Champions League qualifying round may not be easy for Man City



Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on Tuesday night to seal at least fourth spot in the English Premier League and a place in next season's European Champions League.

If the top four stays as it is then Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal will qualify directly for the lucrative group stages, while City will have to get past a qualifying round to reach that point.

The qualifying round used to be easy for big teams as they were paired against minnows from far-flung places in Europe. Reaching the group stages were a formality.

Changes made by Michel Platini, the Uefa president, last season have made it harder for English clubs finishing fourth as they will be paired against other teams finishing third and fourth around Europe - meaning potential ties against clubs such as Valencia and Bayern Munich.

But even if they have to get through a qualifying round, simply playing in the Champions League is a major boost to City and will hand them an even bigger advantage when trying to attract new players in the summer.

It is also a good thing for neutrals. English fans have had to endure a "Big Four" monopoly with United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool qualifying in several consecutive seasons.

City are the 10th English club to reach the Champions League since it was formed in 1992/93.

Cry Macho

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam

Rating:**

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BORDERLANDS

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis

Director: Eli Roth

Rating: 0/5

About Proto21

Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group

Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega

Director: Tim Burton

Rating: 3/5

The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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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

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Name: Brendalle Belaza

From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines

Arrived in the UAE: 2007

Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus

Favourite photography style: Street photography

Favourite book: Harry Potter


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