Fabricio Coloccini is an early concern for Newcastle with a muscle problem. Christian Benteke has returned to training but will be rested by Belgium, Andros Townsend is a slight doubt for England duties, Jozy Altidore is confident of ending his Sunderland goal drought and Anthony Pilkington withdraws from the Republic of Ireland squad:
Coloccini Worry for Magpies
Fabricio Coloccini has given Alan Pardew cause for concern ahead of Newcastle’s home game with Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime. The Magpies skipper has been forced out of Argentina’s match with Uruguay later tonight due to a muscle injury and faces a race against time to be passed fit for the weekend showdown.
The Scout Says: Given that his side are set to face the red-hot partnership of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, Pardew will be desperate for his skipper to recover in time. The Newcastle boss has clearly been unimpressed by Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and subbed off the Frenchman for Mike Williamson in the Gameweek 6 defeat at Everton – Steven Taylor is believed to be edging closer to a comeback though it remains uncertain whether he’ll make it in time, handing the Tyneside team a real headache and perhaps boosting the armband prospects of both Suarez and Sturridge, given that Newcastle shipped three against Hull in their last match at St James’ Park.
Benteke Rested Out by Belgium
Belgium boss Marc Wilmots has confirmed he won’t involve Christian Benteke for tonight’s clash against Wales. With his country having qualified for next year’s World Cup in Brazil after beating Croatia last Friday, Wilmots has ruled out the Villa forward and is expected to continue with Romelu Lukaku up top again.
“He trained for the first time in three weeks with the group on Friday but I won’t risk him.”
The Scout Says: Certainly, Benteke’s prospects of a quick domestic comeback have been boosted by a return to training for the national team. While Paul Lambert has yet to comment or assess his star forward, there’s no doubt a fully-fit Benteke would be immediately reinstalled to the Villa XI – all the more so after the midlanders’ failure to find the net away to Hull last time around. Home games against Spurs and Everton are far from straightforward but given that he’s already scored against Arsenal and Chelsea this season, Benteke – now down to 8.8 in FPL – has shown he’s more than capable of breaching any backline.
Pilkington Concern for Canaries
The Norwich midfielder has withdrawn from Republic of Ireland’s match against Kazakhstan this evening. Pilkington, an unused sub in his nation’s defeat in Germany last Friday, has been allowed to return to Carrow Road for treatment on an unspecified injury.
The Scout Says: Chris Hughton will be sweating on Pilkington’s fitness after a couple of impressive displays. Handed his first start of the season against Stoke in Gameweek 6 due to a injury to Nathan Redmond, the left winger supplied the assist for Jonny Howson’s winner at the Britannia and kept his place in spite of Redmond’s return to fitness last time round. Pilkington’s consolation strike in the 3-1 home defeat by Chelsea was one of the only positives for Hughton’s side and with 15 FPL points over his last couple of appearances, he could be a real differential to consider providing he proves his fitness, with games against Cardiff, West Ham, Newcastle and Palace in the next six.
Vydra Boost for Baggies
The West Brom on-loan forward has insisted he is ready to make his mark after a hamstring injury curtailed his early-season game time. Vydra has managed just 30 minutes in the league over the opening seven Gameweeks but has revealed he is finally free of injury:
“Now I feel in perfect shape. The leg doesn’t hurt and I’m ready. I played 60 minutes for the reserve team against Reading and even scored. Then another 45 minutes for the first team versus a youth side from Derby County. Everything was fine. I have been in training with the first team for quite some while already and endure the full burden without any problems.”
The Scout Says: Unfortunately for the Czech international, the influx of new arrivals has led to a change in formation which is likely to limit his first-team options. The introduction of Stephane Sessegnon and Morgan Amalfitano has seen Steve Clarke switch to the 4-2-3-1 system of last season, with the former sitting in “the hole” behind a lone forward – with the likes of Nicolas Anelka, Victor Anichebe and Shane Long all vying for the central berth, Vydra may have to rely on appearances off the bench unless Clarke decides to switch system. Given that the Baggies have taken seven points from nine since Sessegnon and Amalfitano arrived, any alterations seem highly unlikely right now.
Altidore Confident Despite Drought
Sunderland’s summer signing revealed he is still full of self-belief in spite of a frustrating start to his career on Wearside.
“Any player is a product of the environment. If we’re playing good attacking football, you’re always going to have opportunities to score goals. I don’t change my mentality or the way I play. I feel like I’m playing well at Sunderland. We just have some bad luck right now, but I feel like I’m playing well and doing things right….If we can just focus on building a good team and try to leave the rest of the stuff out, it will be good for us. Hopefully the new manager can help us do that.”
The Scout Says: Yet to score in six league appearances, Altidore’s only strike for the Black Cats has come courtesy of the Capital One Cup against MK Dons. The big forward returned to scoring form for the US national team against Jamaica at the weekend, however, and with Steven Fletcher still stuck in the treatment room with a dislocated shoulder, Altidore will be tasked with grabbing the goals under new boss Gus Poyet as Sunderland ready themselves for a schedule which hands them a home derby with Newcastle and a trip to Hull in the next three Gameweeks.
Townsend Worry for England
Roy Hodgson has revealed Andros Townsend requires a fitness check ahead of England’s game with Poland tonight after the wide man picked up a problem in last week’s win over Montenegro.
“Andros took a slight knock on Friday so we will have to monitor that but we are hopeful he will be okay for Tuesday.”
The Scout Says: In spite of his showing for England last Friday, Townsend has been far from impressive domestically. While Hodgson’s prognosis suggests the winger is likely to be available, his first-team place at the Lane is coming under increasing threat with Aaron Lennon pushing for a return to fitness and Erik Lamela also in contention after a spate of sub appearances. Granted, his confidence will be sky-high after his goal against Montenegro but with just a single assist to his name over six league starts for Tottenham, there’d be no real surprise if Townsend made way over the next few weeks as Villas-Boas looks to rectify a run which has harvested just six goals in the opening seven Gameweeks.
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