LONDON // Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal can bounce back from their defeat at Chelsea a fortnight ago and can reassert their title credentials now that a string of injured players are back in contention.
Theo Walcott, and Cesc Fabregas are both in contention to return to the side today, but the Arsenal manager is particularly excited about the prospect of being able to call upon the services of Nicklas Bendtner, the young Denmark striker.
"Since last November, Nicklas has produced here and there but has never had a consistent presence because of his injuries," said Wenger. "Apart from the fact he went to the World Cup, I believe we have not seen the real Nicklas Bendtner for a long time. Now he is the closest I have seen him to being his best. For a while, he was really handicapped by groin problems but they look to have gone now."
Bendtner is unlikely to start against Birmingham City, a club who he spent a season on loan at in 2006/07, but, intriguingly, it is a player who has ended up at Birmingham, via Barcelona and Stuttgart, from Arsenal who could come back to haunt Wenger today at Emirates Stadium today.
Aleksandr Hleb, who is on loan at Birmingham from Barcelona, should make his third successive start for City this afternoon and Wenger has no regrets about the decision to sell Helb for nearly £12 million (Dh70,65m) in 2008. "There is no regret over Hleb because he wanted to go," Wenger said.
Another fascinating subplot to today's game is the touchline duel between Wenger and Alex McLeish, the Birmingham manager. The Arsenal manager believes Birmingham have used "strong arm" tactics in recent encounters and the tackle that broke Eduardo's leg three seasons ago still rankles with Wenger.
But McLeish is confident the choice of Martin Atkinson as referee means that Wenger will not be able to influence the official to side with the Gunners when it comes to borderline decisions.
"I would hate to think that Arsene's comments would influence a referee in the English game," McLeish said. "We have Martin Atkinson this weekend who was on duty as part of the official's team at the World Cup final and he's a top referee. I am sure he will give a strong performance and you have to be strong at somewhere like the Emirates.
"We are the small team going to play the mighty Arsenal and you hope that the referee's fair. Martin Atkinson comes into that category."
Birmingham effectively ended Arsenal's title bid last season by rescuing a late draw with an injury-time goal from Kevin Phillips. Wenger is expecting another difficult match this afternoon and knows his side can ill-afford a repeat of the laboured display that saw them beaten, 3-2, by West Bromwich Albion in their last home game.
"We had an interruption for the internationals after the Chelsea game, in which there were a lot of positives," Wenger said. "The good side of the defeat at Chelsea is the belief that we can have an important part to play in this league and let's transfer that belief into the Birmingham game.
"Birmingham are a good, organised side who make life difficult for you. They added quality to their squad after a good season last year. They added Alex Hleb, who we know well so they have even more offensive potential."
sports@thenational.ae
6pm Abu Dhabi Sport 3
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6 Romain Grosjean, Haas
7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault
*8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
9 Carlos Sainz, Renault
10 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
11 Fernando Alonso, McLaren
12 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren
13 Sergio Perez, Force India
14 Lance Stroll, Williams
15 Esteban Ocon, Force India
16 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso
17 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
18 Charles Leclerc, Sauber
19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams
20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey