MUSCAT // Two top tacticians, Claude Le Roy and Bruno Metsu, will lead two equally talented teams - Oman and Qatar - in tonight's exciting-looking opening semi-final of the Gulf Cup at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.
Le Roy, who will be 61 next month, made his name in Africa, where he managed Cameroon, Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana before arriving in the Gulf six months ago to take charge of Oman.
Ironically it was only after he had consulted his fellow Frenchman Metsu that Le Roy signed the deal, which was extended up to 2014 by the Oman Football Association before the start of this regional championship.
The governing body in Oman will feel elated they had such faith in their man and he repaid some of that confidence by leading the national team to superb victories over Iraq and Bahrain to top Group A here.
But all that will count for nothing if Le Roy's men fail to take those results forward.
And the coach said: "There is no question both teams want to win and I would like to think it will be my team.
"We have all the players in good shape at the moment but we never know. A lot of things can change in a day."
Le Roy had delayed naming his line-up for the match until today.
But he has plenty of options and may leave out the midfielder Bader Mubarak al Maymani for the playmaker Ahmed Hadeed.
Al Maymani played an influential role in the last game and it was his curling free kick that set up his team's 2-0 victory over Bahrain after being named in the line-up for the injured Hadeed.
Le Roy admitted al Maymani, who plays for the Qatar club Al Rayyan, had an outstanding game but would not say if he intended stick to him or bring Hadeed back instead.
Metsu also has African links and he became well known after leading Senegal to the 2002 World Cup quarter finals.
But he feels his team will need more than the good fortune they had in the Yemen game to overcome Oman.
"All advantages are for Oman at this point," he said.
"They have been in the final of the last two competitions, which were won by the host teams Qatar and the UAE, and now they get an opportunity to play at home.
"But we are a good team and have come here to win too.
"There is always pressure in every game and my players showed real character in winning the last match.
"So a good game with Oman can still see us through. There is no magic formula and it is the better team on the night."
Metsu will miss the services of his captain and central defender Abdulla Koni as he has not recovered from the head injury he suffered in the first match with the UAE and Ibrahim Majid who is suspended after receiving the two bookings.
@Email:apassela@thenational.ae
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
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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.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Stuttgart v Cologne (Kick-off 10.30pm UAE)
Saturday RB Leipzig v Hertha Berlin (5.30pm)
Mainz v Borussia Monchengladbach (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v SC Freiburg (5.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (5.30pm)
Sunday Wolfsburg v Arminia (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Hoffenheim (9pm)
Bayer Leverkusen v Augsburg (11.30pm)