Archive for May, 2008
Vidic Set For JJB Return
United will have Nemanja Vidic back in their defence for the final day at Wigan on Sunday. Vidic was forced to sit out of the win over West Ham with concussion suffered in the clash with Didier Drogba the previous Sunday. There is a mandatory 10-day FA break following a concussion which was enforced by medical staff at the club [source].
Ferguson is also contemplating bringing Rooney back to the bench for Sunday’s vital clash. United will want to spare him for the Champions League final of course but the general consensus appears to be that Rooney will recover from his hip injury in time for the Moscow final and could even be available from the bench should things start going pear-shaped at the JJB.
In fantasy terms it seems likely that Brown will shift to right-back with Hargreaves possibly taking up a midfield role. Tevez seems certain of start, unless of course Ferguson opts to bring in Anderson or Fletcher to pack the midfield and use Ronaldo as his spearhead in attack. My bet is that Tevez will get the nod in a similar lineup to the one that took on West Ham with Hargreaves possibly replacing the suspended Nani.
ContinuedWeekend Scout Notes
Another efficient Chelsea display cancels out United’s dismantling of West Ham to take the title to the final day. Good news for us fantasy managers, as we now look to locate those players who have the incentive to turn in the points for us next Sunday. Here’s my notes on the penultimate set of matches.
ContinuedThree Week Layoff For Fabregas
Wenger has confirmed that Cesc Fabregas will miss the final game of the season due to the groin injury that kept him out of yesterday’s victory over Everton. Fabregas has had scans on the injury and Wenger has revealed that the midfielder will require a three-week layoff [source].
That will mean that thousands of fantasy managers will be trading in the Spaniard for the final game next Sunday. His value should present some decent options, either in a straight swap, or as part of a double transfer. In terms of straight replacements attention will doubtless turn to those players who will have something to play for next weekend - names like Barry, Bullard and possibly Joe Cole, Ballack and Lampard - should Chelsea keep their title hopes alive at Newcastle this afternoon.
Indeed, Chelsea’s result at Newcastle is likely to be the factor that will shape the transfer decisions made this week. More on that in my weekend Scout Notes later today.
ContinuedThe Weekend Scout Picks
Refresh your screen and you’ll reveal my picks for this weekend’s games in the right-hand menu. It was a surprisingly simple lineup this week, without the complication of the Champions League and a few key injuries offering clarity to make some of the more difficult calls that little bit easier. Read on for the beef on my lineup…
ContinuedSanta In. Defoe Out.
Not my recommendations as such but rather the overwhelming trend going on in the FPL game right now. As an extra treat - I’d thought I’d dip into the wonderful world that is the Fantasy Premier League statistics and take a look at the gameweek’s transfer activity thus far.
ContinuedUpdated Team News
Anelka Ruled Out of Reunion
Chelsea will go into the final and possibly decisive game of the season without Nicolas Anelka. The striker will miss out of the reunion with his former club Bolton because of a ruling concerning his transfer from the Reebok in the January transfer window.
ContinuedThe FPL Captain Poll
This slipped my mind in my week of relocation but I’ve belatedly updated the poll this morning to canvas opinion on the best candidate over the next 24-hours.
Again, this could be an interesting one. Ronaldo’s returns have stalled and, casting an eye over the fixtures, there’s certainly some tasty pretenders to his throne. Over to you…
ContinuedWeekend Team News
Dunne returns for City. Van Persie ruled out by Wenger. Hughes optimistic on Samba fitness. A virus puts Mellberg’s home farewell in doubt. Davies returns to lead the line for Bolton. Oh yeah, Derby’s Stubbs goes under the knife.
As per usual for Thursday night, the team news section has had a refresh to bring you all the early fact and speculation for the weekend. It’s highly likely that this will get a another pass tomorrow evening after more news breaks and just before I take the plunge with my picks.
Continued
