Roberto Martinez expects his star striker to be ready for the weekend trip to Palace. Sascha Riether is charged with violent conduct following Saturday’s stamp on Adnan Januzaj, Loic Remy sets himself a goal target, Brendan Rodgers could be set to start Philippe Coutinho at home to Fulham, while unconfirmed reports have surfaced of a possible return to action for Theo Walcott this weekend:
Martinez Optimistic on Lukaku
The Toffees boss is confident Romelu Lukaku will recover from the injury that forced him off during Sunday’s goalless draw with Spurs. Speaking to the Everton official website, Martinez was a little perplexed as to why his forward received a caution for the clash with Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris:
“We will have to assess it, it seems like a dead leg and nothing serious. Unfortunately, he had to come off at that time. I saw it as a complete accident. Rom is powerful man who tried to get there first. I didn’t see the reason for a yellow card – I did see it as a little bit harsh.”
The Scout Says: The third most popular forward in the FPL game with a 25% ownership, Lukaku’s recovery is keenly awaited. Prior to the weekend clash, he had racked up five goals in five games for the Toffees and while Martinez has started to tinker with his midfield in recent weeks, dropping Leon Osman and Ross Barkley in subsequent fixtures, the big Belgian looks nailed on by comparison. With a trip to Selhurst Park on the horizon, he looks a real captaincy contender this weekend – Palace have yet to register a single clean sheet all season.
Riether Hit with FA Charge
The Fulham right-back has been retrospectively charged with violent conduct following an incident with Adnan Januzaj in Saturday’s clash at Old Trafford. Riether has until 6pm this evening to appeal or faces the prospect of a three-match ban.
The Scout Says: Post-match, Martin Jol admitted he had not seen the stamping incident but given the nature of the clash, it seems unlikely the Cottagers boss will appeal. Riether now looks poised to miss the next three league fixtures (liv, SWA, whm) before returning to the XI for the Gameweek 14 home clash against Spurs – Aaron Hughes seems the likeliest to benefit, though Elsad Zverotic also offers an alternative should the German, as expected, be banned.
Remy Sets Goals Target
After finding the net against Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime, Newcastle’s on-loan forward is hoping to surpass his best ever tally of 16 goals this season.
“In terms of goals my record season was 16 when I was at Marseille so if I can do better that would be great. My focus is also about the team. Alone, I can do nothing. When I was at QPR, I was only there for six months and I scored six goals. I’m confident at the moment. The gaffer said at half-time, ‘Come on, you can do better. I know your level, you need to up your level a little bit’ and that’s what I did.”
The Scout Says: Remy’s strike against the Blues means he has already has notched six times for the Magpies. With an assist also to his name, the Frenchman has played a part in seven of Newcastle’s 14 goals since arriving from QPR. A change in formation bodes well for his chances – moved from the left flank into the centre as Alan Pardew shifted from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2, his strike helped seal the 2-0 win and vindicated his manager’s decision to drop Hatem Ben Arfa to the bench once again. A trip to Spurs looks problematic but with home games against Norwich and West Brom just around the corner, the potential for further goals looks promising.
Rodgers Hints at Coutinho Start
The Liverpool boss praised the fit-again Brazilian after he returned from injury at the Emirates last weekend.
“Young Philippe was excellent when he came on – wonderful feet, great on the ball and gave us a foothold in the game. He’s a player that can control a game; he has got that wonderful gift and ability to control. You saw his imagination, looking for those passes to penetrate. It’s great news for us. He has only really been back training with the team in the last few days after getting medical clearance. For him to get 45 minutes will be really good for him. Another good week next week and hopefully we can introduce him into the game next weekend.”
The Scout Says: A start for Coutinho would hand Rodgers a dilemma in terms of formation after his introduction against Arsenal saw the visitors move from 3-4-1-2 to 4-4-2. Rodgers admitted his decision was partly based on the space the Gunners found on the flanks but with weekend opponents Fulham a little less dynamic than Arsene Wenger’s side in the final third, he may decide to hand Coutinho a role in “the hole” behind Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge and go all-out on the attack. Such a scenario would suit Glen Johnson owners – the defender is set to be fit after missing out through illness last weekend and should continue on the right of midfield if his manager perseveres with a three-man backline.
Allardyce Praises Nolan Performance
The Hammers boss admitted he is happy to continue with his captain as the most advanced midfielder in a 4-6-0 until Andy Carroll returns.
