John O’Shea rescues a vital point for 10-man Sunderland in scrappy encounter at the Stadium of Light. Craig Gardner is out for the season after being dismissed for a shocking challenge on Charlie Adam, while Jon Walters nets for the second time in three games as Stoke move closer to safety. Elsewhere, Steven Gerrard may be out for Liverpool’s last couple of matches and Moussa Sissoko remains a real doubt as Newcastle prepare to make their way to Loftus Road this upcoming Sunday:
Another Black Cat Sees Red
A second straight red in the space of seven days could well prove disastrous for Sunderland’s prospects of survival. Paolo Di Canio is already without the suspended Stephane Sessegnon following the midfielder’s dismissal at Villa last Monday but the Wearsiders will also be devoid of Craig Gardner, who was dismissed for a horrendous challenge on Charlie Adam with 34 minutes on the clock. With Steven Fletcher also out for the season through injury, this means the Black Cats will be missing their three top scorers for the weekend home clash with Southampton and Gameweek 38 trip to Tottenham. The trio have scored 24 of their side’s 40 goals between them but with Danny Graham once again failing to find the net, Di Canio’s side may well struggle to find the goals that will help them scramble over the finishing line.
Di Canio Shuffles his Pack
Sessegnon’s suspension allowed Adam Johnson the chance to shift off the wing last night and move to a more central position behind lone striker Graham. With the former City winger playing in “the hole”, Di Canio shuffled his options and brought in James McClean and Jack Colback on the right and left respectively, with Seb Larsson moving to central midfield and Gardner shifting to right-back. Gardner’s dismissal is likely to afford Phil Bardsley the chance of another start against the Saints on Sunday but with Connor Wickham still sidelined with a calf complaint, Di Canio’s attacking options remain limited for those last two matches. John O’Shea had scored just once all season before last night’s equaliser and the Wearsiders will be hoping for more unlikely heroes to step up and save them from the drop.
Relegation Scrap Heats Up
Last night’s point may well prove decisive as Sunderland moved above Newcastle and Norwich on goal difference alone. The trio are all situated on 38 points but will be joined by Wigan later this evening if Roberto Martinez’s side get the better of Swansea at the DW – Newcastle would drop into the bottom three with just two matches remaining. Indeed, with Southampton on 39 points, Villa and Fulham on 40 points and Stoke on 41 points, the battle to beat the drop could well be set to go to the very last whistle – from a Fantasy perspective, then, this means plenty teams will be fielding their full strength XI in what has become an incredible finale to the season.
Walters the Potters Hero
A second goal in the last three Gameweeks continued Jon Walters’ strong end to the season. Despite being fielded on the flank, with Tony Pulis preferring Cameron Jerome alongside Peter Crouch in recent weeks, the Republic of Ireland international continues to steadily accrue the points – he has also produced bonus in each of the last three matches and is now up to 137 points, just three short of last season’s total. With only three sets of double figures this term, Walter has rarely demonstrated explosive Fantasy potential but with spot-kicks also in his locker, he remains a reliable, if somewhat unglamorous, option and has outscored the likes of Frank Lampard, Yaya Toure, Steven Pienaar and Kevin Nolan thus far.
In Other News
Reports last night indicate that Steven Gerrard could be ruled out for the season due to an ongoing shoulder problem. The Liverpool skipper has been hampered with the injury in recent weeks but was expected to manage the problem until the campaign was over but could now undergo surgery earlier than expected after the issue worsened in Sunday’s Merseyside derby. Certainly, Gerrard’s displays have suffered in recent weeks – he’s produced just two converted penalties in the last nine – but with games against Fulham and QPR to follow, Liverpool are likely to attract increased investment over the next few days. If Gerrard is indeed ruled out, it remains to be seen whether Brendan Rodgers will drop Jordan Henderson deeper and bring in the likes of Jonjo Shelvey as the most advanced central midfielder, while Daniel Sturridge’s would-be suitors will also be hoping he could be handed spot-kick duties, furthering his mid-price appeal.
Alan Pardew revealed Moussa Sissoko remains a doubt for Newcastle’s trip to QPR next Sunday. The Frenchman missed last weekend’s goalless draw at West Ham due to a knee problem and while his manager rued Sissoko’s absence, it afforded Hatem Ben Arfa the chance to start a league game for the first time since Gameweek 16 at Upton Park. Fielded in “the hole” behind Papiss Cisse, Ben Arfa was subbed off on 64 minutes but Pardew is confident he’ll be nearer full match-fitness by the time the Loftus Road encounter comes around:
“Ben Arfa has been struggling. This hamstring has a slight weakness in there and it won’t even be strong I don’t think for six, seven weeks. We got a great level of fitness out of him in terms of that particular problem. He was terrific at West Ham, and he’s a match winner. We’ve been bringing him on in the second half but started him at the weekend and we missed him when we took him off. We missed that little thrust. I think for Hatem another week’s work will get him closer. Goal scoring is what wins games, we’ve got to improve that area for next week, including with Hatem.”
Pardew had more mixed news on the injury front once again, in a season that continues to hammer his first-team squad. Shola Ameobi is now a doubt to face Harry Redknapp’s side after picking up a foot problem against the Hammers and, while Massadio Haidara is likely to miss out again with a hamstring injury, the Newcastle boss admitted he is “pushing” Davide Santon to be available. The young Italian has missed played just 16 minutes since Gameweek 29 but if he misses out, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is set to cover at left-back, with Mathieu Debuchy now available on the opposite side of defence, having served a one-match suspension.
