Saturday Scout Notes

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
Cunha	MUN	8.0m	115.4%	Very Likely
Rogers	AVL	7.3m	95.7%	Likely
Ekitiké	LIV	9.0m	88.5%	Likely
James	CHE	5.6m	101.1%	Very Likely
Dalot	MUN	4.4m	90.4%	Likely
Chalobah	CHE	5.5m	95.2%	Likely
L.Miley	NEW	4.4m	99.9%	Likely
Lewis-Potter	BRE	4.8m	98.3%	Likely
Mukiele	SUN	4.2m	98.4%	Maybe
Verbruggen	BHA	4.4m	92.2%	Unlikely
Alderete	SUN	4.0m	89.2%	Unlikely
Truffert	BOU	4.5m	90.7%	Unlikely
O'Reilly	MCI	5.3m	91.5%	Unlikely
Cherki	MCI	6.6m	60.0%	Unlikely
Wirtz	LIV	8.1m	50.2%	Unlikely
Virgil	LIV	5.9m	76.8%	Unlikely
Andersen	FUL	4.6m	73.7%	Unlikely
Mount	MUN	5.9m	71.4%	Unlikely
Guéhi	CRY	5.3m	65.3%	Unlikely
Tete	FUL	4.5m	69.4%	Unlikely
Roefs	SUN	4.8m	67.1%	Unlikely
Saliba	ARS	5.9m	59.9%	Unlikely
Mitchell	CRY	5.0m	63.4%	Unlikely
Van den Berg	BRE	4.5m	58.9%	Unlikely
Rice	ARS	7.2m	51.6%	Unlikely
Petrović	BOU	4.5m	59.6%	Unlikely
Trossard	ARS	6.9m	55.4%	Unlikely
E.Le Fée	SUN	4.9m	55.4%	Unlikely
Cullen	BUR	5.0m	55.0%	Unlikely
Konaté	LIV	5.4m	53.4%	Unlikely
Calvert-Lewin	LEE	5.8m	47.5%	Unlikely
Heaven	MUN	3.8m	49.7%	Unlikely
Pickford	EVE	5.5m	52.3%	Unlikely
Dúbravka	BUR	4.0m	51.6%	Unlikely
Raya	ARS	6.0m	49.9%	Unlikely
Smith Rowe	FUL	5.6m	48.5%	Unlikely
Semenyo	BOU	7.7m	52.2%	Unlikely
Gvardiol	MCI	6.0m	41.6%	Unlikely
Rúben	MCI	5.7m	46.6%	Unlikely
A.Becker	LIV	5.4m	44.9%	Unlikely

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
De Ligt	MUN	5.0m	101.4%	Very Likely
Pedro Porro	TOT	5.3m	100.9%	Very Likely
Udogie	TOT	4.4m	100.8%	Very Likely
Nørgaard	ARS	5.2m	100.4%	Very Likely
Cucurella	CHE	6.2m	99.4%	Likely
James	LEE	5.3m	99.6%	Likely
Nwaneri	ARS	5.1m	95.3%	Maybe
McAtee	NFO	5.1m	98.6%	Maybe
Colwill	CHE	4.8m	97.5%	Maybe
L.Guilherme	WHU	4.9m	94.9%	Maybe
Jair Cunha	NFO	4.3m	96.0%	Maybe
P.M.Sarr	TOT	4.6m	95.1%	Maybe
Trafford	MCI	4.6m	95.2%	Maybe
Yoro	MUN	4.3m	94.7%	Maybe
Mosquera	ARS	5.4m	94.2%	Maybe
Hannibal	BUR	4.8m	93.5%	Unlikely
Bevan	BOU	3.9m	94.6%	Unlikely
Gibbs-White	NFO	7.3m	94.0%	Unlikely
Welbeck	BHA	6.4m	81.6%	Unlikely
Tasker	BHA	3.9m	92.5%	Unlikely
Barnes	BUR	4.3m	92.0%	Unlikely
Fer López	WOL	5.2m	92.5%	Unlikely
Fitzgerald	MUN	4.4m	91.4%	Unlikely
Enzo	CHE	6.5m	86.4%	Unlikely
Adams	BOU	5.0m	86.5%	Unlikely
Hermansen	WHU	4.3m	87.7%	Unlikely
Robertson	LIV	5.8m	87.3%	Unlikely
Odobert	TOT	5.3m	84.8%	Unlikely
Benitez	CRY	4.0m	87.5%	Unlikely
Aké	MCI	5.3m	87.0%	Unlikely
Johnson	SUN	3.9m	86.1%	Unlikely
Bayindir	MUN	4.8m	87.2%	Unlikely
Broggio	AVL	4.5m	85.7%	Unlikely
Bellegarde	WOL	5.2m	85.8%	Unlikely
Bruno G.	NEW	7.0m	79.6%	Unlikely
Van Hecke	BHA	4.6m	81.0%	Unlikely
Eze	ARS	7.6m	55.6%	Unlikely
R.Gomes	WOL	4.4m	81.4%	Unlikely
Seung soo	NEW	4.4m	80.5%	Unlikely
March	BHA	5.8m	80.4%	Unlikely

