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Spain prepare for first World Cup warm up match
Villarreal, June 2 (IANS) The Spanish football team will play the first of two preparatory matches for the forthcoming World Cup as they take on Switzerland at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday night.
Spain coach Julen Lopetegui is unlikely to field any of the Real Madrid quintet of Sergio Ramos, Lucas Vazquez, Marco Asensio, Dani Carvajal and Nacho Fernandez after Madrid’s win over Liverpool in the Champions League final a week ago, reports Xinhua news agency.
Asensio, Ramos and Vazquez were allowed to rest before joining up with the squad on Friday evening, while Carvajal is working in the installations of the Spanish Football Federation, (RFEF) at Las Rozas, just outside of Madrid as he tries to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered a week ago in Kiev.
Nacho meanwhile gave up his chance of a week’s holiday and joined up with his Spain teammates at Las Rozas two days earlier than needed to carry out light training.
Lopetegui has been working with seven young ‘promises’ including Athletic Club Bilbao trio of Yeray Alvarez, Unai Nunez and Inaki Williams, to overcome the absence of the Madrid players, although Nunez and Williams left the squad on Friday along with Mikel Oyarzabal.
Lopetegui will try and give most of the 18 players who are travelling to Russia some match time, given that they have not played a competitive game since May 20 and have only one more practice match before kicking off their World Cup against Portugal in Sochi on June 15.
That means he is likely to start with something similar to his starting 11 in Sochi, with the obvious absences of Ramos and Carvajal, with Alvaro Odriozola starting at left back and maybe Saul Niguel or Cesar Azpilicueta partnering Gerard Pique in central defence, although Yeray could have a chance of making his Spain debut.
Diego Costa is expected to lead the attack and it will be interesting to see if Iago Aspas or Rodrigo Moreno is given the chance to stake a claim to be in the starting 11.
The Swiss travel after the training injury suffered by in-form Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka on Thursday and although the latter should be fit for Russia, he will miss out in Villarreal.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.