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28th World Investment Conference Kicks Off in Riyadh, Uniting Global Leaders in Investment for Sustainable Growth
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 5, 2024-- The Cannabist Company Holdings Inc. (Cboe CA: CBST) (OTCQX: CBSTF) (FSE: 3LP) (“The Cannabist Company” or the “Company”), one of the most experienced cultivators, manufacturers and retailers of cannabis products in the U.S., announced today the launch of its partnership with Flower by Edie Parker (the “Brand”), the leading female-founded and operated cannabis lifestyle brand, in Virginia and Colorado. The Cannabist Company launched Flower by Edie Parker’s premium products in the markets with the Brand’s best-selling ‘Petal Puffer’ all-in-one vape and vape cartridges. Next week, the Company will be launching Flower by Edie Parker’s cannabis infused edibles line, ‘Seedies’ in Colorado and New York, with additional markets launching in Q1 2025. The Cannabist Company plans to bring Flower by Edie Parker to Delaware in 2025. “Virginia and Colorado are ideal first markets for us to launch this partnership with Flower by Edie Parker. Brett and her team have created a brand that resonates with people in a truly unique way by normalizing cannabis consumption through the lens of fashion and culture,” said Jesse Channon, President, The Cannabist Company. “Our brand partnership model has enabled us to work with the most amazing partners and use our scaled retail and cultivation platforms to elevate these incredibly innovative and dynamic founders and their brands, while keeping the customer at the center of everything.” “We’re incredibly excited to kick off our partnership in the vibrant cannabis community in Virginia and Colorado,” said Brett Heyman, Founder and Creative Director of Flower by Edie Parker. “The Cannabist Company is the perfect partner for this next step in our journey, and we look forward to bringing Flower by Edie Parker to all ‘smokers with style’ in these new markets.” Flower by Edie Parker is now available in eleven states. The Brand’s smoking accessories and handbags are also available at select The Cannabist Company’s dispensaries across the US. To find the nearest Cannabist Company dispensary featuring this new partnership, visit https://cannabistcompany.com/locations . About The Cannabist Company (f/k/a Columbia Care) The Cannabist Company, formerly known as Columbia Care, is one of the most experienced cultivators, manufacturers and providers of cannabis products and related services, with licenses in 14 U.S. jurisdictions. The Company operates 91 facilities including 71 dispensaries and 20 cultivation and manufacturing facilities, including those under development and assuming the closure of announced divesture transactions. Columbia Care, now The Cannabist Company, is one of the original multi-state providers of cannabis in the U.S. and now delivers industry-leading products and services to both the medical and adult-use markets. In 2021, the Company launched Cannabist, its retail brand, creating a national dispensary network that leverages proprietary technology platforms. The company offers products spanning flower, edibles, oils and tablets, and manufactures popular brands including Seed & Strain, Triple Seven, Hedy, gLeaf, Classix, Press, and Amber. For more information, please visit www.cannabistcompany.com . About Flower by Edie Parker Flower by Edie Parker, the leading female-founded and female-operated cannabis lifestyle brand, ushers in a new generation of cannabis consumers with an irreverent and bold collection of design-forward accessories and cannabis accouterments. Merging the worlds of fashion and cannabis, Flower by Edie Parker continues to break barriers and de-stigmatize the use of the plant. Priced from $8 to $800, Flower by Edie Parker's accessory collection features gorgeous acrylic, ceramic and hand blown glass accessories and a distinctly canna-friendly take on their signature acrylic bags. Since launching in 2019, Flower by Edie Parker & The Edie Parker Foundation aim to help those, primarily women and children, whose lives have been affected by low level drug offenses. Partner organizations include and have included the Women's Prison Association, The Bail Project, The Last Prisoner Project, Feeding America, City Meals on Wheels & more. Visit www.edie-parker.com , edieparkerflower.com or @EdieParkerFlower Instagram for more information. Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain statements that constitute “forward-looking information” or “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and reflect the Company’s current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking statements or information contained in this release include, but are not limited to, statements or information with respect to the Company’s ability to execute on retail, wholesale, brand and product initiatives. These forward-looking statements or information, which although considered reasonable by the Company, may prove to be incorrect and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking information. In addition, security holders should review the risk factors discussed under “Risk Factors” in Columbia Care’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with Canadian and U.S. securities regulatory authorities and described from time to time in subsequent documents filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205217725/en/ CONTACT: Investors Lee Ann Evans SVP, Capital Markets investor@cannabistcompany.comMedia Mike Moses Communications Manager media@cannabistcompany.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA COLORADO VIRGINIA NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE CANNABIS RETAIL HEALTH SPECIALTY NATURAL RESOURCES SOURCE: The Cannabist Company Holdings Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/05/2024 04:05 PM/DISC: 12/05/2024 04:06 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205217725/en