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Raya Martin	ARS	B
Up	Pickford	EVE	B, Vs
Down	Alisson	LIV	C, Vs
Down	Donnarumma	MCI	B, Vs, Sus
No Change	Kelleher	BRE	B, Vs
No Change	Dubravka	BUR	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	van Dijk	LIV	C, Vs
No Change	Jurriën Timber	ARS	C
Up	Keane	EVE	Vs
No Change	O’Reilly	MCI	B, Vs
No Change	Marc Guehi	CRY	A
No Change	van den Berg	BRE	C, Vs
No Change	Thiaw	NEW	C
Down	Andersen	FUL	C
No Change	Milenkovic	NFO	C, Sus
No Change	van Hecke	BHA	A
No Change	Mukiele	SUN	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Saka	ARS	A
No Change	Foden	MCI	A, Vs
Up	Matheus Cunha	MUN	A
No Change	Semenyo	BOU	A
Up	Wirtz	LIV	B, Vs
Up	Grealish	EVE	B, Vs
No Change	Bruno Guimarães	NEW	B, Sus
No Change	Schade	BRE	C, Vs
Down	Minteh	BHA	C
No Change	Anderson	NFO	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Haaland	MCI	A, Vs
Up	Ekitiké	LIV	A, Vs
Up	Bowen	WHU	B, Vs
Down	Thiago	BRE	C, Vs, Inj
No Change	Mateta	CRY	C
No Change	Woltemade	NEW	B, Rest

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
Cunha	MUN	8.0m	115.4%	Very Likely
Rogers	AVL	7.3m	95.7%	Likely
Ekitiké	LIV	9.0m	88.5%	Likely
James	CHE	5.6m	101.1%	Very Likely
Dalot	MUN	4.4m	90.4%	Likely
Chalobah	CHE	5.5m	95.2%	Likely
L.Miley	NEW	4.4m	99.9%	Likely
Lewis-Potter	BRE	4.8m	98.3%	Likely
Mukiele	SUN	4.2m	98.4%	Maybe
Verbruggen	BHA	4.4m	92.2%	Unlikely
Alderete	SUN	4.0m	89.2%	Unlikely
Truffert	BOU	4.5m	90.7%	Unlikely
O'Reilly	MCI	5.3m	91.5%	Unlikely
Cherki	MCI	6.6m	60.0%	Unlikely
Wirtz	LIV	8.1m	50.2%	Unlikely
Virgil	LIV	5.9m	76.8%	Unlikely
Andersen	FUL	4.6m	73.7%	Unlikely
Mount	MUN	5.9m	71.4%	Unlikely
Guéhi	CRY	5.3m	65.3%	Unlikely
Tete	FUL	4.5m	69.4%	Unlikely
Roefs	SUN	4.8m	67.1%	Unlikely
Saliba	ARS	5.9m	59.9%	Unlikely
Mitchell	CRY	5.0m	63.4%	Unlikely
Van den Berg	BRE	4.5m	58.9%	Unlikely
Rice	ARS	7.2m	51.6%	Unlikely
Petrović	BOU	4.5m	59.6%	Unlikely
Trossard	ARS	6.9m	55.4%	Unlikely
E.Le Fée	SUN	4.9m	55.4%	Unlikely
Cullen	BUR	5.0m	55.0%	Unlikely
Konaté	LIV	5.4m	53.4%	Unlikely
Calvert-Lewin	LEE	5.8m	47.5%	Unlikely
Heaven	MUN	3.8m	49.7%	Unlikely
Pickford	EVE	5.5m	52.3%	Unlikely
Dúbravka	BUR	4.0m	51.6%	Unlikely
Raya	ARS	6.0m	49.9%	Unlikely
Smith Rowe	FUL	5.6m	48.5%	Unlikely
Semenyo	BOU	7.7m	52.2%	Unlikely
Gvardiol	MCI	6.0m	41.6%	Unlikely
Rúben	MCI	5.7m	46.6%	Unlikely
A.Becker	LIV	5.4m	44.9%	Unlikely

