Man United pair Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao are in the goals for Holland and Colombia respectively. Gylfi Sigurdsson strikes for Iceland, Nacer Chadli continues his fine form, whilst Vincent Kompany hobbles off in Belgium’s win over Andorra.
KOMPANY WITHDRAWN IN BELGIUM ROUT
Man City’s Vincent Kompany was subbed off early in the second half for Belgium with a knee injury. However, the centre-back confirmed post-match that the problem is not a serious one:
“I came off as a precaution. Before the game, I already had a slight problem and the coach decided to take me out. I am now getting ready for Bosnia. It was not easy out there.”
The Scout Says: With an ownership of over 14.1%, Kompany is in the top ten most selected defenders in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), despite City’s poor defensive record this season. Manuel Pellegrini’s outfit now have just one clean sheet in their last six league outings and look far from the solid rearguard that we have invested in so heavily in in past campaigns. The fact that Marc Wilmots was willing to risk Kompany against the minnows will surely have displeased Pellegrini and the defender’s words suggest that, in spite of last night’s problem, he wont be rested on Monday either. Given that new boy Eliaquim Mangala has yet to find his feet at the Etihad, City will certainly be reliant on their captain’s fitness if they are to overturn their current defensive form and finally begin to challenge the likes of Chelsea and Southampton for our backline interest, starting with their Etihad clash with goal-shy Tottenham next weekend.
CHADLI ON TARGET AGAIN
Tottenham’s Nacer Chadli bagged Belgium’s third goal as they thrashed Andorra 6-0 in their Euro Qualifier yesterday evening.
The Scout Says: The 6.3-priced midfielder’s form is starting to looks too good to ignore, with returns in three of his last four league appearances indicative of his current appeal. Whilst Erik Lamela has failed to live up to his pre-season hype, and Christian Eriksen’s outlay has proved far too inconsistent, Chadli’s budget status and consistency of points has seen him rise to the forefront of Spurs’ assets. However, despite sitting third in the FPL midfield standings, the Belgian’s ownership remains at just 11.5%, a figure dwarfed by those midfielders in similarly lofty positions. Spurs have a delightful run of fixtures once the Gameweek 8 clash with Man City is out of the way (NEW, avl, STO, hul, EVE) and Chadli is surely starting to appear on many manager’s shopping list right now.
HAZARD LEFT OUT AGAINST ANDORRA
Eden Hazard was omitted from the Belgium side last night “as a precaution†according to his international manager Marc Wilmots, though his toe injury is believed to be minor and he should be available for Belgian’s next qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday.
The Scout Says: Hazard’s absence last night will have plenty of his owners fretting, though Monday’s fixture against Bosnia will give a far better idea of his fitness levels. With Chelsea facing Crystal Palace a week from today, Jose Mourinho will be keen to have Hazard back in the fold, especially after the 9.9-priced midfielder’s superb showing against Arsenal last time out. Mourinho could at least take one piece of encouragement from the Belgium match, as Thibaut Courtois played the full 90 minutes between the sticks to allay any fears over any effects from the concussion sustained against the Gunners last weekend. Petr Cech’s hopes of a return to the first XI look dashed, then, whilst Courtois’ owners will be optimistic of more rewards with Chelsea looking to build on two consecutive league clean sheets in their clash with Palace next weekend.
SIGURDSSON STRIKES FOR ICELAND
Gylfi Sigurdsson was on target for Iceland last night in their 3-0 European Championship Qualifier victory over Latvia, curling in his side’s first goal in the away win.
The Scout Says: Sigurdsson’s strike last night was his first since he notched against Man United in Gameweek 1 and our recent Monitor article highlighted how little goal threat the Icelander has offered this campaign in comparison to his previous spell with Swansea. Despite this, the playmaker still sits atop the midfield rankings in FPL with 46 points, with his assist rate more than atoning for his lack of threat in front of goal thus far. Sigurdsson has notched six assists already this term, two of which came against Newcastle last time out for Garry Monk’s outfit, and with two tempting fixtures on the horizon for the Welsh side (away to Stoke and home to Leicester), the 6.8-priced man’s allure is still as strong as ever. Non-owners should be wary, however, as the Swans then face Everton, Arsenal and Man City from Gameweek 10-12, and Sigurdsson may well have his work cut out in replicating the form that has seen him harbour so much popularity up until this point.
United Frontmen in the Goals
Robin van Persie slotted home an 89th minute penalty for Holland as they overcame Kazakhstan 3-1 in their Euro qualifier last night, whilst Radamel Falcao opened the scoring in Colombia’s 3-0 win over El Salvador.
The Scout Says: Having struck against Everton in the previous Gameweek, and with an assist also accrued in each of his previous two league matches, Falcao is clearly stepping up his match sharpness with every passing appearance after months on the sidelines with a knee injury. Despite acquiring over 14,000 new owners since his Toffees goal, he remains a relative differential with a mere 9% ownership, whilst Van Persie’s 12.4 price tag has ensured he sits in just 2% of teams right now. Nevertheless, the Dutchman has notched in two of his last three league matches for United, with a conversion rate of 20% this season easily bettering both Falcao (9.1%) and Wayne Rooney (15.8%), and is likely to still be number one for penalties when on the field for United. With Angel Di Maria earning the main Fantasy attention amongst Louis van Gaal’s side right now, though, both front men are set to remain under the radar, but with a taxing schedule ahead (wba, CHE, mci, CRY, ars), the United forwards face a tough task to persuade us to invest right now.
Valencia Nets in Ecuador Win
The West Ham striker scored his national side’s only goal in a 1-1 draw with the USA in the early hours of this morning.
The Scout Says: Mainly overshadowed by strike partner Diafra Sakho for the Hammers so far, Enner Valencia has still managed a goal and assist in four starts for Sam Allardyce’s side. Bearing in mind he’s priced at 6.9 to Sakho’s 5.6, it’s understandable that few have been willing to take the plunge – all the more so given that Sakho has netted in each of his last five appearances in all competitions. Nonetheless, Valencia’s goal serves a timely reminder of his capabilities as the Hammers prepare for matches against Burnley, Stoke, Villa and Newcastle in the next six Gameweeks, and given West Ham’s new and improved attacking approach, he still has the potential to prosper.
