With the Gameweek 14 deadline of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) just two days away, our Scout Notes are a whistle-stop affair.
This article briefly covers two of Sunday’s matches: Crystal Palace v Manchester United and Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 13: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus + ‘DefCon’ points
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SARR INJURY UPDATE
Ismaila Sarr (£6.7m) was withdrawn in the 38th minute on Sunday, as he failed to shake off an early ankle injury.
Oliver Glasner has subsequently stated that Sarr may not play again before leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which begins on 21st December.
“We all have to assess him further but the ankle is quite swollen, so I think he will miss a few games. Maybe we won’t see him again before the AFCON.” – Oliver Glasner on Ismaila Sarr
Sarr was spotted on crutches after the match.
We should hear from Glasner again before Tuesday’s Gameweek 14 deadline, so we’ll hopefully get an update on the winger then.
AMORIM ON FERNANDES
In addition to the injury to Sarr, Palace showed clear signs of fatigue in the second half of Sunday’s defeat.
Jean-Phillipe Mateta (£8.1m) broke the deadlock with a retaken penalty, but Joshua Zirkzee (£5.8m) equalised after the break, seizing on Bruno Fernandes’ (£8.9m) free-kick.
The Portuguese then teed up Mason Mount (£5.9m), who scored the decisive goal from another set piece.
Fernandes consequently hoovered up the maximum bonus, bringing his Gameweek total to 11 points.
It could have been more, too, having missed the defensive contribution (DefCon) threshold by just one.
Spotted feeling his hamstring late in the game, Ruben Amorim quickly downplayed any concerns.
“No, it was a kick. I was shouting at him because he needs to warn [us]. We make a substitution in the end. He needs to talk to the bench, but he said it was like just a kick, so everything is ok.” – Ruben Amorim on Bruno Fernandes
PALACE FATIGUE
As for Palace, there was more profligacy in front of goal from Mateta, as Glasner’s side fell to their first home defeat of the season.
The Frenchman pulled an early shot wide when put clean through after a defensive mix-up, and also squandered a couple of other decent opportunities.
Tiredness was undoubtedly a factor in this loss, however.
Six of Palace’s players have started every Premier League match this season, simply because their squad is not big enough.
And they’ve now lost three of the four league matches they have played directly after competing in Europe, with Sarr’s injury only adding to their concerns ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Burnley.
“The players are giving everything they can. Today, during the stoppage time, you could see the legs were a little bit fatigued, the energy levels were not the highest.” – Oliver Glasner
VILLA CLEAN SHEET
In contrast to Palace, Aston Villa have now won all five of their Premier League games played immediately after competing in Europe this season.
They’ve also lost just one of their last 25 Premier League home matches, with Arsenal the next visitors to Villa Park on Saturday.
“It’s our fortress, and we’re feeling it with our supporters here, with our structure, with our energy, with our tactical idea.” – Unai Emery
With Ollie Watkins (£8.5m) low on confidence and benched, Donyell Malen (£5.1m) was rewarded for his fine form with a start up front on Sunday.
However, he failed to capitalise on this opportunity, even though he managed to register a match-high five shots (see image below).
In fact, Villa weren’t at the races at all from an attacking perspective, with Morgan Rogers (£6.9m) subdued.
Instead, Boubacar Kamara (£4.9m) proved to be the difference maker, rifling a superb effort into the top corner.
It is also important to mention that Villa have now kept clean sheets in all of their last three home games.
WOLVES ENCOURAGEMENT
As for Wolves, they remain winless in all 13 of their Premier League matches in 2025/26, but Rob Edwards will be encouraged by what he saw at Villa Park.
Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.3m) had the ball in the net but it was disallowed, before Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m) turned Yerson Mosquera’s (£4.3m) header onto the bar.
They also looked a threat when they got the ball in wide areas, with wing-backs Jackson Tchatchoua (£4.5m) and David Moller Wolfe (£4.3m) whipping several dangerous balls into the box.
Next up for Wolves: a home encounter with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
Ladislav Krejci (£4.5m), meanwhile, missed out through injury.
