Eden Hazard could be out for two weeks after undergoing scans on a groin injury. Geoff Cameron wins an appeal over his three-match ban, Arsene Wenger is keen to rest his regulars for FA Cup duties, whilst Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson remain sidelined for Liverpool’s cup clash with the Potters tonight.
Hazard Undergoes Groin Injury Scans
Reports indicate that the groin injury that forced Eden Hazard off against Palace last weekend isn’t as bad as first feared. The Belgian underwent scans on the injury yesterday and although tests have suggested there is no serious problem, Hazard may still miss the next couple of weeks as he recuperates.
The Scout Says: With a single goal and three assists to his name all season, it’s somewhat surprising that Hazard still sits in over 12% of FPL teams, given his 10.8 price tag. Chelsea’s form has clearly taken a turn for the better since Guus Hiddink arrived and although the Belgian has continued to struggle for both form and fitness, team-mates Willian (one goal, four assists), Oscar (two goals, one assist) and Diego Costa (three goals, one assist) have stepped up in the four matches since the departure of Jose Mourinho. At just 7.1 and 8.2 respectively, Willian and Oscar are far more reasonably priced for those looking for a route into Hiddink’s midfield as the Blues prepare for four home fixtures (WBA, EVE, MUN, NEW) in the next six Gameweeks.
Cameron wins appeal
The FA have written off Geoff Cameron’s three-match suspension after the USA international was wrongly awarded a red card for violent conduct at the weekend.
The Scout Says: In light of the FA’s about-turn, Cameron will be available for selection when Norwich City pay a visit in Gameweek 21. The versatile American – who’s classified as a defender in the Fantasy Premier League – relinquished his centre-back berth earlier in the campaign but recently has been favoured over Charlie Adam in central midfield. Although Cameron (4.3) offers out-of-position potential from that slot, his negligible goal threat (two in 131 appearances) and rotation risk ensure that Philipp Wollscheid (4.5) is a more attractive route into the Staffordshire outfit’s rearguard. Glen Johnson (5.3) has tallied five more attempts (13) and three more key passes (15) than any of his defensive team-mates but carries a more prohibitive price tag. Ultimately, Stoke as a whole have conceded the joint-fewest goals (11) and carded the most clean sheets (eight) since Gameweek 8 but could struggle to sustain that momentum as they prepare to lock horns with Leicester City and Arsenal across the next three Gameweeks (NOR, ARS, lei).
Wenger looking to rest regulars this weekend
Arsene Wenger confirmed that he intends to rotate some of his players when Arsenal welcome Sunderland to the Emirates in their FA Cup third round clash on Saturday:
“Of course I will give them a rest. I will give them a couple of days, an extra rest, but you never know what shape they come back in! It depends what you do when you have a rest! You can come back more tired!”
The Scout Says: Arsenal are to be commended for grinding out a result against Newcastle United last Gameweek, but they were second best for much of the encounter – as evidenced by the fact they mustered half the visitors’ tally of shots on target (six to three). A period of rest for their regulars – ahead of a challenging trip to Liverpool next Wednesday – could pay dividends then, with Mesut Ozil among those that Wenger is monitoring carefully. On the flip side, this cup interlude could afford Alexis Sanchez the freedom to generate some match fitness on his return from a hamstring strain. Wenger hinted earlier in the week that the Chilean could feature against the Black Cats, potentially lining him up for a cameo at Anfield.
Cherries Appeal Francis Dismissal
Bournemouth have confirmed they are set to appeal the red cad accrued by Simon Francis for appearing to deny Jamie Vardy a goal scoring opportunity at the King Power Stadium last weekend. Eddie Howe was initially set to accept the one-match suspension but has had a change of heart as it could effect Francis’ disciplinary record later in the season. The downside is that if the governing body deem the appeal to be a frivolous one, they are within their rights to double the defender’s ban.
The Scout Says: At present, Francis is only set to miss the upcoming FA Cup clash with Birmingham but an extension would also see him miss their Gameweek 21 home encounter with West Ham. The Cherries defence chalked up just one clean sheet through the first 14 Gameweeks but has since notched three shut-outs in six outings, augmenting the allure of their budget rearguard recruits. Aside from being tasked with taking penalties, Charlie Daniels ranks top for attempts (10), joint-top for shots inside the box (seven) and top for key passes (21) among Bournemouth’s back line – incidentally, only Alberto Moreno (39), Aleksandar Kolarov (32) and Aaron Cresswell (26) chart above him for chances created over the season. As such, he represents the south-coast club’s prime defender as they gear up for a favourable quartet of fixtures (WHU, NOR, sun, cry).
Jagielka in line for weekend return
Roberto Martinez intimated that Phil Jagielka could start for Everton when they play host to Dagenham and Redbridge in the FA Cup this Saturday:
“He is not fully fit. The FA Cup third round is a more realistic target to start. But even having Phil on the bench gives you a lift. If we can maintain that defensive intensity it will be important because our play going forward is as good as anyone in the league.”
The Scout Says: In the nine league fixtures that Jagielka has started and finished this term, the Toffees conceded 1.22 goals per match and posted a clean-sheet ratio of 0.33. Conversely, during the 10 fixtures that their captain has missed due to a knee ligament injury, the Toffees conceded 1.6 goals per match and carded a clean-sheet ratio of 0.2, suggesting that Jagielka’s presence has been sorely missed. For now, we’re unenthused by an Everton defence that’s notched one clean sheet in seven outings and faces back-to-back trips to Manchester City and Chelsea in the coming weeks.
Reds Duo still sidelined for cup clash
Jurgen Klopp revealed that Daniel Sturridge has missed recent training sessions because of niggling muscle complaints:
“Daniel had some problems this week, not serious, but he could not train, he could not make the next session. We had to wait a day, the muscles here, something like this, how a pre-season can be. It’s a pre-season without games so it should not happen too much but some little things happen and you’ve always got to handle this.”
Jordan Henderson, meanwhile, is undergoing treatment that Klopp hopes will bring an end to his persistent heel issue:
“We don’t really know because we have to wait. Each day, each hour, each minute. The thing that happened with the tendon in the foot is good, it’s painful but it’s good. We hope that when the blood is out of the foot, then the situation is solved. But at this moment we have blood around the heel. So he cannot train or play but we hope it is not serious. He is having treatment, everything we can do to bring the blood out of the foot we are doing but we cannot rush. It’s time we need and I can say nothing else.”
The Scout Says: Sturridge’s ongoing injury travails are affording Christian Benteke a free run at the lone-striker berth. The Belgium international boasts two goals in three starts but has flattered to deceive for the majority of his pitch time, carding the worst shot accuracy (25%) among all forwards that clocked at least 200 minutes across the last four Gameweeks. His erratic finishing reflects Liverpool as a unit, given that only Newcastle rank below the Reds in terms of goals (one compared to two) and shot-conversion rate (2.5% to 2.6%) since Gameweek 17. Considering that two of the league’s top-three defences are next on the agenda (ARS, MUN) for Liverpool, that trend could be set to continue.
