The Weekend Team News

How Much Edwin Van Der Sar last season ???????????????????????

How's my midfield for this week.

yaya bale drenthe siggy nani

I've just put Gerrard in my team.

Oh god what hav I done?!?!

Do you think Pog, Rooney and Skrtel will outscore Ba, Aguero and Caulker by at least 8 points?

Moyes loves gentlemen's agreements

Hello.
I am chasing a 99 point lead.

Team is:
Schwarzer (vorm)
Naylor, BAE, Senderos (Kompany, Santon)
Bale, Dempsey, Silva, Siggy (Sess)
RVP, Ba, Suarez(c)

Is Kompany->Enrique worth a 4 point hit?
Many thanks

The number 1 ranked team overall includes players such as Drogba, Hilario, T.Cahill, Hanley, Walters and Ferguson. None of these are favoured on this site – just shows you that the generic team may only get you so far!

Vorm - Al Habsi

Simpson - Taiwo - Kompany - Evans - Caulker

Sigurdsson - McLean - Valencia - Bale - Silva

RVP - Aguero - Ba

Aguero and Kompany ➡ Rooney and Skrtel for a four point hit seems logical right?

How does this wildcard team look? Thanks lads

Mignolet Schwarzer
Skrtel Enrique Caulker Evans Santon
Bale McLean Sigurdsson Dempsey Adam
Van Persie Rooney Ba

Hey Guys,

So Iv abandoned my team and im around 70 points behind my leader. Iv still got my wildcard, he doesnt and Iv got 2 free transfers this week. What do you guys think?

Given Ruddy
Simpson BAE O’Shea Evans Caulker
McClean Sigurdsson Mata Bale Silva
Aguero Adebayor V.Persie

0.0 in the bank

Im thinking:
Ageuro -> Suarez
Mata -> Young

Champions League Group B Matchday 3 Preview (Match 1)

CSKA Moscow (CatMac) V Trabzonspor (GreenWindmill)
Before the start of the tournament it would have been no surprise to learn that 6 points would separate these two teams at this stage of the competition. What is remarkable, however, is that it is the Turkish side who sit proudly on top of Group B with CSKA still searching for their first win. With both teams nursing injuries after bruising encounters last week, changes to personnel are inevitable and this match may be won or lost by how canny each manager has been in the transfer market. With so many changes being made, CSKA’s team spirit may have taken a hit, neutralising home advantage on this occasion and making for a very close encounter…

Transfer Gossip
CSKA - Two disappointing performances in this season’s Champions League has produced a strong reaction in the media from manager CatMac (link) leading to widespread speculation over the identities of the three players who have been sacrificed and who their replacements could be. Whilst no official word has been forthcoming, CatMac is known to be a strict disciplinarian and it seems unlikely that she will have tolerated the behaviour of certain members of her squad last week. Favourites to have left the CSKA squad are Stephane Sessegnon for his red card last week, Sergio Aguero for his no-show against Inter and Jonathan Walters for being rubbish. Their departures, coupled with the £2.2m already sitting in CSKA’s coffers will have allowed CatMac to bring in some impressive talent. If rumours are to be believed then the North West of England has been raided to boost the firepower available with Wayne Rooney, Luis Nani and the precocious Ryo Miyaichi all signing this week. If these rumours prove true then CSKA may just be about to turn their fortunes around…
Trabzonspor - On the back of a fine win against Lille, Green Windmill might have been tempted to stick with a winning formula but injuries and indiscipline have forced his hand. “Certain players’ attitudes have been giving me the blues” he moaned, “I need as many players as possible who are red hot at this moment in time if we’re to succeed.” This thinly veiled message appears to mean that the manager has finally run out of patience with some of his former Manchester City stars and has turned to the red halves of Manchester and Merseyside for reinforcements.

