Jose Mourinho has downplayed his side's status as favourites for tonight's Champions League semi-final first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Real Madrid beat a Pep Guardiola-coached Barcelona side for the first time in seven tries last Wednesday to win the Copa del Rey, their first domestic cup in 18 years and first trophy in nearly three.
Riding the momentum of that victory, the nine-time European champions are now banking on Mourinho to repeat last year's achievement at this stage when his Inter Milan knocked the Catalans out to reach the final.
The Portuguese coach also came out victorious in two out of three two-legged matches with Barcelona while at English Premier League club Chelsea.
Real's cup win has shifted the momentum in their favour, especially after they routed third-place Valencia 6-3 on Saturday while Barcelona laboured past Osasuna 2-0.
But Mourinho was downplaying expectations ahead of the match.
"I'm the same coach, the exact same, that lost 5-0 against Barcelona six months ago. I don't have a magic potion," Mourinho said yesterday.
"We're not favourites. It's the Champions League semi-final between two teams that know each other, two teams with tradition, two teams with success who have won big games before - there exists no favourite."
While Barcelona are on course for a third consecutive league title, Real cruise into today's clash with more confidence and a more rested team, since Mourinho left most of his regulars on the bench against Valencia.
Reports in Barcelona yesterday suggested Andres Iniesta may be a doubt after the Spain international hurt his leg against Osasuna, but the midfielder was still in an optimistic mood.
"It will be tough and difficult, but we have a positive attitude and are very excited to know that we are very close to being in another final," he said.
"It would be a dream to play at Wembley Stadium [in the final]. I don't mind if I don't score, or even play, as long as we are in that final."
He added: "We would all have settled for being where we are in the league, being in the Champions League semi-finals and playing the Copa del Rey final."
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Bio
Age: 25
Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah
Education: Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering
Favourite colour: White
Favourite place in the UAE: Downtown Dubai
Favourite book: A Life in Administration by Ghazi Al Gosaibi.
First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
