Gerardo Martino, Barcelona’s coach, has said he is looking forward to facing fellow South American Manuel Pellegrini after his side were drawn against Manchester City in the Uefa Champions League last 16 on Monday, and the Catalan side figures to be strengthened by the return of Lionel Messi.
City were arguably the strongest opponent with whom the Primera Liga leaders could have been paired. The English side’s 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich last week and their 6-3 hammering of the Premier League leaders Arsenal may be seen as fair warning by the Catalans.
David Silva, Alvaro Negredo and Sergio Aguero are among City standouts returning to Spain, and Yaya Toure was part of Barca’s treble-winning side in 2009.
Martino has followed Pellegrini’s footsteps from coaching in South America to Spain, and he considers the Chilean among the world’s elite managers.
“I always said that Manuel’s road from South America to Europe interested me,” Martino said. “He may be one of the best coaches in the world right now, so I am happy to be going up against a side managed by him.”
Martino conceded, after Saturday’s 2-1 win over Villarreal, that he would like to cancel Christmas as his side have returned to form just in time for the Spanish winter break after Sunday’s trip to Getafe.
Fortunately, for the four-time European champions, Messi, the world player of the year, and the goalkeeper Victor Valdes should have recovered from their injuries in time for the first-leg, in Manchester on February 18.
Martino stressed the importance of being in top form.
“I don’t know if we will be favourites against City. However, what I do know is that Barcelona has to try and win all the competitions they play in and when you try to win all the competitions you obviously have difficult opponents to overcome.”
Tottenham, Juventus and Napoli learn their Europa League opposition
Tottenham Hotspur will face Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the last 32 of the Europa League without the coach who led the team to an unbeaten record in the group stage.
Tottenham were drawn against the Ukrainian side on Monday, an hour after Andre Villas-Boas was fired as manager.
Juventus will again face Turkish opposition, playing at home in the first leg against Trabzonspor. Juve dropped down to the Europa League after losing to Galatasaray last week and finishing third in their Uefa Champions League group.
Napoli, who also dropped out of the Champions League, are away first against Swansea.
In the other ties, Porto, who won the 2011 Europa League with Villas-Boas as coach, will play Eintracht Frankfurt, while Dynamo Kiev host Valencia, the 2004 winners.
Sevilla, who won in 2006 and ‘07, are away to Maribor. First-leg matches are played February 20, with return legs on February 27.
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Day 3 stumps
New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) | US$95,000 | (Dirt) 2,000m
7.05pm: Meydan Classic Listed (TB) ) | $175,000) | (Turf) 1,600m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) ) | $135,000 ) | (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 3 (TB) ) | $300,000) | (T) 2,810m
8.50pm: Curlin Handicap Listed (TB)) | $160,000) | (D) 2,000m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB)) | $175,000) | (T) 1,400m
10pm: Handicap (TB) ) | $135,000 ) | (T) 2,000m
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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