Injury / Team News
CSKA - Having failed to put out a full line up last week, CatMac should be in the luxurious position of having almost a full squad to choose from with only Steven Kelly likely to miss out. New signings Rooney and Nani will go straight into the first team with youngster Miyaichi having to make do with a place on the bench alongside David Santon. With Aguero having been moved on and Ba disappointing in his last two outings it looks like a straight fight between Van Persie and Rooney for the armband with the Dutchman tipped to get the nod.
Trabzonspor - Steven Kelly is expected to miss out once again through injury so Green Windmill’s key decisions appear to be in goal and midfield. Paddy Kenny has been preferred between the sticks in recent weeks but after failing to impress, Michel Vorm could be in line for a recall. Victor Moses was forced into action last week despite declaring himself less than 100% following international duty and unsurprisingly did not pull up any trees against Lille, whereas Gylfi Sigurdsson had a fine game. Despite this, Windmill is known to have a soft spot for Moses, time and again praising his potential so uncertainty over the final midfield spot remains.

Predicted Line Ups
CSKA - Vorm / Enrique Evans Shawcross / Nani Silva Dempsey Bale / Van Persie Ba Rooney
Trabzonspor - Vorm / Senderos Skrtel Shawcross / Nani Silva Dempsey Sigurdsson / Van Persie Yakubu Rooney

Match Verdict - Home win

Champions League Group B Matchday 3 Preview (Match 2)

Lille (Chris_White) V Internazionale (JMS)
These two teams have identical records having both triumphed against CSKA Moscow and lost narrowly to Trabzonspor. Separated by a points difference of just 2, this promises to be an extremely tight match up and Chris White will be hoping that home advantage is enough to swing the tie in his favour. Similarly to CSKA, however, Lille will be trying to integrate a number of new players into their squad which may cancel out any advantage the home crowd will bring.

Transfer Gossip
Lille - Manager White has let slip a few clues about his dealings in the transfer market this week by stating “Some of my players haven’t been giving enough during the last couple of matches, I need players who can give more than just 110% so I’ve brought in a couple of new faces who I know are going to give 200% this week.” Likely to be leaving Lille are Micah Richards and Demba Ba, who are believed to have walked out upon learning the identity of one of the new signings, something Chris was quick to deny “No, no, not at all. Micah and Demba have been underperforming for a number of weeks and the timing was right. Besides, Jose Enrique isn’t a racist.”
Internazionale - It would appear that Inter boss JMS has been playing a waiting game with his transfers and the wily manager’s patience may have been rewarded following the news that Vincent Kompany suffered an injury on Thursday evening. Having only signed for Inter last week, JMS may be reluctant to part with the Belgian but given the paucity of options on the bench it seems probable that Kompany will be shipped out and the funds invested in a new defender with Martin Skrtel a rumoured target. Usually cautious, Inter could well be tempted to delve further into the transfer market this week to attract some new striking talent with only Van Persie providing reliable returns. JMS would not be drawn on the matter but a swap deal involving Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney has been suggested in some parts.

Injury / Team News
Lille - With Steven Kelly guaranteed to be warming the bench this week, White’s choices are limited in defence. New signing Enrique is likely to be thrust straight alongside Jonny Evans with the remaining defensive spot falling to either Danny Simpson or Gareth McAuley. Given McAuley’s excellent showing last week he looks set to be given the nod. Lille’s other dilemma is in midfield where last week’s superb performance from Gylfi Sigurdsson should be enough to see him retain his place at the expense of Adel Taarabt.
Internazionale - JMS has few selection headaches this week with the backline and strike force picking itself assuming the new signings arrive before the deadline, his only conundrum is whether to stick with the in-form Sigurdsson or turn to the explosive talents of James McClean as a possible differential match winner.

Predicted Line Ups
Lille - Mignolet / Evans Enrique McAuley / Sigurdsson Dempsey Silva Bale / Van Persie Aguero Suarez
Internazionale - Mignolet / Evans Assou-Ekotto Skrtel / Sigurdsson Dempsey Silva Bale / Van Persie Rooney Ba

Match Verdict - Home win

Kompany -> Skrtel
Ba -> Prog (So that I can afford the last transfer):
Aguero -> Rooney

-4 points hit

OR

Kompany -> Skrtel
Aguero -> Suarez

No hit, but would use a transfer to get rid of Suarez after this gw.

Cheers.

Just posted this on the previous post, for anyone who might be interested, although I can't blame you if you have no interest in Everton players 🙂

For the few of you that are actually interested in Everton players this week, here’s an Everton fans thoughts on the likely game time for each player:

Howard – will obviously play the 180 minutes barring injury, cheapest way to get guaranteed minutes out of the defence.

