Scout Notes – Gameweek 8 – Monday

Saido Berahino is amongst the goals once again as West Brom play out a 2-2 home draw with Man United. Stephane Sessegnon, Marouane Fellaini and Daley Blind also find the net, whilst Angel Di Maria earns an assist as Radamel Falcao drops to the Red Devils’ bench.

Berahino Nets Again
The youngster continues to thrive as the central striker for West Brom and took his tally to six for the season with a second-half effort against United last night. Now up to 45 points after the first eight Gameweeks, the 5.6-priced Berahino is shaping up to be a decent short-term differential – having netted four times in the last three Gameweeks, he now entertains Palace and Newcastle in the next three, with a trip to porous Leicester sandwiched in between.

Brunt Under the Radar
Having recovered from a groin injury sustained on international duty, Chris Brunt continues to pick up the points for the Midlands outfit. Whilst Stephane Sessegnon’s superb opener grabbed the headlines, Brunt’s creativity is paying off time and again – his assist for Berahino’s goal was the third time in the last four Gameweeks he’s teed up a team-mate to fire home. At 5.4 and with a 0.2% ownership, Brunt could be worth considering for those on the lookout for a short-term midfield punt.

Wisdom in the Points
Unable to feature against parent club Liverpool last time around, the right-back ousted Cristian Gamboa from the starting line-up against United last night. In spite of Alan Irvine’s recent praise for the Costa Rican, it seems he remains behind Wisdom in the pecking order, and with an assist for Sessegnon’s opener, the 12%-owned youngster looks set to remain as one of the most popular cut-price defenders around.

Falcao Benched as United’s Away Toils Continue
With his side seeking a first away win of the season, Louis van Gaal’s team sheet raised a few eyebrows as Radamel Falcao dropped to the bench last night in order to accommodate Adnan Januzaj as United shifted to a 4-2-3-1. The Colombian had scored or assisted in the previous three but was afforded just 19 minutes by his manager last night. With unlikely scorers Marouane Fellaini and Daley Blind rescuing a point for the Red Devils, Van Gaal may think twice over omitting Falcao as Chelsea roll up to Old Trafford this coming weekend. After the match, though, he admitted he may opt to keep the new system and also suggested Fellaini’s physical presence may be beneficial in the centre of the park as he continues to tinker with his preferred XI.

Di Maria Ticking Over
The Argentine moved to within a point of the FPL midfield summit after serving up an assist for Fellaini’s strike last night. Snapped up by over 203,000 Fantasy managers prior to the Hawthorns encounter, Di Maria has now played a part in seven of his side’s last 13 goals (three strikes and four assists), but with Chelsea, City and Arsenal in the next four, some owners may be looking at a way out in order to generate cash for the Sergio Aguero. Having limped off with a thigh problem late on, we’ll be anxiously awaiting updates on the 10.2-priced midfielder’s fitness ahead of the weekend deadline.