Weekend Scout Notes

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
Haaland	MCI	14.5m	98.7%	Likely
O'Reilly	MCI	5.1m	100.0%	Very Likely
Muñoz	CRY	5.8m	97.7%	Likely
Dewsbury-Hall	EVE	5.1m	99.4%	Likely
Darlow	LEE	3.9m	99.2%	Maybe
Lacroix	CRY	5.1m	94.6%	Maybe
Mitchell	CRY	5.0m	93.4%	Unlikely
Struijk	LEE	4.3m	90.8%	Unlikely
Raya	ARS	6.0m	84.8%	Unlikely
Justin	LEE	3.9m	88.6%	Unlikely
Isak	LIV	10.3m	88.6%	Unlikely
Aaronson	LEE	5.4m	87.1%	Unlikely
Groß	BHA	5.5m	80.5%	Unlikely
Sarr	CRY	6.3m	78.6%	Unlikely
Gibbs-White	NFO	7.6m	76.9%	Unlikely
Leno	FUL	4.9m	78.2%	Unlikely
Gakpo	LIV	7.3m	76.7%	Unlikely
Ndiaye	EVE	6.2m	74.7%	Unlikely
Verbruggen	BHA	4.5m	66.5%	Unlikely
Aït-Nouri	MCI	5.7m	66.4%	Unlikely
Alderete	SUN	4.1m	65.7%	Unlikely
Richards	CRY	4.4m	64.8%	Unlikely
Calvert-Lewin	LEE	5.7m	58.1%	Unlikely
Wan-Bissaka	WHU	4.1m	62.7%	Unlikely
Brobbey	SUN	5.3m	61.6%	Unlikely
Frimpong	LIV	5.7m	62.0%	Unlikely
Ngumoha	LIV	4.3m	61.7%	Unlikely
Shaw	MUN	4.5m	60.3%	Unlikely
Tarkowski	EVE	5.7m	61.5%	Unlikely
Truffert	BOU	4.7m	56.4%	Unlikely
Tavernier	BOU	5.4m	56.1%	Unlikely
N.Williams	NFO	4.8m	56.4%	Unlikely
Bijol	LEE	3.9m	55.5%	Unlikely
Gomez	BHA	4.9m	54.2%	Unlikely
Beto	EVE	5.0m	53.0%	Unlikely
F.Kadıoğlu	BHA	4.4m	50.6%	Unlikely
Hermansen	WHU	4.2m	51.0%	Unlikely
Ødegaard	ARS	7.8m	50.6%	Unlikely
Aina	NFO	4.7m	49.9%	Unlikely
Eze	ARS	7.2m	42.8%	Unlikely

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
Gravenberch	LIV	5.5m	100.4%	Very Likely
Semenyo	MCI	8.2m	100.4%	Very Likely
Ekitiké	LIV	9.1m	100.3%	Very Likely
Hall	NEW	5.4m	100.3%	Very Likely
Raúl	FUL	6.1m	96.9%	Likely
Merino	ARS	5.4m	98.4%	Maybe
Tchaouna	BUR	4.8m	96.2%	Maybe
Szoboszlai	LIV	7.1m	89.1%	Unlikely
Piroe	LEE	4.9m	93.3%	Unlikely
Mayenda	SUN	5.2m	92.1%	Unlikely
Emenalo	CHE	4.5m	92.0%	Unlikely
Calafiori	ARS	5.6m	90.1%	Unlikely
Reijnders	MCI	5.0m	89.9%	Unlikely
Grealish	EVE	6.3m	88.8%	Unlikely
Andrey Santos	CHE	4.5m	88.5%	Unlikely
Longstaff	LEE	4.8m	89.0%	Unlikely
McAidoo	MCI	4.5m	88.4%	Unlikely
Slonina	CHE	3.9m	88.3%	Unlikely
Cullen	BUR	4.9m	88.2%	Unlikely
Salmon	ARS	4.0m	84.3%	Unlikely
John	NFO	4.0m	84.2%	Unlikely
Johnson	CRY	6.5m	83.6%	Unlikely
Trafford	MCI	4.5m	83.6%	Unlikely
Garner	EVE	5.3m	78.2%	Unlikely
Estève	BUR	3.9m	79.4%	Unlikely
Dalot	MUN	4.6m	74.4%	Unlikely
Mee	MUN	3.9m	75.8%	Unlikely
J.Timber	ARS	6.1m	71.6%	Unlikely
Cairns	LEE	3.9m	74.0%	Unlikely
Byfield	TOT	4.0m	73.4%	Unlikely
Steele	BHA	4.2m	72.4%	Unlikely
Mainoo	MUN	4.7m	70.6%	Unlikely
Kilman	WHU	4.1m	69.6%	Unlikely
Sánchez	CHE	4.8m	67.0%	Unlikely
Ebere	EVE	4.4m	66.2%	Unlikely
Strand Larsen	CRY	5.9m	64.3%	Unlikely
Webster	BHA	4.4m	65.4%	Unlikely
Obi	MUN	4.2m	64.4%	Unlikely
Woltemade	NEW	6.7m	64.4%	Unlikely
Milambo	BRE	5.2m	59.5%	Unlikely