Baines – will play 180 minutes barring injury, but be wary that his free kick and corner duties will be shared with Drenthe and Pienaar

Hibbert – 90% certain he should start both games, but be wary that he was dropped for Neville for a game recently, can’t remember which, but unfortunately, Moyes loves Neville, and if Rodwell and Fellaini are both fit to play in midfield, there’s that little risk over Hibbert’s place at right back

Heitinga – hasn’t been mentioned that much around here, but he’s been in great form for us and if Moyes drops him for Jagielka then he deserves to be shot, but then again it is Moyes. Would rate him at 95% nailed on, with a better goal threat than Hibbert.

Osman – still returning from injury, played in the reserves game midweek and only made a substitute appearance against QPR. He will almost certainly feature in both games but starts aren’t guaranteed.

Pienaar – obviously ineligible for the Spurs game but will play 100% of the time barring injury in the derby and during the rest of the season.

Drenthe – Given his recent form, and Pienaar’s absence from the Spurs game, he will almost certainly start at the weekend, but he is also likely to be subbed off early. In the derby, with Pienaar back and Osman and Coleman having a few more days of training under their belts, he is at much more risk, and he could easily lose his place in the line-up, but I’d still expect him to feature from the bench.

Stracqualursi – personally think he’s under-rated as a fantasy prospect, but his place in the team is under threat from Jelavic in the long term, and it is difficult to fit him in around Suarez, RVP, Rooney etc. For anyone who hasn’t been paying attention to Everton lately, I can’t blame you, but he has scored in the last two FA Cup games and had one cleared off the line against Man City. The fans love him and he has excelled at Goodison, not so much at QPR and Wigan, but Spurs at home and a derby are exactly the kind of games that have brought the best out of him so far. I would expect him to start both and play 80+ minutes given his recent form.

Hopefully, somebody, somewhere will find this useful or insightful 😉

A - Enrique and Siggy (bench Sess)

B - Enrique and 7.8 mid from selling Sess for -4 hit

C - Adam and Simpson

D - Adam and 5.1 defender for -4 hit

Last 3 means to bench Siggy...

Mignolet Krul
Kolarov Kelly Kompany Caulker Raylor

A. Kompany -> Skrtel? for 4pt hit
B. A + Kolarov -> Enrique? for 8pt hit
C. A + Kolarov -> Evans? for 8pt hit
D. other???

Good luck to all this weekend! See y'all on Monday mornin'.

APOEL press conference:

Reporter: Tell us how you feel the last matchday went?

Archie: It was always going to be tough to go away to the Ukraine, but the boys done good, overturning the 4 point home advantage and running off with all three points.

Reporter: Was it a relief to get points on the board after your disappointing first week loss to Zenit?

Archie: It was, it was, after losing at home by a narrow margin after playing the whole match without a keeper was hard to take, thanks to Vorm and Sorensen's no shows, but this week, despite a few poor individual performances we scraped through.

Reporter: Yes, let's talk about that, do you think your team deserve extra credit for making it through that match with only 7 players?

Archie: That was a tough one to take, with so many last minute injuries, I have to say it was the individual performances of three lads, Clint, Steven and Robin who carried the team. And the less said about Demba Ba taking the armband off Aguero, the better.
I have to say Czarbles was very unlucky himself this week with a couple of red cards, that helped me through.

Reporter: So, what do you make of your chances to become the first Cypriot team to get out of the Champions League group stages, considering you're sitting pretty in second place right now? And who do you see as your biggest rivals?

Archie: Well we all know there's a long way to go in this competition, I'm taking it week by week, and we'll see if we can get a result this week, it'll be tough though, going away to this Porto team. Flynn's Zenit side look very strong, especially with 2 wins on the trot, I think they'll be the team to beat.

Reporter: So we've heard your Portuguese opponents have played the wildcard this week, do you think this will make it harder for you?

Archie: Of course it will, his side will be up to full strength without the dead weight of Sessegnon and Taiwo, while I'll be struggling with injury doubts and points hits. I must say I've seen a sneak preview of his teamsheet for the weekend and it looks very strong, with an RVP-Rooney-Suarez front 3.

