Olivier Giroud inspires a fightback at the Stade Louis II as Arsenal exit the Champions League with their heads held high. West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster is ruled out for at least four weeks with a knee complaint, while Dick Advocaat is installed as the new Black Cats manager. On the other side of the River Tyne, Newcastle’s appeal to rescind Fabricio Coloccini’s red card is rejected.

Giroud stars as Gunners fall short

In a near carbon copy of their two-legged defeat to Bayern Munich last season, Arsenal secured a 2-0 win over Monaco at the Stade Louis II but tumbled out of the tournament on away goals by virtue of a 3-1 defeat in the home leg.

Manager Arsene Wenger named a trio of changes from the XI that cruised past West Ham on Saturday, as Calum Chambers, Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott made way for the reinstated Hector Bellerin, Santi Cazorla and Danny Welbeck.

Olivier Giroud translated his league form onto the European stage for the north London club, opening the scoring and almost claiming the crucial third goal had it not been for the acrobatics of Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic. He made up for a limp showing in the reverse fixture with the type of dominant performance that’s typified the French marksman in recent weeks, forcing Subasic into action with four of his attempts. Ramsey emerged from the bench to grab a second but it was a case of “too little, too late” for Wenger’s men as they stumbled out at the last 16 yet again.

The Scout Says: Arsenal’s eighth win in nine outings illustrated how Wenger’s got his team ticking at just the right stage of the season; they look capable of beating anyone on current form. Giroud’s displays continue to deserve our attentions and those managers contemplating a move for the Fantasy Premier League’s (FPL) form forward will be encouraged by two kind match-ups in the next three (new, LIV, bur), with City’s recent capitulation bringing Wenger’s side firmly into the race for second place now. In terms of team sheets, Bellerin’s return to the XI was good news for his 4% FPL ownership – given the magnitude of last night’s match, the fact that he was selected ahead of Chambers indicates he was merely rested against the Hammers last weekend. Ramsey certainly strengthened his claim for consecutive starts in the league with his second goal in four days. The Welshman’s display hands Wenger a dilemma in the centre of the park – his form suggests he’s pushing to replace either Mesut Ozil or Santi Cazorla as the Gunners roll up to St James’ Park at the weekend. Last night’s exit also means one less competition for Arsenal to concern themselves with – a factor that’s likely to diminish the likelihood of rotation from this point onwards and further strengthen Giroud’s security of pitch time as the lone forward, with the Frenchman having started eight of the last nine league matches. Fantasy managers will also be hoping that the Gunners elimination will allow the Premier League to reschedule their home clash against Sunderland, which was previously pencilled in for Gameweek 33, thus allowing us to make plans for another double Gameweek.

Foster ruled out for a month

Ben Foster is set for at least a four-week spell on the sidelines after scans revealed that the West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper damaged his knee cartilage in their victory over Stoke City. Baggies boss Tony Pulis said that Boaz Myhill is set to wear the No. 1 jersey in Foster’s stead, with youth shot-stopper Jack Rose promoted to the bench:

“It’s rotten news for Ben because he’s been so consistent. He kept seven clean sheets in 10 games but we have a very able man to step forward in Boaz, who has performed well when he’s come into the team. We’ve got the international break coming up which I hope will give our medical team the chance to work on Ben’s rehab and we will reassess later.”

The Scout Says: The Midlanders’ 1-0 win over the Potters marked their fourth clean sheet in five league clashes, exemplifying the defensive rigidity that’s afforded Foster (4.7)  strong Fantasy returns of late. Considering free transfers are at a premium in the lead up to at least two double Gameweeks (31 and 34), Foster’s lengthy injury layoff is an untimely distraction for his 7% ownership. Few managers will have the luxury to recruit a replacement as they eye up the ideal permutation of big-hitting midfielders and forwards to capitalise on the fixture build-up. For those already content with their squad make-up, a straight swap for the 4.0-priced Myhill might seem like a sensible solution, yet West Brom’s run-in serves up clashes with the league’s current top five teams, including a trip to the Etihad next Gameweek. Having been ruled out for at least four weeks, Foster will certainly miss West Brom’s next three league ties (mci, QPR, LEI) and given that the Baggies have been resilient at home, Myhill could well be set to profit from those showdowns with QPR and Leicester. Elsewhere in the Baggies defence, Chris Brunt is set to serve a one-match ban this weekend. The Irishman has mainly been utilised at left-back by Tony Pulis and his absence could see Joleon Lescott shifted out of the centre to cover, with Jonas Olsson handed a rare start for the trip to the Etihad.

Dick Advocaat named as Black Cats boss

Sunderland wasted no time in finding a replacement for departed manager Gus Poyet, appointing Dutchman Dick Advocaat as the man in charge at the Stadium of Light until the end of the campaign. The former Netherlands manager expressed his delight at being tasked with guiding the Black Cats out of their current predicament:

“Sunderland is a big club and I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead. We must now concentrate on Saturday as a priority and I can’t wait to get started.”

The Scout Says: According to Voetbal International journalist Suleyman Ozturk, Dick Advocaat is quite the pragmatist and favours order and structure over unpredictability. One might surmise, then, that he’s unlikely to adopt formations –  like Brendan Rodgers’ 3-4-3 – that afford wing-backs the license to bomb forward. One such beneficiary of Advocaat’s arrival could be his national compatriot Patrick van Aanholt. Advocaat managed both AZ Alkmaar and PSV Eindhoven during the period that the budget left-back spent three seasons on loan at Eredivisie outfit Vitesse, so will likely be well aware of the Chelsea loanee’s strengths and weaknesses. Reports also indicate that the Wearsiders are reviewing their decision to suspend Adam Johnson. The winger’s bail period was extended until late April yesterday but it’s believed that Advocaat is keen to have him back on board as he attempts to take advantage of a trio of kind upcoming fixtures (whu, NEW, CPL) and steer the Black Cats to safety.

Coloccini red card appeal rebuffed

Following an unsuccessful appeal by Newcastle United on the grounds of wrongful dismissal, Toon captain Fabricio Collocini will serve out the extent of his three-match suspension.

The Scout Says: Coloccini’s straight red against Everton could hardly have arrived at a more inopportune moment for manager John Carver. The Tynsiders were already contending with a host of injuries to key figures in their rearguard but are now down to just three fit senior defenders (Daryl Janmaat, Michael Williamson and Ryan Taylor). Newcastle will have to do without their talismanic skipper – and the banned Papiss Cisee – as they embark on a gruelling trio of matches through to Gameweek 32 (ARS, sun, liv). The duo’s absence offers little hope that Newcastle can improve upon their recent record of one win in six outings.