Barcelona's French defender Eric Abidal, left, and teammate Gabriel Milito, right, arrive at their hotel in Abu Dhabi.
Barcelona's French defender Eric Abidal, left, and teammate Gabriel Milito, right, arrive at their hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Barcelona are ready to make a splash



ABU DHABI // The European champions Barcelona will train in the capital for the first time today as they prepare for their Club World Cup semi-final against Atlante. All eyes will be on their forward Lionel Messi, who missed Saturday's 1-0 Primera Liga win over Espanyol with an ankle injury.

The Ballon d'Or winner was part of the squad, aiming for their sixth trophy of 2009, expected to arrive in the Emirates late last night. Despite Barca's array of expensive talent, the Atlante coach Jose Guadalupe Cruz said his side had every chance of causing an upset. "Barca are the favourites and are immensely popular," he said. "We're the small guys, but the small guys can make upsets in big games. We're determined to win. They are formidable opponents but you never know."

Estudiantes, the other team who come into the competition at the semi-final stage when they take on Pohang Steelers tomorrow, held their first training session at Abu Dhabi Secondary School yesterday. The session was moved to the indoor venue because of heavy rain in the capital. The Estudiantes president, Ruben Matias, said: "We didn't expect this weather at all. We had spoken to people who told us it would be hot and sunny.

"We can play whether it is raining or not. We respect Barcelona, but we should be respected too. "Pohang have played well so Tuesday's match will not be without its complications. We respect them but are confident." Tournament organisers said last night that bad weather would not affect the tournament despite carrying out repairs to venues yesterday and moving Estudiantes' training session at the last minute. Water had to be pumped out of areas surrounding the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium (MBZ) and Zayed Sports City and electricity supplies were disrupted at both sites.

Fifa's local organising committee said rain would not affect the pitches, with the semi-final between Pohang Steelers and Estudiantes due to be held at the MBZ Stadium tomorrow. New pitches and drainage systems were installed during the summer to prevent the grass becoming waterlogged in the event of downpours such as those seen this week. And with puddles being drained around both venues as long as the rain continues, they are confident getting fans in and out will not be a problem.

"Despite the rain, the fields of play at both stadiums are in good condition and draining well, we do not anticipate any problems," said a statement after an inspection yesterday. "The pitches are designed to handle all types of weather and are performing well." Auckland City cancelled their morning training session yesterday, ahead of their fifth place play-off against TP Mazembe on Wednesday. Steve Vuksich, their media officer, said the decision was made to allow the players a rest.

Rain did affect the horse racing schedule, however, with last night's Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club meeting cancelled due to the sodden track. The finals of the first UAE Development Circuit junior tennis tournament in Dubai were also postponed for a second successive day. sports@thenational.ae

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The bio

Who inspires you?

I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist

How do you relax?

Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.

What is favourite book?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times

What is your favourite Arabic film?

Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki

What is favourite English film?

Mamma Mia

Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?

If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.  

 

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Saturday

Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)

Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)

Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)

Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)

Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)

RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)

Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)

Sunday

VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen  (5.30pm)

Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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.

How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.