Manchester City are left reeling as Sergio Aguero suggests he’ll be sidelined for a month, while David Silva suffers further ankle trouble as he’s forced off early for Spain. Elsewhere, the blossoming Ross Barkley is the stand-out performer for England, while the likes of Theo Walcott, Marko Arnautovic and Dieumerci Mbokani continue their recent goalscoring form…
Aguero Predicts Month Absence. Silva Now Also A City Concern
Scans have revealed that Sergio Aguero suffered a grade-two hamstring tear during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Ecuador. Manchester City’s form frontman admitted to the associated media that he’s likely to be sidelined for around a month. To compound the Sky Blues’ injury travails, David Silva was substituted in the first half of Spain’s win over Luxembourg after taking a blow to his ankle. Initial reports suggest that the playmaker has sustained a “strong sprain†which could leave him sidelined for two to three weeks.
The Scout Says: In that event that Aguero’s prognosis is accurate, the 13.3-priced marksman would likely sit out Man City’s next four league ties (BOU, mun, NOR, avl), before returning after the November international break for a home clash against Liverpool. Considering the projected length of Aguero’s absence, his 35% ownership will now be meticulously planning how to reinvest the funds and hone their squad composition prior to next weekend. With question marks hanging over Silva and Yaya Toure, Kevin de Bruyne is certain to enjoy a generous increase on his 11.2% ownership as Fantasy managers assess their Man City coverage. Wilfried Bony might be given the nod by Manuel Pellegrini in Aguero’s absence, yet there’s also the possibility that Raheem Sterling is deployed as false nine – augmenting his appeal by virtue of out-of-position potential.
Walcott And Cazorla Hit the Goal Trail
Theo Walcott delivered a calm and precise finish to fire England ahead in their dead-rubber Euro 2016 qualifying match. Meanwhile, Santi Cazorla netted a brace for Spain in their 4-0 rout against Luxembourg.
The Scout Says: With regards to points per minutes played, Theo Walcott has always been a powerhouse on the Fantasy scene, but injuries and a lack of security of starts diminished his viability. This season, however, the 8.6-priced midfielder has flourished as the spearhead of Arsenal’s attack, bagging two goals and a pair of assists in his previous four starts. Ally this with a pair of strikes in as many Champions League outings and Arsene Wenger would be foolish to dislodge Walcott from the starting line-up, rendering him a strong route into a Gunners attack that’s amassed eight goals in their last pair of match-ups. Cazorla comes in at 0.4 cheaper than Walcott but has suffered from a Fantasy perspective due to his deep-lying role, notching no goals and two assists in eight league appearances. The similarly priced Mesut Ozil (8.4) boasts a better upside than the set-piece specialist, having carded one goal and three assists in his previous trio of outings. However, Fantasy managers need to be wary of rest and rotation ahead of the Gameweek 9 trip to Watford: the Gunners face a vital Champions League clash with Bayern Munich just three days later.
Barkley Sparkles In England Victory
Ross Barkley slid a delicious slide-rule pass through to Walcott for the Three Lions’ opener at Wembley and impressed throughout, tormenting Estonia to claim the man-of-the-match plaudits.
The Scout Says: The fact that Barkley is already on par with his attacking output from last term (two goals and three assists) is testament to his growing influence in Everton’s midfield. Across the past four Gameweeks, the precocious talent placed eighth among midfielders for attempts (10) and sixth for key passes (13), underlining his dual threat. The Toffees’ schedule throws up a procession of favourable match-ups beyond their next two challenging fixtures (MUN, ars), ensuring that Barkley and Romelu Lukaku (three goals and one assist in last two starts) will attract significant investment through to the New Year.
Vardy and Mahrez Turn Providers
Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez served up assists for their respective nations, with the former emerging late from the bench to tee up Sterling. Elsewhere in the Foxes camp, Goklan Inler converted from the penalty spot for Switzerland, while Christian Fuchs claimed an assist in Austria’s 3-2 win over Montenegro.
The Scout Says: Much like Harry Kane in the previous campaign, everything that Vardy has touched of late has turned to gold. Leicester’s in-form striker has chalked up six goals in his last five outings with just one blank through the first eight Gameweeks. The 6.7-priced marksman ranks fifth for transfers in this Gameweek, having welcomed half a million new owners prior to the most recent round of fixtures. Given that Mahrez – who was omitted from the starting line-up at Norwich last time out – should now be considered a slight rotation risk, Vardy is the standout route into the Foxes’ forward line ahead of a promising quintet of match-ups (sou, CRY, wba, WAT, new).
Confident Arnautovic Maintains Goalscoring Form
Marko Arnautovic plotted a course along the edge of the 18-yard box before unleashing a low-driven effort into the far corner during Austria’s 3-2 victory in Montenegro.
The Scout Says: Arnautovic’s willingness to locks horns with a bevy of Montenegro defenders and find space for a shot could reflect an adaptation he’s making to his game – as alluded to by Potters manager Mark Hughes in this week’s Say What article. The Austrian winger scored last time out against Aston Villa – complementing back-to-back assists from Gameweek 6 – and has emerged as an intriguing differential in the mid-priced bracket. Arnautovic looks the best placed midfielder to profit from Stoke’s strong upcoming trio of fixtures (swa, WAT, new), considering that he ranks top among his team-mates for attempts (11), shots on target (four) and key passes (nine) this term.
Mbokani Nets Back-To-Back Strikes
Dieumerci Mbokani built on his first Norwich City goal with a strike for DR Congo in a friendly victory over Nigeria in Belgium on Thursday. Mbokani rounded off a two-nil victory for the Leopards, lining up alongside the likes of Yannick Bolasie and Chancel Mbemba. Watford’s Odion Ighalo also featured for Nigeria.
The Scout Says: Mbokani is building his case for a first Premier League start when Norwich make the Gameweek 9 trip to a troubled Newcastle side. The powerful striker, now priced at 5.7 in the FPL, has been kept in reserve by Alex Neil to this point as he builds up his sharpness but would seem on the verge of ousting Cameron Jerome from the Canaries’ starting XI. Jerome has struck just a single goal in his eight Premier League appearances thus far, mustering only four attempts on target. With Mbokani’s confidence on a high, Neil will surely be contemplating a change ahead of the clash with a Magpies defence that’s without a clean sheet in four home matches, shipping seven goals in the process. Mbokani may well feature for DR Congo in their second fixture on Monday against Gabon but that fixture will again be played out in Belgium, reducing concerns over his fatigue levels.
Sako Shines for Mali
Palace wide man Bakary Sako served a reminder of his potential by grabbing two goals and a pair of assists in Mali’s 4-1 win over Burkina Faso.
The Scout Says: After an explosive start to life at Selhurst Park, with back-to-back double figure returns in his first two appearances, the former Wolves man has fallen quickly from Fantasy favour. A run of three successive blanks saw the 5.6-priced Sako benched for Palace’s recent win over West Brom, with weekend scorers Yannick Bolasie and Yohan Cabaye now emerging as the best options in Alan Pardew’s midfield. With replacement Wilfried Zaha grabbing an assist against the Baggies, Sako faces a tough task to reclaim his starting berth for now – all the more frustrating, given that the Eagles host West Ham, Sunderland and Newcastle and travel to Leicester in the next six.
