Danny Welbeck is subbed off on England duties with an ankle knock, while Raheem Sterling complains of fatigue. David Silva serves up a goal and assist for Spain as Diego Costa finally gets his name on the scoresheet for Vicente del Bosque’s side. Elsewhere, Marko Arnautovic is an early worry for Stoke after being forced off during Austria’s win over Montenegro.
WELBECK ANKLE WORRY FOR GUNNERS
Danny Welbeck could be set to be added to Arsenal’s growing injury list after hobbling from the pitch in the second half of England’s 1-0 European Championship qualifier victory over Estonia. Roy Hodgson has, however, moved fast to assert that the ankle problem looks to be a minor one:
“I don’t think he’s injured. He just rolled his ankle slightly. The doctors are not worried about it.”
The Scout Says: Welbeck currently stands as the most transferred-in forward this Gameweek, with over 48,000 managers acquiring his services thus far, all of whom will now be sweating on his fitness ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Hull on Saturday afternoon. Hodgson’s words certainly offer optimism, though we will await to hear what Arsene Wenger makes of the situation upon Welbeck’s return to north London. A possible absence could well see Alexis Sanchez move up front against the Tigers – the 10.3-priced midfielder may not have registered returns since Gameweek 4, but has still racked up five goals and a pair of assists in 12 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions from out wide. Arsenal have an excellent schedule ahead of them (HUL, sun, BUR, swa) but their current injury crisis will undoubtedly dampen expectations – with Welbeck potentially joining the recently-injured Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey on the sidelines, Wenger – and Fantasy managers alike – will be desperate for the likes of Theo Walcott to finally return to the frame.
STERLING GETS HIS WISH
Roy Hodgson was forced to bench Raheem Sterling in England’s win yesterday after the Liverpool youngster complained of fatigue prior to the Estonia clash. Having previously stated his intent to not give in to Brendan Rodgers’ demands over resting Sterling, Hodgson admitted that the winger approached him directly to raise the matter:
“We were just about to have a light session at the Grove and he said, ‘I feel tired and I don’t think I am in my best form at the moment’. I admire his honesty for telling me. It was two days after the San Marino game when we did a lot of running then because we had a lot of the ball.”
Sterling was, however, introduced as a substitute after 64 minutes against Estonia, and won the free-kick for Wayne Rooney to curl home the winner.
The Scout Says: Having only played a total of 71 minutes across England’s two Euro qualifiers this week, there is surely a strong chance that Sterling will now start when Liverpool square up to QPR next weekend. Certainly, Fantasy managers will be keeping a keen eye on the situation – Sterling is the most popular midfielder in the FPL game, with an excess of 53% ownership, and if his fatigue carries into domestic matters we would have to re-assess the situation if Rodgers also decides to ease him into action. With question marks continuing to hover over the teenager’s pitch time, Jordan Henderson is beginning to emerge as an intriguing cut-price alternative in the Liverpool midfield – costing just 6.0, and having bagged a 13-point haul in his last appearance, the former Sunderland man has already convinced over 33,500 managers to jump aboard this Gameweek ahead of the potentially highly profitable fixture at Loftus Road on Sunday.
SILVA IMPRESSES FOR LA ROJA
David Silva supplied a goal and an assist for Spain last night as they defeated Luxembourg 4-0.
The Scout Says: He may have picked up returns in just one of his last six appearances for Man City, but Silva’s recent performances have seen the little Spaniard earn plenty of interest round these parts. With an ownership of 11.6%, Silva is the most popular pick in City’s midfield right now and has a decent forthcoming schedule (TOT, whm, MNU, qpr, SWA) to continue to convince. Meanwhile, further up the field for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, Stefan Jovetic recovered from his recent injury difficulties to feature for Montenegro last night as half time substitute. The forward, now back down to his starting price of 8.0, is set to rival for Edin Dzeko for a starting spot alongside Sergio Aguero as City welcome Spurs to the Etihad this weekend.
COSTA BREAKS SPAIN DUCK
After 516 minutes of international football, Diego Costa finally notched his first goal for Spain yesterday as Vicente del Bosque’s men recovered from their midweek defeat in Slovakia.
The Scout Says: Costa is in dreamland right now. That’s the forward’s tenth goal since his summer switch to Chelsea, but possibly the one that will taste the sweetest, after his international displays were subject to criticism in some corners over recent months. Further good news for his remarkable 66.9% ownership is that, having only missed eight minutes over the course of Spain’s two recent Euro Qualifiers, his hamstring problems appear to be in the past. Crystal Palace are up next for Chelsea and Costa’s owners will be understandably confident of him adding to his tally.
STOKE WAIT ON ARNAUTOVIC
Stoke City’s Marko Arnautovic earned an assist as Austria ran out 1-0 victors over Montenegro in their Euro qualifier yesterday, but was later hooked after sustaining an injury.
The Scout Says: Mark Hughes already has worries out wide, with Victor Moses and Mame Biram Diouf currently nursing knocks and Arnautovic now looks set to add to the list of doubts for the Potters’ Gameweek 8 home clash with Swansea. The Austrian has been a member of the starting XI for Stoke’s last two league fixtures, and with Peter Odemwingie still absent, a spell on the sidelines for Arnautovic could offer Liverpool loanee Oussama Assaidi a route into Hughes’ first team plans in the coming weeks. The Potters have three tempting home encounters (SWA, WHM, BUR) in their next five, though their current injury worries are proving a serious impediment for investment.
