Scout Scribbles – Injuries Rack Up for Arsenal

Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain add to Arsenal’s injury woes. Diego Costa is forced off with a rib problem as Chelsea crash out of the cup at Stoke, whilst Riyad Mahrez is amongst the goals as Leicester lose to Hull. Elsewhere, David Silva could return for City this weekend, though Christian Benteke is an early doubt for Liverpool.

Worries Out Wide for Beaten Gunners

Arsenal crashed out of the Capital One Cup by way of a 3-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday. Despite the fact that Arsene Wenger rang eight changes in an attempt to protect and rest the majority of his first-teamers, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain limped off with a hamstring knock after four minutes, before his replacement, Theo Walcott, left the field at the 19-minute mark after sustaining a calf injury. Per Mertesacker recovered from the illness that ruled him out on the weekend and lasted the full 94 minutes at Hillsborough. In his post-match interviews, Arsene Wenger admitted that he wouldn’t know the extent of the wing duo’s injures until Friday at the earliest:

“We lost two important players in the first part of the game. We are short now. It was a big blow for us tonight, but even more for the other competitions which are important for us, to lose players of that stature. The injuries are two muscular injuries, how big the damage is I don’t know. We have to make scans and we have to wait 48 hours for the scan. It was a bad night at the office for us.”

The Scout Says: With Aaron Ramsey already sidelined for a month, Wenger would be left desperately short of options on the right wing should both Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain be ruled out of the Gunners’ trip to Swansea City on Saturday. Wenger could potentially shift Santi Cazorla onto the flank or bring Joel Campbell in from the cold, though he may even be tempted to play Hector Bellerin there, given that the youngster has previous experience of a more advanced berth. On the flip side, Olivier Giroud’s recent hold on the lone-striker berth would tighten further in the absence of Walcott, nullifying the risk of rotation. The French marksman earned his first league start in seven Gameweeks against Everton and went on to bag his fourth goal in six outings. Considering that Arsenal rank top for goals (13), attempts (76) and big chances (14) over the last four Gameweeks, and embark on an excellent quartet of fixtures beyond Gameweek 12 (wba, nor, SUN, avl), Giroud is shaping up to be an alluring prospect all of a sudden.

Costa Concern as Blues Crash Out

Chelsea’s travails continued as they exited the League Cup on penalties at the Britannia. Following Stoke’s opener at the 52-minute mark, Loic Remy netted an equaliser in the dying embers to send the tie into extra time. In the ensuing penalty shoot-out, Eden Hazard missed his third spot-kick of the season to grant the Potters the win by a margin of 5-4. Jose Mourinho elected to field most of his regulars, making just three changes from the weekend, with Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic and Cesar Azpilicueta dropping out.

The Blues boss was punished for that decision when Diego Costa had to be substituted after 33 minutes due to a rib injury. Pressed as to whether the Spain international would be available for selection at the weekend, Mourinho conceded that he wasn’t sure after the striker was taken to hospital after some robust challenges from the Potters.

The Scout Says: News of Costa’s injury will come as a major concern to the 175,000 Fantasy managers that recruited him in the last two Gameweeks. The 11.1-priced forward attracted a wave of investment in the wake of Sergio Aguero’s lay-off and delivered a goal and an assist against Aston Villa in his first match back from suspension. Last night’s result merely underlines the Blues’ lack of form, though, and despite some favourable fixtures beyond this weekend’s clash with Liverpool (sto, NOR, tot, BOU, lei, SUN, WAT), many Fantasy managers will have reservations over investing as their confidence continues to plummet.

Potters Through on Penalties

The Potters gained passage into the quarter finals after seeing off Chelsea on spot-kicks. Jonathan Walters opened the scoring, courtesy of a spectacular flick and volley, whilst Ryan Shawcross earned his first start of the campaign following an extensive rehabilitation from injury. Mame Biram Diouf returned from compassionate leave and lasted the duration, though Phil Bardsley received a red for two bookable offences and is ruled out of Stoke’s trip to Newcastle this weekend. Marc Muniesa was withdrawn just after the break by virtue of a hamstring strain.

The Scout Says: Diouf’s reinstatement serves as a timely boost for Mark Hughes’ outfit, given that they have scored once in the last two league outings without him. Although the Senegal international has missed three matches and was only awarded a cameo in Gameweek 7, only five forwards have amassed more shots on target (11) than Diouf this term. One would expect Joselu – who failed to register a single shot against the Hornets – will drop out to accommodate Diouf’s deployment up top against the Magpies, though Walters could also come into contention, having scored in two of his last three league starts. Looking past that match-up, the 6.4-priced forward is unlikely to garner much interest when Stoke are pitted against Chelsea, Southampton and Manchester City in their subsequent quartet of fixtures, whilst Shawcross’ return to the fold will be crucial to their prospects at the other end of the pitch.

