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Norway manager Stale Solbakken provided a positive update on Martin Odegaard's condition ahead of Arsenal's Premier League clash against Brentford.

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Solbakken provides update on OdegaardOdegaard missed last three Arsenal gameMight get fit ahead of Brentford clashWHAT HAPPENED?

The Arsenal skipper missed his club's last three matches against Newcastle, Sevilla and Burnley after suffering a concussion following a blow to the face with a ball during a training session. He also sat out in Norway's 2-0 win over Faroe Islands earlier this week. His international manager Solbakken has now provided an update on the midfielder's condition.

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Solbakken confirmed that the 24-year-old is recovering fast as he gave hope to Arsenal fans that their captain could be back for the crucial Premier League clash against Brentford next Saturday. The former Real Madrid man has been a key player in Mikel Arteta's team this season, having scored five goals and provided one assist in 15 appearances across all competitions.

WHAT SOLBAKKEN SAID

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of his side's meeting with Scotland, Solbakken said: "I've just come from a 45-minute talk with Martin. He is getting better and better and gradually stepping up. It has been more or less three weeks without any special training, so it is important to take things step by step. Both he and Arsenal probably hope that he is available for the Brentford match."

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Getty WHAT NEXT FOR NORWAY?

Norway's hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 ended on Saturday after Romania beat Israel 2-1. They will now face Scotland in their final game of the qualifiers on Sunday.

Jan Oblak has explained the challenges of facing the famous 'MSN' trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar when they played for Barcelona.

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Dubbed MSN's football "beautiful"Admitted that Barcelona have "changed a lot" without Leo MessiPreviewed Atletico Madrid's fixture with BarcaWHAT HAPPENED?

Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar starred for the Blaugrana from 2014-2015, winning the treble in the 2014-15 season and establishing themselves as one of the best attacking trios in Europe. And Oblak conceded that Barca side was the most difficult to play against.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT JAN OBLAK SAID

In a press conference before Atleti's La Liga clash with Barca this Sunday, Oblak spoke candidly about his toughest Catalunyan opponents: "But I think the Barca that played the most beautiful football was the Barca from 2015 or 2016. Well it doesn’t mean they weren’t performing very well in other seasons of course, but the strongest Barca since I arrived here in La Liga was in the first three years or so when I started to play at Atletico Madrid."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Oblak has been the first choice keeper for Atleti since 2014, winning the La Liga goalkeeper of the year three times, and winning the league in 2020-21 season.

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(C)Getty imagesWHAT NEXT FOR ATLETICO MADRID?

Atleti face a crucial fixture against Barca on Sunday. The Rojiblancos are currently four points behind leaders Girona, but have a game in hand. A win would keep them in the title race, and also damage the Blaugrana's hopes of defending their La Liga crown.

A Wrexham store owner has paid tribute to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after a generous donation helped save his business after a break in.

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Sportswear store has £7,000 of stock stolenWrexham co-owners make crucial donation"I'll be forever grateful," says shop ownerWHAT HAPPENED?

Stephen Tapp's Wrexham Trainer Revival store was broken into last month with thieves getting away with £7,000 ($8.600) worth of stock. Facing closure after the theft, a crowdfunding page was set up with the aim of raising £3,500 ($4,300) to save the business. A pledge for the target amount soon appeared on the page from 'Rob and Ryan' and it didn't take long for the Tapp to work out the money was from Wrexham's co-owners Reynolds & McElhenney. The campaign eventually raised over £8,000 ($9,800).

AdvertisementWHAT THEY SAID

An emotional Tapp, took to social media to express his gratitude on Sunday, posting that the Hollywood duo "have literally saved my business and I'll be forever grateful. If you only knew what that donation has meant to my life…"

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Stories of the co-owners' largesse have not been uncommon since their arrival in Wrexham, with local causes regularly seeing surprise donations from 'Rob and Ryan' giving a huge boost in terms of finance and publicity. The duo have also lent financial and emotional support when members of Wrexham's playing staff have encountered personal issues.

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham continue their pursuit of League Two's runaway leaders Stockport when they travel to Accrington Stanley on Saturday.

