Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta are on course for comebacks against Manchester United this Sunday. Daniel Agger is available for Liverpool’ strip to Bolton, Robbie Keane is edging closer to his first Aston Villa start, while Daniel Sturridge is growing frustrated with his role on the right for Chelsea.
Arsenal are set to go into the Emirates clash with Man United with both Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta in contention. The return of Arteta will come as no surprise – he missed the defeat at Swansea with what was described by Arsene Wenger as a “mild” calf strain. Vermaelen is perhaps an unexpected boost, however. The Belgian has been sidelined with a calf injury since New Year’s Eve but is now set to reinforce a beleaguered back-four ahead of the visit of the champions. Vermaelen could well find himself at left-back, as the Gunners continue to stave off defensive injuries across their rear-guard.
Elsewhere in the Emirates treatment room, the Guardian reports that Jack Wilshere’s recovery from a fractured ankle has amazed the club’s medical staff. Wilshere is reportedly pushing for a return to action ahead of the Champions League clash with Milan on February 15. Wilshere underwent surgery in September and was expected to be out of the picture until March but, having shifted the return date to February, Arsene Wenger has recently suggested the midfielder will be in line for a return even earlier.
The Guardian go on to state that Wilshere “requires at least two further weeks of conditioning before he will be considered for selection”. That would hand Wenger a selection headache around Gameweek 24, which could well see Aaron Ramsey’s starting role under threat. The Welshman has started all but two of the Gunners’ league games this term but with Mikel Arteta and Alex Song seemingly settled in the deeper midfield positions, Ramsey and Wilshere will likely be vying for the more attacking role, though there’s also the possibility of Arteta moving further forward, with Wilshere sitting alongside Song.
Man United look likely to turn up at the Arsenal with Anders Lindegaard between the sticks. The Danish stopper has now started the last three matches – the first time that he has been given the nod ahead of David De Gea for three consecutive games. Today’s press is awash with quotes from the keeper, shedding some light on his relationship with De Gea and emphasising Lindegaard’s desire to keep the number one jersey.
It has been very good for both of us. Every time we play, the last guy to wish the keeper good luck is the other keeper. We have a very good relationship and I enjoy working with him. ..But it says a lot for me that I am keeping him out of the team and I am very proud of what I have made out of this…It is the first time I have played three games in a row and that is what I want, to play as much as possible, but I don’t need a definition of my position.
Fantasy managers will be monitoring the situation carefully. Right now, coverage of United’s defensive potential has been gained by the acquisition of Phil Jones or even the cheaper Johnny Evans. Lindegaard offers an alternative route but one which is somewhat blighted by the doubt surrounding the rotation with De Gea. Having appeared to play second fiddle to De Gea earlier in the season, the Dane now appears to be in possession of the role, but Fantasy investors will surely remain cautious.
Kenny Dalglish confirmed this morning that Daniel Agger will be available for selection ahead of the weekend trip to Bolton. The Dane missed last week’s home clash against Stoke with what his managers described as an “ongoing“ problem but is back to bolster the defence for Saturday evening’s Reebok showdown. Jamie Carragher made a rare appearance in the first XI against the Potters but with Agger striking up such a solid partnership with Martin Skrtel, Carragher is likely to step down to the bench.
Alex McLeish is considering giving Robbie Keane his first Villa start this weekend after the loan star impressed in training. Keane, who notoriously has a knack of scoring against former clubs, could line up against Wolves, the team where he started his career, in the crucial midlands derby on Saturday. Priced at just 5.0, Keane could be a decent shout as a cut-price differential, with a home clash against QPR to follow. McLeish admitted:
We’ve got another few days of training and Robbie’s been looking sharp so I’ve got food for thought for the weekend. He has brought the link-up skills to the team and has struck up a good rapport with Stephen Ireland as well.
West Brom new boy Scott Allan could be set to make his debut for the midlanders after impressing Roy Hodgson. The Baggies in something of a winter slump right now, having scored a single goal in their last four fixtures, and reports suggest the winger may be set to freshen up the first XI for the trip to Stoke. Hodgson is clearly impressed with his new acquisition, saying:
We’ve got young Scott who is doing well. His opening week with us has been interesting. He has hit the ground running.
Wolves’ exit from the FA Cup to neighbours Birmingham left Mick McCarthy seething. The Wolves boss rang the changes for the tie, with Christophe Berra the only player remaining from the side that earned a point at Spurs last weekend. To an extent, McCarthy’s hand was forced with injuries robbing him of the likes of Roger Johnson, Matt Jarvis, Kevin Foley and Dave Edwards. McCarthy indicated that he remained hopeful that at least a couple of that quartet will be in contention for the visit of local rivals Villa this weekend.
It will be a different team that plays against Villa…If I haven’t got everyone fit for the game then of course there will be others considered…Hopefully we’ll have the ones available who were out tonight but all the players need to support each other because it’s a big, important game…I think I’ll certainly have Roger and Foles and Jarvo but Dave Edwards is probably the bigger doubt of them all.
Steven Fletcher came on as a late second half sub last night and, while he failed to find the net, came through unscathed.. Subject of our Watchlist article yesterday, Fletcher has so far commanded over 60,000 transfers in, more than any other player in the Gameweek.
An article in the Times this morning claims that Daniel Sturridge is growing increasingly frustrated at a lack of opportunities in his preferred centre-forward role. The story suggests that Sturridge is concerned that his Euro 2012 prospects are being damaged by his role on the right-flank in Chelsea’s lineup and that he’s pushing hard to be given the nod ahead of Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba. With the Ivorian away at the African Cup of Nations, Torres has looked sharp in the central role, while Sturridge has sat out the last two matches with a hip injury. He was an unused sub in the narrow win over Sunderland and will be in line to return to the side for the trip to Norwich this weekend. Whether he starts on the right remains to be seen – certainly Torres’ display against the Black Cats was encouraging enough to suggest that he will hold that position.
12 years, 4 months agoNote to self: Stick to the basics.