Heung-Min Son grabs a goal and assist as Spurs sweep aside Leicester at the King Power. Christian Benteke blanks again as Liverpool ease past Exeter at Anfield. Eden Hazard is back in training for Chelsea, whilst Adnan Januzaj is set to earn a recall to United’s squad for the weekend visit of Southampton.
Son Sparkles in Spurs win
Tottenham Hotspur ran out 2-0 victors over Leicester City in their FA Cup replay to line up a trip to Colchester in the fourth round. Heung-Min Son arguably produced his best performance in a Spurs strip, rifling home the opener (Tom Carroll assist) and delivering a through ball for Nacer Chadli’s goal. Popular Fantasy picks such as Harry Kane and Dele Alli didn’t start but were called upon in the second half, while Toby Alderweireld and Mousa Dembele were given the night off. Eric Dier displayed his versatility by slotting back into central defence.
The Scout Says: Given that Mauricio Pochettino has a propensity for rewarding standout performers in cup competitions with league starts, Son will be pushing for a start when Spurs travel to Crystal Palace this Saturday, with Erik Lamela perhaps the man most under threat. From a Fantasy standpoint, the South Korean’s classification as a forward undermines his chances of ever attracting investment. For now, Alli (5.5) represents the choice route into Tottenham’s midfield – irrespective of Christian Eriksen’s brace last time out. The former MK Dons starlet ranked top among midfielders for attempts (14) over the last four Gameweeks, highlighting his budget potential.
Foxes drought continues
Claudio Ranieri made eight alterations to his side as Leicester’s mainly second-string unit came up short against Spurs’ well-drilled outfit. The likes of Demarai Gray and Ben Chilwell elevated their standing with eye-catching displays, whilst Riyad Mahrez remained rooted to the bench throughout and Jamie Vardy was introduced at the 74-minute mark as the Foxes searched for an unlikely comeback.
The Scout Says: Having crashed out of the FA Cup, Leicester now lay claim to just one win in seven outings across all competitions. Moreover, they chalked up just four goals over that stretch, illuminating their drop off on the attacking front. Clearly the East Midlanders are suffering from their much-vaunted duo’s recent lack of productivity: Mahrez has drawn five successive blanks, while Vardy hasn’t netted in six league starts. The former is still FPL’s most popular player (65% ownership) by a significant margin, but that figure could start to plummet if he doesn’t hit form during Leicester’s challenging quartet of upcoming fixtures (STO, LIV, mci, ars). Both Mahrez and Vardy will be buoyed by Stoke’s recent form on the road, though, with the Potters shipping five goals in their last two away fixtures at Everton and West Brom.
Much-changed Reds progress
Liverpool cruised into the fourth round of the FA cup by way of a 3-0 win over Exeter, setting up a home clash against West Ham United. Joe Allen struck first, before Joao Teixeira and Sheyi Ojo applied gloss to the scoreline in the second period. Christian Benteke, Brad Smith and Jordon Ibe supplied the ammunition. Fan favourite Jon Flanagan was subbed on in the 51st minute to make his first appearance following an 18-month injury layoff.
The Scout Says: Given that Jurgen Klopp fielded a very inexperienced team against the League Two outfit, there was little to glean from the Merseysiders’ comfortable victory. That being said, the fact that Benteke was tasked with leading the line elucidates Klopp’s intention to deploy Roberto Firmino as a false nine for Liverpool’s trip to Norwich this weekend. On that note, the 7.8-priced Brazilian boasts strong differential-potential ahead of an alluring quartet of match-ups (nor, lei, SUN, avl).
Hazard back in training for Blues
Reports indicate that Eden Hazard stepped up his rehabilitation from a groin injury by returning to team training on Wednesday.
The Scout Says: Hazard has completed just one league match (a turgid stalemate with Manchester United in Gameweek 19) under Gus Hiddink’s reign, so we’re yet to see whether the Blues’ managerial change can act as the catalyst to kick start his campaign. Certainly, since the departure of Jose Mourinho, the likes of Willian (one goal, five assists) Diego Costa (four goals, two assists) and Oscar (two goals, two assists) have all served up the points, whilst Cesc Fabregas bagged a goal and assist against Everton last weekend. The 10.8-priced Belgian will be looking to replicate his team-mates’ improvement, having produced just one goal and three assists this campaign, but light of the fact that he’s slipped down the spot-kick pecking order and has accrued just seven shots on target in 19 outings, the jury is out for now.
Januzaj set for United squad return
Having been recalled from his loan to Borussia Dortmund earlier in the month, Adnan Januzaj netted a brace for Manchester United’s U21s on Monday. In response, Louis van Gaal is set to include the Belgium international in the Red Devils’ matchday squad for their home encounter against Southampton this Saturday.
The Scout Says: Available for 5.5, Januzaj flickered briefly on our radars at the start of the season, scoring in one of his two starts before being farmed out to Dortmund. Three goals and as many assists over the first seven Gameweeks saw Juan Mata emerge as an United’s main man in the early stages of the season but the ex-Chelsea playmaker has managed one goal and zero assists since then, starving us of any viable route into Man United’s midfield. Van Gaal has started Jesse Lingard (4.2) in each of the last two, though, and the youngster found the net against Newcastle in Gameweek 21, suggesting he could stake a claim for regular pitch time. Recently, though, the Red Devils’ upturn in attacking output has seen Wayne Rooney (four goals and one assist in three) establish himself as the chief source of attacking points amongst their ranks. England’s all-time top scorer has rediscovered his groove of late and could profit from a schedule that includes back-to-back home ties (SOU, STO) and a trip to Sunderland over the next four Gameweeks.