Bangladesh bowling coach Heath Streak said it was unlikely that his team would opt for three seamers for the first Test against India

Mohammad Isam in Fatullah07-Jun-2015The return of Rubel Hossain from injury, and the consistency of Mohammad Shahid have been welcomed by Bangladesh’s bowling coach Heath Streak ahead of the upcoming Test against India in Fatullah. However, Streak said it was unlikely that Bangladesh would opt for three seamers at a venue where pace-bowling has largely been ineffective.”We are unlikely to go with a three-seam attack in this wicket,” Streak told ESPNcricinfo. “We are probably looking at two but it is up to the coach and selectors, once they have a better look at the wicket as we get closer to the game.”Obviously it is nice to have Rubel back in the equation. Normally wickets here are quite tough for the fast bowlers so it requires a lot of patience. I thought Shahid bowled really well in the Pakistan series and showed what he can do. Rubel has been in good form prior to his injury.”Shahid for us is that dependability. He is the guy you rely on to bowl lots of overs like we saw in the Pakistan Test. He comes in, the captain sets a field and he bowls well to it. He asks the questions. He is not an easy guy for batsmen to get on top of. Hopefully he can be that anchor role for us, with the volume of overs with one or two of the spinners and let the other seamer have an attacking option.”Currently, Rubel has a Test bowling average of 75.90 – the worst among bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 3000 deliveries – and takes a wicket roughly every 116 balls. But his form in ODIs, since his four-wicket haul against England in the World Cup, has helped him keep his place in the Test side.Shahid showed that he can be relied on to take the workload in Tests. He bowled 60 overs in his first two Tests, which included 41 in the second Test in Dhaka after Shahadat Hossain got injured in the first over of the match.While Rubel has never played a first-class match in Fatullah, Shahid has taken six wickets in two matches. Bangladesh’s other seam option, Abul Hasan, has played one match at this venue taking three wickets.Whether Bangladesh’s pace bowling is in the shape of a Shahid-Rubel alliance or a single-man unit, they would have to defy conditions, history and current form to be effective against India.

Aiden Blizzard and Andrew Ellis led Canterbury to an eight-wicket win over Northern Districts in Hamilton

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2014Aiden Blizzard and Andrew Ellis led Canterbury to an eight-wicket win over Northern Districts in Hamilton. Northern Districts were kept to 146 for 7 after choosing to bat as Ellis took 4 for 28. Blizzard finished off the chase with his unbeaten 69 off 42 deliveries.Northern Districts began brightly with an 86-run stand inside 12 overs between Anton Devcich (24) and Daniel Flynn. However, none of the batsmen after the opening pair managed more than 14. Flynn was the sixth man to fall, for 86 off 67, in the last over of the innings. Flynn struck eight fours and two sixes.Ronnie Hira got Canterbury’s chase going with a quick 20 before Blizzard took control. The Australian hit four fours and five sixes and put on 80 for the second wicket with Neil Broom (37). Captain Peter Fulton chipped in with an unbeaten 17 off 9 as Canterbury pocketed four points.

Fans of rival clubs believe that the Red Devils have benefited from preferential treatment this season, so Goal has reviewed all 19 of their penalties

Not since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson have we heard so much talk about Manchester United getting preferential treatment off referees.

Social media has been running wild with talk of 'VARchester United' and 'Man Utd Penalty Bingo' because of how many spot-kicks Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have been awarded this season.

However, even Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has voiced his concern over the number of decisions that seem to be going United's way.

But are United really receiving help from the officials?

Below, we review all 19 penalties awarded to the Red Devils this season to see whether there's anything to these conspiracy theories…

Getty1FA Cup: Man Utd 1-3 Chelsea

Callum Hudson-Odoi blatantly tripped Martial as United tried in vain to get themselves back into the semi-final showdown at Wembley.  Fernandes fired home but it was little more than a consolation goal for United as their hopes of FA Cup glory went up in smoke.

Verdict: PENALTY!

AdvertisementGetty2Premier League MD34: Aston Villa 0-3 Man Utd

The most controversial decision of the season? It was certainly a historic one, as United equalled the record for most penalties received in a single Premier League season (13). Jon Moss pointed to the spot after Fernandes had been upended by Ezri Konsa in the area. However, on closer inspection, it emerged that the attacking midfielder had actually initiated the contact. However, VAR inexplicably agreed with Moss, clearing the way for Fernandes to open the scoring. Villa boss Dean Smith called it a "disgraceful" decision and his fury was understandable.