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Donte DiVincenzo scored 26 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the San Antonio Spurs 112-110 on Sunday night. Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves, won won their third straight. Julius Randle had 16 points, while Jaden McDaniels added 12 points and 10 boards for Minnesota. Anthony Edwards, who earlier in the day was fined $100,000 for continued use of profanity in postgame media comments, was held to 14 points, 11 below his season average. After DiVincenzo made one of two free throws with 12.1 seconds left, the Spurs had one more possession down 112-110. San Antonio found a wide-open Jeremy Sochan for 3, but he came up short. Wembanyama led San Antonio with 34 points and eight rebounds. Harrison Barnes had 24 points, Devin Vassell had 22 and Chris Paul dished out 14 assists. Spurs: Trailing by 13 early in the third quarter, Wembanyama keyed a 16-4 run by showcasing his diverse offensive skills. He scored in the low post, hit a 3, made a pair of free throws and drained two midrange jumpers. Timberwolves: Minnesota survived a brutal shooting night from 3-point range, making just 11 of 44 attempts from beyond the arc. DiVincenzo was 5 for 10, but Edwards and Randle combined to go 1 for 16. With 4:44 to play and the game tied at 101, Randle made a driving layup against Wembanyama that was initially whistled for an offensive foul. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch challenged the call, and the basket was allowed to stand. Minnesota didn't trail the rest of the way. In the first quarter, the Timberwolves made just 1 of 11 3-point attempts but went 9 for 9 inside the arc. The Spurs host the Clippers, and the Timberwolves visit Oklahoma City on Tuesday. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nbaThe Brooklyn Nets have been better than advertised this season as they currently hold a 10-14 record and sit eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. After trading away Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in the offseason, the Nets officially began a true rebuild. Even with their solid start, they are still expected to be sellers at the trade deadline in February as they look to receive more young talent and draft capital. Recent reports are now suggesting that the Nets are open to moving a surprising trio of players. “The Nets have received trade interest and opened exploratory conversations around forwards Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Dennis Schroder, sources said," ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday. "The Warriors are among the teams that have expressed interest in those three players, sources said.” While the Golden State Warriors may be interested in all three players, they will have to compete with other teams to land the trio, especially Johnson, who has turned into one of the NBA’s hottest commodities in trade rumors this season. Johnson is averaging 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 48.8% from the field and 43.4% from three this season. The 28-year-old is a three-point sharpshooter and has already gained a ton of interest from many teams around the league. Finney-Smith will be wanted by many teams thanks to his 3-and-D potential. The 31-year-old forward is averaging 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game this season while also shooting 46.5% from the field and 43.2% from three, which would be a career-high. Expect many teams to call Brooklyn for him due to his elite defensive play as well as his knockdown three-point shooting. The other player mentioned in the report is Schröder. The 31-year-old point guard is off to one of the best starts to a season of his 12-year career. He is averaging 18.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game to go along with shooting 44.8% from the field and 38.5% from three. Schröder is a solid defender and reliable scorer who can work as a team’s starting or reserve point guard. With the Nets wanting to trade these players away, it is clear that their focus is on getting the highest draft pick possible in the loaded 2025 draft and also stocking up on as much young talent and draft capital as possible. More NBA: Cavaliers could add depth in trade for Nets' $80 million duo amid hot startAncient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archaeological treasures THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, is opening a new subway system, blending ancient archaeological treasures with modern transit technology like driverless trains and platform screen doors. The project, which began in 2003, uncovered over 300,000 artifacts, including a Roman-era thoroughfare and Byzantine relics, many of which are now displayed in its 13 stations. Despite delays caused by preserving these findings, the inaugural line has been completed, with a second line set to open next year. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict. At least 19 people are sick in Minnesota from ground beef tied to E. coli recall U.S. health officials say at least 19 people in Minnesota have been sickened by E. coli poisoning tied to a national recall of more than 167,000 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef. Detroit-based Wolverine Packing Co. recalled the meat this week after Minnesota state agriculture officials reported multiple illnesses and found that a sample of the product tested positive for E. coli O157:H7, which can cause life-threatening infections. Symptoms of E. coli poisoning include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and signs of dehydration. Kendrick Lamar surprises with new album 'GNX' LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present with a new album. The Grammy winner released his sixth studio album “GNX” on Friday. The 12-track project is the rapper’s first release since 2022’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” Lamar’s new album comes just months after his rap battle with Drake. The rap megastar will headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. The 37-year-old has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize. Actor Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend drops assault and defamation lawsuit against once-rising star NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend has dropped her assault and defamation lawsuit against the once-rising Hollywood star after reaching a settlement. Lawyers for Majors and Grace Jabbari agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice Thursday. Jabbari is a British dancer who had accused Majors of subjecting her to escalating incidents of physical and verbal abuse during their relationship. Representatives for Majors didn’t respond to emails seeking comment Friday. Jabbari’s lawyer said the suit was “favorably settled” and her client is moving on with “her head held high.” Majors was convicted of misdemeanor assault and harassment last December and sentenced to a yearlong counseling program. Hyundai, Kia recall over 208,000 electric vehicles to fix problem that can cause loss of power DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and Kia are recalling over 208,000 electric vehicles to fix a pesky problem that can cause loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. The recalls cover more than 145,000 Hyundai and Genesis vehicles including the 2022 through 2024 Ioniq 5, the 2023 through 2025 Ioniq 6, GV60 and GV70, and the 2023 and 2024 G80. Also included are nearly 63,000 Kia EV 6 vehicles from 2022 through 2024. The affiliated Korean automakers say in government documents that a transistor in a charging control unit can be damaged and stop charging the 12-volt battery. Dealers will inspect and replace the control unit and a fuse if needed. They also will update software. Christmas TV movies are in their Taylor Swift era, with two Swift-inspired films airing this year Two of the new holiday movies coming to TV this season have a Taylor Swift connection that her fans would have no problem decoding. “Christmas in the Spotlight” debuts Saturday on Lifetime. It stars Jessica Lord as the world’s biggest pop star and Laith Wallschleger, playing a pro football player, who meet and fall in love, not unlike Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. On Nov. 30, Hallmark will air “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.” Instead of a nod to Swift, it’s an ode to family traditions and bonding, like rooting for a sports team. Hallmark’s headquarters is also in Kansas City. Top football recruit Bryce Underwood changes commitment to Michigan instead of LSU, AP source says ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Top football recruit Bryce Underwood has flipped to Michigan after pledging to play at LSU. That's according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the recruit’s plans to join the Wolverines. Underwood pinned a post on his Instagram account, showing a post in which On3.com reported that he has committed to Michigan. The 6-foot-3 quarterback played at Belleville High School about 15 miles east of Michigan's campus, and told LSU nearly a year ago he intended to enroll there. Emperor penguin released at sea 20 days after waddling onto Australian beach MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The only emperor penguin known to have swum from Antarctica to Australia has been released at sea 20 days after he waddled ashore on a popular tourist beach. The adult male was found on Nov. 1 on sand dunes in temperate southwest Australia about 2,200 miles north of the Antarctic coast. He was released Wednesday from a boat that traveled several hours from Western Australia state's most southerly city of Albany. His caregiver Carol Biddulph wasn't sure at first if the penguin would live. She said a mirror was important to his rehabilitation because they provide a sense of company. Biddulph said: “They’re social birds and he stands next to the mirror most of the time.” Shohei Ohtani wins third MVP award, first in NL. Aaron Judge earns second AL honor in 3 seasons NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani won his third Most Valuable Player Award and first in the National League, and Aaron Judge earned his second American League honor on Thursday. Ohtani was a unanimous MVP for the third time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was second with 263 points and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte third with 229. Judge was a unanimous pick for the first time. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got all 30 second-place votes for 270 points, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was third with 21 third-place votes and 229 points.UPSKILLING EXPECTED TO SUPPORT AI, GREEN CHANGE
