Arsene Wenger insists Danny Welbeck's hat-trick against Galatasaray will give the Arsenal striker the confidence he needs to thrive at the Emirates Stadium.

Welbeck had made a tentative start to life with the Gunners following his £16 million ($25 million) move from Manchester United on transfer deadline day last month.

Daniel Sturridge will not join up with England for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers after England manager Roy Hodgson and Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers reached an agreement over the striker's fitness.

It had been thought Hodgson might force the issue and select Sturridge but Rodgers said after Wednesday's disappointing 1-0 Champions League defeat to Basel, in Switzerland, he had spoken with the England coach and resolved the problem.

La Liga champions Atletico Madrid will be without influential midfielder and captain Gabi for their crucial Champions League match at home to Juventus on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old picked up an ankle injury during the 4-0 win over Sevilla at the weekend and hasn't been included in Diego Simeone's 18-man squad for the match.

Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes slammed Manchester City's fans for failing to create a "special" European atmosphere during Tuesday's Champions League tie at home to Roma.

Fewer than 38,000 fans turned up at the Etihad Stadium -- a ground with a capacity of 60,000 -- for Tuesday's 1-1 draw with the Italian giants in this Group E clash.

Hanover 96 coach Tayfun Korkut has banned his players from visiting Munich's Oktoberfest beer festival after Saturday's Bundesliga match at leaders Bayern Munich -- whether his team wins, loses or draws.

Hanover are sixth in the table, but only four points adrift of leaders Bayern ahead of Saturday's showdown at Munich's Allianz Arena.

The gold, silver and bronze medal winners in the Asian Games men's 800 metres race were disqualified Wednesday in a new storm to hit the athletics contest.

Saudi Arabia's Abdulaziz Mohammed, Musaab Bala of Qatar and Abraham Kipchirchir Rotich of Bahrain, who finished first, second and third, all had their results canceled.

Italian striker Ciro Immobile has admitted he finds the Bundesliga tougher than Italy's Serie A as he adapts to life in Germany's top flight.

"It's definitely a different type of football," Borussia Dortmund's Azzurri star told German magazine Sport Bild.

Celebrated Indian women's boxer Mary Kom won her first Asian Games gold Wednesday but a team-mate sensationally refused to accept her bronze medal in a row over judging standards.

Five-time world champion Kom, 31, won a split decision against Kazakhstan's Zhaina Shekerbekova to be crowned flyweight champion.

Rarely has there been so much at stake in an Asian Games football final.

It's North vs. South on the divided Korean peninsula, and it's a game South Korea's players are desperate to win. Not just because it takes place on home soil against their closest neighbor but also because a gold medal would grant them exemption from mandatory military service, which is largely in place because the two countries are still technically at war.

Paris Saint-Germain may finally have what it takes to compete with the best teams in Europe after the French side upstaged Lionel Messi's Barcelona in a thrilling 3-2 Champions League win on Tuesday.

David Luiz and midfielder Marco Verratti scored their first goals as PSG produced its best performance of the season to defeat a Barcelona side that is unbeaten in the Spanish league — and replied with goals from star strikers Messi and Neymar.