Verdict: NO PENALTY!

Getty Images3Premier League MD33: Man Utd 5-2 Bournemouth

The game at Old Trafford was tied at one goal apiece when Mike Dean pointed to the spot in the 35th minute, after noticing an Adam Smith handball. Rashford took care of the rest as United went on to record an impressive victory.

Verdict: PENALTY!

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Getty4Premier League MD30: Tottenham 1-1 Man Utd

Eric Dier was bamboozled by Paul Pogba's neat footwork and bundled the Frenchman over in the box. Fernandes scored from the spot to salvage a point for United.

Verdict: PENALTY!

N.B. Jon Moss awarded United a penalty in the dying minutes for another perceived foul on Pogba by Dier but the referee was correctly overruled by VAR.

Despite making €250 million a year less than the Red Devils, the Bianconeri have consistently outperformed their English rivals in the transfer market

Getty Images2009-10 | Juventus vs Man Utd

JUVENTUS

Spent: £49m (€55m)  Received: £13m (€14.5m)

Notable Signings: Diego (£25m from Wolfsburg), Felipe Melo (£23m from Fiorentina)

Notable Sales: Domenico Criscito (£4m to Genoa Co-ownership)

MANCHESTER UNITED

Spent: £23m (€26m),  Received: £83.5m

Notable Signings: Antonio Valencia (£16m from Wigan)

Notable Sales: Cristiano Ronaldo (£80m to Real Madrid)

AdvertisementGetty Images2010-11 | Juventus vs Man Utd

JUVENTUS

Spent: £52.65m (€59.35m), Received: £52m (€41.7m)

Notable Signings: Leonardo Bonucci (£13.5m from Bari), Milos Krasic (£15m from CSKA Moscow), Andrea Barzagli (£300k from Wolfsburg)

Notable Sales: Diego (£21m to Wolfsburg)

MANCHESTER UNITED

Spent: £29m (€33m), Received: £11m (€12.5m)

Notable Signings: Javier Hernandez (£7m from Chivas), Chris Smalling (£10m from Fulham)

Notable Sales: Zoran Tosic (£7.5m to CSKA Moscow)

Getty Images2011-12 | Juventus vs Man Utd

JUVENTUS

Spent: £78m (€89m), Received: £15m (€17m)

Notable Signings: Andrea Pirlo (Free from AC Milan), Alessandro Matri (£15m from Cagliari), Arturo Vidal (£10.5m from Leverkusen), Mirko Vucinic (£13m from Roma)

Notable Sales: Ciro Immobile (£3m to Genoa, Co-ownership)

MANCHESTER UNITED

Spent £56m (€63m), Received: £11m (€12.5m)

Notable Signings: Phil Jones (£16.5m from Blackburn), Ashley Young (£20m from Aston Villa), David De Gea (£19m from Atletico Madrid)

Notable Sales: John O'Shea and Wes Brown (Both to Sunderland, £6m)

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Getty Images2012-13 | Juventus vs Man Utd

JUVENTUS

Spent: £49m (€55m), Received: £17.7m (€20m)

Notable Signings: Kwadwo Asamoah (£9m from Udinese), Paul Pogba (Free from Manchester United)

Notable Sales: Eljero Elia (£7.5m to Werder Bremen), Milos Krasic (£7m to Fenerbahce)

MANCHESTER UNITED

Spent £75m (€83.4m), Received: £9m (€10.15)

Notable Signings: Robin Van Persie (£24m from Arsenal), Shinji Kagawa (£17m from Dortmund), Wilfried Zaha (£15m from Crystal Palace)

Notable Sales: Dimitar Berbatov (£4.5m to Fulham)

Pep Guardiola's side ran out 3-0 winners at Old Trafford on Sunday as two goals and an assist from their Norwegian goal machine sealed the points

Manchester City put in a dominant derby-day performance as Erling Haaland led the way with a brace and Phil Foden wrapped up a 3-0 victory over Manchester United. The star of the show, however, was Bernardo Silva.

The Portugal international was totally illusive throughout the afternoon, leading United a merry dance on his way to providing his fifth assist against the Red Devils of his career – the most of any player since 2017.

That assist came for Haaland's second as Bernardo's cross was headed in at the back post by the Norwegian striker. He had earlier opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Rasmus Hojlund was adjudged to have pulled down Rodri while defending a free-kick.

