Bojan Krkic hands Stoke a third successive league win with a first-half spot-kick at the Liberty Stadium. Bafetimbi Gomis blanks for the fifth straight Gameweek, whilst Gylfi Sigurdsson drops to the bench as Swansea’s poor run of form continues.
Bojan Wins it for Potters
Bojan Krkic netted from the penalty spot to earn Stoke City a 1-0 win over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium – the first time they’ve recorded consecutive road victories since December 2011. The Spanish forward claimed his second goal in four leagues starts since returning from a long-term knee injury, highlighting his potential as a third striker. Priced at 5.3 and taking precedence over Charlie Adam on spot-kicks, Krkic could well deliver points on a budget as Stoke lock horns with the likes of Watford, Newcastle and Sunderland over the next five Gameweeks.
The Staffordshire outfit had no clean sheets to their name through the opening seven Gameweeks but have now kept the opposition out in their previous two match-ups. Considering that the Hornets – who rank bottom for goals scored (six) this campaign – are next on the agenda, Jack Butland’s 8.5% ownership will be hopeful of a third successive shut-out. In terms of their rearguard recruits, Geoff Cameron’s 4.5 price tag and security of starts renders him an attractive squad filler over the short term as Ryan Shawcross closes in on a return to fitness. With the fixtures turning against the Potters from Gameweek 12, though, long-term investment in Mark Hughes’ men looks less appealing.
Swans Toils Continue
Swansea are now winless in five outings following their home defeat to the Potters and have triumphed in just two of their last 11 league encounters. Allied to that, Garry Monk’s men have failed to secure a clean sheet in six of their previous seven fixtures, frustrating Ashley Williams’ sizeable 9.5% ownership. Nonetheless, an upcoming road tie against an Aston Villa side that’s drawn a blank in all but one of their home clashes this term portends an improvement on that front.
Bafetimbi Gomis and Andrew Ayew were hugely ineffectual: the former mustered just one attempt on target and was continuously flagged for offside, while the latter didn’t card a single shot at goal. Both players currently sit in 19% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) sides and have scored one goal between them (courtesy of Ayew against Spurs in Gameweek 8) in the last five league matches. Whilst many will be keen to part company, the Swans square up to Villa, Norwich and Bournemouth in the next four and may yet profit from that favourable run.
Meanwhile, Jonjo Shelvey entered the referee’s notebook for the fourth time this season, putting him on the precipice of a one-match suspension – as the Swans’ top creative outlet (18 key passes), his potential absence would influence our assessment of their attacking prospects. Gylfi Sigurdsson’s diminishing band of owners will be looking for the exit door, though, after the Icelandic international was benched for the first time this term, as Garry Monk opted for Modou Barrow in the attacking midfield slots instead.
