Arsenal edge close to the Champions League exit door after suffering a 2-0 home loss to Barcelona. Harry Kane is set to play with a protective mask this weekend after breaking his nose against Palace. Cheick Kouyate’s one-match ban is rescinded by the FA, whilst Eliaquim Mangala is available for City’s trip to Kiev.
Gunners fall to Emirates defeat
Arsenal lacked the clinical touch as they succumbed to a 2-0 loss in the home leg of their Champions League match-up against Barcelona. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started on the right flank but suffered a knock and was replaced at the 50-minute mark by Theo Walcott. Danny Welbeck came on for Olivier Giroud on 72 minutes, whilst both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez played from start to finish for the hosts.
The Scout Says: The Gunners’ inability to breach Barcelona’s backline reflects their downturn on the attacking front of late. Since Gameweek 22, only three teams have mustered fewer goals (four) than the north Londoners, who posted the second-worst shot-conversion rate (5.5%) behind West Bromwich Albion (4.7%). This deficiency could be brought to the fore over the next trio of Gameweeks, with Spurs and Man United – two teams that chart in the top three for goals conceded – on their agenda. With a possible blank Gameweek 30 also on their agenda (should they overcome the Baggies in an FA Cup replay) those holding the likes of Sanchez (one assist in nine) and Giroud, who has netted in one of the last nine Gameweeks, may well be looking elsewhere.
Kane set to play with protective mask
Harry Kane sustained a broken nose during Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup last weekend. Although the striker will be fitted with a mask so he can play against Swansea City this weekend, there’s a chance that Mauricio Pochettino will manage his minutes against Fiorentina in midweek to avoid further complications.
The Scout Says: Approaching a Gameweek in which the likes of Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku face blanks, Kane’s 41% ownership can breathe a sigh of relief in the knowledge that the league’s joint-second-top scorer won’t miss any domestic action. Although there are question marks regarding his capacity to start in the second leg of Spurs’ Europa League tie, the extra rest would be welcome from a Fantasy perspective. Having notched five goals in as many starts, Kane offers stern competition to Jamie Vardy (four in four, home clash against Norwich City) in the captaincy stakes ahead of the Swans’ visit. The 10.1-priced marksman ranked joint-top among forwards for shots on target (eight) across the past four Gameweeks and is pitted against a side that surrendered the third-most big chances (nine) during that stretch. Spurs embark on a challenging pair of fixtures (whu, ARS) beyond the Swansea encounter, but they enjoy a favourable trip to Aston Villa in a Gameweek 30 pockmarked with blanks, ensuring that Kane remains a premier pick.
Kouyate ban overturned
The red card that Cheikhou Kouyate received during West Ham’s 5-1 win over Blackburn Rovers last weekend has been rescinded by the FA. As such, the Senegalese midfielder will be available for Sunderland’s visit in Gameweek 27.
The Scout Says: Despite already equaling last year’s four-goal haul, Kouyate has been a peripheral figure on the Fantasy scene due to the form of his West Ham team-mates., In light of Manuel Lanzini’s return to action and Victor Moses’ recent form (one goal and assist in two outings), Michail Antonio becomes a serious rotation risk for the Black Cats clash, with Slaven Bilic expected to revert to a 4-2-3-1 system. Couple this with Hammers’ injury-prone stable of forwards, and Dimitri Payet sticks out as their only enticing source of attacking coverage. The France international has discovered his groove over the past week, bagging three goals and two assists in a pair of starts. It’s hardly surprising, then, that he places third among all players for “transfers in” (77,000) before a home clash against a Sunderland outfit that ranks top for away goals conceded (36). Looking past that match-up, two testing head-to-heads (TOT, eve) and a blank in Gameweek 30 discourage further investment, though.
United confirm fixture postponement
Manchester United have confirmed that their Gameweek 35 trip to West Ham has been postponed and will require a new date. This is due to the fact that both clubs go head-to-head in the quarter-finals in Gameweek 30, so therefore one of them will make the last four of the cup and with the semi-finals taking place on the weekend of Gameweek 35, their league match needs to be rescheduled
The Scout Says: Given that both sides are also without a Gameweek 30 fixture due to their FA Cup head-to-head, this means that they now will have two blanks and two doubles apiece to follow. Looking at the possibilities, Gameweeks 31, 34, 36 and 37 (i.e. weeks where there are no European matches scheduled to take place) are the likeliest scenarios, though with so many ifs and buts right now, those holding the likes of Dimitri Payet or Chris Smalling are unable to plan with too much certainty until the new dates are finally revealed.
Mangala returns for City
Manuel Pellegrini revealed that Eliaquim Mangala is back in the frame after recovering from a hamstring complaint:
“We have similar squad that we played in the last Premier League game. The only player that has recovered is Mangala.”
The Scout Says: Following Vincent Kompany’s comeback last Gameweek, Mangala will likely be consigned to bench duty for the remainder of the campaign, with Nicolas Otamendi partnering the Sky Blues’ captain in central defence. Manuel Pellegrini’s propensity for rotation at the full-back berths means that Kompany represents our favoured route into a Man City rearguard that’s struggled for consistency this term. Our immediate interest in their backline is limited by an imminent blank and subsequent trip to Liverpool, but a favourable run from Gameweek 29 (AVL, nor, MUN, bou, WBA) and the promise of a double Gameweek somewhere down the line should renew Kompany’s allure.