	Player	Club	Factors
Up	Raya Martin	ARS	C, Vs
Down	Donnarumma	MCI	B
Up	Pickford	EVE	C
Up	Roefs	SUN	A
Down	Verbruggen	BHA	B
No Change	Darlow	LEE	B, £
No Change	Henderson	CRY	B

	Player	Club	Factors
Up	Gabriel Magalhães	ARS	B, Vs
Down	O’Reilly	MCI	A
Up	Keane	EVE	B
Up	van Dijk	LIV	B
Up	Ballard	SUN	C
No Change	Lacroix	CRY	A
Down	van Hecke	BHA	A
Down	Struijk	LEE	B, £
Down	Hill	BOU	C, £
No Change	Thiaw	NEW	C
No Change	Cash	AVL	C

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Bruno Fernandes	MUN	A
No Change	Semenyo	MCI	C
Up	Rice	ARS	C, Vs
Up	Wilson	FUL	B
Up	Szoboszlai	LIV	A
No Change	Ismaila Sarr	CRY	C, Rest
No Change	Rogers	AVL	B
Up	Gibbs-White	NFO	A, VsX
Up	Dewsbury-Hall	EVE	B, £
No Change	Anderson	NFO	C, £
Down	Palmer	CHE	C
Down	Tavernier	BOU	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Haaland	MCI	B
Up	Thiago	BRE	A
Up	Bowen	WHU	A
Up	Watkins	AVL	A
Down	Welbeck	BHA	B
Down	Calvert-Lewin	LEE	C
Down	João Pedro	CHE	C

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
Haaland	MCI	14.5m	98.7%	Likely
O'Reilly	MCI	5.1m	100.0%	Very Likely
Muñoz	CRY	5.8m	97.7%	Likely
Dewsbury-Hall	EVE	5.1m	99.4%	Likely
Darlow	LEE	3.9m	99.2%	Maybe
Lacroix	CRY	5.1m	94.6%	Maybe
Mitchell	CRY	5.0m	93.4%	Unlikely
Struijk	LEE	4.3m	90.8%	Unlikely
Raya	ARS	6.0m	84.8%	Unlikely
Justin	LEE	3.9m	88.6%	Unlikely
Isak	LIV	10.3m	88.6%	Unlikely
Aaronson	LEE	5.4m	87.1%	Unlikely
Groß	BHA	5.5m	80.5%	Unlikely
Sarr	CRY	6.3m	78.6%	Unlikely
Gibbs-White	NFO	7.6m	76.9%	Unlikely
Leno	FUL	4.9m	78.2%	Unlikely
Gakpo	LIV	7.3m	76.7%	Unlikely
Ndiaye	EVE	6.2m	74.7%	Unlikely
Verbruggen	BHA	4.5m	66.5%	Unlikely
Aït-Nouri	MCI	5.7m	66.4%	Unlikely
Alderete	SUN	4.1m	65.7%	Unlikely
Richards	CRY	4.4m	64.8%	Unlikely
Calvert-Lewin	LEE	5.7m	58.1%	Unlikely
Wan-Bissaka	WHU	4.1m	62.7%	Unlikely
Brobbey	SUN	5.3m	61.6%	Unlikely
Frimpong	LIV	5.7m	62.0%	Unlikely
Ngumoha	LIV	4.3m	61.7%	Unlikely
Shaw	MUN	4.5m	60.3%	Unlikely
Tarkowski	EVE	5.7m	61.5%	Unlikely
Truffert	BOU	4.7m	56.4%	Unlikely
Tavernier	BOU	5.4m	56.1%	Unlikely
N.Williams	NFO	4.8m	56.4%	Unlikely
Bijol	LEE	3.9m	55.5%	Unlikely
Gomez	BHA	4.9m	54.2%	Unlikely
Beto	EVE	5.0m	53.0%	Unlikely
F.Kadıoğlu	BHA	4.4m	50.6%	Unlikely
Hermansen	WHU	4.2m	51.0%	Unlikely
Ødegaard	ARS	7.8m	50.6%	Unlikely
Aina	NFO	4.7m	49.9%	Unlikely
Eze	ARS	7.2m	42.8%	Unlikely

