Scout Scribbles – FA Reject Courtois Appeal

The FA dismiss Chelsea’s appeal over Thibaut Courtois’ weekend red card. Kevin Mirallas remains a doubt for Everton, Jack Grealish is set to miss out for Villa again, whilst Newcastle due Remy Cabella and Paul Dummett return to training.

Courtois Appeal Fails

Chelsea are set to be without their first-choice keeper, Thibaut Courtois, for the weekend trip to City, after unsuccessfully appealing the keeper’s weekend dismissal against Swansea.

The Scout Says: There’s no real surprise with the FA’s decision, which should afford Asmir Begovic his first league start for the champions on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea’s unusually porous display against the Swans may persuade owners of their defenders to move them to the bench for the Etihad showdown. Granted, Jose Mourinho’s men have a knack of shutting up shop on these occasions but they seemed decidedly sluggish at the back last weekend and with City looking slick against West Brom on Monday evening, the chances of a clean sheet for the champions, is, for once, debatable.

Mixed News for Toffees

Roberto Martinez expects Gerard Deulofeu and Muhamed Besic to return to the matchday squad this weekend, while Kevin Mirallas is touch-and-go for the Southampton clash after sustaining an ankle injury against Watford:

“Gerard Deulofeu and Mo Besic are very close and it’s about getting them back to their best possible level. Physically we need giving them that introduction but they are close to making the squad for the weekend. Over the [last] weekend we picked up a worrying knock on Kevin Mirallas. He’s got a bit of a swollen ankle but I’m quite positive in Kevin being fit, even though as it stands now we are going to check and assess him for the weekend. It was a very dangerous challenge and if you review the action, he was very fortunate to escape with no major injury.”

The Scout Says: While the return of Deulofeu and Besic affords Martinez more options off the bench, Mirallas’ injury status is of more interest to Fantasy managers. The Belgian winger – whom we tipped as a Differential last Gameweek – excited us with his goal frequency last term (one every 213.7 minutes), given that Alexis Sanchez (192.4) and Sadio Mane (204.3) were the only regular midfield starters to post superior figures. In saying that, Everton’s dire schedule – which pits them against all of last year’s top eight in the next nine Gameweeks – should ensure most steer clear for now.

Midfield Woe for Villa

Jack Grealish and Carles Gil are recovering well from their respective injuries, but Tim Sherwood is unlikely to risk the pair when Villa play host to Manchester United on Friday:

“Jack and Carles are still out injured. Once we get everyone fit and fighting for places, it gives us a lot of options to play different ways, which will be crucial. Jack and Carles are training. They have had a few training sessions. But we don’t want to push them back too early because they’ve had soft tissue injuries. We don’t want them to reoccur.”

The Scout Says: Despite emerging from the opening Gameweek with a victory under their belt, Villa managed just seven attempts on goal at Bournemouth last weekend. The return of Grealish, in particular, should help the Villains improve in that regard, and place question marks over Scott Sinclair’s role on the left. Sherwood set his side up in a 4-3-3 last weekend and, with big-money signing Jordan Ayew handed the right flank role; it remains to be seen whether Sinclair can remain at the top of the pecking order for long – all the more so given that the Villa boss has also been heavily linked with a move for Barcelona wide man Adama Traore. With some decent fixtures to follow the United match (cry, SUN, lei, WBA), those looking for a budget option could consider Ashley Westwood (4.5), who provided the assist for Rudy Gestede’s weekend winner.

Clasie remains doubtful for Saints

Jordy Clasie ramped up his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury with a run-out for the Southampton U21s on Monday but was forced off with a fresh knock just after the break.

The Scout Says: With Clasie looking uncertain to feature at home to Everton, Steven Davis looks likely to earn another start alongside Victor Wanyama in the double pivot. Although he’s better known for his metronomic passing than his defensive capabilities, no midfielder tallied more interceptions than Davis (five) in Gameweek 1, suggesting he’s an able stand-in for Clasie. That’s positive news for those managers who sourced Saints defensive coverage in light of the south coast club racking up 11 home clean sheets last term. With showdowns against just three of last year’s top seven in the next 12 Gameweeks, the Saints defence remains a likely source of defensive points, despite conceding twice at Newcastle last Sunday.

Cabella and Dummett step up fitness

Steve McClaren revealed that Paul Dummett and Remy Cabella are set to return to full training this week, though Emmanuele Riviere could be forced to undergo surgery on an ongoing knee problem.

The Scout Says: Considering that Riviere mustered just one goal and assist across 23 outings in the previous campaign, it’s safe to suggest that his absence wouldn’t be felt on the Fantasy scene. Cabella (6.5) carded a similarly underwhelming attacking output last term (one goal and two assists), yet his underlying statistics hint towards latent potential: only Moussa Sissoko (44) engineered more shooting opportunities (43) among the Toon midfield, while his key pass frequency (one every 55.4 minutes) bested the likes of Jack Colback (74.9) and Sissoko (74). Given that McClaren fielded Gabriel Obertan on the left last weekend, Cabella will be hoping to force his way into the Magpies’ plans after last year’s disappointment. Dummett’s imminent return should see him vie with Massadio Haidara for the left-back berth, though the latter, like Obertan, strengthened his claim for a regular role by supplying an assist against the Saints last weekend.