Scout Scribbles – United Stumble Again

United serve up a dire display and are comprehensively beaten by Olympiacos. Liverpool and Sunderland are set for a double Gameweek 31, Aaron Ramsey could be back for mid-March, Lacina Traore is ruled out with a hamstring injury for Everton, whilst Jonny Howson is back in action for Norwich:

United Slump in Greece

For last night’s 2-0 loss at Olympiacos, David Moyes made just three changes to the side that won at Selhurst Park last weekend. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic continued at the back, though further up the field, Tom Cleverley, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young came in for Marouane Fellaini, Adnan Januzaj (omitted from the squad altogether) and the cup-tied Juan Mata. On the injury front, Danny Welbeck cemented his comeback from a knee problem with a second-half sub appearance, though Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Rafael failed to make the squad.

The Scout Says: A single shot on target in a dire display will do little to raise hopes and expectations of United’s main Fantasy assets. Moyes’ men now have this weekend off before returning to action in Gameweek 29 away to West Brom, and with a double Gameweek 31 also on their agenda, essentially have four fixtures over that period when many other sides play just twice. With Liverpool and City set for a double that week, though, Robin van Persie – despite scoring in four of his last five in the league – may struggle to persuade many to take a punt, whilst Mata and Wayne Rooney also look a little less enticing as United continue to toil under Moyes.

Double Gameweek 31 for Liverpool and Sunderland

The Premier League confirmed a new date for Liverpool’s home clash against Sunderland, which was originally set to take place in Gameweek 29. The Anfield encounter has been moved to Wednesday March 26, thus handing both sides a pair of fixtures in Gameweek 31 – Liverpool travel to Cardiff, whilst the Black Cats pay visit to Norwich prior to their midweek confrontation on Merseyside.

The Scout Says: At present, then, this leaves six teams with doubles in Gameweek 31, with United, City, West Ham and Hull also set to feature twice. Fantasy managers now have the dilemma of choosing between the likes of Robin van Persie, Sergio Aguero, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge for the double, though with both Manchester sides up against one another, Liverpool’s far kinder pair of matches is sure to see substantial investment in both their forwards. For the short-term, at least, it’s likely to quash any ideas over selling Suarez to free up budget – both he and Sturridge look capable of running riot across both games, whilst the likes of Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling are set to offer options across the price brackets for those loading up on the Premier League’s top-scoring side.

Ramsey Close to Gunners Return

Reports suggest the Welshman is stepping up his recovery from a thigh problem and could be in line to return in time for Arsenal’s north London derby with Tottenham on Sunday March 16 (Gameweek 30).

The Scout Says: Despite missing the last nine league matches through injury, Ramsey is still joint-top scoring midfielder along with Mesut Ozil for the Gunners in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game. Not only does that sum up his early-season form, it’s somewhat reflective of the German’s inability to produce in recent matches – he’s managed a single assist since Ramsey limped off at West Ham back in Gameweek 18. Certainly, providing the Welshman can prove his fitness, there’s no doubt he’d grab our attentions again – he’s down to 7.0 in FPL now – but bearing in mind he also suffered a setback last month, most Fantasy managers will be a little tentative to pencil in plans for Ramsey’s return until he’s pronounced fit by Arsene Wenger.

Traore Setback for Toffees

The Ivorian is set to be sidelined with the hamstring injury sustained in the pre-match warm-up against Chelsea last weekend. Roberto Martinez rolled out an update on both Traore and Romelu Lukaku ahead of the weekend visit of West Ham:

“It is going to take a long period of time which at this stage of the season will be a big miss. It will be weeks rather than months. It’s a really disappointing outcome. He was ready and had been working really hard since he arrived at the club. Starting the game at Chelsea was the next target after Swansea and for him to pull his hamstring in the last action of the warm-up was a really disappointing moment….Romelu has been working really well and he is looking fresh and ready. We are all very excited to see him back enjoying his football with really top energy levels.”

The Scout Says: Traore needed just four minutes of his debut in the FA Cup to net his first goal for the Merseysiders and had looked set to offer strong competition for the lone forward role under Martinez. Yesterday’s news, allied with confirmation of Lukaku’s return, puts the big Belgian back at the top of the pecking order in spite of Steven Naismith’s recent fine form. The Toffees have failed to score in any of their last four league matches – a run coinciding with Lukaku’s ankle injury absence – but with a very favourable schedule to follow, he may yet come into contention as a third forward option once again. Now down to 11% ownership after scoring just once in his last 10 starts, the 8.2-priced Lukaku has home games with West Ham, Cardiff and Swansea and a trip to Fulham in the next five to reignite our interest.

Howson Steps Up Canaries Comeback

The Norwich midfielder turned out for 60 minutes of last night’s reserve clash against Everton as he edges nearer to a first-team return. The reserves team coach, Mark Robson, rolled out an update:

“He trained with us and he trained really, really well. It’s nice for Jon because he’s been out for a while and he obviously needs a few minutes under his belt to get back into the swing of things. I’m sure there will be a few fans who want to come down and see him because he’s a top player. It will be great if we can get a few more supporters through the door because of that.”

The Scout Says: Sidelined since mid-December with a back problem, Howson has started all but two of Norwich’s first 16 Gameweeks and was a pivotal figure in Chris Hughton’s first XI. Despite missing the last 11 league matches, Howson’s two-goal tally – he’s notched against Stoke and Arsenal – is just one less than Robert Snodgrass, for example, in the Canaries midfield. Providing he can prove his fitness, Howson could return for a schedule that pits Hughton’s side against fellow strugglers Villa, Stoke, Sunderland, Swansea, West Brom and Fulham in six of the next seven Gameweeks. With Snodgrass understandably set to be the main source of interest, though, there may yet be one or two Canaries who prove real differentials over that upcoming spell.