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
De Ligt	MUN	5.0m	101.4%	Very Likely
Pedro Porro	TOT	5.3m	100.9%	Very Likely
Udogie	TOT	4.4m	100.8%	Very Likely
Nørgaard	ARS	5.2m	100.4%	Very Likely
Cucurella	CHE	6.2m	99.4%	Likely
James	LEE	5.3m	99.6%	Likely
Nwaneri	ARS	5.1m	95.3%	Maybe
McAtee	NFO	5.1m	98.6%	Maybe
Colwill	CHE	4.8m	97.5%	Maybe
L.Guilherme	WHU	4.9m	94.9%	Maybe
Jair Cunha	NFO	4.3m	96.0%	Maybe
P.M.Sarr	TOT	4.6m	95.1%	Maybe
Trafford	MCI	4.6m	95.2%	Maybe
Yoro	MUN	4.3m	94.7%	Maybe
Mosquera	ARS	5.4m	94.2%	Maybe
Hannibal	BUR	4.8m	93.5%	Unlikely
Bevan	BOU	3.9m	94.6%	Unlikely
Gibbs-White	NFO	7.3m	94.0%	Unlikely
Welbeck	BHA	6.4m	81.6%	Unlikely
Tasker	BHA	3.9m	92.5%	Unlikely
Barnes	BUR	4.3m	92.0%	Unlikely
Fer López	WOL	5.2m	92.5%	Unlikely
Fitzgerald	MUN	4.4m	91.4%	Unlikely
Enzo	CHE	6.5m	86.4%	Unlikely
Adams	BOU	5.0m	86.5%	Unlikely
Hermansen	WHU	4.3m	87.7%	Unlikely
Robertson	LIV	5.8m	87.3%	Unlikely
Odobert	TOT	5.3m	84.8%	Unlikely
Benitez	CRY	4.0m	87.5%	Unlikely
Aké	MCI	5.3m	87.0%	Unlikely
Johnson	SUN	3.9m	86.1%	Unlikely
Bayindir	MUN	4.8m	87.2%	Unlikely
Broggio	AVL	4.5m	85.7%	Unlikely
Bellegarde	WOL	5.2m	85.8%	Unlikely
Bruno G.	NEW	7.0m	79.6%	Unlikely
Van Hecke	BHA	4.6m	81.0%	Unlikely
Eze	ARS	7.6m	55.6%	Unlikely
R.Gomes	WOL	4.4m	81.4%	Unlikely
Seung soo	NEW	4.4m	80.5%	Unlikely
March	BHA	5.8m	80.4%	Unlikely