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
Gravenberch	LIV	5.5m	100.4%	Very Likely
Semenyo	MCI	8.2m	100.4%	Very Likely
Ekitiké	LIV	9.1m	100.3%	Very Likely
Hall	NEW	5.4m	100.3%	Very Likely
Raúl	FUL	6.1m	96.9%	Likely
Merino	ARS	5.4m	98.4%	Maybe
Tchaouna	BUR	4.8m	96.2%	Maybe
Szoboszlai	LIV	7.1m	89.1%	Unlikely
Piroe	LEE	4.9m	93.3%	Unlikely
Mayenda	SUN	5.2m	92.1%	Unlikely
Emenalo	CHE	4.5m	92.0%	Unlikely
Calafiori	ARS	5.6m	90.1%	Unlikely
Reijnders	MCI	5.0m	89.9%	Unlikely
Grealish	EVE	6.3m	88.8%	Unlikely
Andrey Santos	CHE	4.5m	88.5%	Unlikely
Longstaff	LEE	4.8m	89.0%	Unlikely
McAidoo	MCI	4.5m	88.4%	Unlikely
Slonina	CHE	3.9m	88.3%	Unlikely
Cullen	BUR	4.9m	88.2%	Unlikely
Salmon	ARS	4.0m	84.3%	Unlikely
John	NFO	4.0m	84.2%	Unlikely
Johnson	CRY	6.5m	83.6%	Unlikely
Trafford	MCI	4.5m	83.6%	Unlikely
Garner	EVE	5.3m	78.2%	Unlikely
Estève	BUR	3.9m	79.4%	Unlikely
Dalot	MUN	4.6m	74.4%	Unlikely
Mee	MUN	3.9m	75.8%	Unlikely
J.Timber	ARS	6.1m	71.6%	Unlikely
Cairns	LEE	3.9m	74.0%	Unlikely
Byfield	TOT	4.0m	73.4%	Unlikely
Steele	BHA	4.2m	72.4%	Unlikely
Mainoo	MUN	4.7m	70.6%	Unlikely
Kilman	WHU	4.1m	69.6%	Unlikely
Sánchez	CHE	4.8m	67.0%	Unlikely
Ebere	EVE	4.4m	66.2%	Unlikely
Strand Larsen	CRY	5.9m	64.3%	Unlikely
Webster	BHA	4.4m	65.4%	Unlikely
Obi	MUN	4.2m	64.4%	Unlikely
Woltemade	NEW	6.7m	64.4%	Unlikely
Milambo	BRE	5.2m	59.5%	Unlikely

	Player	Club	Factors
Up	Raya Martin	ARS	C, Vs
Down	Donnarumma	MCI	B
Up	Pickford	EVE	C
Up	Roefs	SUN	A
Down	Verbruggen	BHA	B
No Change	Darlow	LEE	B, £
No Change	Henderson	CRY	B

	Player	Club	Factors
Up	Gabriel Magalhães	ARS	B, Vs
Down	O’Reilly	MCI	A
Up	Keane	EVE	B
Up	van Dijk	LIV	B
Up	Ballard	SUN	C
No Change	Lacroix	CRY	A
Down	van Hecke	BHA	A
Down	Struijk	LEE	B, £
Down	Hill	BOU	C, £
No Change	Thiaw	NEW	C
No Change	Cash	AVL	C

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Bruno Fernandes	MUN	A
No Change	Semenyo	MCI	C
Up	Rice	ARS	C, Vs
Up	Wilson	FUL	B
Up	Szoboszlai	LIV	A
No Change	Ismaila Sarr	CRY	C, Rest
No Change	Rogers	AVL	B
Up	Gibbs-White	NFO	A, VsX
Up	Dewsbury-Hall	EVE	B, £
No Change	Anderson	NFO	C, £
Down	Palmer	CHE	C
Down	Tavernier	BOU	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Haaland	MCI	B
Up	Thiago	BRE	A
Up	Bowen	WHU	A
Up	Watkins	AVL	A
Down	Welbeck	BHA	B
Down	Calvert-Lewin	LEE	C
Down	João Pedro	CHE	C

