Peter Crouch nets for the second successive Gameweek as Stoke rack up their first Britannia win of the season. Victor Moses is in the points again, though Newcastle’s woes continue as Alan Pardew’s strugglers fail to breach the Potters’ rearguard.
Crouch Hitting his Stride
Peter Crouch’s winner against Newcastle last night was his second strike in as many matches for the Potters. The big striker has also picked up maximum bonus points in both of those fixtures, bringing his sum for the past two Gameweeks up to 21 points in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) – a total unmatched by any other player in any position. Crouch is now another option to be added to the list of in-form budget forwards, alongside the likes of Leonardo Ulloa, Diafra Sakho and Saido Berahino, all of whom offer Wayne Rooney owners an exit strategy which would free up a large chunk of budget to be used elsewhere. Stoke may still be struggling for goals, but Crouch undoubtedly looks the likeliest to play a part in future breakthroughs after having had a hand in three of the Potters’ last four strikes, and with decent fixtures to follow (sun, SWA, sot, WHM), the 5.7-priced forward is certainly one to monitor.
Moses Stakes a Claim
The Chelsea loanee’s flourishing form continued last night, delivering his second assist in consecutive matches. As he settles into his new surrounds, Moses is becoming increasing influential on Mark Hughes’ side – a total of 46 crosses since making his debut in Gameweek 3 is bettered only by Southampton’s Dusan Tadic, and with an in-form Crouch to find in the centre, those stats have a fair chance of translating into returns for the Nigerian, who at 5.5 looks to be a great budget midfield option right now. The injury sustained by Mame Biram Diouf early on in yesterday’s meeting will remove any lingering doubts over Moses’ certainty of starts and could bring Marko Arnautovic back into the starting XI.
Stoke Defence Hold Firm
The Potters’ rearguard registered their first home clean sheet of season in last night’s victory – only their second shut-out of the campaign following their surprise win at the Etihad in Gameweek 3. Hughes opted to leave Erik Pieters out of the starting line-up in favour of Marc Muniesa – the Spaniard earned his first league start of the campaign after bagging a brace in the Capital One Cup last week, and after yesterday’s clean sheet, will be optimistic of holding on to his starting role. At 4.4, Muniesa could be a superb budget option ahead of Stoke’s aforesaid kind schedule, though Mark Wilson at 4.5 still looks the safest bet having played every minute of league action thus far.
Newcastle Attack Continues to Toil
Alan Pardew’s men are still yet to score away from home this season after last night’s 1-0 defeat, and with three of their next five on the road (swa, tot, wba) Fantasy attention is likely to stay well away from the North East for the time being. Papiss Cisse’s appearance as a half-time substitute will offer the Magpies some hope after the forward notched twice against Hull last weekend – the 5.9-priced Senegal international is clearly stepping up his fitness and could well be pushing for a start at Swansea come Saturday, though it’s fair to sat that, given their form, few, if any, Fantasy managers will be prepared to gamble on any of Pardew’s squad.
