Steven Naismith grabs a goal as Scotland draw in Poland. John O’Shea notches the Republic of Ireland’s equaliser in Germany. Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero are both named on the bench as Argentina rout Hong Kong, Andre Schurrle misses out for Germany through injury, whilst Enner Valencia scores twice as Ecuador ease past El Salvador.
Naismith Notches for Scots
The Everton striker continued his excellent start to the season by grabbing Scotland’s second in a 2-2 draw away to Poland last night before being replaced on 71 minutes.
The Scout Says: Snapped up by almost 30,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers since the previous Gameweek, Naismith is now the second most popular forward in the game, with an ownership edging towards 27%. After scoring in each of the first three, he rose as high as 5.6 but dropped down to 5.2 on the back of three successive blanks before returning to form with a strike against United last time around. The Toffees are poised for five excellent home matches (AVL, SWA, WHM, HUL, QPR) and trips to Burnley and Sunderland in the next nine, though with Ross Barkley on the verge of a return, it remains to be seen whether Roberto Martinez will retain Naismith in the role in “the hole” or more the versatile Scot wide right to cover for the hamstrung Kevin Mirallas.
Aguero and Di Maria Benched in Argentina Rout
The Man City striker was an unused sub in Argentina’s 7-0 hammering of Hong Kong, whilst United’s record signing was afforded 17 minutes late in the second-half. Pablo Zabaleta also featured off the bench in a match that saw Sunderland’s Santiago Vergini play from start to finish.
The Scout Says: Aguero owners will no doubt be delighted by last night’s news, bearing in mind he now faces a long-haul flight back from Hong Kong. Snapped up by 25,000 FPL managers since the previous Gameweek, he’ll be fully rested for City’s match with Spurs on Saturday lunchtime, whilst Di Maria has even more time to rest and recuperate – United don’t play West Brom until Monday night. Elsewhere for City, reports suggest Yaya Toure may not arrive back in England until 24 hours before the weekend kick-off, with Ivory Coat set to host DR Congo at 6pm this evening. With a vital Champions League trip to CSKA Moscow on Tuesday, Manuel Pellegrini will be desperate for the Ivorian to arrive back fit and raring to go, after he opened his account for the season in the Gameweek 7 win over Villa.
Schurrle Worry for Chelsea
After recovering from a minor knock to feature in Germany’s weekend loss to Poland, the winger missed last night’s clash with the Republic of Ireland due to illness. Elsewhere for Chelsea, Willian and Oscar were handed 45 minutes apiece in Brazil’s 4-0 win over Japan, whilst defender Filipe Luis was handed the full 90 minutes for the South Americans. The Blues’ summer signing Loic Remy was handed a role on the flank for France and fired the opener in a 3-0 win before making way on 73 minutes.
The Scout Says: While Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard have grabbed most of our Fantasy attention, Schurrle, Willian and Oscar have yet to really make a convincing case. All three have notched a goal apiece in the last three Gameweeks, with the latter two also chipping in with an assist apiece, though with the schedule picking up in pace, it’s likely they’ll be prone to further rotation. Of the trio, Oscar has seen more pitch time of late – three starts in the last four in “the hole” suggests he could come into consideration if he can afford us the same level of security as Fabregas and Hazard.
O’Shea Salvages Draw for Ireland
The Sunderland defender stunned World Cup winners Germany by firing home a late equaliser as the Republic of Ireland grabbed a vital 1-1 draw to remain unbeaten after three Group D matches. The likes of Joel Ward, Marc Wilson, Aiden McGeady and Jon Walters all played from start to finish for Martin O’Neill’s side.
The Scout Says: O’Shea could barely have picked a worse time to arrive on our radars. One look at the upcoming schedule suggests the Black Cats’ backline is likely to struggle to justify any investment, with showdowns against Southampton, Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea, City and Liverpool in the next eight Gameweeks. Vito Mannone owners, however, may well be happy to hold – the Italian has averaged four points per appearance despite managing just two clean sheets so far, collecting at least one save point in five of the opening seven fixtures.
Valencia at the Double
After scoring his nation’s late equaliser against the USA at the weekend, the West Ham forward maintained his strong form over the international break by netting twice as Ecuador swept aside El Salvador 5-1 in the early hours of this morning.
The Scout Says: So far, Valencia has mainly been overshadowed by fellow forward Diafra Sakho since arriving at Upton Park. With the latter scoring in each of his last five for Sam Allardyce’s side, the South American’s goal and assist in the last four Gameweeks has somewhat paled into insignificance. Nonetheless, whilst Sakho has been afforded the last fortnight off due to a lack of international duties, Valencia’s upturn in form suggests he’ll be firing on all cylinders as the Hammers roll up to struggling Burnley on Saturday. With Stoke, Villa, Newcastle and West Brom in the subsequent six, the 6.9-priced Valencia may yet find a place on our Watchlists, though Sakho, at 5.6, is proving the better value option right now.
