Gylfi Sigurdsson bags a brace as Iceland see off Holland. Graziano Pelle nets on his debut for Italy. Edin Dzeko is in the goals for Bosnia. Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany recover from injury to start for Belgium but Nacer Chadli misses out with a hip problem.
SIGURDSSON’S ICELAND GOAL SPREE CONTINUES
Gylfi Sigurdsson added to his strike against Latvia on Friday by bagging a brace for Iceland in their shock 2-0 win over Holland in last night’s Euro qualifier. The Swansea midfielder opened the scoring with a spot-kick before adding the second just before half-time with a precise volley.
The Scout Says: With six goals and six assists in his last twelve appearances for club and country, it’s fair to say that Sigurdsson is looking as desirable now as he has done all season. The only qualm thus far has been his goal threat in a Swansea shirt, and his 45% ownership will now be hoping that the 6.8-priced midfielder can finally transfer his scoring form to the league – it’s still just one strike for the campaign for the Icelander, and that was back in Gameweek 1, with team-mates Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer both overshadowing him in that regard with two and three goals respectively.
PELLE AMONGST THE GOALS FOR ITALY
Graziano Pelle grabbed a debut goal for Italy in their 1-0 European Championship Qualifier victory over Malta last night.
The Scout Says: Whilst Gameweek 7 served up a rare blank for Pelle, last night’s strike could help re-ignite the form that saw him return points in each of the previous four Gameweeks. Withdrawn on 74 minutes after his side went down to 10 men, Pelle should be brimming with confidence when the Saints face Sunderland on Saturday afternoon. Following the Black Cats clash, Ronald Koeman’s men have four more enticing fixtures to look forward to (STK, hul, LEI, avl), and Pelle, at 7.9, is likely to continue to make a mockery of his mid-price valuation.
MIXED NEWS FOR CITY
Man City’s Edin Dzeko netted for Bosnia and Herzegovina last night as their Euro Qualifier with Belgium ended level pegging at 1-1. Vincent Kompany lined up against his team-mate for the Belgians after recovering from the knock sustained in his previous international outing, though Manuel Pellegrini now has worries over the services of fellow centre-back, Eliaquim Mangala, as the defender is a doubt for France’s next qualifier against Armenia this evening with a thigh problem.
The Scout Says: He may have only scored in just one of his last seven league appearances, but Dzeko still seems likely to start against Spurs this weekend, despite the fact that Stefan Jovetic is available after recovering from injury to feature as a sub for Montenegro. Another blank, however, and the Bosnian will begin to test the patience of both his manager and his 10% ownership, with Jovetic waiting in the wings to earn a recall to the starting XI. Meanwhile, at the back for City, Mangala’s injury concerns could allow Martin Demichelis a route back into Pellegrini’s back four alongside Kompany – with decent fixtures ahead for the Citizens (TOT whm, MUN, qpr, SWA), the Argentine could be set to profit if he can re-earn his spot.
HAZARD BACK FOR BELGIUM
Having missed out on his side’s drubbing of Andorra last week with a knock, Eden Hazard returned to Belgium’s starting line-up last night and played the full 90 minutes in the draw with Bosnia.
The Scout Says: Hazard’s run-out last night should ease worries ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday. Doubts over his fitness have kept investment relatively low up until now, with only 17,000 managers having brought him in so far this week despite his goal in Gameweek 7, but that number could be set to increase now his injury fears have subsided. Nonetheless, with an ownership at 13%, he continues to look a truly explosive differential option as Chelsea face up to three leaky defences in their next three fixtures (cry, mun, QPR).
Chadli Misses Out with Hip Problem
The Tottenham midfielder played no part in Belgium’s match last night after picking up a hip problem during the warm-up.
The Scout Says: With four goals and an assist in the first seven Gameweeks, Chadli has been a man transformed this season under Mauricio Pochettino. Sitting just four points off the top of the FPL midfield standing, he’s owned by a mere 11% of Fantasy managers, with over 57,000 drafting him in over the international break. Given that he’s set to travel to City this weekend, non-owners will be prepared to monitor the situation for now but with Newcastle, Villa, Stoke and Hull in the following four, he has the fixtures to challenge Sigurdsson at the summit. Should he miss out, Christian Eriksen has now served up two sets of double figures in the last four and has dropped to 7.8 – with a 7% ownership, he’s another player who could be set to prosper.
AMAT CLOSING IN ON RETURN
Swansea centre-back Jordi Amat is confident that he will recover from the knee injury he sustained against Chelsea midway through September in time for his side’s clash with Everton in Gameweek 10:
“I’m getting better every day and I’m feeling good. I was glad we had the international break because it means I’ve had more time to recover. I’m working hard each day with the staff here and hopefully I’ll be ready to play in around two weeks. I’m hoping to train during the week of the Leicester game with the aim of being in contention the following week.”
The Scout Says: Having started Swansea’s first four fixtures of the season and picked up consecutive clean sheets against Burnley and West Brom, Amat was looking great value for his 4.5 price tag before he succumbed to injury. His spell on the sidelines has given summer signing Federico Fernandez a route into Garry Monk’s first XI, and the two now look set to compete for a starting role alongside Ashley Williams in the heart of defence for the remainder of the season. Fantasy managers will certainly be backing Amat to win the contest, with the Spaniard coming in at 0.6 cheaper than Fernandez, though he may have his work cut out in reclaiming his starting role upon his return from injury – the Everton clash in Gameweek 10 is followed by the arrival of Arsenal at the Liberty before a trip to Man City in Gameweek 12.
WALCOTT RETURNS TO FULL TRAINING
Arsenal’s Theo Walcott is back in full training as he reaches the final stages of recovery from the knee injury suffered back in January.
The Scout Says: With the Gunners’ injury list beginning to mount, Walcott’s long-awaited return will come as a great relief for Arsene Wenger. Fantasy managers should, however, be cautious about immediately racing for the England man’s services – after missing just seven league matches with injury early on in the 2013/14 campaign, Wenger then utilised him as a substitute on four successive occasions upon his return, playing a total of just 60 minutes across those fixtures. If that record is anything to go by, it may still be a while before we see the 9.0-priced Walcott in the Gunners’ starting XI this season, though it’s worth noting that Walcott still managed to pick up a pair of assists during that period, in spite of his limited pitch time.
