Daniel Sturridge is ruled out once again by Liverpool. Diafra Sakho emerges as a doubt for West Ham, Stewart Downing allays any injury fears, David Silva closes in on a return to action for City, whilst Steven Fletcher is available for Sunderland.

REDS CONFIRM STURRIDGE SETBACK

Liverpool have confirmed that Daniel Sturridge will remain on the sidelines yet again after suffering a fresh thigh injury earlier in the week.

The Scout Says: Whilst his club are remaining coy over the length of absence now expected for Sturridge, reports elsewhere suggest that he could miss another six weeks of action, potentially taking us to Gameweek 21 before he attempts another return. With Liverpool’s schedule looking bright right now (cpl, STO, lei, SUN) we had been backing Sturridge to give his team-mates the lift they need to start delivering serious Fantasy returns, with Raheem Sterling, in particular, signalled out as likely to prosper. Now, however, with Brendan Rodgers likely to persist with a lone striker system, the 8.5-valued winger’s 38% ownership may be set to plummet – with just a single goal in eight appearances without Sturridge on board, there is undoubtedly better value elsewhere for our midfields at the moment.

SAKHO CONCERN FOR HAMMERS

Diafra Sakho is a doubt for West Ham’s trip to Everton this weekend after missing out for Senegal last night with a recurrence of a back problem. Sam Allardyce will, however, be consoled by Stewart Downing’s positive update on the knock he sustained during his England call-up against Scotland:

“I had not trained all week but was passed fit to play and was just happy to get out there and play 45 minutes. I came through it and should be ok for this weekend’s game for West Ham. There’s a bit of swelling on the knee but it’s just a bang. I was fit to play and I was fine.”

The Scout Says: With Enner Valencia grabbing a goal and assist on the last occasion Sakho missed out (in Gameweek 10), and Andy Carroll now available and offering his manager an alternative in the forward department, Sakho owners will be concerned over his pitch time on Saturday. Whilst the 5.9-priced striker has offered superb value to this point, a second stint on the sidelines in three Gameweeks would be a real concern and may make many think twice over his acquisition, with QPR’s Charlie Austin perhaps emerging as a standout alternative. However, the Hammers have a great run of fixtures in their next six (eve, NEW, wba, SWA, sun, LEI) and managers will be keen to account for that. After his assurances, Downing now appears to be the safest option in their attacking ranks, and though he has risen to 6.0, still offers excellent value whilst sitting seventh in the FPL midfield rankings.

SILVA CLOSE TO CITY COMEBACK

David Silva has returned to light training following a knee injury and, though he remains unlikely to be ready for Saturday’s meeting with Crystal Palace, the Spaniard is expected to be fully fit for Man City’s Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich next week.

The Scout Says: Silva has been missing since City’s Capital One Cup tie with Newcastle in October, with the Blues form fluctuating in his absence. The 8.9-priced midfielder scored in his last league appearance, and also claimed maximum bonus points on his way to his first double figure haul of the campaign, though has been blighted with inconsistency this term – producing returns in only three of his nine appearances, the Spaniard has failed to live up to his top bracket price tag. City may have good fixtures ahead (SWA, sou, sun, EVE, lei, CPL), but Silva’s lack of consistency will still deter many, and with Yaya Toure still proving underwhelming, and little else on offer in their midfield, the case for investing in Sergio Aguero as the sole City attacking coverage is only strengthened. Silva’s return could also place question marks over Jesus Navas’ recent run of starts – the winger has featured in the first XI in each of the last four Gameweeks but with Samir Nasri also available, Manuel Pellegrini will have plenty of options available for the flanks once again.

INJURIES EASE FOR SUNDERLAND

Gus Poyet has revealed that Steven Fletcher has recovered from the knock he sustained on international duty with Scotland last week, and is set to feature in Saturday’s trip to Leicester:

“Steven is okay – it was not nice at all watching the game and seeing Fletch coming off. Naturally as human beings we always think the worst, but we got in contact straight away with him and the Scottish medical staff, who were very good. They sent him back to us and we have done everything possible, so I will say I am 100% sure he will play on Saturday.”

Elsewhere, summer signings Ricky Alvarez and Sebastian Coates have returned to full training after recovering from injury.

The Scout Says: Black Cats fans will be breathing a sigh of relief over Fletcher’s recovery, with the Scot having proved key to their recent attacking endeavours. A very winnable clash with Leicester could see him add to his tally of four goals in his last five, though Poyet’s side then face Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and West Ham in their next four, ensuring that few will be considering the 5.3-priced striker as a differential option for now. Meanwhile, Alvarez’s imminent return looks set to heat up the competition on the flanks and perhaps limit the minutes of Adam Johnson and Will Buckley, whilst Coates’ comeback, coupled with Billy Jones’ expected return, affords Poyet plenty of options in defence, though he is unlikely to experiment too much over the course of those upcoming fixtures.

ELEPHANTS PROGRESS TO AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS

A goalless draw against Cameroon last night ensured that the Ivory Coast earned safe passage through to the African Cup of Nations in January.

The Scout Says: The headline Premier League acts for Ivory Coast are Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony, both of whom will now miss at least Gameweeks 22-24 due to their involvement with the ACoN. Both of their sides face testing fixtures during that period, with City squaring up to Arsenal and Chelsea and Swansea also meeting Jose Mourinho’s men as well as Southampton. However, with Toure and Bony both professing current ownership of under 7%, the knock-on effect of yesterday’s qualification on the Fantasy landscape should be minimal, unless either player can rediscover their form from last year prior to their January departure.