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Raya Martin	ARS	B
Up	Pickford	EVE	B, Vs
Down	Alisson	LIV	C, Vs
Down	Donnarumma	MCI	B, Vs, Sus
No Change	Kelleher	BRE	B, Vs
No Change	Dubravka	BUR	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	van Dijk	LIV	C, Vs
No Change	Jurriën Timber	ARS	C
Up	Keane	EVE	Vs
No Change	O’Reilly	MCI	B, Vs
No Change	Marc Guehi	CRY	A
No Change	van den Berg	BRE	C, Vs
No Change	Thiaw	NEW	C
Down	Andersen	FUL	C
No Change	Milenkovic	NFO	C, Sus
No Change	van Hecke	BHA	A
No Change	Mukiele	SUN	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Saka	ARS	A
No Change	Foden	MCI	A, Vs
Up	Matheus Cunha	MUN	A
No Change	Semenyo	BOU	A
Up	Wirtz	LIV	B, Vs
Up	Grealish	EVE	B, Vs
No Change	Bruno Guimarães	NEW	B, Sus
No Change	Schade	BRE	C, Vs
Down	Minteh	BHA	C
No Change	Anderson	NFO	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Haaland	MCI	A, Vs
Up	Ekitiké	LIV	A, Vs
Up	Bowen	WHU	B, Vs
Down	Thiago	BRE	C, Vs, Inj
No Change	Mateta	CRY	C
No Change	Woltemade	NEW	B, Rest

Ronaldo’s back then and things will probably never be the same this season. Just when you were considering surviving without him, he goes and powers to a goal, assist and some bonus points – helped in no short measure by a baffling decision from Rob Styles. Something tells me that he won’t be needing the referee’s help from now on though.

Torres was another fantasy big-hitter to sparkle as he found some form amongst the fragile Everton defence to fire a brace. This weekend will likely be remembered for Hull’s performance at the Emirates however, as Phil Brown’s side kept Arsenal’s fantasy favourites quiet to claim a stunning 2-1 win.

Here’s the notes on Saturday’s games…

Everton 0 Liverpool 2

Moyes went with the 4-5-1 as expected, but did spring a surprise by recalling fit-again Hibbert at right back and shifting Neville to a central midfield role. Castillo dropped to the bench to make way. Arteta was passed fit as anticipated. Saha started on the bench.

Rafa went with the Keane and Torres partnership up front. Mascherano failed a fitness test along with Benayoun, so Alonso kept his place in central midfield with Gerrard. Aurellio returned to the bench and will now push Dossena for starts in the coming weeks.

Liverpool deserved their win and the brace from Torres will no doubt be giving plenty of fantasy managers something to mull over. He was, or at least is, a popular target to be sold from many squads as part of the clearout for Ronaldo but his goals here will act as a timely reminder of his potential returns. A trip to City next weekend doesn’t look an easy one but owners of Torres will surely be holding firm after this return.

Everton’s players probably have one game left in them before a mass fantasy clearout arrives. They face Newcastle next and owners of Yakubu and Arteta will perhaps be looking to hold for that one and sell in time for the double header with Arsenal and United after the international break. Cahill will miss all those games, so we can expect a 4-4-2 from Moyes with Saha making starts and perhaps a more attacking outlook.

As for Liverpool – defensively they look very strong, recording their fourth clean sheet in six Premiership fixtures here. The trip to City next weekend will be a stern test of their defensive qualities but even so, I’d imagine Liverpool defenders will prove popular targets in the coming weeks. Arbeloa looks the cheapest option in the short term with Degen sidelined with a rib injury. Long term, only Carragher offers real security from rotation – Reina is perhaps a decent option if you’re not playing the FPL game and bonus isn’t a factor.

Lineups
Everton: Howard, Hibbert (Saha 63), Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Arteta, Neville, Fellaini, Osman, Cahill, Yakubu.
Subs: Nash, Baines, Castillo, Saha, Vaughan, Valente, Rodwell.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Dossena, Kuyt, Alonso (Lucas 86), Gerrard, Riera (Aurellio 67), Torres, Keane (Pennant 86).
Subs: Cavalieri, Hyypia, Agger, Aurelio, Pennant, Babel, Lucas.

Injuries and Bans
Tim Cahill will now serve an immediate three match ban, missing the games against Newcastle, Arsenal and United.

Aston Villa 2 Sunderland 1

O’Neill continues to be wonderfully predictable with his starting lineup and once again restored Villa to the usual eleven, with Reo-Coker returning on the right of midfield. Laursen and Davies made up the central defensive pairing with Cuellar benched again.