Reporter: So what are your transfer plans this week, I can see you've already taken a 4 point hit - are you a fan of the early transfer?

Archie: Well you know, sometimes you've got to hope for the best and go for it to catch the price rises, though with the news about Kompany I'm half regretting getting rid of Richards so soon.

Reporter: Any hints on who you have brought in?

Archie: Let's just say I'm a Liverpool fan who thinks that his side haven't been living up to their fantasy potential, and is hoping that will change. And a few of my 7 - yes 7 - players who just didn't turn up last week have been moved on.

Reporter: Well thanks Archie, good speaking to you.

Last post....

Can anybody tell me some PL matches that are well worth some money to bet on?

Europa League Group L Match day 3 Preview
Barsenalonafinds himself the new runaway leader, with Mac and thobe230 struggling to keep up, while Doosra, 2nd highest point scorer, finds himself in a dismal last place.

Group L
Group Leader Team Manager W D L F A GD Pts Rank
Anderlecht Mac 1 0 1 112 128 -16 3 3
AEK Athens Doosra 0 0 2 122 134 -12 0 4
Lokomotiv Moskva thobe230 1 0 1 121 105 16 3 2
SK Sturm Graz FC Barsenalona 2 0 0 127 115 12 6 1

Lokomotiv Moskva (thobe230) vs AEK (Doosra)
Can thobe230 make his home advantage help in his fight to catch Barsenalona?
Injury / Team News:
Lokomotiv Moskva - Made his two free transfers. Kompany and Valencia were the sick notes.
AEK - Three transfers, 8 point hit. Maybe Rooney in? No injuries.
Predicted Line Ups
Lokomotiv Moskva: Schwarzer; Evans, Santon, Assou-Ekotto; Morrison, Silva, Dempsey McClean; Aguero, Ba, van Persie
AEK: Hennessey; Koscielny, Assou-Ekotto, Evans; Yaya Toure, Silva, Dempsey, ❓ ; Rooney, Adebayor, Van Persie
Match Verdict - Narrow home win.

Sturm (FC Barsenalona) vs Anderlecht (Mac)
Can the surprise leader maintain his form against the powerful Mac?.
Injury / Team News
Sturm - One transfer already done! Kompany the only casualty.
Anderlecht - Three transfers made for an 8 point hit! Kelly the worry.
Predicted Line Ups
Sturm: Friedel; Evans, Simpson, Riise; Bale, Silva, Pilkington, McClean; Ba, van Persie, Graham
Anderlecht: Mignolet; Ivanovich, Richards, ❓ ; Dempsey, Downing, Silva, Bale; ❓ , Yakubu, van Persie
Match Verdict - Home win, I think.

Who would you start:

Beausejour (Norwich Away)
McClean (Liverpool Home)

WC team:
Schwarzer (Mignolet)
Sagna/Skrtel/Evans (Caulker/Simpson)
Dempasey/Yaya/Surman/Silva (Siggy)
RVP/Rooney/Suarez

Wanted Valencia really instead of Yaya, but gonna have to wait one more week to get him. Also having a tough time deciding who to captain between the front 3. Any suggestions? Thanks

Thinking of using my WC to this team:
Krul - Vorm
Evans - Skrtel - Enrique - Kompany - Simpson
Bale - Silva - Siggy - Miyachi - McClean
Suarez - RVP - Rooney

Thoughts? Midfield too weak?

Souns wierd but does anyonne have a link to last years overall ranks.

Rooney should play Sunday, but I wouldn't be overly confident of him making Wolves away. He'll definitely start the Bilbao game.

Van Persie or Skrtel captaino?

Hi guys, Would really appreciate your thoughts on this A or B?

A) Nani, Shotton +0.5m
B) Yaya and G.Johnson

Al-Habsi has saved 4 penalties this season. Is that some kind of record, or is it not as mammoth as it sounds?

cannot afford graham to straq. how dissapointing

Dempsey V Moses

Demps has only ever scored above a 2/3 once this season away. Moses on the other hand has 13, 7, 5,6

Who fancies a Demps double and assist then?