United, Chelsea and Boro crash out of the Cup. West Ham get another four-nil drubbing. Torres and Gerrard resist Rafa’s rotation policy to continue their assault on defences. Arsenal held again, this time on the JJB quagmire. Here’s my notes from the weekend’s activities…

Blackburn 1 Fulham 1

Team Lineups
Hughes resisted the temptation to bring Dunn back into his lineup and he started on the bench. The Rovers boss made a change regardless, with Tugay replacing Emerton in midfield which allowed Bentley to return to his normal role on the right wing. Roberts replaced Tugay and Derbyshire came on for McCarthy before the hour mark. Both will be pushing for starts next time out given the plight of Blackburn’s strikers over recent games.

Hodgson made a couple of notable changes – opting for Keller in goal with Niemi dropped to the bench. He also preferred Johnson up front to McBride. Dempsey kept his place in midfield then despite the return of Andreasen from suspension. McBride did replace his compatriot Dempsey from the bench just after the hour-mark, with Fulham chasing the game.

Notes and Form
It’s still only one defeat in the last 11 Premiership games but Blackburn continue to struggle for goals at home. If you take the 4-1 win over Bolton (which was rather fortunate) out of the equation, they’ve scored just 4 goals in the previous 6. That lack of goals is having an effect on the returns of Bentley and Santa Cruz, the latter in particular, has really struggled for fantasy points of late. Blackburn’s next three fixtures West Ham (away), Wigan (home) and Reading (away) do offer potential but their players will need to capatlise on this run before they enter a period of games that see them Spurs, United and Liverpool over three weeks.

With Fulham it’s all about Bullard. His superb free-kick here was his second goal in 5 games and with another 3 FPL bonus points here, his total FPL haul over the last 6 is an impressive 34 points. What’s more, as I’ve mentioned previously, he is about to enter a good period of fixtures. Fulham’s survival hopes will depend on their results over the games against Newcastle (away), Derby (away), Sunderland (home) and Reading (away). They face Everton at home next – far from easy given Everton’s form. Even so, that run of five games will see Bullard pushed up my midfield rankings once updated. Caution is required though – three of those five are away and Hodgson’s side are without a win away from the Cottage in 31 games.

Finally, a word about Johnson too – he looked lively here and caused the Blackburn defence problems – he’ll need to get off the mark before he’ll warrant any serious attention but he’s worth monitoring. Hodgson obviously sees him as his first option amongst his strikers.

Liverpool 3 Newcastle 0

Team Lineups
Despite all the speculation that was stirred up by Rafa’s comments prior to this game – Carragher, Gerrard and Torres all started. Instead it was Babel and Kuyt who suffered rotation with Benayoun and Pennant getting starts. Lucas came in for the injured Mascherano as expected. Riise kept his place at left-back over Aurellio, while Arbeloa retained his place but shifted to right-back with Carragher returning to a centre-back role. Skrtel kept Hyypia on the bench and appears to have gone above him in Rafa’s pecking order.

Keegan’s options were hampered by Barton’s forced absence due to his bail conditions. Emre, Carr and Viduka were all still sidelined so the only change saw N’Zogbia return to the side, coming into midfield alongside Butt.

Notes and Form
Rafa’s new 4-2-3-1 formation has brought about a string of superb performances and more importantly has set Gerrard and Torres free to find some frightening form. Gerrard hit his third goal in the last 6 Premiership games but more significantly perhaps, he has scored FPL bonus points in his last 5 consecutive games, earning another 3 in this one. Torres meanwhile has been even more productive – 7 goals in the last 4 Premiership games and 7 FPL bonus in the last four. Quite simply, in this current run of form, one or both, if the budget allows it, look essential fantasy purchases.

The only caveat to this would be Liverpool’s forthcoming fixtures. Reading at home next offers further points potential but after this Rafa’s side face United, Everton and Arsenal. Those games reduce the appeal of the key Liverpool pair, given that they are up against tough defences which are widely owned by fantasy managers. Once these three games are out of the way, Liverpool’s run-in is kind.

In terms of Liverpool’s defence, they are also in fine form – 4 clean sheets in the last 6 – makes them immensely tempting, but again, those fixtures following the Reading game need to be considered.