Keane was forced into changes at the back with Nosworthy sidelined. Collins returned to the defence then. The Sunderland boss also made changes in midfield with Miller coming in for the injured Tainio.

Carew struck his fourth Premiership goal of the season and Young his second to boost their fantasy profiles that little bit more. Defensively, Villa once again let us down but Laursen continues to score heavily in the FPL through bonus points – he earned another maximum in this one. He’s also riding high in the Guardian game, as are Petrov and Barry.

Villa are proving to be full of consistent fantasy performers then, and the home of excellent mid-price purchases. The trip to Chelsea next weekend could put off any investors in the short term but after that game, Villa’s matches look kind, with Portsmouth, Wigan, Blackburn, Newcastle and Boro all lying in wait.

Little to say on Sunderland – Cisse might tempt a few transfers after his goal here but and Malbranque has proved a steady performer but, in the main, they remain a sparse hunting ground for fantasy talent – certainly in the FPL. At least in the Guardian game, there defenders are worthy of consideration, although their top scorer in this area, Nosworthy, missed this game with a hamstring injury.

Lineups
Aston Villa: Friedel, L Young, Davies, Laursen, Shorey (Milner 70), Reo-Coker, Petrov, Barry, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Carew (Cuellar 90).
Subs Not Used: Guzan, Harewood, Knight, Salifou, Gardner.

Sunderland: Gordon, Chimbonda, Ferdinand, Collins, McCartney, Malbranque, Whitehead, Richardson (Stokes 79), Miller (Reid 59), Cisse, Diouf (Murphy 59).
Subs Not Used: Fulop, Chopra, Healy, Henderson.

Fulham 1 West Ham 2

Hodgson is another Premiership manager who has settled into a nice groove with his team selection. They were once again unchanged, with Hodgson naming the side that travelled to Blackburn last time out.

Zola also selected an unchanged side as Cole passed a fitness test to take his place up front. Bellamy was fit enough for the bench.

It was another bitterly disappointing week for Fulham, who saw this match turn on 10 minutes of madness in the first half which saw them concede two goals and lose Johnson to a red card. Fulham’s players continue to offer sparse fantasy returns then with the likes of Bullard, Davies, Gera and Zamora yet to catch form so far. Fixtures remained kind though, so their time could well come over the next month or so. Look for Seol or perhaps Nevland, to come into the forward line to replace the suspended Johnson at West Brom next weekend.

Zola will be delighted with his start at West Ham after this second win in as many games. Carlton Cole continues to blossom this season and offers excellent value as a budget striker option. With Ashton now confirmed to be out until the New Year – his place in the Hammers lineup looks nailed down. For me, he’s a better choice than Di Michele who could come under threat from a fit-again Bellamy in due course.

In midfield, Etherington is also raising his profile as a budget option – he and Cole walked away with the FPL bonus in this one giving them 7 and 8 bonus points so far this season respectively. A word of warning before you jump in with these two however – October is a tough month for the Hammers – Bolton and Hull look kind-ish fixtures but it’s Arsenal and United to follow those two.

Lineups
Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Gera, Murphy, Bullard, Davies, Johnson, Zamora.
Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Ki-Hyeon, Nevland, Dempsey,Andreasen, Kallio, Baird.

West Ham: Green, Faubert, Neill, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker (Boa Morte 90), Noble, Etherington (Mullins 80), Cole, Di Michele (Bellamy 74).
Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Lopez, Davenport, Sears.

Injuries and Bans
Andrew Johnson will serve an immediate one match ban for picking up two bookings. He’ll miss the trip to West Brom next weekend.

Man Utd 2 Bolton 0

Ferguson made four changes to the side that took the field against Chelsea last time out. As suggested in his pre-match comments, Rooney was relegated to the bench. He was joined by Scholes and Evans, as Ronaldo and Vidic came into the starting lineup. Anderson also replaced Hargreaves in midfield and as expected, Tevez earned a start up front with Berbatov.

