Al Wahda will start the defence of their Pro League title on the crest of a wave after a successful pre-season tour of Germany culminated in a win over Hoffenheim.
The 1-0 win over the Bundesliga team was the highlight of a 26-day training camp in Regensburg that yielded four wins in five games.
The Abu Dhabi club returned home this week and are now fine tuning their preparations for the Etisalat Super Cup, the season's curtain-raiser, against Emirate, the President's Cup winners, at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, on August 20.
The match will herald the start of an exciting season for Wahda who will represent the UAE at the Fifa Club World Cup to be staged in the capital in December.
"I have been happy with the team's preparation so far, although there is still a lot of work to be done before the start of the season," said Laszlo Boloni, the Romanian manager who replaced Josef Hickersberger in the summer. "It's good we played two or three quality teams because this will help the team prepare well for the Club World Cup."
Boloni will welcome back several players to his squad, including Ahmad Ali and Adel al Hosani, who were part of the UAE Under 23 team who defeated Kuwait 1-0 in the Gulf Cup final in Qatar last week.
The Wahda squad remains relatively unchanged from the team that won the championship last season.
One addition to the squad is Modibo Diara, the former Baniyas and Ivory Coast striker, who scored his first goal for his new club in the 3-2 win against SV Weiden during the pre-season tour. Two players have been released: Pinga, the 29-year-old Brazilian midfielder, and Hassan Mudhafer, the Omani international.
The new Pro League season kicks off on August 26.
sports@thenational.ae
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
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Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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'Nope'
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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Results
2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Company%20Profile
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The biog
Name: Gul Raziq
From: Charsadda, Pakistan
Family: Wife and six children
Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8
Golf Handicap: 6
Childhood sport: cricket
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Company%20profile
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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.
Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km