Newcastle continue to struggle terribly – they have games with Birmingham, Fulham and Reading over the next four – games that they desperately need to get points from. Regardless, it’s hard to see any potential targets amongst their lineup, particularly with Milner suffering an injury in this one.

Injuries and Suspensions
Milner sustained a foot injury and was forced off just before half-time. Early news suggests that this could be just bruising but he is expected to have a scan on Monday.

Reading 2 Man City 0

Team Lineups
Coppell went for an unchanged lineup after the win at Boro last weekend. That meant that Kitson was once again kept on the bench with Long partnering Doyle up front. Kitson did get on late on and hit the second goal to add to Long’s smart finish.

Sven was once again hampered by the absence of Petrov who served the last match of his ban. Injuries were also a problem for City with Richards and Onuoha out of this one. Garrido came in at centre-back then with Corluka remaining in the side but shifting to right-back. In midfield, Hamann got a recall with Ireland dropped to the bench.

Notes and Form
A second straight victory and clean sheet for Coppell’s men sees them jump up to a respectable 13th spot. With fixtures looking decent over the next five, interest in Shorey and Hunt, who are often amongst the assists and FPL bonus, could well continue to grow. It’s Liverpool away next though, so it’s doubtful if they’ll be many investors just yet. After that they have their Premiership fate in their own hands with three home games in four against Birmingham, Blackburn and Fulham, with a trip to Newcastle sandwiched in between. Kitson and Long could also get some interest over those games considering their value in most fantasy games.

City are having a miserable time with just one win in the last 8. Defensively they continue to look fragile and with Dunne picking up an injury here and Richards out for a further month, it seems unlikely that things will change in the near future. It’s just one clean sheet in the last 8 now for City and Hart and his defence have slid well and truly out of consideration as a result.

In attacking terms it’s not looking any better. Petrov’s absence was always going to limit their threat and so it has proved – they haven’t scored a single Premiership goal without him. That’s meant that Benjani’s stock has dipped considerably after his Pompey form and debut goal for City.

It’s Spurs at home next – a game which Berbatov and Keane/Bent will fancy against City’s crippled defence. After that they travel to Bolton and Birmingham and both of those clubs will look at City and expect a clean sheet. To be honest, it’s difficult to question that given City’s current form.

Injuries and Suspensions
Dunne suffered what appeared to be a nasty shin injury which saw him have a series of stitches. It seems unlikely that he’ll heal in time to face Spurs at the weekend but City desperately need him too.

Sunderland 0 Everton 1

Team Lineups
Keane made a couple of changes – relegating Chopra and Reid to the bench and bringing in Stokes and Leadbitter. Both came off the bench in the second-half as Sunderland chased an equaliser so presumably, both will be pushing for recalls next time out.

Moyes started with Arteta after he returned to the bench following abdominal problems, for the UEFA Cup defeat at the hands of Fiorentina on Thursday. Carsley was serving a one-match ban, so Neville remained in midfield with Hibbert at right-back. Osman missed this one through injury so Johnson was drafted in as Moyes moved to a 4-4-2.

It will be interesting to see how Moyes shuffles his pack next time out with Carsley almost certain to return and Osman likely to be fit. Presumably he’ll return to 4-5-1 with Johnson benched, but it will be tough on the striker after another decent performance here.

Notes and Form
Sunderland are treading water at just the wrong time in the season. They’ve now gone 4 of the last 5 Premiership games without scoring and have only scored goals in 2 of the last 7. Jones has slipped considerably down the budget strikers pecking order with the likes of Forssell and McFadden coming on strong in recent weeks. It’s no goals in 9 for the Sunderland striker now. Defensively, at home at least, Keane’s men had been very sound until this game. A run of 3 straight home clean sheets was brought to an end here.

Things don’t get any easier for Keane’s men in the short-term. It’s Chelsea at home and Villa away next, before things look brighter with West Ham, Fulham, City and Newcastle on their way.

In defensive terms there is no better side than Everton right now – it’s just 2 goals conceded in the last 9 Premiership games. That run of clean sheets has seen stock soar in Jagielka and Lescott in particular and FPL bonus has also begun to come the way of defenders – Neville, Yobo and Lescott grabbed all the FPL bonus here.

