan have conceded at least once in their opening six games of the season.
It is a statistic of questionable importance, but it points to Milan's defence before facing a Napoli side that has hit 12 goals in six league outings, only one less than fellow title hopefuls AS Roma, who have scored a league-leading 13.
Mihajlovic last week came under fire for his team’s questionable tactics, but Milan midfielder Andrea Bertolacci was scathing about his fellow teammates.
“Genoa didn’t scare us and the match was decided by one episode ... but we have to stop going out and playing with the wrong attitude: we have to put that in our heads straight away and get ready for Napoli,” he said.
Five of Napoli’s league goals have come courtesy of Argentinian international Higuain, whom manager Maurizio Sarri believes is “one of the best” strikers in the world.
“He should be aware that he is one of the best centre-forwards in the world and so he should play like it,” said Sarri.
Napoli's win over Juventus last week had tongues wagging about their title-winning potential, but it is Fiorentina and Inter Milan who are currently setting the pace.
Inter won their opening five games for the first time since the 1966/67 season, when they finished runners-up to Juventus.
But Roberto Mancini’s men looked anything but title contenders last week in a 4-1 humbling at home to Fiorentina, who saw Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic score a hat-trick.
Fiorentina went top thanks to a superior goals difference than Inter and are expected to keep their lead after hosting struggling Atalanta on Sunday, when Inter face a tough trip to Sampdoria.
Fiorentina confirmed their positive start with a 4-0 away rout of Europa League opponents Belenenses on Thursday, when injury-plagued American-born striker Giuseppe Rossi hit his first goal for the club in over 18 months.
Normally sitting in the shadow of their more decorated city rivals Juventus, Torino are set to steal the spotlight by going top of the league on Saturday, if they beat newcomers Frosinone.
Giampiero Ventura’s men have won four of their opening six games to sit in third place at only two points off the pace.
Juventus, meanwhile, host another promoted side, Bologna, hoping to produce the kind of performance that secured a convincing 2-0 Champions League win over outclassed Sevilla on Wednesday.
It has been sorely lacking on the domestic front so far. Massimiliano Allegri’s champions sit in 15th place, at 10 points off the pace.
Allegri said on Wednesday: “Tonight’s game is over. Now we have to start focusing our next game, against Bologna.”
Fixtures (UAE times)
Saturday
Carpi v Torino (8pm), Chievo v Verona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Empoli v Sassuolo (2.30pm), Udinese v Genoa (5pm), Sampdoria v Inter Milan (5pm), Palermo v AS Roma (5pm), Lazio v Frosinone (8pm), Juventus v Bologna (8pm), Fiorentina v Atalanta (10.45pm), AC Milan v Napoli (10.45pm)
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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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.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Saturday's results
Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
Everton 1-0 Cardiff City
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-3 Liverpool
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Read more from Johann Chacko
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
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