DUBAI // Luka Bonacic, the Al Nasr coach, will be looking to turn around a disappointing start to the season when "Victory" host Al Ahli tonight in the first round of the Etisalat Emirates Cup.
Al Nasr have won just one game this season, 2-1 at Al Shaab. They have lost both their games at home: drubbed 4-2 by Al Ahli in the opening match and going down 3-2 against Al Sharjah after conceding two goals in the last 10 minutes.
The fans are upset and the team are in turmoil, with Iranian international defender Mohammed Nosrati banished to the reserves and fined US$10,000 (Dh37,000) for lack of committment. Mehrzad Madanchi, the best foreign player in the UAE last season, is struggling for form as he is forced to play out of his preferred position as striker, while Reza Enayati is yet to score a goal in three games.
Pressure is building on Bonacic, but he said: "People should realise that I am not a magician - I cannot achieve results on my own. The players need to start fighting if they want to change the situation.
"Of course, I am not shying away from responsibility - I am not afraid of taking responsibility. I have a contract with the club and I am committed to the side - everyone should know that. But I cannot score goals on the field or stop penalties from being conceded or goals being scored.
"I will work hard with the players and strive for results till the last second of my contract. But I cannot do it alone. Everyone, without exception, must fight on the field to change the situation."
Al Ahli will be happy to return to the Al Maktoum Stadium, where they beat Al Shabab for the Super Cup and opened their UFL campaign with a resounding win. The "Red Knights" were crushed 4-1 at Al Wahda in their last league game, and Iranian international Milad Meydavoudi insists that loss will serve as a wake-up call for the side.
Meydavoudi was part of the President's Cup winning Al Ahli side last season, but has been relegated to the reserves with the arrival of the Brazilian Jader Volnei Spindler "Bare". The Iranian, however, turned down many lucrative offers to return to Al Ahli and hopes to work his way to the first team.
"The loss to Wahda is just a minor setback," said Meydavoudi, who should be making his debut for Al Ahli this season at Al Nasr. "We are a top side and we will bounce back strongly in the next game."
Sharjah, after their morale boosting wins over Al Shabab and Nasr in the last two UFL games, travel to Al Dhafra for their Emirates Cup opener.
"Dhafra will not be an easy game," warned the Sharjah coach Youssef al Zawawi.
The Dhafra coach Mohammed Kwid is keen to blood youngsters in the game.
Kwid said "I have full confidence in the youngsters and I believe they are as good as the players in the first XI."
Al Wasl, who have one win this season, travel to Al Shaab for their first cup engagement. Shaab, who are the only side in the UFL along with Al Khaleej not to win a game this season, will be looking to finally get some points.
arizvi@thenational.ae
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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