Emerson speaks out after injury scare as Pukki scores again

Our international Scout Notes continue with a recap of Sunday’s matches.

As usual, we will be concentrating on only Premier League players as we keep an eye on minutes played, form and injuries.

Subscribers can view data on some of the matches listed below in our Members’ Area, with details available here.

Finland 1-2 Italy

• Teemu Pukki (£7.0m) – 90 minutes
• Jorginho (£5.0m) – 90 minutes
• Emerson Palmieri (£5.5m) – 8 minutes

Emerson Palmieri (£5.5m) is an injury doubt for Gameweek 5 after limping out of Italy’s win over Finland on Sunday with a suspected hamstring problem.

The Chelsea left-back lasted just eight minutes of the match in Tampere but provided words of reassurance for his owners after full-time, Tweeting:

Very important victory today, guys. Unfortunately I had a small injury, but it’s nothing serious.

Italy boss Roberto Mancini added:

It was nothing serious, he stopped to ensure it didn’t get any worse.

Frank Lampard will hopefully provide us with an update on the defender later this week but Marcos Alonso (£6.2m) will be on standby for a recall should the Italy international fail to recover.

Emerson suffered his injury when chasing down Norwich City’s Teemu Pukki (£7.0m), who played the full 90 minutes.

The Finn had few chances in a game dominated by the visitors but kept up his fine run of form by winning and converting a 72nd-minute penalty to briefly draw his country level.

The Norwich striker has only failed to score in one of six matches for club and country this season, following his goal from the spot in the 1-0 win over Greece last Thursday.

The identity of Norwich’s first-choice penalty-taker remains uncertain following the woes from 12 yards last season: five different City players, including Pukki, took at least one spot-kick in 2018/19 and each missed once.

Pukki fizzed a shot narrowly wide of Gianluigi Donnarumma’s post just after half-time in his only other attempt of the match.

The Canaries’ striker returns to Carrow Road in plenty of time for Gameweek 5, having racked up 175 minutes of action over the international break.

Jorginho (£5.0m) completed 90 minutes for the second time in four days and was also on target from the spot to hand Italy the win, although the budget FPL midfielder seems to be further down the pecking order from 12 yards at Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea midfielder was booked for a foul on Pukki in the first half.

Spain 4-0 The Faroe Islands

• David de Gea (£5.6m) – 90 minutes
• Rodri (£5.5m) – 90 minutes
• Dani Ceballos (£5.7m) – 0 minutes
• Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5.5m) – 0 minutes

There was positive news for owners of Dani Ceballos (£5.7m) as the Arsenal midfielder was handed a breather for the routine victory over the Faroe Islands on Sunday.

Having played 77 minutes in the win over Romania on Thursday, Ceballos was an unused substitute in Gijon for this latest match.

Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5.5m) was also on the bench, meaning that not one of the four Premier League-based Spain internationals on duty over the last week has played more than 90 minutes.

David de Gea (£5.6m) and Rodri (£5.5m), who both watched on from the sidelines in Bucharest, were recalled to the starting XI and had a comfortable evening against the Euro 2020 qualification Group F minnows.

De Gea had only two saves to make, both of which were from shots taken from outside the box.

View player and team stats from Spain v the Faroe Islands in our Members’ Area.

Georgia 0-0 Denmark

• Kasper Schmeichel (£5.0m) – 90 minutes
• Andreas Christensen (£5.0m) – 90 minutes
• Christian Eriksen (£8.8m) – 90 minutes
• Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£4.9m) – 73 minutes
• Philip Billing (£5.0m) – 0 minutes

Denmark were left frustrated as they drew a blank in Tbilisi on Sunday, with Christian Eriksen (£8.8m) producing a below-par display.

The Spurs midfielder, playing in the number ten role, recorded three key passes but his set-piece deliveries were once again found wanting.

Kasper Schmeichel (£5.0m) and Andreas Christensen (£5.0m) had a relatively quiet 90 minutes at the back as the Leicester goalkeeper was forced into making only one save.