This was a fourth straight Premiership win for Everton then and there should be plenty of interest in their players over the next five looking at the fixtures. It’s a trip to Fulham and a home game with West Ham coming next, before Moyes takes his side to Anfield. They then host Derby before travelling to Birmingham. Expect to see the likes of Yakubu, Cahill, Pienaar and the defence figure highly on my rankings once updated, although Pienaar may well face a short spell on the sidelines.

Injuries and Suspensions
Pienaar was subbed with a knock after 80-minutes after an shocking challenge from Bardsley which caught the midfield high on his shin. Pienaar will be a doubt for Everton’s trip to Fulham then.

Tottenham 4 West Ham 0

Team Lineups
Hutton returned to the Spurs lineup after being ineligible for the UEFA Cup game with PSV on Thursday. Dawson came back in after being on the bench in that one with King making way as expected. Jenas missed out with a twisted ankle sustained against PSV, so Huddlestone came into the midifield. Keane and Berbatov both started with Bent coming off the bench to replace Keane and score late on.

The Hammers were without Upson at the back so Spector came in to partner Ferdinand. Curbishley went with 4-4-2 starting with both Zamora and Ashton. Cole was benched as was Solano, as Boa Morte moved out wide. Parker made an early return from injury in the midfield with Noble dropping to the bench.

Notes and Form
This was a fourth clean sheet in the last 6 Premiership games for Spurs and with a double gameweek and decent fixtures to follow (4 home games in the next 6), they’ll be plenty of interest in Robinson and the Spurs backline. Hutton certainly looks the best bet here given Ramos’ options elsewhere in the back four – he seems certain to start each game and the assist and 2 FPL bonus points here, only go to further boost his appeal.

In attacking terms Berbatov dominates – his brace here plus 3 more FPL bonus will raise his profile on the eve of the Spurs double fixture week with games against City and Chelsea. It’s 4 goals in 4 games for the Bulgarian, and while Keane is also an option, it appears that Ramos refuses to rest Berbatov, while Keane is rotated with Bent.

Huddlestone also caught the eye here with a pair of assists but he’s likely to lose his place to Jenas if he returns from injury for the double fixture. Outside of Berbatov and Hutton then, double gameweek options are more difficult to find.

West Ham’s form is woeful – this was their third successive 4-0 defeat and pressure is mounting on Curbishley. Looking down their lineup, there really is no player currently worth considering now that Ljungberg has gone off the boil.

Injuries and Suspensions
Boa-Morte will serve a 1-match ban for earning two bookings here. He’ll miss the home game with Blackburn next weekend.

Wigan 0 Arsenal 0

Team Lineups
Wigan were unchanged despite Kilbane and Taylor both being available. Both were on the bench with Koumas keeping his place on the left of midfield.

Wenger was without Diaby and Walcott – his latest injury victims. Bendtner started as expected then, with Gilberto coming into midfield. Both Van Persie and Toure got on from the bench as Arsenal chased the three points.

Notes and Form
Along with Everton, Wigan have the form defence in the Premiership – its 4 clean sheets in the last 5 games now. Scharner will continue to get interest then, as will Taylor if he can win his place back in the side. What’s more, Wigan’s forthcoming fixtures look good with Bolton, Blackburn, Portsmouth and Birmingham providing the next four opponents. In attacking terms though, Wigan are struggling – it’s just 3 goals in 5 games.

A third straight Premiership draw for Arsenal then and owners of Adebayor and Fabregas will be starting to fidget nervously despite the performance in Milan, as stock in Torres, Berbatov, Gerrard, Ballack and Lampard rises. A home game with Boro next should be enough to see the majority keep faith with Arsenal’s key players although, after that, Wenger’s men start their “make or break” run of games which sees them play Chelsea, Liverpool and United in the space of 4 weeks.

Can Fabregas be relied upon to live up to his “big game” player reputation? If and when to ship out the Spaniard still appears to be the key decision with Lampard, Gerrard and Ronaldo looking strong alternatives.

Injuries and Suspensions
Wigan lost Heskey to a knock after 55-minutes. He has a foot injury and will have x-rays on Monday. Any prolonged absence for the striker could see some increased interest in Sibierski who would appear to be his replacement.

FA Cup

Man United 0 Portsmouth 1

Team Lineups
Ferguson restored Scholes and Hargreaves to his starting lineup while Tevez returned to partner Rooney up front. Anderson and Carrick were on the bench then and Saha was set to join them but reportedly picked up an injury in the warm-up. Park replaced him amongst the subs.

