The two most-bought players of Gameweek 28 are now flagged: one suspended for (at least) three matches, the other set to miss next weekend’s Premier League action through injury.
The incidents involving Matheus Cunha (£7.0m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) are where we start our FA Cup Scout Notes.
SATURDAY’S FA CUP RESULTS
| Goals | Assists | |
|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Bournemouth win 5-4 on pens) | Evanilson | Cunha | Semenyo | Bueno |
| Crystal Palace 3-1 Millwall | own-goal, Munoz, Nketiah | Hughes, Richards |
TEAM SELECTION/ROTATION
| Starting XI changes from Gameweek 27 | Players who kept their place (mins) | Other mins for selected players | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth | 3 | Kepa (120), Cook (120), Hill (120), Huijsen (120), Kerkez (120), Adams (120), Semenyo (105), Brooks (67) | Tavernier (120), Scott (84), Evanilson (67), Kluivert (53), Ouattara (53), Sinisterra (36), Jebbison (15) |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 4 | Bueno (120), Toti (120), Ait-Nouri (120), Cunha (120), Bellegarde (90), Semedo (72), Joao Gomes (72) | Johnstone (120), Strand Larsen (120), Djiga (86), Sarabia (72), Munetsi (48), Doherty (48) |
| Crystal Palace | 3 | Richards (90), Guehi (90), Lacroix (90), Munoz (90), Eze (85), Hughes (65), Sarr (65), Mateta (15) | Turner (90), Chilwell (90), Lerma (90), Nketiah (75), Wharton (25) |
CUNHA BANNED FOR AT LEAST THREE MATCHES
The good and bad of Matheus Cunha were evidenced at the Vitality Stadium.
His superb strike from distance had dragged Wolves level, sending their fifth-round tie with Bournemouth to extra time and penalties. Of Wanderers’ nine shots on the south coast, five of them directly involved him: two shots, three key passes.
If there is any Premier League side close to being a one-man team, it’s Wolves.
And now, Vitor Pereira will have to do without his star attacker for three league matches. It could be more.
The red mist descended in the 120th minute, the Brazilian completely losing his cool as Bournemouth attempted to jostle him off the ball and restart play quickly. A couple of slaps, a couple of kicks and a headbutt later, Cunha was off.
He’ll get a three-match ban for violent conduct, missing Gameweeks 28-30. There’s every chance he could get a further suspension, should he be charged with misconduct/more violent conduct – as he was in December.
The case of Mohammed Kudus (£6.2m) from earlier in 2024/25 seems very similar. The Ghana international got an extra two matches on top of his initial three-game suspension.
Above: Cunha will miss Gameweeks 28-30 for definite, with the following two games also a possibility
It’s a massive blow not just to Wolves but to the 18% of FPL managers who own Cunha. In excellent form, enjoying good fixtures and unaffected by Blank Gameweek 29, he looked to be a set-and-forget pick for the next four Gameweeks at least.
Now, he’s another headache for owners to manage.
MATETA INJURY LATEST
Jean-Philippe Mateta doesn’t have a Gameweek 29 fixture but he was a popular FPL pick regardless. A fantastic run of eight goals in as many Gameweeks had seen his own ownership figure move past the one million mark for the first time this season.
Gameweek 29 Free Hitters were all over him. Even those not playing that chip in Gameweek 29 might have considered him regardless in the fixtures on either side. Either way, most of us would have been eyeing him up for Double Gameweek 32.
Now, though, he’s probably out of the equation for Gameweek 28.
A head-high challenge from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts, which you would describe as horribly mistimed at best if you’re being generous, saw Mateta receive nearly 10 minutes of treatment before being stretchered off in a neck brace.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner was interviewed after full-time and pretty much ruled him out of next weekend’s clash with Ipswich Town.
“He’s at hospital now and he has a serious ear injury but fingers are crossed that it’s not too serious.
