Football excitement has definitely reached fever pitch in Dubai, with fanzones and sports bars packed as the FIFA World Cup moves closer to seeing who will lift the famous trophy in Qatar on 18 December.
It is not just football fans that are enjoying Dubai right now, with a number of European teams choosing Dubai for a winter break, to play against each other and also reach out to a wider audience outside of their home country.
Earlier this week, English Premier League (EPL) team and European Cup winners Aston Villa arrived in Dubai for a warm weather training camp in preparation for the season in England to resume after the World Cup, and football fans of any team can join in with some of the activities the club is arranging during their visit.
On Saturday 10 December, a fun filled day of football challenges and activities are being held at La Mer. Starting at 10am, the day will feature a host of different events for everyone to enjoy including a dribbling skills challenge, meeting the club mascot Hercules the Lion and having photos taken in front of the world famous Holte End, Aston Villa's main stand originally constructed over 100 years ago.
The event is running all day until 10pm, and there is even the hint of a former player making an appearance to meet eager fans.
On Sunday evening, Aston Villa will play against London based EPL team Chelsea in the CBF Al Wahda FC Challenge Cup at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The game kicks off at 6.10pm and tickets can be bought online at 800tickets.ae.