John Obi Mikel grabs a crucial away strike as Chelsea lose 2-1 in Paris. Manuel Lanzini closes in on his West Ham comeback, Oumar Niasse could be in line for his Everton bow, whilst Big Sam is hopeful on the fitness of Jan Kirchhoff ahead of Gameweek 27.
Mikel nets in narrow Blues loss
John Obi Mikel netted a crucial away goal as Chelsea fell to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain. Diego Costa supplied the assist and chalked up three shots on target throughout the 90 minutes. In the absence of John Terry – who didn’t travel to France due to a hamstring complaint – Branislav Ivanovic partnered Gary Cahill in central defence, with Baba Rahman playing at left-back and Cesar Azpilicueta shifting onto the opposite flank. Having recovered from a minor calf knock, Oscar made his entrance at the 71-minute mark.
The Scout Says: Although a goal eluded him at Parc des Princes, Costa has now delivered attacking returns (four goals and as many assists) in six of his last seven outings for Chelsea in all competitions. The Spain international is certainly thriving under the tutelage of Guus Hiddink, rendering him a strong selection in the high-priced bracket ahead of an agreeable trio of match-ups (sou, nor, STO). It’s worth noting, however, that if the Blues beat Manchester City in their upcoming FA Cup encounter, their trip to Liverpool in Gameweek 30 will have to be rescheduled, forcing any new Costa investors to bench the 10.6-priced asset. On the defensive end, Ivanovic’s 9% ownership will be paying close attention to Terry’s rehabilitation, considering that the former’s continued deployment in a central role would limit his potential for attacking returns.
Niasse nears Toffees debut
Having negotiated a fortnight of intensive training, Oumar Niasse believes he is ready to don the Everton strip for the first time this weekend:
“I think I am ready this weekend. Training has been physical. When I’ve played in Russia and Turkey and there have been battles on the pitch, the coaches stop the game and give fouls. But here, it is much more complicated because people can push you and sometimes people can make a hard tackle and the coach says: ‘Play, play’. So the training here is more physical.”
The Scout Says: Given that Romelu Lukaku is nailed-on up front for the Merseysiders, Niasse looks likely to be handed pitch time on the flank in Roberto Martinez’ default 4-2-3-1 set-up. Although Tom Cleverley (three assists in three) and Aaron Lennon (two goals and one assist in three) boast good form on either wing, the fact that the Toffees fired 33 unsuccessful attempts in last week’s 1-0 home loss to West Bromwich Albion could convince Martinez to deploy a more natural finisher that can shoulder a portion of Lukaku’s scoring burden. Ultimately, Niasse’s classification as a forward by the Fantasy Premier League greatly diminishes his appeal at the 7.0 mark, leaving Ross Barkley as the only secure route into the Toffees midfield.
Berahino escapes FA action
Saido Berahino will not receive a three-match ban after an FA panel failed to arrive at a unanimous decision regarding his purported stamp on Everton’s James McCarthy last weekend.
The Scout Says: Granted his first start since Gameweek 11 when the Baggies recorded a 1-0 win at Goodison Park, Berahino failed to exert his influence on the attacking front, mustering zero attempts and one key pass. His fellow forward, Salomon Rondon, is enjoying a decent run of late, though, managing two goals and four bonus points in his previous trio of starts. Nonetheless, few managers will be willing to invest in an offense that ranked bottom for attempts (33), shots on target (seven) and key passes (24) over the last four Gameweeks, and faces a challenging run through to Gameweek 30 (CRY, lei, MUN, ars).
Allardyce hopeful on Kirchhoff
Sam Allardyce remains optimistic that Jan Kirchhoff – who lasted just 15 minutes against Manchester United before succumbing to a hamstring injury – will be passed fit for Sunderland’s road encounter against West Ham United next Gameweek:
“[The new boys were] absolutely fantastic, apart from Jan who picked up the hamstring, but hopefully he’ll be fit in a couple of weeks. We have a couple of weeks now for all the injuries to recover for the trip down to West Ham United. It is a good break to recover as many players as we can and get them out on that field and try and continue where we’ve left off.”
The Scout Says: Priced at 4.3 in FPL, the defender has been stationed in the holding midfield role in Big Sam’s new 4-1-4-1 set-up. In terms of Sunderland backline options, Patrick van Aanholt – who ranks joint-top among defenders for goals (five) – is the standout option but is hindered by the Black Cats’ inability to card a clean sheet in 12 straight fixtures. Such a dire defensive record means that, for now, new boy Wahbi Khazri (6.0) is the only Sunderland recruit that courts our interest. Aside from recording one goal and two assists in his first two starts, against Liverpool and United for the Wearsiders, he charted joint-third among midfielders for attempts (five) last Gameweek and joint-second for key passes (eight) across the past two Gameweeks. Given his recent fixture-proof showing, the Tunisian international could well profit from a run that pits him against West Ham, Palace, Everton, Newcastle and West Brom over the next six Gameweeks.
Mixed news for Hammers
West Ham United co-chairman David Gold revealed that Manuel Lanzini could travel with the squad to face Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup this weekend. Meanwhile, Diafra Sakho is undergoing supplementary fitness sessions but has not yet been given the green light to return to action. Conversing with the Irons’ official website, the Senegalese frontman expressed his intent to score another 15 goals before the end of the season:
“Honestly, my recovery’s going very well. Even though it’s been a lot quicker than what I’d thought, I’m in a hurry to come back because I promised to score 20 goals and at the moment I’m only on five in all competitions. So that leaves 15. I’m going to try right until the end to keep to my word. Even if the fans say, ‘the whole season he only played 20 or so games’, I hope, in the games that I’m going to play, to respect my words. That’s very important to me. I want to play right now. I need to play right now, but Stijn says ‘No, no, I have to wait’. I’m working very hard with Stijn and with Eamon, and at home as well.”
The Scout Says: West Ham lined up in a 4-3-3 formation for their visit to Norwich last Gameweek but are likely to revert to a 4-2-3-1 set-up upon the return of Lanzini, leaving Victor Moses and Michail Antonio to duel for the second wing berth in the attacking quartet. The former has impressed since being handed a sustained run of starts – notching three goals and four assists in eight outings – but the latter turned out an impactful cameo at Carrow Road, scything through the Canaries’ midfield with ease and earning the assist for Dimitri Payet’s strike with his direct running. On that note, Payet – who placed third among midfielders for key passes (14) over the last three Gameweeks and racked up a 13-point haul at Carrow Road – represents the prime route into the Londoners’ offense before a tantalising home tie against Sunderland.
Grealish back in Villa training
Jack Grealish has shaken off an ankle injury and returned to full training, putting him in contention for Aston Villa’s trip to Stoke City next Gameweek.
The Scout Says: In the wake of Villa’s 6-0 mauling at the hands of Liverpool, one would expect Remi Garde to make significant changes ahead of their meeting with the Potters. That being said, it’s difficult to envision a scenario in which we’d be encouraged to source coverage from the West Midlanders, considering that they rank bottom for goals scored (20) and fourth for goals conceded (46) throughout the term. Indeed, Fantasy managers may well be more inclined to target players that are pitted against Garde’s out-of-sorts outfit, with some eyeing up Stoke midfield pair Marko Arnautovic (if fit) and Xherdan Shaqiri as short-term options ahead of back-to-back home encounters with Villa and Newcastle.