“I think he will definitely miss the Ipswich game but I still hope that he’s available for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at the end of March, so four weeks’ time.
“Of course, we all wish him the best.” – Oliver Glasner on Jean-Philippe Mateta, to Palace TV
“He’s at hospital and I heard he’s conscious but he has a serious ear injury and so let’s see what happens. That’s my first information.
“I’m in doubt, you know, how serious JP’s injury is and of course my fingers are crossed that he can play in the quarter-finals.” – Oliver Glasner on Jean-Philippe Mateta, in his post-match presser
Later in the evening, the Eagles issued a relatively positive-sounding update:
A “severe ear laceration” counts as a lucky escape, then – and it may be that he misses only one league match as a result.
EVANILSON ON TARGET
Away from these two headline-grabbing stories, there was some football playing out.
One of the main subplots from the day was the return of Evanilson (£5.6m) to Bournemouth’s starting XI.
Taking Dango Ouattara‘s (£5.2m) place up front, the Brazilian tapped the Cherries into a 30th-minute lead. The fit-again striker swept in the rebound after Antoine Semenyo (£5.7m) had seen a shot saved; this was vintage Semenyo, who had a game-high seven attempts without scoring.
Evanilson lasted 67 minutes on his first start in two months before Ouattara replaced him. It’ll be interesting to see who gets the nod in the next two league matches, with some FPL managers relying on Ouattara for game-time in Blank Gameweek 29.
Justin Kluivert (£6.1m) also started this match on the bench but we can expect him to return to the line-up come Gameweek 28. Semenyo remains the best Bournemouth bet for 90 minutes, however.
The Cherries were the better team, racking up 31 shots to the visitors’ nine. Defender Dean Huijsen (£4.5m) recorded five of them, while Milos Kerkez (£5.0m) had two attacking returns ruled out.
BUDGET FORWARDS TO THE FORE
Aside from Evanilson, two other sub-£6.0m forwards will likely be seeing action in Gameweek 28.
Eddie Nketiah (£5.9m) followed up his first Palace league strike with a goal against Millwall, looping in a late header. He was arguably the Eagles’ best player, looking all the more confident for finding the net in Gameweek 27. The former Arsenal man finished with a game-high five attempts.
He looks set to deputise for Mateta next weekend.
Jorgen Strand Larsen (£5.2m) meanwhile got through 120 minutes for Wolves. He’d recently returned from injury with two Premier League substitute appearances.
Not in the same class as Cunha, he’s nevertheless available at a low, low price and will be an interesting differential in Blank Gameweek 29 when Wolves face sorry Southampton.
Back to Palace, Ben Chilwell (£4.6m) came into the side and had a decent game down the left flank. Daniel Munoz (£5.0m) is still the wing-back daddy, though: he was a menace yet again and found the net once more when pouncing on the ball after some penalty-box pinball.
WOLVES GUARANTEED GAMEWEEK 34 FIXTURE
If Cunha does return from suspension by late April, he’ll come into the reckoning for Blank Gameweek 34. This round clashes with the FA Cup semi-finals.
As a result of their cup elimination, Wolves’ league fixture against Leicester City will go ahead then:
| GW34 Premier League fixture | Status | A blank will happen in the following situation: |
| Arsenal v Crystal Palace | Possible blank | If Crystal Palace progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Bournemouth v Manchester United | Possible blank | If Bournemouth and/or Manchester United progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Brighton and Hove Albion v West Ham United | Possible blank | If Brighton and Hove Albion progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Chelsea v Everton | On | |
| Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur | On | |
| Manchester City v Aston Villa | Possible blank | If Manchester City and/or Aston Villa progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Newcastle United v Ipswich Town | Possible blank | If Newcastle United and/or Ipswich Town progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Nottingham Forest v Brentford | Possible blank | If Nottingham Forest progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Southampton v Fulham | Possible blank | If Fulham progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leicester City | On |
Bournemouth, however, edge closer to a Gameweek 34 blank.