was angry. In October, a minute after he grabbed 's second goal against in the with a smart first-time finish, he was walking toward the bench having been substituted. The TV cameras caught him kicking the chair in front of him, throwing all manner of things around as the frustration at being substituted boiled over. Durán is one of the most lethal strikers in Europe, with 10 goals in 23 games. Five of those goals have come in the , but his only four starts this year for Villa have come against Wycombe Wanderers and Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup, Southampton in the Premier League, and Bologna in the Champions League. On Tuesday, he did it again against , coming off the bench in the second half to score a sublime long-range goal and . Just five days before his Bologna tantrum, Durán was again visibly exasperated. This time he'd begun the game on the bench. Villa were 3-1 up away at when he was given the nod after 75 minutes for . For the next 20 or so minutes, Durán hovered on the shoulders of Fulham's high line hoping to break away for a chance, but the ball seldom came to him. Durán wanted the coup de grâce, but his teammates favoured consolidation; time after time he threw his arms up frustrated as the ball was knocked around the midfield, and not toward him. Durán is not the first -- nor will he be the last -- to be cast in this unwanted "super-sub" role: Jermain Defoe (Tottenham and ), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ( ) and ( ) have all held it. But it's a shifting moniker. With teams allowed to make five substitutions in the Premier League, the bench has more scope than ever to shift the momentum of a match. Managers are changing the lexicon around replacements, calling them "finishers." That's not to say strikers will ever embrace that role. Welcome to the world of the super-sub -- a player who makes a match-shifting impact from the bench, knowing he has a small window to make an impression to force the manager's hand for a start. Super-subs are players who believe they have the ability to start, are frustrated to be on the bench, and are restricted to a cameo role to prove their talents. Even if they score, they might be back on the bench the following match. "You want to start," former Premier League striker Adam Le Fondre tells ESPN. "I think it comes down to it when you start playing football as a kid you don't go, 'Oh dad, I want to be on the bench today.' You want to start, you want to score goals, you want to win." Strikers making an impact from the bench is hardly a novelty. Ex- striker David Fairclough even dedicated a book to it -- "Supersub" -- having played the support role from 1975 to 1983. Fairclough made 154 appearances for Liverpool and scored 55 goals (62 were appearances from the bench, as were 18 of his goals). On 76 occasions he sat on the bench and remained there. "In the old days, it was all about the XI," Fairclough said in 2017. "Clubs were lucky if they had a substitute who could make a difference. These days, people talk about success and say it's about the squad, not about the XI." Though he became synonymous with the role, it's not to say he grew to love it. "It did not help my career that I came off the bench and scored so often, and from 1977 onwards I made it clear I wanted to leave irrespective of the success Liverpool were enjoying at the time," Fairclough said in 2001. Le Fondre can sympathise, as can others who have worn that unwanted moniker. "Everyone who watches football, you see the players starting going, you know what?" Le Fondre says. "I want to be that guy who plays 90 minutes, scores four goals, walks off, he's the hero. You want adulation; you want love as a footballer." Le Fondre knows Durán's threats as well. "I played against Durán last season with Hibernian in the Conference League and he was fantastic that night and I know he's going to have a phenomenal career," he says. "It's hard when a young player comes on, scores a few goals, he starts to make a name for himself, but I think Durán's work has been eased by the work Watkins has done beforehand. Now it's on Durán to beat Watkins for that position, but Watkins is a fantastic player." Le Fondre can also relate to Durán's current situation. Le Fondre holds the record for the most goals off the bench in a single Premier League season, scoring eight to help Reading survive the drop in 2012-13. "I always knew I'd score goals no matter if I started or was on the bench. But I had to accept the objective of the team was to stay in the Premier League. It wasn't to give me starting minutes and hope I'm happy." In the Premier League, Defoe has scored the most goals off the bench (24), closely followed by Giroud (21) and (19). Defoe hated being pigeonholed as an impact player. "I don't want to have the title of super-sub," he said in 2009. Solskjaer was also frequently handed that title, leading to Sir Alex Ferguson calling him "the substitute from hell" in 2000. "Sir Alex knew that if he put me on the bench then I'd be angry, but also fired up and ready to give everything when I came on," Solskjaer said earlier this year. "Not every sub does that. A lot of subs are sulky and hopeless on the bench. I went on with the aim of proving the manager wrong." Regardless of title, players have to adapt. "I think for me I was always in the mindset that I'm always ready to play no matter what," Le Fondre says. "So if I knew I was on the bench, I'm still ready to play. I'm watching the game, I'm studying, the visualization stuff beforehand that I would do anyway if I was starting. If I'd seen a missed chance -- I'm sure any other player would be the same -- I'd say to myself, 'Yeah I'd have taken that.'" The key to ensuring a team gets the most from its bench is man management, according to leadership and mindset expert Steve Sallis. Sallis has worked with UEFA, England's Football Association, the Scottish Football Association and various individual players on mindset and sees a binding thread: effective communication. "Look at internal and external factors: internal being the player and external being the culture and your relationship with your manager," Sallis tells ESPN. "Some managers drop you well and communicate with you about it, while some managers are still living in 1965 and chuck the team on the wall and they expect you to deal with it." He admires Jurgen Klopp, remembering how Klopp would hug the Liverpool players who'd only got 15 or so minutes at the end of the match, ensuring they felt a key part of any performance. "The key to success is the strength and happiness of your weakest link in a team," Sallis adds. "The