Enner Valencia is amongst the goals for Ecuador. Shinji Okazaki notches for Japan, Ryan Bertrand pulls out of England duties, whilst Liverpool duo Christian Benteke and Divock Origi withdraw from the Belgium squad due to injury.

Valencia nets in Ecuador stalemate

West Ham’s Enner Valencia kicked off the scoring as Ecuador played out a 2-2 draw against Paraguay.

The Scout Says: The surfeit of forward options at Slaven Bilic’s disposal lends itself to rotation, forcing us to concentrate on West Ham’s midfield in our search for attacking coverage. With two goals and four assists in his last four starts, Dimitri Payet has firmly established himself as the top pick ahead of the Irons’ double Gameweek 34 (lei, WAT). Elsewhere in the Hammers camp, Manuel Lanzini’s stock rose after his goal last weekend, while Michail Antonio – who’s filled in at right-back recently but should vacate that role upon the return of James Tomkins or Sam Byram after the international break – lays claim to three goals in four outings. Extending our focus to West Ham’s double Gameweek 37 (SWA, MUN), Antonio’s home form (four double-figure hauls in six) arguably make him a very attractive proposition for the final few furlongs, given that Payet has managed one double-figure at home all season.

Watford duo in the goals

The Hornets centre-half Craig Cathcart scored for Northern Ireland in a 1-1 draw against Wales, while wide man Ikechi Anya steered Scotland to a 1-0 victory over Czech Republic.

The Scout Says: Looking beyond the Hornets’ upcoming pair of testing fixtures (ars, EVE), their doubles in Gameweeks 34 (wba & whu) and Gameweek 37 (liv & nor) throw up a quartet of road clashes. Although Watford chalked up just two clean sheets in their last 13 head-to-heads, the fact that only two teams conceded fewer goals (five) than the Hertfordshire outfit over the past six Gameweeks suggests that shut-outs could be imminent. Owing to his security of starts, the 4.6-priced Cathcart could tempt prospective investors in a Watford rearguard that’s surrendered the seventh-fewest shots inside the box (112) in away matches. At the other end of the pitch, though, five goals in their last ten league outings suggests few will be prepared to punt on Quique Sanchez Flores’ attackers right now.

Concerns Up Front for Liverpool

Christian Benteke (undisclosed injury) and Divock Origi (thigh problem) both withdrew from the Belgium squad on Thursday and will plot a course back to Liverpool to receive treatment.

The Scout Says: With Roberto Firmino missing the trip to Southampton due to a hamstring problem, it’s somewhat ironic that Daniel Sturridge is the Reds’ only fully fit forward ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s visit next Gameweek. In the event that the Belgian marksmen are sidelined for a chunk of matches, Jurgen Klopp would be loath to over-work Sturridge – who’s not strung together four starts this season – in a period where the Reds play seven fixtures in 21 days. Given that the German has played down the seriousness of Firmino’s problem, the Brazilian (six goals and four double-figure hauls as striker) could well be set to earn further minutes as the spearhead of the Merseysiders’ attack, boosting his appeal over Philipp Coutinho ahead of the upcoming pair of double Gameweeks.

Haidara worry for Magpies

Rafa Benitez revealed that Massadio Haidara is set to be assessed after sustaining a knee injury in training:

“We don’t know yet (how long he’ll be out for) but he twisted his knee. I think he’ll have a problem. Now we have to manage the problem that we have.”

The Scout Says: With Haidara facing a spell on the sidelines, Paul Dummett nursing a hamstring complaint and Jack Colback picking up a two-match suspension, Newcastle United are desperately short of left-backs for their Gameweek 32 trip to Norwich. Incidentally, Moussa Sissoko was asked to fill in at left-back in response to Colback’s withdrawal in the Tyne-Wear derby, which diminishes the appeal of a midfielder that ranks top among his Magpies counterparts for penalty-box touches (15), attempts (five) and shots inside the box (five) across the last two Gameweeks. Such a scenario could persuade some to turn to Georginio Wijnaldum or Andros Townsend as a route into Rafa’s midfield ahead of their pair of home matches (SWA, MCI) in Gameweek 34.

Jedinak Notches in Australia Stroll

Mile Jedinak netted a penalty for Australia in a 7-0 win over Tajikistan, before being subbed off at half time for the sake of preservation.

The Scout Says: Following news that Crystal Palace will embark on a double Gameweek 33 (NOR, EVE) due to the rescheduling of their home tie against Everton, the Eagles now face the prospect of four match-ups in 12 days, given that the FA already handed them a double Gameweek 34 (ars, mun). The difficulty of Palace’s fixtures over that period and the fact they’re in the midst of a 13-match winless streak discourages investment in their Fantasy assets, but yesterday’s announcement has certainly boosted the short-term prospects of Scott Dann (five goals and two assists) and Yannick Bolasie (no midfielder surpassed his five attempts last weekend) as we sharpen up our wildcard plans.

Okazaki amongst the goals

Shinji Okazaki scored a sublime opening goal for Japan as the Samurai Blue recorded a 5-0 win over Afghanistan.

The Scout Says: Allied with his overhead strike against Newcastle United, Okazaki’s exploits for Japan underline his recent upturn in form. Regardless, with a bumper double Gameweek on the horizon for a bevy of other teams, Leicester’s attacking recruits are more likely to be shipped out, with Jamie Vardy – who’s delivered back-to-back assists – primed for the biggest drop in ownership as many shift their crosshairs onto Romelu Lukaku (three goals in five, successive double Gameweeks). Even those managers who are planning to bench boost in Gameweek 34 might feel inclined to retain the services of Riyad Mahrez, considering that 11 double-figure hauls epitomise his capacity to outscore double Gameweek players.

Mixed news for Saints defensive duo

Southampton’s Maya Yoshida scored a headed goal in the second half of Japan’s Asian Cup qualifier, while his St Mary’s team-mate Ryan Bertrand pulled out of the England squad due to injury.

The Scout Says: By virtue of his offensive prowess, Virgil van Dijk – who charts top among his defensive teammates for goals (three), attempts (21) and shots on target (seven) this term – represents the prime route into Saints rearguard. On the budget side of things, Matt Targett (3.9) would likely be granted a prolonged run of starts if Bertrand is consigned to the treatment room, yet few punters will be enthused by a back line that’s without a clean sheet in five outings, doesn’t benefit from a double Gameweek and is on the road for four of the next six Gameweeks (lei, NEW, eve, avl, MCI, tot).

Ayew nets for victorious Ghana

Villa’s Jordan Ayew served a reminder of his goal-getting abilities by gracing the scoreboard for Ghana in a 3-1 win over Mozambique yesterday.

The Scout Says: Given that no team has accrued fewer goals than Aston Villa (four) since Gameweek 23, it’s fair to say that Remi Garde’s troops are a non-factor on the Fantasy market. Ultimately, the fact that they shipped seven more goals (18) than any side across the previous six Gameweeks and are sinking into the Championship without a fight illustrates the merit in targeting their upcoming opponents instead. On that note, those managers who plan to wildcard in Gameweek 33 may be tempted to source a Chelsea differential ahead of their trip to Villa Park next time out.