In truth, Haaland could have had three more goals if not for an impressive performance from United goalkeeper Andre Onana, but he could do nothing to stop Foden from rounding out the scoring from close range.

GOAL rates Man City's players from Old Trafford…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Ederson (7/10):

Superb save kept McTominay from equalising late in the first half. Distributed brilliantly, as always.

Kyle Walker (6/10):

Dealt well with Rashford and wasn't shy of a physical battle.

John Stones (8/10):

Spent as much time in midfield as defence, but most important action came when tracking down Hojlund as it looked like the United striker was clean through. Calmness personified both in and out of possession.

Ruben Dias (6/10):

Caught out by poor passes from team-mates at times but largely led by example.

Josko Gvardiol (7/10):

Almost had a couple of costly lapses in possession early on but recovered and got stronger as the game went on. Ensured Fernandes was basically a non-factor.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Rodri (8/10):

Barely misplaced a pass as he kept City ticking over in midfield. Won the penalty with a late run into the box.

Bernardo Silva (9/10):

United tried to man-mark him but could barely get close to the magic midfielder. Constantly on the move and offering himself for team-mates, he capped a superb showing with the cross for Haaland's second. Keeping him was the best piece of business City pulled off during the summer.

Getty ImagesAttack

Phil Foden (7/10):

Plenty of good but also some moments where he made the wrong decision or played a disappointing pass. Won't care after netting the third from close range.

Julian Alvarez (6/10):

One of his quieter games, but that was in part due to Bernardo taking over. Went close with a free-kick that Onana tipped over.

Erling Haaland (8/10):

Probably should have had five goals after twice being denied by Onana, but made sure of the points with a well-taken penalty and a buried header. Nigh on unstoppable if he gets the service.

Jack Grealish (8/10):

Enjoyed his best game since returning from injury. Played a key role in Haaland's second and caused Dalot plenty of problems. Twice saw shots pushed away by Onana.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Mateo Kovacic (N/A):

On for the final five minutes.

Jeremy Doku (N/A):

Replaced Grealish late on

Pep Guardiola (8/10):

Knew exactly what to expect and saw his team cruise through what should be one of their toughest game. Opting for Grealish over in-form Doku paid off, too.

Brilliant for much of this summer, Australia settled for simply being the lucky country on their national day, as a fortuitous moment at the pointy end of the final ODI effectively handed the hosts a fourth limited-overs victory out of five

The Report by Daniel Brettig in Adelaide26-Jan-2014
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:00

‘Familiar story with England on Australia Day thriller’

