Scout Scribbles – Rondon Fires Baggies Through

Ciaran Clark and Idrissa Gueye fire Villa into the FA Cup fourth round, whilst Salomon Rondon secures West Brom’s progress against Bristol City. Elsewhere, Watford sign stopper Costel Pantilimon from Sunderland, Fernandinho returns to training for Man City, whilst Jurgen Klopp admits that Daniel Sturridge is still far from a first-team return.

Rondon wins it for West Brom

Courtesy of Salomon Rondon’s goal at the 52-minute mark – which was assisted by Craig Dawson – West Bromwich Albion sneaked past Bristol City in their FA Cup replay. Despite missing Darren Fletcher (knee), Jonas Olsson and Saido Berahino (both illness), Tony Pulis named a strong starting line-up, with Ben Foster getting the nod in goal, whilst up top, Rondon was partnered by Victor Anichebe in a 4-4-2 formation.

Chris Brunt hobbled off with a calf issue, however, with the Baggies boss going on to say:

“Chris has pulled a calf muscle so that’s not good. We’ve had a tough run of games and we’ve picked up injuries, which is disappointing. We don’t yet know how long Chris will be out for, but it’s a problem for us”.

The Scout Says: At 5% ownership, Dawson is the only outfield Baggies player that’s courting much interest at present. The 5.1-priced defender has notched two goals this term and ranked joint-second among defenders for shots inside the box (five) over the last four Gameweeks. Although West Brom racked up just one clean sheet in their previous 12 league ties, the schedule through to Gameweek 27 (AVL, SWA, new, eve, CRY) looks conducive to clean sheets. At the other end of the pitch, Rondon’s winner serves a reminder of his goal-getting abilities at a time where the underlying stats afford a degree of optimism. Surprisingly, Pulis’ side sit fourth for shots (62) and efforts inside the box (38) over the last four, though given that he’s without a goal since Gameweek 11, punting on Rondon looks a step too far.

Villa Ease into Fourth Round

Aston Villa secured a home tie against Man City in the fourth round of the FA Cup by way of a 2-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers. Ciaran Clark opened the scoring with his first goal of the season, before Idrissa Gueye doubled the hosts’ advantage in the final minute with his debut goal for the West Midlanders. In terms of their creative output, Rudy Gestede and Ashley Westwood were on hand for the assists.

Remi Garde made nine changes from the side that drew with Leicester last weekend. Micah Richards was welcomed back into the starting line-up after sitting on the bench for Villa’s previous two league encounters, though Leandro Bacuna missed out through injury.

The Scout Says: Notwithstanding this positive result, Villa’s lack of productivity at both ends of the pitch underpins their paucity of Fantasy appeal. We’re certainly not convinced by their defence, given that they place joint-bottom for clean sheets (three) and are on the road for their next two fixtures (wba, whu). On the offensive front, Villa rank bottom for goals scored (18) throughout the entire campaign and were the only team that failed to muster a solitary big chance over the last four Gameweeks, highlighting their lack of legitimate Fantasy options at either end of the pitch.

Hornets Acquire Pantilimon

Sunderland goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon has been snapped up by Watford in a three-and-a-half year deal after falling out of favour under Sam Allardyce.

The Scout Says: Pantilimon’s arrival at Vicarage Road should provide Heurelho Gomes with stiffer competition for his starting berth. Although the Romania international slipped down the pecking order at Sunderland – particularly in the wake of Jordan Pickford’s impressive debut against Tottenham Hotspur – he only sat out the last five Gameweeks, so sharpness shouldn’t be an issue. Pantilimon teams up with a Hornets outfit that – despite conceding in their previous five fixtures – ranks joint-fifth for clean sheets (eight) this term, which has seen the likes of Gomes (8% ownership) and Allan Nyom (7% ownership) emerge as prime budget pick-ups. On that note, the Hertfordshire side could struggle for shut-outs in the short term, given that a rejuvenated Newcastle United, Chelsea and Spurs are next on the agenda (NEW, CHE, tot).

