Scout Notes – Gameweek 22 – Sunday

Wayne Rooney maintains his fine scoring form by bagging United’s winner at Anfield. Stoke and Arsenal play out a goalless draw at the Britannia, with Mesut Ozil missing out due to a minor foot problem.

Rooney Wins it for Red Devils

Courtesy of Wayne Rooney’s fourth league goal in three outings, Manchester United edged past Liverpool at Anfield, putting them right back in contention for a Champions League berth. The Red Devils legend – who surpassed Thierry Henry (175) as the top scorer for a single club (176) in the Premier League – is enjoying a resurgence of late and with 33 FPL points over the last trio of fixtures, has emerged as a viable differential at the 9.9 mark ahead of back-to-back home ties (SOU, STO).

Marouane Fellaini turned provider for his second assist in as many starts but remains on the periphery of our thinking. In light of Juan Mata’s absence of form (no attacking returns since Gameweek 12), we’re still searching for an attractive route into Man United’s lacklustre midfield – indeed, the Spaniard was reduced to sub duties for the second match in succession as Jesse Lingard (4.2) kept his role on the flank.

United’s trip to Merseyside yielded their 11^th clean sheet of the campaign – more than any other side. Given the surfeit of injured defenders at the club, Chris Smalling represents the only secure route into their rearguard. Although he carries a prohibitive price tag (6.7), match-ups against Southampton, Stoke and Sunderland harbour strong shut-out potential over the next four Gameweeks.

Klopp’s Men Stutter Again

Defeat at the hands of Man United means that Liverpool lay claim to just two wins across their previous six outings, with inconsistency at both ends making it hard to pinpoint any tantalising pick-ups among Jurgen Klopp’s squad. Certainly, the Reds are suffering from a dreadful shot-conversion rate (4.2% since Gameweek 17) that stems from their lack of a consistent presence up front. That being said, their favourable batch of upcoming fixtures (nor, lei, SUN, avl) could reward those Fantasy managers who take a punt on the likes of Roberto Firmino, if the Brazilian can rediscover the form that served up a brace against Arsenal last Wednesday.

Ozil Absence Blunts Gunners

Mesut Ozil’s omission from the matchday squad was the chief talking point prior to Arsenal’s 0-0 draw against Stoke City. The Germany international had an inflamed foot but is expected to be passed fit for the Gunners’ home tie against Chelsea next Sunday.

Arsenal struggled to carve open the hosts’ organised back line in the absence of their midfield orchestrator – notching 14 fewer key passes than Newcastle United (20) this Gameweek – but did manage to secure their third clean sheet in four matches. Hector Bellerin, Nacho Monreal and Laurent Koscielny all serve as alluring routes into a defence that enjoys three home encounters over the next four Gameweeks (CHE, SOU, bou, LEI).

Another shut-out for Potters

The Potters chalked up six more attempts (14 compared to eight) and double Arsenal’s tally of shots on target (six to three) but ultimately failed to muster a single big chance without the injured Xherdan Shaqiri pulling the strings. Nonetheless, Jack Butland’s 24% ownership profited from the Staffordshire outfit’s first clean sheet in four fixtures. Given that Stoke have accrued the joint-second-most clean sheets on the road (five), they’ll fancy their chances of rebuffing Leicester City’s misfiring attack (two goals in five) next Gameweek, whilst upcoming trips to United and Bournemouth won’t hold much fear in light of their defensive form.