Megson was able to call upon Cahill after he completed his three match suspension last weekend. He returned with Shittu benched. Elmander also came back into the starting lineup after recovering from a hamstring injury with Smolarek dropping to the bench. McCann replaced Joey O’Brien in midfield while Taylor was fit enough to return to the bench but Gardner kept the left midfield berth.

This game hinged around the “penalty that never was” – Rob Styles’ decision mystified all involved, including Ferguson on United’s bench. Ronaldo stoked it home of course (no chance of Berbatov muscling in on pens then) and then provided the assist for Rooney’s second. In doing so, he earned his first maximum FPL bonus return of the season and sparked a renewed frenzy as fantasy managers contemplated the surgery required on their squad to bring him in.

Despite his price and the sacrifices you will be forced to make to your side, in the FPL game he looks an essential purchase, not least because he removes the week to week problem of choosing a Captain. Those who opted for him this week saw a 28 point return – the best possible return from an FPL captain on the day, and that from a match where he reportedly played badly. Even in the other games, his pure attacking threat will surely haul a significant amount of points again. Certainly, six shots on goal in this game, coupled with his goal and assist, were enough to bring a healthy 22 points in the Guardian game.

Ronaldo’s arrival in your lineup will probably make it impossible to consider United’s other attacking options but that’s perhaps not a bad thing. Rotation will clearly play a major role in the outputs of Berbatov, Tevez and Rooney and week-to-week, there will always be doubts over their starts. Yes Ronaldo could be part of rotation but to a lesser extent in my opinion. Also, given his impact potential, he has the weapons to score heavily in a brief sub appearance.

Defensively this was United’s second clean sheet in five Premiership games – although on several occasions they looked a little shaky. Fixtures do look favourable over the coming month however, which could prompt some investment in their defence. Neville in particular, could pick up some owners – he is clearly ahead of Brown (who didn’t make the squad here) in the pecking order when it comes to Premiership starts and is the cheapest option available in their rearguard.

Little to say about Bolton – they were clearly hard done by and can take some pride from their performance. Their fixtures pick up from this point, which could prompt some renewed interest in their defence at least. Cahill being the most obvious target, although both Andy O’Brien and keeper Jaaskelainen, are both riding high in the Guardian game. Both picked up FPL bonus here too.

Lineups
Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo (Nani 80), Fletcher, Anderson (Scholes 71), Park, Tevez (Rooney 71), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Amos, Giggs, O’Shea, Evans.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Andrew O’Brien, Samuel, Davies, Nolan, McCann, Muamba, Gardner (Smolarek 73), Elmander (Vaz Te 66).
Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Taylor, Joey O’Brien, Riga, Shittu.

Middlesbrough 0 West Brom 1

Southgate was forced into changes to his defence with Pogatetz suspended for three matches. Hoyte came back at right back then with Wheater shifting alongside Huth. He also tinkered with his midfield, recalling Shawky for Digard who dropped to the bench. Boro reverted back to 4-4-2, having tried one up front at Sunderland last time out. Mido partnered Alves in attack then as Johnson dropped to the bench.

Mowbray dropped Barnett to the bench after he was found out against Villa last weekend. Donk was handed a debut in central defence then. Kim replaced the injured Brunt in midfield but picked up a nasty knee injury himself early on in this one.

An immensely frustrating game for Boro who created plenty of chances but found Carson in inspired form in the West Brom goal. Boro’s lineup continues to offer little consistency to fantasy managers – with mid-price options – Downing, Alves and Mido drawing blanks. At least Huth’s dominance in the air keeps him ranked high in the Guardian game defenders. Decent fixtures, including three home games in the next five, could be enough to encourage their fantasy owners to keep the faith.

The Baggies earned their second away clean sheet of the season here – with Mowbray’s 4-5-1 policy clearly proving effective on the road. Carson in goal, has offered the biggest returns thus far – notching up plenty of saves and 5 FPL bonus points along the way. He is also leading the goalkeeping charts in the Guardian.

Donk and Olsson will also get some attention as budget defenders a result of this game, with Olsson catching the eye with a goal. In attacking terms there appears to be less on offer, Morrison and Greening at push perhaps. The latter earned the maximum FPL bonus against his former club here.