“Kevin can hold it up, he can bring other people into play. We haven’t got anybody that can play up front at the moment that can start a game of football, until we get them fitter. In that case, when you’ve delivered as many opportunities as we delivered, it’s about people getting on the end of it. Kevin scored a good goal against Cardiff. In the end, like I said, it’s not just about Kevin, or Andy (Carroll), it’s about all the others taking responsibility to score as we set out at the start of the season.”
The Scout Says: Nolan was handed the role against Villa last weekend and while he failed to find the net, his attacking statistics were significantly up from previous matches. Now down to 6.8 in FPL since returning just two assists from Gameweek 2 onwards, Nolan registered four shots inside the box in Saturday’s goalless draw and with Norwich, Fulham, Palace and Sunderland in the next six, may well see a turnaround in fortunes after a disappointing start to the season without his sidekick Carroll.
Pellegrini to Stick with Pantilimon
The City boss was refreshingly open on the goalkeeper situation ahead of this evening’s Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow. Pellegrini (who also revealed Stevan Jovetic is out for three weeks and Vincent Kompany will remain sidelined) admitted Costel Pantilimon will retain the keeper’s jersey for the third match in a row:
“I don’t know when Joe will come back to the team, it is very important for him to have a rest. He has played all the matches for the last two and a half years; we will see in the future what happens.”
The Scout Says: At present, then, it seems the spot is Pantilimon’s to lose after he registered a clean sheet in each of the last two in all competitions. Priced at just 4.9 in FPL, he certainly has the fixtures in his favour – trips to Sunderland, West Brom and Southampton, allied with home games against goal-shy Spurs and Swansea in the next five bode well for defensive returns. With the Black Cats visit not until Sunday, Pellegrini could well field another strong line-up given the importance of this evening’s match – a win against the Russian outfit would ensure City qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League and allow the option on rest and rotation over the final two group matches.
Defensive Woes for United
David Moyes has ruled Jonny Evans and Rafael out of United’s trip to Real Sociedad after both picked up injuries at Fulham.
The Scout Says: Luckily for Moyes, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand returned from injury in last week’s Capital One Cup win over Norwich. Both Evans and Rafael are now doubts for Sunday’s visit of Arsenal, with Phil Jones perhaps favourite to be shifted to right-back in the Brazilian’s potential absence, allowing Vidic and Ferdinand to be paired in the centre for the first time since the Gameweek 5 hammering at the hands of City. Certainly, a lack of consistency of selection has hit the champions hard in defence – after starting the season with two goals against in the first four, they have now conceded in each of the subsequent six league matches.
Weimann Worry for Lambert
The Villa boss had some mixed news on the injury front yesterday. Lambert revealed he expects Fabian Delph to recover from the sickness bug that ruled him out of the trip to West Ham but has concerns over the hamstring problem that forced Andreas Weimann off in the goalless draw:
“It looks like a hamstring at the minute. I don’t know how severe it is. The thing is we’ve got one more game then we get a break so hopefully the break helps him.”
The Scout Says: Given that Gabby Agbonlahor remains a doubt with an ankle problem, Lambert could be deprived of two of his front three for the visit of Cardiff. Without a goal in the last four now, the midlands outfit were forced to move to 3-5-2 against the Hammers, with Weimann alongside Christian Benteke up top – should the Austrian fail to make it, Lambert mat opt for Libor Kozak alongside the big Belgian as he looks to remedy his side’s scoring woes before the international break.
Rumours Grow of Walcott Return
Reports in a number of this morning’s papers suggest that Theo Walcott could be in line for a surprise return to the Arsenal side for this weekend’s trip to Old Trafford. The story has been carried by a number of sources though crucially there has been no word from the club on the matter as of yet.
The Scout Says: Having missed the last six league matches, Walcott’s possible return would hand us a real differential for our five-man midfields. Down to 9.2 in FPL, he’s owned by just 3.8% of Fantasy managers after over 484,00 parted company as a result of an abdominal injury. Not only would he appeal to those looking to offload the likes of Michu, Walcott offers an alternative route into the Gunners midfield options, bearing in mind Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil are now owned by 55% and 33% of Fantasy managers. Arsene Wenger’s press conference will be eagerly-awaited later today – with three home games and a trip to Cardiff in the four fixtures directly after the upcoming international break, he’d be a welcome addition to many a Fantasy squad.