Osman Nets in Toffees Triumph

Everton triumphed 4-3 on penalties when their home clash against Norwich City finished 1-1 after full time and extra time. Leon Osman restored parity for the Toffees in the 68^th minute, having collected a pass from Kevin Mirallas. Roberto Martinez fielded a relatively strong outfit but rested the likes of Ross Barkley, Tim Howard and Seamus Coleman, though Romelu Lukaku started and played the full 120 minutes.

The Scout Says: Lukaku 25% ownership will doubtless be a little frustrated that the match wasn’t decided in regulation time, given that the former Chelsea frontman hasn’t been rested once across all competitions this season. Nonetheless, Lukaku and Barkley are set to enjoy an exceptional run of fixtures through to the New Year that throws up a flurry of enticing home match-ups (SUN, AVL, CRY, LEI, STO). Both players delivered on the attacking front during the hardest opening schedule of any team in the Premier League, which bodes well for their Fantasy prospects in the coming months.

Canaries Crash Out

Sebastian Bassong was on target for the Canaries as they succumbed to defeat on Merseyside. Alex Neil drafted in a raft of second-string players for their trip to Goodison Park but handed starts to Nathan Redmond and Wes Hoolahan.

The Scout Says: Norwich performed admirably through the opening seven Gameweeks, carding two wins, two defeats and three draws. They’ve since fallen to three successive defeats, shipping nine goals in the process. The Norfolk club have underperformed at both ends of the pitch in recent matches; they rank second for big chances conceded (15) in the last four Gameweeks, while only two sides lay claim to an inferior shot-conversion rate (7.5%) over that stretch. There’s every chance the Canaries’ predicament could get worse before things improve, too, considering that Man City, Swansea, Chelsea and Arsenal await them in the next four Gameweeks.

Mahrez Nets in Foxes Defeat

Leicester City lost 5-4 on penalties to Hull City, marking their second defeat in five matches. Claudio Ranieri enacted 10 changes from the side that bested Crystal Palace last weekend, but called upon the services of Jamie Vardy (65^th minute) and Riyad Mahrez (84^th minute) in the second half. After the KC Stadium showdown ended 0-0 at full time, Mahrez pounced upon Vardy’s parried shot to give the Foxes a short-lived lead.

The Scout Says: While Vardy’s 45% ownership continues to soar off the back of nine goals in seven starts, Mahrez shed 12,000 net owners in the past two Gameweeks – a product of Ranieri’s decision to drop the in-form winger in Gameweek 8. Mahrez reclaimed a starting berth last time out against the Eagles and delivered the through ball for Vardy’s winner, illustrating the composure he brings to Leicester’s build-up play. Both will fancy their chances of producing further attacking returns during the Foxes’ upcoming trio of agreeable fixtures (wba, WAT, new).

Pellegrini Optimistic on Silva Return

Manuel Pellegrini is hopeful that David Silva will be passed fit for Manchester City’s home tie against Norwich on Saturday:

“With David we are optimistic for the weekend, if not then next week.”

The Scout Says: Kevin De Bruyne’s breathless start to life in England’s top tier has somewhat rendered Silva the forgotten man among Manchester City’s plethora of attacking talent. Despite only managing five starts this campaign, the twinkle-toed playmaker boasts six assists and a key-pass frequency (one every 26.7 minutes) that surpasses that of De Bruyne (30.1 minutes). Nonetheless, the Spaniard has featured in just one of the last six Gameweeks due to injuries and whilst a 5% ownership makes him an enticing differential, Silva’s knack of picking up knocks and niggles will persuade most to opt for the security of De Bruyne for now.

Benteke Doubtful for Weekend

Christian Benteke sustained minor damage to his knee ligaments during Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Southampton and is now a doubt for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea.

The Scout Says: With Daniel Sturridge back in the treatment room, Benteke’s likely absence would force Jurgen Klopp to field Divock Origi as the lone frontman for the third successive fixture. The Belgian youngster managed just 10 touches in 45 minutes against Southampton on Sunday before making way for goalscorer Benteke, and he has tallied only two shots in 160 league minutes, which doesn’t instil confidence in the Reds’ goal threat ahead of their visit to Stamford Bridge. Given that the Merseysiders place bottom for shot-conversion rate (6.2%), those Fantasy managers who are discontent with their Blues defenders might be tempted to hold fire.