West Brom’s forthcoming fixtures aren’t too bad and home games with home games with Fulham, Hull and Blackburn in the next five looking good opportunities for points.

Lineups
Middlesbrough: Turnbull, Hoyte, Huth, Wheater, Taylor, Aliadiere (Johnson 60), O’Neil, Shawky (Digard 60), Downing, Alves, Mido.
Subs Not Used: Jones, Riggott, Emnes, Bennett, Walker.

West Brom: Carson, Zuiverloon, Donk, Olsson, Robinson, Valero, Morrison (Cech 76), Koren, Greening, Kim (MacDonald 4), Bednar, MacDonald (Miller 46).
Subs Not Used: Kiely, Barnett, Moore, Pele.

Injuries and Bans
Kim picked up a knee injury in the opening minutes and was replaced by McDonald.

Newcastle 1 Blackburn 2

Kinnear’s arrival saw few changes to the Newcastle lineup with options severely limited by injury. In one forced alteration from Wednesday’s Carling Cup lineup, Martins was out with a knee injury so Xisco made a return up front.

Ince made five changes to the side that travelled to Fulham last weekend. Brown started for the injured Robinson in goal. Olsson started for Treacy on the left of midfield, while Villanueva came in on the right with Pedersen dropping to the bench. Tugay came into central midfield for Andrews. Up front, Derbyshire earned a start with Roberts benched. Simpson kept his start at right back with Ooijer kept on the bench.

Owen struck his third goal of the season from the spot in this one and Given continues to offer decent value in goal but outside of those two, there’s little of interest in the Newcastle ranks.

For Rovers, Santa Cruz got back on the goal trail to appease his fantasy owners, starts for Derbyshire the eye-catching Villanueva will also attract some interest. Both need watching over the forthcoming fixtures as low-to-mid price options. The visit of United to Ewood Park next week, might be enough to put off interest in the short term however.

Lineups
Newcastle: Given, Bassong, Taylor, Coloccini, Cacapa, Geremi (Ameobi 71), Butt, Duff, N’Zogbia (Edgar 82), Xisco, Owen.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Tozer, Doninger, Donaldson, Ranger.

Blackburn: Brown, Simpson, Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Emerton, Olsson, Kerimoglu, Derbyshire (Ooijer 84), Santa Cruz (Roberts 84), Villanueva (Fowler 62).
Subs Not Used: Bunn, Pedersen, Andrews, Treacy.

Injuries and Bans
N’Zogbia picked up a knock and was replaced by Edgar on 82 minutes.

Stoke 0 Chelsea 2

Stoke were dealt a major blow with Delap missing out with a hamstring injury, robbing the home side of their key offensive weapon. Cresswell came into the midfield then, while Amdy Faye was available after suspension but had to settle for a place on the bench. Fuller wasn’t fit enough to start so was again on the bench as Sidibe started.

Scolari was without Joe Cole through injury so both Kalou and Malouda made starts. Alex replaced the injured Carvalho as expected. Drogba started his first Premiership game of the season with Anelka benched.

Without their long throw specialist, Stoke were always going to find it hard against the Chelsea defence and so it proved, with Scolari’s passing the physical test that Pulis’ side presented.

Stoke’s players – notably Delap, Lawrence and Fuller will continue to offer potential in the coming weeks, particularly with fixtures looking far kinder than this one. Chelsea meanwhile, are proving they have the resilience and killer instinct to see off the determined challenge of a promoted side, unlike Liverpool last week and Arsenal this.

Boswinga will take the headlines with his goal, although Lampard was again very instrumental in Chelsea’s over play, reflected by his 3 FPL bonus points. Chelsea’s fixtures look good over the next month and investment in their defence with Bosingwa and Alex likely targets, is set to continue. Lampard should also continue to get suitors, despite the arrival of Ronaldo as a factor. As I’ve said before, by all means make the Ronaldo move but resist as hard as you can, the temptation to sacrifice Lampard to find the funds.

