Mesut Ozil, Dimitri Payet and Romelu Lukaku are all amongst the goals ahead of their respective double Gameweeks. Jamie Vardy finds the net for England again, Wayne Rooney could be back in action within a fortnight, whilst Newcastle’s Rob Elliot is sidelined with a serious knee injury.
Gunners pair play their part
Complementing his assist against England last weekend, Mesut Ozil fired home from the penalty spot as Germany trounced Italy 4-1. In South America, Alexis Sanchez aided Chile’s 4-1 win against Venezuela with a brace of assists in the early hours of this morning.
The Scout Says: Despite losing a portion of his ownership due to a relatively lean period (two goals and assists in 10 starts), Ozil remains the second-most popular (44% ownership) midfielder on the Fantasy market. Looking at Arsenal’s schedule, the stage is set for the German orchestrator to generate some momentum, with a home clash against Watford and double Gameweek 34 (CRY & WBA) set to play a major part in our wildcard plans. Having delivered attacking returns (one goal and two assists) in his previous trio of starts, Sanchez serves as the differential (11% ownership) option.
Lukaku nets in Belgium loss
Romelu Lukaku grabbed a consolation goal for Belgium in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Portugal.
The Scout Says: Everton embark on consecutive doubles in Gameweeks 33 and 34 beyond their trip to Old Trafford this weekend, which will doubtless trigger a stratospheric rise in Lukaku owners – and, as a by-product, a decline in Jamie Vardy backers. Given that the Belgian hitman netted in Everton’s last two road ties and the Toffees boast the second-best shot-conversion rate (14.1%) of any side on their travels, the prospect of four away matches in the next five shouldn’t dent their Fantasy appeal. Regardless of the fixture congestion, Lukaku’s lack of worthy competition bodes well for his pitch time over the doubles.
Payet fires free-kick stunner
Dimitri Payet curled home a pinpoint free-kick and notched an assist during France’s 4-2 win over Russia. The former Marseille man wasn’t the only Premier League player that graced the scoreboard at the Stade de France, considering that N’Golo Kante opened the scoring.
The Scout Says: In light of his two goals and four assists in five league starts, Payet is topping many a shopping list prior to West Ham United’s double Gameweek 34 (lei & WAT). Proving just how influential the Frenchman’s been, no midfielder chalked up more attempts (14) in their previous four matches, while only David Silva carded more key passes (19 compared to 17). With that in mind, the emergent superstar is a serious captaincy candidate this weekend as the Irons play host to a Crystal Palace outfit that shipped the second-most goals (eight) and big chances (10) across the last four Gameweeks.
Vardy notches in Three Lions defeat
Jamie Vardy found the target as England were humbled by Netherlands in a 2-1 defeat at Wembley.
The Scout Says: Akin to Kyle Walker – who laid on the assist and recorded two assists in his previous four league outings – Vardy is entering a purple patch (two goals and as many assists in last four starts across all competitions) but suffers from the lack of a double Gameweek. Moreover, Leicester have counselled defensive discipline over marauding attacking play of late, meaning they’ve posted an underwhelming haul of seven goals in their last six match-ups. Given that Vardy has managed two shots on target over his last four, it’s fair to say that he’ll struggle to remain in many managers’ wildcard set-ups for the run-in.
Bournemouth duo in the goals
Max Gradel etched his name onto the scoresheet in the first half of Ivory Coast’s 1-1 draw with Sudan. Elsewhere in the Bournemouth camp, Scotland had Matt Ritchie to thank for a 1-0 win over Denmark.
The Scout Says: The Cherries recent run of form came to an abrupt end last time out, where they managed two attempts and zero shots on target in a 3-0 loss to Tottenham. Ally that with their challenging schedule (MCI, avl, LIV, CHE, eve) and absence of a double Gameweek, and Bournemouth – who already look safe from the drop – are now a peripheral concern for the remainder of the Fantasy season.
Rooney steps up recovery
United skipper Wayne Rooney gave Fantasy managers a handy heads-up last night by revealing he’ll be back in training within the next fortnight:
“I think if everything goes to plan, I am back outside running now, then I will hope to be back in full training within the next week or 10 days. I am not too far away.”
The Scout Says: Going by Rooney’s estimation, the Three Lions’ captain looks set to miss United’s next two fixtures (EVE, tot) but could – subject to match fitness – be available for their double Gameweek 34 (AVL & CRY). His return to the frame may well deter interest in Marcus Rashford (three goals in four) as a budget pick-up and with a jam-packed schedule that hands them four matches in 11 days from Gameweek 33, including an FA Cup replay with West Ham, Louis van Gaal could use a degree of rotation in order to cope with the schedule.
Magpies hit by Elliot injury
Newcastle United confirmed that Rob Elliot sustained a serious knee injury during Ireland’s international friendly against Slovakia.
The Scout Says: Although we await further news on the expected duration of Elliot’s injury, he looks set to sidelined for the remainder of the campaign amid fears of ligament damage. With Tim Krul already stuck in the treatment room, though, Karl Darlow (3.9) is set for a run of starts between the sticks. Although the Magpies recorded just one clean sheet in their last 15 outings, the fact they’ve conceded zero big chances in two matches under Rafa Benitez suggests that Darlow could be a handy facilitator for wildcard teams ahead of the Toon’s double Gameweek 34 (SWA & MCI).
Kolarov nets in Serbia win
Aleksandar Kolarov scored a free-kick for Serbia as they ran out 1-0 winners over Estonia.
The Scout Says: Kolarov has fallen out of favour at the left-back position, with Gael Clichy starting seven out of Manchester City’s last eight match-ups ahead of him. Nonetheless, the latter remains a rotation risk and the same can be said at the opposite full-back slot, given that Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta are sharing pitch time. As such, Nicolas Otamendi and Joe Hart – who are both currently nursing minor injuries – represent the safest routes into the Sky Blues’ defence. In terms of their recent diligence, Manuel Pellegrini’s troops surrendered nine fewer shots inside the box (11) than any team across the past four Gameweeks and conceded a solitary goal in the last three, which instills confidence in their clean-sheet prospects before a promising pair of fixtures (bou, WBA) and a double Gameweek 34 (che & new).
Long amongst the goals
Shane Long scored a penalty as Ireland shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw with Slovakia – incidentally, James McClean also converted a spot-kick two minutes after the Southampton marksman.
The Scout Says: Southampton have picked up their form following a three-match sticky patch (one draw, two defeats), renewing their chances of a European berth with consecutive victories over Stoke City and Liverpool. In the process, Graziano Pelle (three goals and two assists in two) and Sadio Mane (two goals against Liverpool last time out) have re-emerged as viable pick-ups – but arguably too late, considering that Saints don’t enjoy a double Gameweek during their run-in. On a side note, the south-coast club’s resurgence in the final third (five goals and nine shots on target in last two) might tempt investors in Leicester City’s rearguard to bench those recruits this weekend.