top managers have emotional intelligence, and not only do they speak five languages, they have seriously agile brains, so they can engage with each player." Sallis says another shifting aspect of the existence of the modern-day substitute is the relentless fixture calendar and how managers can use five subs in the Premier League -- a rule change which was introduced temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic to help manage player fatigue. Several Premier League clubs opposed it becoming permanent as they thought it would favour the bigger teams, but it was ratified ahead of the 2022-23 season. "If we look at the psychology of motivation years ago, players weren't even sure if they were going to get on," Sallis says. "You pretty much know you're going to get used now. Players have got to be more ready than ever because there are more consistent changes." That has seen managers trying to change the narrative around substitutes, adopting terms from other sports. In baseball, they have "closers" -- the players who are there to get the final outs in the last throes of a match. In rugby, Eddie Jones, the Japan coach and ex-England coach, introduced the term "finishers" to describe his bench. "I always believed rugby should be seen as a 23-player game, rather than just the 15 players starting," he told ESPN. In 2011, Jones was coach of Suntory in Japan and had two brilliant options for the same position -- George Gregan and Fourie du Preez at scrum-half. So, he tweaked the terminology -- rather than having first and second -- he chose Du Preez to start and Gregan as a "finisher"-- Jones used Gregan's love of baseball to put him in the role of the New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera. Jones knows Mikel Arteta well -- they're on the same WhatsApp group with coaches from other sports -- and Arteta calls his Arsenal bench "impactors." "I think it was the best way to express how we feel about them and how they have to feel towards the team, especially on matchday," Arteta said in 2023. Ex-England boss Gareth Southgate has used the term "finishers" before. For Sammy Lander, a specialist substitutions coach who has worked with the U.S. men's national team, he says the days of using terms like "super-sub" are numbered. "The term substitute comes with a lot of negative connotations," Lander tells ESPN. "When I started my role as a sub coach, I asked players to talk to me about being a substitute. And a lot of the words were sort of defeated, anxious, isolated. We've added layers to that. We'd now say, 'What sort of finisher would you be today?' "Each club has different names -- so I'll just use Wimbledon as an example, we had six there in the end. We used energizer, impactor, match winner, closer, destroyer and controller. Beyond just super-sub. That gives the player a little bit of direction about what we want from them in the game, but it also really gives them a role in that game, it gives them a process, it gives them an identity to associate with." Durán has occupied all six of Lander's roles this season. But semantics aside, Durán just wants to score goals, so it is down to Emery's management to keep him and the rest of the team happy. "It is a squad game now and you must have everyone singing on the same hymn sheet across the whole team," Le Fondre says. Emery's management of Durán is working. The Colombian striker signed a new contract in early October, taking him through to 2030. All this after he nearly left the club in the summer, with as many as 40 clubs keen on signing him, according to sporting director Monchi. Durán risked the ire of the Villa fans amid strong interest from West Ham when he crossed his arms -- mimicking the West Ham symbol -- during an Instagram live. In the end, Durán stayed, and as chance had it, Villa's first match of the season was away at West Ham. Durán came off the bench in the 62nd minute and scored the winner 17 minutes later. He has done that four times this season. Emery understands how talented Durán is and has worked with him to ensure he stays patient and focused, while not trying to change his "cheeky" personality, according to an ESPN source. Emery was measured after seeing Durán's reaction after being substituted against Bologna. "I am managing everything and the reaction of players," Emery said. "We are sending a message in the dressing room: respect our values and try to be mature and be responsible. It's not only Jhon Durán; other players react, but it's under my control." The collective effort has worked. "There's no magic wand to super-subs," Sallis says. "The relationship with the manager is massive. The intrinsic motivation from the player is massive: Is it a f--- you to the manager? Or is it, 'I want to help this team'? The key is to get a balance between the two, and Emery has done that." However, for now, Watkins remains the first choice. "Sometimes [Durán] has been impatient, and I need to speak to him as a person and connect to him as a person," Emery said after the Bayern match where Durán had scored the winner. "His talent is there, and he can help us." During the last international break, Durán was on the bench twice for . He impressed again, but that itch of not being in the starting XI remains. Emery has toyed with the option of starting Durán and Watkins together, but it looks like Durán will have to stay patient. Watkins' form is showing no signs of letting up, but that won't stop Durán from looking for any and every opportunity to get his spot in the starting lineup. "I am ready to start wherever I am," Durán said. With Villa currently in 6th place in the Premier League and 9th in the Champions League, can Durán continue to make his mark and earn a starting spot? Over the next few weeks, he'll have his chance against Nottingham Forest (Dec. 14), Man City (Dec. 21) and Newcastle (Dec. 26).