Redknapp brought in Utaka for the cup-tied Defoe and went with a 4-5-1 as expected. Baros replaced the heavy-legs of Kanu after 54-minutes.

Notes and Form
This result is likely to have little bearing on United’s league form, although it will mean that their fixture list looks a little less congested. Free of Champions League fixtures until early April, United now have a run of 3 home games in 4 including a ridiculously tempting double gameweek against Bolton and Derby to come next. The likes of Vidic and Ferdinand look certain for both those games, with Ferguson stating previously that he didn’t believe in rotating his centre backs. Evra is another option although there is a possibility that O’Shea could rotate with him for one of the double fixtures. Elsewhere Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney will be popular choices but looks slightly less secure – the injury to Saha could help their cause though so we wait word on that.

Portsmouth are the only Premiership side through to the semis and will play their tie on the weekend of April 5. That will mean that the trip to Upton Park on April 7 will be postponed. That fixture could well be moved back a few days from the Monday to the Wednesday which could mean that neither side would miss the gameweek. There’s no confirmation of that as yet though.

Outside of Portsmouth’s Cup ambitions, their players, particularly their defence, remain very decent propositions. They have 3 of the next 4 at home with Birmingham, Villa and Wigan visiting Fratton Park. Spurs and West Ham provide the away opposition over the next five. A decent run of games so like United, expect to see their players to fair well in my 5-match rankings once updated.

Injuries and Suspensions
Van der Sar was subbed at half-time after aggravating his old groin injury. Kuszczak, his replacement will serve a 1-match ban and will miss the Derby game at the weekend. If Van de Sar’s injury is enough to keep out of the Derby game, then Ben Foster could make an appearance having just returned to fitness himself.

Barnsley 1 Chelsea 0

Team Lineups
Grant was without both Drogba and Lampard who were reportedly carrying injuries following the Olympiakos win on Tuesday. Anelka and Wright-Phillips returned to the midfield. The full-backs were rotated once again with Belletti and Bridge coming in for Ferreira and Ashley Cole. Elsewhere, Essien and Malouda came in for Kalou and Makelele.

Notes and Form
Like United, Chelsea’s Cup exit will ease their fixture congestion and they now face a run of successive Premiership fixtures without Cup commitments. Those matches see Chelsea take on Derby next on Wednesday in the current gameweek, before taking on Sunderland and Spurs in a double fixture week. They then play host to Arsenal and Boro prior to the Champions League Quarter-Final.

It will be interesting to see how Grant approaches this in terms of rotating his side. Up until now he has tended to bring Drogba in for Cup games and used Anelka in the Premiership – dare he bench one of the pair over the next five games? The Lampard/Ballack situation is also of interest. It appears that Grant has no qualms about playing both and that seems to be the intention. Lampard was reportedly injured for this one, although stories surfacing on Sunday quoted sources close to Lampard who denied this.

If Lampard is fit to return against Derby on Wednesday, it seems likely that he’ll start having missed this one. Will Ballack also play? It also seems likely, with Wright-Phillips, ineffective in this match, set to make way. Joe Cole remains another decent option for the forthcoming games – he was Chelsea’s outstanding player once again here and should hold down his starting role for the forthcoming games, including the double fixture.

In defence the Terry/Carvalho partnership looks settled. They remain the surest bet for the double fixture gameweek against Spurs and Sunderland although United look a better bet for clean sheets for their double gameweek. The Chelsea full-back situation however is far from settled. Grant seems happy to rotate these positions quite ruthlessly so none of the four options in this area offer a great deal of security.

Middlesbrough 0 Cardiff 2

Team Lineups
Southgate welcomed Huth back to his defence which allowed him to shift Pogatetz to left-back. Grounds dropped to the bench to make way. Elsewhere Rochemback returned to the side with Boateng dropping out. Alves started with Tuncay once more but only lasted until half-time when Southgate swapped him for Mido.

Notes and Form
A hugely disappointing result and performance from Boro as they go into their fixture for this gameweek on Wednesday when they travel to a Villa Park. After that, the forthcoming games look evil, with Arsenal, Chelsea, United and Spurs to come in the next five. A horrible run that will see little interest in their players drop to all-time lows given their current form and confidence.

Injuries and Suspensions
Rochemback picked up his tenth booking of the season and he will now face a 2-match ban. Because of the 7-day rule, he’ll be available for Boro’s next two matches but will miss the home game with Derby and the visit to Chelsea.

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