Paul Lambert remains hopeful on a weekend return for Christian Benteke. Arsene Wenger could be set for some good news in midfield, Robbie Brady is edging towards a Hull comeback, Martin Demichelis has stepped up his recovery for City, while Philippe Coutinho is also on the mend as the Liverpool treatment room begins to empty:
Lambert Optimistic on Benteke
Paul Lambert is hopeful of a return to action for Christian Benteke this weekend. The Villa boss has yet to assess his star striker after the recent internationals but speaking to the press yesterday, he took plenty positives from the fact that Benteke was fit enough to be included amongst the Belgium subs during the recent World Cup qualifiers:
“He trained the last couple of days with Belgium and was on the bench which indicates that he felt pretty good. Our medical team spoke to theirs – as you do with every player – and everyone seems to have come back not too bad. I don’t know if he’ll be ready for Tottenham. He’ll know himself how he’s feeling. All I know is he was on the bench last night. He trained for a couple of days and hadn’t had a reaction, but that might change, I’ll just wait and see.”
The Scout Says: A return to action for the Villa man would be ideal for Fantasy managers as we look for alternatives to the recent three-man template of Daniel Sturridge, Olivier Giroud and Romelu Lukaku. With goals against the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal already, Benteke’s ability to find the net regardless of opponent is crucial, given that the midlanders face Spurs and Everton in back-to-back home matches. Down to 8.8 in FPL, he now has until Sunday to prove his fitness before Andre Villas-Boas’ side roll up to Villa Park but given that he took to twitter to reveal he was heading back to Birmingham with a “good feeling”, the omens look good for a return to action for one of the most prolific frontmen around.
Likely Midfield Boost for Wenger
Reports in most of the papers over the last 24-hours suggest Mesut Ozil is in line to turn out for Arsenal’s home clash against Norwich this weekend. Indeed, it seems the Gunners treatment room could be a few players light in the next few days – Santi Cazorla is believed to be ready to return to action, while Theo Walcott could also be part of the squad to face the Canaries as Arsene Wenger’s midfield options are strengthened.
The Scout Says: Granted, it’s perhaps a little early to come to any conclusions until Wenger addresses the press later today but the signs are looking good nonetheless. Arsenal’s last match away to West Brom saw Wenger field Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey on the flanks, with the 1-1 draw maintaining their position at the top of the table – encouragingly for the Gunners, though, Cazorla, Ozil and Walcott have yet to start a game together, in spite of their lofty league position. With Ozil and Ramsey sitting on 31% and 48% ownership, Cazorla (2%) and Walcott (4%) suddenly become real differentials to consider upon their returns. With a full quota of midfielders to choose from, though, Wenger is set to be faced with a selection headache shortly; with Ramsey set for a return to the centre, one of Mikel Arteta or Mathieu Flamini could miss out, whilst Wilshere’s stating berth looks far from secure.
Ramsey Looking to Improve
The Welshman discussed his recent form and admitted that, despite his goalscoring exploits, there are certain aspects of his game he is keen to work on:
“I’m still only 22, I still need to do better and learn a few more things but the boss is telling me about that. I mean things like positioning defensively. When you haven’t got the ball, while we’re defending, sometimes I am not always where I need to be. I need to be playing well, be involved in the game and taking matches by the scruff of the neck. I need to keep doing the things I’ve been doing – but there’s definitely more to come and I’m looking forward that.”
The Scout Says: Ramsey’s thoughts certainly back up the idea they he’ll be moved back to the centre once the injuries clear out. His shift to the Gunners right at the Hawthorns resulted in his most ineffectual display of the season, with Wenger subbing him off midway through the second period. Wenger clearly has a real dilemma, though – while Arteta’s presence is deemed crucial in the middle, it’s Flamini’s return and defensive positioning that has seemed to afford Ramsey greater freedom to bomb forward and rack up the goals.
