Scout Scribbles – Tigers Force Fifth Round Replay

Hull’s cup draw with Brighton leaves question marks over their Gameweek 29 clash with West Ham. John Terry could return for Chelsea this weekend, Ron Vlaar reckons he’s now fully fit for Villa, Lacina Traore is determined to grab the goals for Everton, Fernandinho is back for City and Tony Pulis is keen to ease Glenn Murray back into his first-team plans:

Aluko Strikes Sets Up Replay Clash

Steve Bruce made six changes from the side that lost at home to Southampton last Tuesday as Hull travelled to Brighton in the final tie of the FA Cup Fifth Round. With both Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long cup-tied, Sone Aluko and Yannick Sagbo led the line as the Hull boss kept faith in his recent move to 4-4-2. Elsewhere, Allan McGregor returned from suspension to replace Steve Harper in goal, Ahmed Elmohamady filled in at right-back due to injuries, whilst Abdoulaye Faye got the nod over Alex Bruce at centre-half, though James Chester was fit enough to be named on the bench after a recent hamstring injury. Sagbo’s late leveller, which earned the Tigers a 1-1 draw, means their Gameweek 29 trip to West Ham is still undecided.

The Scout Says: Frustratingly for Fantasy managers, this result temporarily scuppers our planning in the short-term, with the replay expected to take place in a week’s time. Hull have some kind games up next – Cardiff and Newcastle in the next two, in addition to clashes with West Ham and West Brom. A replay win would place major question marks over keeping the Hammers clash within Gameweek 29 – a real headache, given that just 10 teams currently have a fixture that weekend. In terms of selection news last night, Chester’s return to the bench is a worry for those who have taken a punt on Bruce in recent weeks, with the former likely to partner Curtis Davies in the heart of the back-four once fully fit.

Vlaar Back to Full Fitness

The Villa skipper has revealed he has now fully recovered from the hamstring injury which has plagued his game time over the last few months.

“I feel good, it’s 100 per cent now. It was frustrating, after my calf injury in December, but I’ve only missed the West Ham game this time. Sometimes you have to make a choice. It is not about one game, it is about 12 or 13, so that’s the most important thing. The West Ham game was just a little too soon and I shouldn’t have played, so that was the right decision from all of us. You have to take it from one game to another. Fitness is so important and you can’t play at 95 per cent in the Premier League.”

The Scout Says: After playing every minute of the first 13 league fixtures, Vlaar has managed just four lots of 90 minutes in the subsequent 13. Given that his side have failed to register a single clean sheet without the Dutchman in their ranks, compared to seven shut-outs in Vlaar’s 20 starts, Paul Lambert will be desperate for his captain to remain injury free. Priced at 4.3 in the Fantasy Premier League game, Vlaar has five very favourable home games (NOR, STO, FUL, SOU, HUL) to bolster his appeal, though it should be noted that five of those clean sheets have arrived on the road, with Villa perhaps best suited to playing on the counter away from home.

Mourinho Hopeful of Terry Weekend Return

The Blues boss sounded a little frustrated when discussing the muscle problem which has kept John Terry out of action for the past two weeks but is still optimistic his captain will return in time to face Everton at the Bridge this weekend:

“The medical department always tell me he looks like he’s ready. I was told that probably he would play this game [City]. He didn’t, so now they say for sure he plays the next game. But I don’t know.”

The Scout Says: Terry has now missed three games through injury and, whilst the Blues hammered Newcastle 3-0 in the first of those matches, a 1-1 league draw at West Brom was followed by a 2-0 FA Cup defeat at City last weekend. Mourinho’s men have conceded just two goals in the last eight league games with Terry in the starting line-up and, with his likely return boosting their clean-sheet potential, many may look to double up on Chelsea’s rearguard as a viable means of dealing with the blank Gameweeks which are set to hamper many of their title rivals.

Traore Looking to Make His Mark

The Everton loanee discussed his successful debut at the weekend after he needed just four minutes to open his account for the club in Sunday’s 3-1 FA Cup win over Swansea:

“When you think it’s been nearly five months since I played a competitive game, it was great to get 60 minutes under my belt. I’ll start to feel even better when I’ve had a few more games, but I feel good now. I will start to get my full match fitness and continue improving. I’m hoping to get to my top level, my peak fitness as soon as possible – and it’s only with working hard in training and playing those minutes out there on the field in games that that will happen.”

The Scout Says: With Romelu Lukaku still hampered with an ankle problem, the big Ivorian looks set to retain his starting berth as Roberto Martinez looks for his power and presence up top against Chelsea. Whilst he may not be handed the full 90 minutes, another pleasing performance this weekend could put Traore in the driving seat for the lone forward role as Martinez looks for alternatives up top, given that Lukaku netted once in 10 matches before sustaining his injury. Aside from a Gameweek 29 blank, Everton have three very favourable home games (WHM, CARD, SWA) and a trip to Fulham in the five Gameweeks directly after their Chelsea visit.

Fernandinho Back for City

Manuel Pellegrini confirmed the Brazilian is fit and available for City’s Champions League clash with Barcelona after a couple of weeks on the sidelines with a calf complaint. The City boss also revealed Sergio Aguero is not yet ruled out of this weekend’s home showdown with Stoke after stepping up his recovery from a hamstring problem:

“Fernandinho has a chance to play tomorrow. He is in the squad and trained without any problems today. Aguero is not in the squad but we will see if we can have him back for Stoke City on Saturday.”

The Scout Says: Given that City have back-to-back blanks directly after the Potters clash, Fantasy investment in their main men will be put to one side for the time being. Essentially, this gives Aguero time to reclaim his starting berth as Pellegrini’s side prepare for a run that will see them handed a double in three of the final nine Gameweeks of the season. Whilst Aguero’s minutes may be managed by his manager for fear of yet another injury, Fernandinho’s return bodes well for Yaya Toure, with the defensively-minded Brazilian’s presence in central midfield allowing the Ivorian the platform to bomb forward and join in his side’s attacks. Indeed, further analysis shows how crucial Fernandinho seems to be for City. Pellegrini’s side have failed to score in four league matches this season – each time, the Brazilian was omitted from the XI.

Pulis Still Keen to Ease Murray Back

The Palace boss will continue to utilise the prolific frontman from the bench after months on the sidelines with a serious knee injury:

“Glenn will be a good substitute for us for a few weeks. I don’t see him starting a game. He needs another week or so. We’re just happy to have him on board and have him part of it, but we understand he’s been out for nine months.”

The Scout Says: Pulis utilised a 4-4-2 formation in his first few months at the helm but the recent acquisition of Tom Ince has resulted in a change of system, with Marouane Chamakh preferred as a lone striker in a 4-4-1-1. Given the success of the set-up against West Brom, with Ince grabbing a goal and assist in a 3-1 win, it was no surprise to see Pulis use a similar shape for last week’s match at Everton before weather caused the game’s cancellation. With the Eagles reliant on a single striker system, then, it seems Murray will continue to earn game time as a replacement for Chamakh late on in games.