Gayle back in training for Eagles

Crystal Palace assistant manager, Keith Millen, revealed that Dwight Gayle has returned to full training following his five-week layoff with a hamstring complaint:

“Gayley is back in training with us. We’ve got to be careful because he has been out for quite a long time. But it’s good to have him around the lads again. He is not far away. He is back in full training after a long spell out so we’ll have to see how he goes.”

Millen also went on to explain that the Eagles are still in the dark regarding how long Bakary Sako will be sidelined with a knock:

“It’s disappointing. We don’t know how long he will be out for, that still needs to be diagnosed.”

The Scout Says: Clearly, the Londoners could certainly do with a fillip on the offensive end, given that they’ve drawn blanks in five successive Premier League ties for the first time in 17 years. Gayle has, admittedly, flattered to deceive – managing zero goals across 373 minutes – but, in truth, he hasn’t been afforded a run of starts to generate any rhythm or momentum. Sako, meanwhile, had only just returned from injury in Gameweek 21 before missing last weekend’s trip to City. Moreover, Palace chart bottom for goals (two) and shots on target (13), and second-bottom for shot accuracy (23.2%) over the last six Gameweeks, which hardly bodes well as they prepare to host Tottenham. Alan Pardew’s side then embark on a kind run of matches (BOU, swa,WAT, wba, sun) that could bring the likes of Yohan Cabaye back onto our radars if they can rediscover their cutting edge.

Klopp Issues Injury Update

Speaking at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground, Jurgen Klopp revealed that Daniel Sturridge has only just returned to team training as he continues his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury:

“There is absolutely no chance for Daniel. He had a break in his training sessions because of some issues; he is now back on the pitch and again training. He has had no team training until now since Newcastle, so that’s not a situation where we can think about him. We have always to find solutions.”

On the positive side, the Reds boss confirmed that Jon Flanagan – having built up his fitness with the U21s – could be tasked with a cameo role during the Reds’ FA Cup replay against Exeter City tonight:

“Jon is in a really good way and we’re all happy about this. He is not [ready] for the starting line-up, but if nothing happens and he feels good then he will be on the bench. If nobody tells me something different, he will be in the squad.”

The Scout Says: With no imminent comeback on the cards for Sturridge, and with Christian Benteke looking out of favour, Roberto Firmino (7.8) is likely to retain his false-nine berth, furnishing us with an intriguing route into the Reds’ offense. Aside from carding a brace against Arsenal in Gameweek 21, the former Hoffenheim recruit ranked joint-third among midfielders for attempts (12) and shots on target (five) over the last four Gameweeks. Furthermore, just three midfielders accrued more key passes (11) during that time frame, illustrating his capacity for attacking returns ahead of a favourable quartet of league clashes (nor, lei, SUN, avl). The versatile Flanagan, meanwhile, could offer competition in both full-back berths for Klopp, though having failed to turn out for the senior side since May 2014, it’s fair to say that he’ll be eased back into action to avoid adding to the Merseysiders’ injury woes.

Fernandinho steps up recovery for City

Having been absent from Manchester City’s last three fixtures in all competitions due to a knock, Fernandinho is back in contention following his return to full training yesterday.

The Scout Says: By virtue of the fact that the Sky Blues are still involved in both domestic cups, they are set to play their next four matches within the space of 11 days, starting with a trip to West Ham United this Saturday evening. With Fernandinho back in the matchday squad, Manuel Pellegrini is afforded greater freedom to rotate in central areas throughout that congested schedule. The Chilean boss already enacted such a policy last weekend, dropping Yaya Toure to the bench while handing Fabian Delph a rare league start. In addition, we’ve seen rotation hit City hard recently, with Aleksandar Kolarov (Gameweek 21) and Bacary Sagna (Gameweek 22) rested to the bench, as fit-again pair Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta are handed pitch time. Up front, though, with back-up option Wilfried Bony injured, Sergio Aguero’s pitch time looks secure by comparison ahead of two agreeable road ties (whu, sun).