Eriksen, Schmeichel and Christensen played all 180 minutes of Denmark’s two Euro 2020 qualifiers over the international break.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£4.9m) was part of a two-man central midfield for the Danes and lasted 73 minutes before being withdrawn.

The Southampton midfielder’s services may be required at left-back in Gameweek 5, with Kevin Danso (£4.5m) suspended and Ryan Bertrand‘s (£4.9m) availability still uncertain.

Bournemouth’s Philip Billing (£5.0m) was an unused substitute.

View player and team stats from Georgia v Denmark in our Members’ Area.

Switzerland 4-0 Gibraltar

• Fabian Schar (£5.0m) – 90 minutes
• Albian Ajeti (£5.9m) – 90 minutes
• Granit Xhaka (£5.4m) – 74 minutes

Switzerland cantered to victory against Gibraltar on Sunday but the win may have come at the cost of an injury to Granit Xhaka (£5.4m).

The much-maligned Arsenal midfielder limped gingerly from the field of play on 74 minutes but downplayed the problem afterwards, saying:

I’ve been suffering from Achilles tendon pain for a few weeks now. It hurts now, but it should be okay otherwise.

Fabian Schar (£5.0m) and Albian Ajeti (£5.9m) both lasted the full 90 minutes but a home match against European minnows is ideal from a Fantasy owners’ perspective, given the lack of exertion required.

Centre-half Schar was indeed busier at the other end of the field, having three attempts on goal of his own and assisting Switzerland’s second goal with a superb cross from the left flank.

Despite his advanced role on the left of the visitors’ three-man attack, Ajeti was responsible for just two of Switzerland’s 40 shots.

Xhaka created five chances and supplied the assist for his country’s opener with a cross from a corner.

View player and team stats from Switzerland v Gibraltar in our Members’ Area.

Sweden 1-1 Norway

• Victor Lindelof (£5.4m) – 90 minutes
• Emil Krafth (£4.5m) – 0 minutes
• Joshua King (£6.4m) – 90 minutes

Victor Lindelof (£5.4m) came up against Joshua King (£6.4m) in the all-Scandinavian affair, with both players lasting 90 minutes.

King was more advanced than we are used to seeing at Bournemouth and registered a match-high four attempts on goal, all of which were from inside the Sweden box.

Lindelof has played a full three hours for his country over the last week, while King was withdrawn early in the 2-0 win over Malta on Thursday.

Emil Krafth (£4.5m) was an unused substitute on Sunday and returns to Newcastle United having played just 45 minutes over the international break.

View player and team stats from Sweden v Norway in our Members’ Area.

Armenia 4-2 Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Sead Kolasinac (£5.4m) – 90 minutes
• Mohamed Besic (£4.5m) – 80 minutes

It was a familiar-sounding match for Sead Kolasinac (£5.4m) on Sunday, with the Arsenal full-back part of a suspect defence but getting forward plenty down the left flank to support the attack.

It was from Kolasinac’s run and cross that Amer Gojak tapped in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second equaliser to bring the scores level at 2-2.

Arsenal’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan, now on loan at Roma, played a hand in all four of Armenia’s goals, scoring twice.

Mohamed Besic (£4.5m), one of the alternatives to John Lundstram (£4.2m) that Chris Wilder has on the books at Sheffield United, played 80 minutes for the visitors and picked up a yellow card.

Greece 1-1 Liechtenstein

• Sokratis Papastathopoulos (£5.0m) – 90 minutes

Greece’s recent track record of posting some embarrassing results continued with a 1-1 draw with Liechtenstein on Sunday.

Arsenal centre-half Sokratis Papastathopoulos (£5.0m) played the full 90 minutes and had little defending to do as the hosts dominated possession but the Group J minnows struck on the counter-attack with five minutes to go – a backtracking Sokratis unable to catch Dennis Salanovic – to salvage their first point of Euro 2020 qualifying.