Brilliant for much of this summer, Australia settled for simply being the lucky country on their national day, as a fortuitous moment at the pointy end of the final ODI effectively handed the hosts a fourth limited-overs victory out of five over England and a ninth from 10 encounters including the Ashes clean sweep.In a scrappy contest dictated largely by the sluggishness of Adelaide Oval’s drop-in pitch, Australia posted a mediocre total but defended it grandly against an England team who threatened to take control at several stages of the chase but could never quite manage to wrest command of the evening.Alastair Cook, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan all contributed useful scores to take England close, but it was left to Ravi Bopara to try to take his team to a second win in a row. He seemed likely to carry them there, until falling victim to a most unfortunate end, as Matthew Wade’s fumble behind the stumps bounced back onto the leg bail with the batsman’s foot barely raised.The Australians celebrated their win raucously and fittingly – it was one more moment of joy in a summer brimful of them, while England rued the swings of outrageous fortune that inevitably seem to go against the side to fall behind. The hosts owed much to Nathan Coulter-Nile, who delivered perhaps his best and most disciplined spell for Australia, before Clint McKay gave nothing away in the closing overs.James Faulkner also bowled well despite complaining of knee soreness earlier in the day, while Shaun Marsh may be under his own fitness cloud having left the field midway through England’s chase. Aaron Finch was the beneficiary of two dropped chances in the afternoon but was beaten for pace by a revved up Stuart Broad, before Shane Watson, Michael Clarke and Shaun Marsh all perished to loose strokes as they tried to raise the hosts’ run rate.The remainder of the innings was a struggle despite the best efforts of George Bailey, the only batsman to pass 50 in the face of a diligent England bowling line-up. Broad’s pace and direction showed the way for his colleagues, while Ben Stokes, Tim Bresnan, Chris Jordan and James Tredwell also delivered sturdy spells.Ian Bell and Cook began smartly, until the difficulties posed for shot-making on a decidedly slow surface began to rear. Bell tried to drive on the up and was taken at mid-off. Stokes’ attempted pull shot was not middled and settled in the hands of midwicket. Then after a partnership with Root that hinted at success, Cook himself mistimed to short cover.Root showed admirable composure on his return to the team, unhurried and unflustered while building another stand with Morgan. At 3 for 154 they were close to breaking the back of the chase, only for Morgan to follow his predecessors in perishing to a lofted stroke, this time finding Shane Watson at mid-off from the bowling of James Faulkner.James Faulkner’s late wickets helped turn the match on its head•Getty ImagesThree runs later and Root was trudging off too, his attempted paddle only succeeding in picking out short fine leg. A previously restive Australia Day crowd found its voice as the Australian huddle grew more enthusiastic. Jos Buttler enhanced their anticipation when he picked out deep midwicket with a pull shot, and Bresnan’s one mowed six over wide long-on was cancelled out when he was thrown out by Glenn Maxwell, running in from cover.Those who had witnessed the final day of the Adelaide Test against South Africa were made nervous by the sight of Wade stationing himself up to the stumps for McKay, but the bowler averted any problems by bringing one between bat and pad to bowl Broad. That left Bopara with just Jordan and Tredwell for company, and the fourth ball of the penultimate over brought unexpected reward for Wade’s decision to stay up.Beaten outside off stump by McKay, Bopara very briefly lifted his back foot, and at the same moment Wade’s failure to glove the ball cleanly had it ricochet back onto the stumps. It was an exceptionally tight call, but the third umpire Kumar Dharmasena went the way of Australia. Bopara walked off in a daze, and Watson bowled a suitably tight final over to make the match safe.Jordan and Broad had almost as much reason to curse their ill-fortune early in the afternoon, when Cook and Bopara both dropped chances they should have taken from Finch. Jordan’s new ball swing posed problems at one end while Broad’s pace was notable at the other, eventually rewarded when Finch was far too late on a ball that uprooted off stump.Watson made a fairly ugly duck, narrowly avoiding an lbw appeal and DRS referral by Broad then swishing at a wide delivery and offering a catch to Buttler. Clarke spent 26 balls over 8 before trying to smear Bresnan across the line and also being bowled, and Marsh’s start was wasted when he clipped Stokes to midwicket where this time Cook held on.For a time Bailey and Maxwell stemmed the bleeding, manoeuvring the ball around a somewhat spongy outfield with the occasional muscular blow to the boundary. However Maxwell’s patience is far from infinite, and a dabble too many outside off stump brought an edge behind the wicket.Bailey’s innings was nothing spectacular but he came closest to finding the right balance between aversion and aggression to score at a reasonable rate. Even so, his last 23 balls were devoid of a boundary, creating pressure that resulted in an attempted punch down the ground that skewed instead to mid-on.Wade did his best with a busy 31, then Faulkner and Coulter-Nile tried to hit out at the finish, but the final tally looked meagre. Jordan was rewarded for his unrewarded earlier efforts with two wickets in as many balls during an excellent final over, but was to be left crestfallen at the finish as the chase fell maddeningly yet somehow fittingly short.

A round-up of the Georgie Pie Super Smash matches played on November 27, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2014Auckland moved into third position on the points table with a five-wicket win over Canterbury in Christchurch. Donovan Grobbelaar’s four wickets restricted Canterbury to 118 after they chose to bat. Auckland lost wickets regularly in the chase but captain Rob Nicol steered them with an unbeaten 52 and Brad Cachopa hit fours off the two balls he faced to haul his side home with two deliveries remaining.Ronnie Hira made 53 off 39 for Canterbury at the top of the order but the next highest contribution was Aiden Blizzard’s 17. The rest managed single-digit scores. Grobbelaar had career-best figures of 3.1-0-10-4 while Tarun Nethula picked up two wickets.Hamish Bennett struck in successive overs at the start of the chase but Nicol kept the innings moving with his 52 off 54. Grobbelaar hit a six towards the finish before Cachopa’s blows sealed it for Auckland.