Scout Scribbles – International Round Up

Southampton sweat on Virgil van Dijk’s fitness, as the towering defender is ruled out of Holland’s friendly with Germany on Tuesday. Elsewhere, Riyad Mahrez continues to provide the catalyst for unlikely revivals as Algeria peg back Tanzania in their World Cup qualifier.

Crocked Van Dijk Returns Home

Having been withdrawn at half time in the Netherlands’ match-up against Wales due to a minor knee complaint, Virgil van Dijk has been ruled out of Oranje’s friendly with Germany on Tuesday and will return to the south coast. Meanwhile, Cedric Soares played the full 90 minutes for Portugal in their 1-0 defeat to Russia, while Jose Fonte was an unused substitute.

The Scout Says: Since making the switch to Southampton last summer, Van Dijk has quickly showcased the attacking potential that saw him notch 10 goals in all competitions for Celtic in the previous campaign. Aside from bagging two goals in eight league outings, the Dutch centre-back places joint-third among defenders for attempts (six) and top for shots on target (four) over the last six Gameweeks. Considering that Saints enjoy home clashes against Stoke City and Aston Villa – who rank joint-bottom for goals scored (10) – in the next three Gameweeks, their strong clean-sheet prospects will have Van Dijk’s 3.5% ownership hoping for a speedy recovery. Van Dijk currently ranks second in our Watchlist for defenders and will remain there whilst we wait on news of this potential injury setback.

As for Soares, he will have welcomed the 90 minutes for his country having been benched against Sunderland last time out, with Maya Yoshida handed the right-back role. It remains to be seen if he can reclaim a Saints’ starting berth following the break – Soares would seem likely to feature in Wednesday’s friendly with Luxembourg before returning to the south coast ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Stoke. Meanwhile, Yoshida will be forced to travel to Cambodia for Japan’s next World Cup qualifier on Tuesday afternoon – that long-haul flight could well factor against him ahead of the Potters clash.

Mahrez Inspires Algerian Comeback

Riyad Mahrez served up an assist during Algeria’s 2-2 draw against Tanzania. The midfielder provided a defence-splitting pass for the equalising goal, having also played a part in Algeria’s opener as they fought back to earn an unlikely draw.

The Scout Says: Mahrez continues to impress, as his Fantasy owners consider their options ahead of Leicester’s toughening schedule of fixtures.

Behind his partner in crime, Jamie Vardy (53%), Mahrez (58%) is the top-owned player in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL). The 6.7-priced midfielder boasts seven goals and five assists across 11 outings and is posting underlying statistics that show he’s not just profiting from an unsustainable shot-conversion rate; since Mahrez reclaimed his starting berth in Gameweek 10, he ranks joint-third among midfielders for attempts (nine), second for shots inside the box (seven) and joint-first for shots on target (four). The Foxes’ schedule toughens considerably beyond their trip to Newcastle next Gameweek, though (MUN, swa, CHE, eve, liv, MCI), which could stymie the Algerian’s astonishing momentum and even convince some to consider an exit plan.

Mahrez will now be preparing for Algeria’s second leg with Tanzania which takes place on Tuesday in Bilda, before flying back to Leicester ahead of the Tyneside trip on Saturday. It remains to be seen if his international exertions will cast doubt on his chances of starting at Newcastle – given his two-goal contribution in his last away trip at West Brom, it would seem unlikely that Claudio Ranieri would risk omitting him from the starting XI.

Bentaleb Returns But Dembele A Doubt

Nabil Bentaleb is in line to return to Tottenham Hotspur’s matchday squad after clocking 45 minutes for Algeria against Tanzania. Elsewhere in the Spurs camp, Christian Eriksen started and lasted the distance for Denmark in their play-off against Sweden, but Mousa Dembele sat out Belgium’s 3-1 victory over Italy on Friday with a calf knock. However, Belgium’s manager, Marc Wilmots, remains optimistic on Dembele’s return against Spain on Tuesday…

“We are working on an individual programme with Mousa to get him ready for the game against Spain. Because he was not certain to play, I selected an extra midfielder, [Anderlecht’s] Steven Defour.”

Dembele is also playing down the injury…

“I received a kick over the weekend, it is not that bad but it is just a bit swollen – that’s it.”

The Scout Says: Dele Alli and Eric Dier have excelled as a midfield partnership for Spurs this campaign, but Mauricio Pochettino will be wary of over-exerting a youthful duo that lay claim to just 44 league starts between them. As such, it would come as little surprise if Bentaleb is afforded sporadic starts at the expense of the emerging Alli.

A series of strong displays and two goals have cemented Dembele as a key component of Spurs’ attacking midfield three. Currently being deployed in the number ten berth, the Belgian appears to be flourishing in the new attacking role. Priced at 5.3 in FPL, he offers a viable midfield downgrade option for those seeking to liberate funds for the purchase of Sergio Aguero. While Dembele’s stock is on the rise, Christian Eriksen has struggled to build on promising form since his return from injury: the Dane has recorded just one shot on target and one assist since his brace in Gameweek 8.

Howe Looks To King To Step Up

Returning to domestic action, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has pinpointed Joshua King as the man to solve his side’s goal drought. The Cherries boss asserted that the Norwegian’s pace potentially renders him a better fit to their brand of football than Glenn Murray:

“I think Joshua gives us that pace up front which Callum had. It is no secret we are still searching for a balance that suits our players. I hope I am not still saying that in two or three months’ time because we are aware we have to find the solutions quite quickly… that is not a criticism of Glenn (Murray), who is an outstanding player in his own right, but the lads have been used to having a quick number nine. I think when the team has adapted to playing a certain way, it is difficult to then change but Glenn has had a couple of good games for us and is a really useful player to have.”

The Scout Says: King replaced Murray at half time against Southampton in Gameweek 11 and subsequently retained that berth for Bournemouth’s 1-0 home defeat against Newcastle. Pitched as a 4.6-priced midfielder in the FPL, there’s obvious scope for King to flourish as a budget, out-of-position prospect – particularly when Howe’s quotes suggest he’s willing to hand the 23-year-old a run of starts. Although the Cherries failed to net in their last two outings, only Liverpool (30) fashioned more key passes (27) during that time frame, which offers hope that goals are imminent. Nonetheless, King – who tallied just three goals in his final 48 league appearances for Blackburn Rovers – still has a lot to prove as the south coast outfit gear up for an unforgiving quartet of match-ups (swa, EVE, che, MUN).