Two of international football’s greatest ever goalscorers will be in action on consecutive nights in the UAE this week.
First, Neymar is set to make his long-awaited comeback from injury for Al Hilal on Monday, then Cristiano Ronaldo will be in action for Al Nassr the following evening.
Neymar returns
Al Hilal announced in a social media post on Sunday morning that Neymar will be part of their tour party for Monday’s night’s game against Al Ain.
The Saudi champions will face the side from the Garden City in an AFC Champions League group match at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, kicking off at 8pm.
The fixture would have been a box-office one anyway, even without the return of the Brazilian. After all, Al Ain beat Al Hilal on the way to winning Asia’s Champions League last season, which was the only blemish in an otherwise extraordinary campaign for the Riyadh-based side.
Lengthy absence
In the clip the club posted, Neymar professed himself “ready” to return to playing. How much game time he gets, though, remains to be seen.
The forward, who has 79 goals in 128 games for Brazil, has been sidelined for over a year after suffering an anterior crucial ligament rupture while representing Brazil on October 19, 2023.
He remains unavailable for Saudi Pro League selection, as he will not be part of their squad until January, meaning he will have to work his way back to full fitness via the Champions League.
Form guide
Neymar was the headline signing in a transformative summer spree by Saudi Pro League clubs last year, in a €90 million deal that brought him in from Paris Saint-Germain.
Even though he managed just five appearances before his injury, his club coped just fine without him. Hilal went unbeaten as they won the league by 14 points, and won the King’s Cup to boot, to complete a domestic double.
They have won all seven league games and twice in the Champions League at the start of this campaign, too.
Al Ain’s form, by contrast, has been inconsistent, but that was the same last season and they still somehow managed to win the Champions League.
Plus, they are through to the second round of the new Intercontinental Cup, in which they will face African champs Al Ahly in Cairo later this month.
Chance to see Cristiano
Ronaldo scored his 907th career goal in the 97th minute of Al Nassr’s league game against Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
Now he will be part of their squad for their third Champions League fixtures of the campaign, against Iranian side Esteghlal in Dubai. The game will kick off at 8pm on Tuesday.
Why in Dubai?
The fixture had been set to be played at the Qods City Martyrs Stadium in Tehran. However, the AFC asked for the home club, Esteghlal, to find a venue in a neutral country because of the conflict involving Israel.
They opted for a switch to Rashid Stadium, the ground near Dubai International Airport which is home to UAE Pro League club Shabab Al Ahli Dubai.
Although they have ceded home advantage, the ground is at least known to Iranians. It is the same ground at which the Iran national team, for whom Esteghlal’s captain Hossein Hosseini was a non-playing sub, played their World Cup qualifier against Qatar last week.
The competition
After two matches, Al Hilal top the Champions League table. Asia’s top club competition has been revamped along similar lines to that in Europe.
Now, there are 24 teams playing eight games against different opponents in the new league phase, instead of the previous groups of four.
Twelve teams from the West region and 12 from the East have been placed into separate leagues. The top eight from either side will advance to the round of 16.
Tickets
The Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain is sold out for the visit of Neymar and Co on Monday.
Tickets are available for the arrival of Ronaldo in Dubai on Tuesday, starting at Dh150, and can be bought here.
TV
AFC Champions League fixtures are broadcast live on beIN Sports.
Result:
1. Cecilie Hatteland (NOR) atop Alex - 31.46 seconds
2. Anna Gorbacheva (RUS) atop Curt 13 - 31.82 seconds
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) atop Cash Up - 32.81 seconds
4. Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed Al Maktoum (UAE) atop Peanuts de Beaufour - 35.85 seconds
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) atop Benur du Romet - 37.53 seconds
6. Annika Sande (NOR) atop For Cash 2 - 31.42 seconds (4 penalties)
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
SPEC%20SHEET
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What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