Drogba’s start here should see him fetch a run of games with Anelka likely to play a cameo role – Kalou appears to be ahead of him and could offer some value as a supplementary striker, particularly in the FPL where he is classed as a midfielder.

Lineups
Stoke: Sorensen, Griffin, Cort, Abdoulaye Faye, Higginbotham, Lawrence (Tonge 65), Diao, Olofinjana, Cresswell, Kitson (Fuller 52), Sidibe (Am Faye 81).
Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Whelan, Soares, Sonko.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Ashley Cole, Obi, Kalou (Anelka 46), Ballack (Ferreira 89), Lampard, Malouda, Drogba (Belletti 73).
Subs Not Used: Hilario, Ivanovic, Sinclair, Bridge.

Arsenal 1 Hull 2

An extraordinary performance by Hull which inflict Arsenal’s first home defeat in 25 matches. The Gunners huffed and puffed and had their usual array of opportunities but Hull defended superbly and fired two opportunist strikes to stun the Emirates crowd.

Wenger sprung no real surprises with his lineup – Van Persie returned up front with Adebayor and Denilson reverted to the holding role with Walcott making a return on the right, Eboue remained on the left.

A frustrating day for fantasy owners of Arsenal players – on paper this should have been a comfortable win with strong returns – look at what Zaki did to Hull for starters. However, the Gunners could never raise their game to knock Brown’s side over.

Fabregas arguably had his most effective game of the season in attacking terms – striking 5 efforts on goal and denied a goal only by McShane’s intervention for the opener in this match. With Denilson sitting back and employing a less cavalier approach, Fabregas did get forward more often but that may not be enough for his fantasy owners. With Ronaldo reminding us of his power scoring, can Fabregas owners really afford to sit on regular FPL bonus points and hope for the best? He will come good but whether it will be good enough in fantasy terms is another question.

Up front, Adebayor and Van Persie failed to produce and remain inconsistent performers so far this terms – again the flicker of some form from Torres will have owners of the Arsenal pair considering action. Both will have far better days, although with Bendtner and Vela proving they have the class to allow Wenger to rest his primary strikers more often, it’s hard to see a week where we won’t be worrying about the rest and rotation of one of Adebayor or Van Persie, particularly around Champions League games.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Bendtner starting at Sunderland for Van Persie next weekend, given that Arsenal face Porto on Tuesday.

Wenger was talking up his defence before this one but then saw them exposed cruelly once again from set pieces. Cousin’s header to win the game had Wenger conceding that his defence looked vulnerable from corners. Clichy owners shouldn’t panic just yet but with Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal all bringing in clean sheets this week, there are clear alternatives.

For Hull, Brown certainly surprised me with his attacking approach to the game – opting for Cousin and King up front in a 4-4-2. He also recalled Geovanni to his midfield to replace Halmosi, while Boateng came in to anchor things in place of Mendy.

Geovanni’s strike will reacquaint him with fantasy managers – he remains a luxury for Brown having been benched in the last three matches and with the arrival of Stelios, his place is by no means assured. Even so, with goals like this he clearly has potential for both Brown and his fantasy owners.

Turner is clearly a gem at the back for them and is topping the defenders charts in the Guardian game with is impressive defensive stats. He really should have gone home with FPL bonus too, however rather oddly Gallas and Fabregas ate into that, while Cousin was awarded the maximum three points. He looked a threat and could find some fantasy suitors given that his place alongside King in Hull’s attack should be secure over the coming weeks. The next three look kind for Hull too so he is worthy of a look if you need a budget option up front.

Lineups
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Eboue (Bendtner 69), Fabregas, Denilson, Walcott (Vela 77), Adebayor, Van Persie.
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Ramsey, Song Billong, Silvestre, Djourou.

Hull City: Myhill, McShane, Zayatte, Turner, Dawson, Marney, Boateng (Garcia 76), Geovanni (Hughes 72), Ashbee, Cousin (Mendy 80), King.
Subs Not Used: Duke, Halmosi, Folan, Ricketts.

Injuries and Bans
Hull’s Geovanni picked up an injury and was replaced by Hughes on 71 minutes.

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