Alexis Sanchez scores yet again as Arsenal let a three-goal advantage slip at home to Anderlecht. Brendan Rodgers makes a number of changes as Liverpool lose narrowly to Real Madrid. Diafra Sakho is set to return for West Ham’s home clash with Villa and Aleksandar Kolarov is set for a spell on the sidelines with a calf complaint.
Sanchez Strikes Again in Gunners Draw
Arsene Wenger made two changes to the side that faced Burnley at the weekend for the Champions League clash with Anderlecht last night, as Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both earned starts. The latter, along with Mikel Arteta and Alexis Sanchez, helped his side move 3-0 ahead, before the Gunners blew their lead to end up drawing 3-3 with the Belgian club.
The Scout Says: Though last night’s events may have dented the confidence of Wenger’s side, and raised question marks over their resilience against tougher opponents, they did at least exhibit the sort of attacking flair in the first 60 minutes that will fill owners of their offensive assets with plenty of confidence ahead of the weekend trip to Swansea. Sanchez has now notched 11 goals in his last 13 appearances, and has already acquired 170,000 new owners since his brace against Burnley last Saturday. Danny Welbeck, meanwhile, earned an assist last night, and having been withdrawn with ten minutes to go at the Emirates, continues to look nailed on for starts until the return of Olivier Giroud, at least. Now available for 7.4 in the Fantasy Premier League game (FPL), the former United forward continues to look a viable prospect for our frontlines, albeit at a far less explosive level than his in-form strike partner.
RODGERS RINGS THE CHANGES IN REAL LOSS
Brendan Rodgers made numerous changes to his starting line-up for last night’s Champions League showdown with Real Madrid. The likes of Kolo Toure, Lazar Markovic and Fabio Borini were all handed starts at the Bernabeu, and, despite a valiant effort in defence, Liverpool slipped to a 1-0 defeat , leaving them on just three points from four outings in Europe.
Post-match, Rodgers confirmed that the plethora of changes was due to his normal first-choice side’s recent lack of form:
“The Newcastle game we lost and we were disappointed with the result and the performance. We might have lost 5-0 if we started with those players. We are not a team on the back of five or six wins and my selection is made easy because of performance. Anything but that and there are so many positives from tonight.”
The Scout Says: Many may have viewed last night’s teamsheet as an indicator that Rodgers is prioritising his side’s efforts in the Premier League over their European commitments, though the Anfield boss moved quickly to deny such allegations. Indeed, it now looks like a number of places in the starting XI are up for grabs when Liverpool face Chelsea this weekend, and although the likes of Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling will surely return to the side against the table-toppers, it’s clear that Rodgers won’t be taking any prisoners from here on in –a scenario that may well place further question marks over his starting line-ups across all competitions.
SAKHO SET FOR WEEKEND RETURN
West Ham have confirmed that striker Diafra Sakho will be back from a shoulder injury for their encounter with Aston Villa this weekend.
The Scout Says: The former Metz forward has tallied a sensational 48 points across his six starts for the Hammers, though continues to fly under the radar with an ownership of just 5.5% in FPL. His absence last weekend allowed strike partner Enner Valencia to step in and take the plaudits with a goal and an assist against Stoke, and Sakho will now be eager to reaffirm his position as the forward option of choice in Sam Allardyce’s side. With a price tag still of just 5.8, the Senegal international is sure to rise in value if he can now take full advantage of his great fixture list (AVL, eve, NEW, wba, SWA, sun) and perhaps even begin to challenge the likes of Sergio Aguero and Graziano Pelle at the zenith of the FPL forward standings.
YACOB IN LINE FOR BAGGIES START
Alan Irvine has revealed that he is likely to play Claudio Yacob in place of the suspended Craig Gardner when his West Brom side take on Newcastle this weekend.
The Scout Says: Having only made three appearances from the bench so far this season, Sunday’s clash with Newcastle will represent a huge opportunity for Yacob to secure himself more minutes across the rest of the campaign. The knock-on effect of the Argentine’s selection should also mean that Chris Brunt continues on the flank against the Magpies. The 5.4 priced midfielder has earned an assist in each of his last three home appearances and will be tasked with providing the creative threat from the left once again this weekend – with an ownership below 1%, Brunt looks an intriguing differential option for those looking to free up budget to get the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero in elsewhere.
KOLAROV ABSENCE CONFIRMED
Manuel Pellegrini has disclosed that left back Aleksandar Kolarov will be out of action for a month with the calf injury he sustained during the warm-up prior to the Manchester derby last weekend.
The Scout Says: Kolarov’s injury blow does at least provide Fantasy managers with some more assuredness over City’s starting backline. Up until now, only Vincent Kompany has started every league match, and thus has looked the only viable option in their rearguard, despite his hefty 6.5 price tag. However, with Kolarov sidelined, Gael Clichy now blinks onto our radars – the Frenchman is available for 5.3, and has earned maximum bonus points on the two occasions he has earned a clean sheet. The former Arsenal man now looks assured of starts over the next month, and with City facing a superb schedule in that time (qpr, SWA, sou, sun), could be set to reap the benefits of Kolarov’s absence.
