We round up the weekend’s FA Cup action with a briefer version of our regular Scout Notes series.
As is the case with the usual Scout Notes, it’s less about the on-field action in isolation and more about the wider Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points.
We start with the games involving Newcastle United, Southampton, Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea.
SATURDAY’S RESULTS
| Goals | Assists | |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham City 2-3 Newcastle United | Willock x2, Wilson | Osula x2, Longstaff |
| Southampton 0-1 Burnley | – | – |
| Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 Chelsea | Rutter, Mitoma | Verbruggen own-goal | Veltman, Rutter | Palmer |
TEAM SELECTION/ROTATION
| Starting XI changes from Gameweek 24* | Players who kept their place (mins) | Other mins for selected players | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle United | 9 | Burn (55), Guimaraes (45) | Pope (90), Livramento (90), Willock (90), Wilson (55), Tonali (45), Schar (35), Murphy (35), Isak (1) |
| Southampton | 4 | Walker-Peters (90), Bree (90), Bednarek (90), Welington (90), Aribo (90), Fernandes (86), Ugochukwu (82) | McCarthy (90), Manning (90), Kamaldeen (86), Dibling (67), Onuachu (23) |
| Brighton and Hove Albion | 1 | Verbruggen (90), Lamptey (90), Van Hecke (90), Veltman (90), Mitoma (90), Minteh (90), Welbeck (89), Rutter (75), Hinshelwood (68), Dunk (45) | Baleba (75), Webster (45), Pedro (15), Ayari (15) |
| Chelsea | 6 | Adarabioyo (90), Cucurella (90), Caicedo (90), Palmer (90), Sancho (74) | Sanchez (90), Gusto (90), Chalobah (90), Nkunku (90), Neto (74), Dewsbury-Hall (58), Fernandez (32), Madueke (16) |
*Gameweek 24 in the cases of Brighton, Chelsea and Southampton, the EFL Cup semi-finals in Newcastle’s
BURN + GORDON INJURY SCARES
Newcastle’s B team just about saw off Birmingham City on Saturday.
Eddie Howe made nine alterations in all, so the bulk of the players who will be on show in Gameweek 25 were either rested completely here or limited to cameos.
One of the regulars, Anthony Gordon (£7.6m), wasn’t involved at all. The most-sold player of Gameweek 25 to date, Gordon’s status won’t be helped by the appearance of a flag – even though his injury is seemingly minor in nature.
“He’s got a slight injury, I think it is only a small one. It was enough for him not to feel comfortable travelling today, so let’s wait and see.” – Eddie Howe on Anthony Gordon
Of more concern is Dan Burn (£4.4m). One of two starting XI survivors from the win over Arsenal, he made his way gingerly to the touchline after 55 minutes after tweaking his groin.
“It looks like a groin problem for Dan, we desperately hope he is not too bad. He’s been such an important, reliable player for us.” – Eddie Howe on Dan Burn
The Magpies were already without Sven Botman (£4.4m) for this match due to a knee knock.
In better fitness news for Eddie Howe, Callum Wilson (£6.9m) got through his first start of 2024/25. The injury-prone striker prodded in from close range either side of two predatory strikes from Joe Willock (£4.7m).
Will Osula (£4.9m) was impressive, too. Both he and Willock were used out wide initially and are potential Gameweek 25 solutions if Gordon misses out.
Nick Pope (£4.9m) was back between the sticks for the first time in 2025, conceding from a set-piece after 40 seconds and clutching air at Tomoki Iwata’s howitzer but otherwise making some smart stops.
JACKSON ABSENT
Nicolas Jackson (£7.8m) missed out on Chelsea’s cup defeat to Brighton, six days before the two clubs do it all again in the Premier League.
A doubt for the first meeting at the Amex, he duly sat the game out on Saturday.
“As I said yesterday or two days ago, it won’t be long but we will see if he will be available for the next game.” – Enzo Maresca on Nicolas Jackson
It seems bewildering to say but Jackson, goalless in eight league games, is a miss for Chelsea when he’s absent. Christopher Nkunku (£5.7m) is not a ‘nine’, proving so again on Saturday night.
Much of what we wrote about Chelsea last Monday was true this weekend. They simply aren’t the swaggering team of the first half of 2024/25, struggling to create much again. Yes, there were six changes here, but we’ve been saying the same about the Premier League regulars too.
Cole Palmer (£11.2m) sort of epitomises the current malaise, failing to hit earlier heights. Even a sub-par Palmer is still the likeliest source of attacking returns, however: his cross-shot was spooned in by Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) and he once again led the shot count. A header served up by a Nkunku lob was his best chance.
Enzo Maresca confirmed after full-time that he merely rested Reece James (£4.8m) for this clash.
Chelsea’s elimination means that their Double Gameweek 34 fixture against Everton will now go ahead as planned. Up to eight Premier League sides will blank in that round.
PEDRO BENCHED, RUTTER IMPRESSES
What do you do when your team gets thumped 7-0? Give the same players the chance to make amends, if you’re Fabian Hurzeler.
The same players, that is, except Joao Pedro (£5.5m). Hurzeler made only one change from the side humiliated by Nottingham Forest, replacing Pedro with the fit-again Carlos Baleba (£5.0m). That brought some balance to the midfield after Gameweek 24’s capitulation.
Pedro has been mediocre for some time, so a benching was arguably merited. What’s worse for owners of the Brazilian is that Georiginio Rutter (£5.1m), effectively playing the usual Pedro role behind Danny Welbeck (£5.5m), was excellent against Chelsea.
Rutter nodded Brighton level after Verbruggen’s error, then teed up Kaoru Mitoma (£6.3m) for the winner.
The worry now is that Hurzeler may deem Saturday’s line-up, sans Pedro, worthy of getting the chance to face Chelsea again in Gameweek 25.
He might have to do it without Lewis Dunk (£4.2m), who came off at half-time after “feeling something”. The Seagulls will assess him this week.
This wasn’t vintage Brighton – they only had six shots – but a vast improvement on the Forest game, embodied by Tariq Lamptey (£4.4m) recovering from his own Gameweek 24 horror show to impress here.
“We bounced back after a tough week and I think the guys showed real character, especially also after a tough start today.
“And that’s not easy to come back like this and to play with this intensity, to play also in possession with that courage, and I think it was well deserved.” – Fabian Hurzeler
BACK TO REALITY FOR SAINTS
After securing a rare Premier League win last weekend, it was back to reality for Southampton. Ivan Juric’s side, showing a modest four changes from Gameweek 24 and not really weakened too much by them, succumbed to a limp 1-0 defeat to a side that may well replace them in the Premier League next season, Burnley.
Saints failed to have a shot on target after the 47th minute.
Juric reunited a front two he had favoured before their injuries, the ‘out of position’ midfielders Kamaldeen Sulemena (£5.0m) and Tyler Dibling (£4.5m). Neither they nor Gameweek 24 match-winner Paul Onuachu (£4.9m), on as a sub, could make a dent in a Burnley backline that has been superb in the Championship this season.
Even Southampton’s best opening, a blocked double chance in the first half, only stemmed from an errant Burnley back pass.
New signing Welington (£4.0m), moonlighting as a centre-half here, continues to impress. A possible candidate to add to the bench fodder list (he usually operates as a more attacking wing-back) but, in truth, few FPL managers are going anywhere near this sorry Saints side.
2 months, 13 days agoWho the hell do I bench? Need to pick one.
1. Mateta
2. Wood
3. Isak
4. Mbeumo
5. Kluivert