Brady Hoping for Quick Return
Hull’s talisman could be set to return to action this weekend, according to reports in the local press. Despite undergoing hernia surgery less than three weeks ago, Brady has already undertaken light running and is due to return to full training today – allowing Steve Bruce the chance to assess his prospects ahead of Saturday’s trip to Everton.
The Scout Says: Having scored or assisted four of his side’s six goals this term, Brady’s contribution has been key for the Tigers, who drew a blank in their previous game without him. In terms of Fantasy impact, the former United man has already racked up three sets of double figure hauls in six appearances and despite missing out in Gameweek 7, still sits third in the FPL midfield standing on 40 points this far. If Brady fails to make it for Saturday, a return for the following week’s road trip to Spurs looks on the cards for the 5.2 priced midfielder – with home clashes against Sunderland and Palace in the following three, expect the bandwagon to kick in once more if he proves his fitness.
Demichelis Steps up City Comeback
Martin Demichelis and Jack Rodwell stepped up their injury recoveries last night by turning out for City’s Under 21 side. The centre-half was given a 45 minute run out before making way at the break and, according to reports in the Guardian, could be named in the squad to face West Ham this weekend.
The Scout Says: Yet to feature in the league, it remains uncertain as to where Demichelis stands in the central defensive pecking order once the injury situation at the back clears up. Certainly, having now been signed twice by Manuel Pellegrini, he’s clearly a favourite of the Chilean – while Vincent Kompany (when fit) is nailed-on, Demichelis could well get the nod over Matija Nastasic and Joleon Lescott as the Belgian’s partner, though coming in at 5.9 in FPL, he’s the costlier of that trio. With Kompany sidelined due to a groin problem, Demichelis –providing he’s fit – could come into contention this weekend, though for those eyeing up an alternative to Pablo Zabaleta, Aleksandar Kolarov has now started the last five at left-back and is priced at just 5.3.
Coutinho Edges Towards Return
Unconfirmed reports suggest Philippe Coutinho could be set to return to full training ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Newcastle. The Brazilian is believed to be in line for a quicker-than-expected comeback after a recent shoulder injury and could be pushing for contention along with the likes of Glen Johnson, Aly Cissokho and Joe Allen.
The Scout Says: While Allen’s return will have little effect on how we assess Liverpool’s assets (despite his recent plea to be moved into an advanced central role), the return of Coutinho, Johnson and Cissokho could well be revealing. Much depends on whether Brendan Rodgers retains the recent 3-4-1-2 formation – this would see Johnson handed the right wing-back role, with Cissokho vying with Jose Enrique for a spot on the opposite flank, while Coutinho would move to “the hole” behind Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez. If Rodgers reverts to a 4-2-3-1, however, Suarez would likely be shifted out wide, allowing Sturridge to lead the line, with Coutinho tucking in behind – the Reds boss recently admitted he sees the Brazilian, and not Suarez, as ideal for the number 10 role. Given the recent upturn in goals since the move to a two-man frontline, though, it remains to be seen whether Rodgers will shift Suarez to the wing, perhaps allowing the trio to combine through the middle, with Enrique and Johnson affording the width from deep.
Vorm On Track for Weekend
Reports in the local press suggest Michel Vorm is expected to be fit for Swansea after suffering a minor hand problem during training for the Dutch national side earlier this week.
The Scout Says: Given that the stopper was deemed fit enough for the Holland bench, Michael Laudrup remains optimistic of a quick recovery as the Swans gear up to face basement-dwellers Sunderland. With Ben Davies and Ashley Williams, in particular, still major doubts for the Black Cats clash, Vorm’s likely availability will be a huge relief for Laudrup ahead of a kind run of games which also sees the Welsh club face West Ham, Stoke, Cardiff and Fulham in the next five. From a Fantasy perspective, though, it’s perhaps a disappointment for those who had been eyeing up the 4.4 priced Gerhard Tremmel as a potentially cut-price route into Laudrup’s backline for that run of fixtures.
