The turnaround in Gameweeks may be rapid but the Scout Selection Committee have been busy behind the scenes to bring you another set of picks. To an extent, Fantasy managers are somewhat at the mercy of any last-minute revelations right now, with team news so thin on the ground ahead of this evening’s 7.30pm deadline…
Tim Krul gets the nod between the posts with a home game against West Brom this Wednesday. With Fabricio Coloccini back in the heart of defence and Cheik Tiote installed to midfield, Newcastle kept Swansea at bay last weekend and will be hoping for back-to-back clean sheet as the Baggies make their way to Tyneside.
We’re sticking with Chris Samba once again in the back-three. The Blackburn skipper continues to provide a vital attacking threat to the Rovers attacks and has now bagged 2 goals and 4 assists in his last six full appearances. A home derby against Bolton gives Steve Kean’s side a chance to atone for last weekend’s Ewood Park defeat at the hands of West Brom.
Everton have yet to record a single clean sheet at Goodison this season but the visit of Swansea looks promising for David Moyes’ side. The Welsh club have failed to score in four of their eight away fixtures and with Leighton Baines also offering plenty going forward on the Toffees left flank, the full-back could be primed for a return to form this Gameweek.
We’ve opting for the security of Vincent Kompany ahead of Man City’s home clash with Stoke. Normally, we’d draft in Micah Richards, given his goal and 6 assists this season, but with Gael Clichy back from suspension on the left, Roberto Mancini has options in the full-back area. With Pablo Zabaleta excelling against Arsenal, the Argentine may keep his place in the starting XI; Richards appeared to be struggling late on in the game against the Gunners, though there has been no mention of any injury by the club.
Having seemingly recovered from his foot injury, Royston Drenthe is drafted into the Scout Picks. There’s no doubting the Dutchman’s class- coming off the bench against Norwich on Saturday, he needed only nine minutes to set up an assist- his fifth of the season, despite limited game time. Drenthe’s creativity will be key for Everton at home to Swansea, with David Moyes looking to halt a loss of form that has seen the Toffees pick up one point from the last three games.
Nani maintains his place in the picks, with a trip to Fulham up next for Man United. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have upped their attacking returns of late and despite returning no more than 3 Fantasy points at QPR on Sunday, the winger looked a constant threat throughout. Fulham may have kept two successive home clean sheets but the champions will put that record to the test at the Cottage on Wednesday evening.
Despite the struggles of Sunderland, Seb Larsson has proved the best of the mid-price midfielders so far this season. The 6.7-priced Swede’s set-pieces and delivery from the flank have seen him accumulate 74 points, only 4 behind the likes of Rafael Van der Vaart. A trip to Loftus Road will hold no fear for Martin O’Neill’s side and with QPR recording just one clean sheet in the last eleven matches, Larsson’s the likeliest of any Black Cat to get amongst the points.
We have slight doubts over the inclusion of David Silva. A home game against Stoke offers plenty potential but as the fixtures fly by, there’s always the possibility of Roberto Mancini resting some of his key players over the festive period. Nevertheless, we can’t run the risk of leaving him out, with the Spaniard just pipping Rafael Van der Vaart to the final place in midfield.
Robin Van Persie is straight back into the Scout Picks after a brief disappearance last weekend. Up against an Aston Villa side with three home defeats in their last four, Van Persie looks a strong favourite for the armband. The Dutchman hasn’t gone more than one game without scoring since gameweek 6 and looks likely to torment an out-of-sorts Villa side on Wednesday evening.
Demba Ba may have failed to find the net against Swansea but we’re marking that down as nothing more than a temporary blip. West Brom have picked up just one clean sheet on the road this term, back in gameweek 4 at Norwich, and with penalty duties also in his locker, Ba looks a good bet to breach the Baggies back-line tomorrow evening. Given the striker’s troublesome knee injury history, there’s a slight chance Alan Pardew could rest and rotate as the fixtures come thick and fast but with Newcastle looking for a first win in six, that perhaps seems unlikely.
Tonight’s battle at Ewood Park sees the two worst defences in the league go head to head. Yakubu’s 4 goal haul against Swansea is still fresh in the memory and with an all-Lancashire derby against Bolton this evening, he’ll be looking to get the frustrated home fans back on side. Bolton have conceded 2 or more goals in six of their last seven away matches and with the Nigerian also on penalty duties, his chances of scoring look strong.
