Branislav Ivanovic nets Chelsea’s opener in a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint Germain. Paul Dummett is ruled out for Newcastle this weekend, Jermain Defoe is yet to train ahead of Sunderland’s crucial clash with the Baggies, whilst the injuries build at the Britannia.
Ivanovic the Blues Hero
A goal from Branislav Ivanovic helped Chelsea earn a 1-1 draw away to PSG last night in the first leg of their last 16 encounter. Willian, Oscar and Cesc Fabregas all featured despite being minor doubts earlier in the week, as Jose Mourinho elected to field Nemanja Matic and Ramires in midfield, slotting Fabregas in ‘the hole’ behind lone striker Diego Costa, whilst Willian limped off in the 79th minute to be replaced by Juan Cuadrado. Although the Blues boss gave no mention of a potential injury to the Brazilian in his post-match press conference, he did shed some further light on those players that missed training this week.
“Many times you know the injured players that cannot play, some of the time you don’t know the ones who have problems. Since the Everton game, Hazard, Willian, Oscar, Fabregas and Ivanovic haven’t trained. They did some individual training to keep moving but they didn’t train. They tried and gave their best. Fabregas has had three days in bed, they gave everything and that’s important.”
The Scout Says: Ivanovic’s upturn in attacking output continues to show no sign of slowing. The right-back has produced a goal or assist in four of the last six Gameweeks and last night’s opener highlights his superb form in the final third right now. Despite his pre-match concerns over Diego Costa’s sharpness, Mourinho still opted to field the Spain international for 81 minutes before he was replaced by Loic Remy – encouraging signs for his Fantasy owners ahead of the weekend visit of Burnley. Indeed, with eight days between the Clarets clash and the Capital One Cup final – and no fixtures in between – Costa owners will be hoping Mourinho hands him another start this weekend as he builds up his fitness after a recent three-match suspension. Elsewhere, Mourinho could choose to court caution with Willian’s fitness if he did, indeed, pick up another knock – potentially allowing Juan Cuadrado to be unleashed against Sean Dyche’s side on Saturday afternoon.
Dummett sidelined for Magpies
Newcastle defender Paul Dummett is set for a spell in the treatment room following news that the knee injury he sustained against Crystal Palace last week is worse than boss John Carver originally feared. As the club’s medical team are still evaluating the Wales international, a potential return date hasn’t been offered, although initial reports suggest Dummett might be unavailable until April.
The Scout Says: Dummett joins the perennially injured Steven Taylor on the sidelines, leaving Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson as the only two fit senior centre-backs at Carver’s disposal. From a Fantasy perspective, Dummett’s absence affects 7% of FPL managers – somewhat surprising when you consider he hasn’t registered a clean sheet since late November – and looks set to ensure Massadio Haidara is afforded the left-back berth as a result of Davide Santon’s loan departure to Inter. In light of Newcastle’s crumbling defence, Daryl Janmaat’s 9.5% ownership may question whether the Dutchman’s impressive attacking returns (three assists in last seven starts) justify his 5.3 price point as the Toon now embark on a gruelling run of fixtures (mci, AVL, MUN, eve, ARS) that should test their beleaguered rearguard.
Poyet still uncertain over Defoe
Gus Poyet has admitted that Jermain Defoe remains a real doubt for Sunderland’s clash with West Brom this weekend. The new boy missed last week’s cup loss to Bradford with a calf complaint and is struggling to train ahead of the Baggies’ visit:
“Jermain had a problem with his calf and didn’t train properly on Friday. He’s going to be off for four or five days. If people think we were going to take him to Bradford to play injured, then they’re wrong. All the players who were available were involved. I’m not sure yet if he’ll be okay for next week.”
The Scout Says: With two goals and an assist to his name so far, Defoe has played a part in three of Sunderland’s four league goals since his arrival. Bearing in mind that the Baggies have now racked up five clean sheets in eight matches in all competitions under Tony Pulis, Poyet will be desperate for the former Spurs man to recover in time, given that Connor Wickham – who’s tallied only three goals in 23 appearances this term – is the prime candidate to vacate his wide berth and assume the lone striker role. Defoe’s 5% of FPL managers also face an anxious wait – with the likes of Hull, Villa, West Ham, Newcastle and Palace in the next seven, the schedule is still very much in Sunderland’s favour but with few other options boasting form, they’ll likely look elsewhere if he’s ruled out for any length of time.
Injury Concerns for Potters
Stoke City’s embattled defence has taken further punishment with news that Marc Muniesa sustained a hamstring tear in the Potters’ 4-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers and Ryan Shawcross hasn’t recovered in time to face Aston Villa this weekend. Furthermore, Peter Crouch and Jonathan Walters are carrying knocks and needed injections to alleviate the pain. On the bright side, Erik Pieters, Marc Wilson and Stephen Ireland are set to train this week. Assistant boss Mark Bowen told Radio Stoke he hopes Muniesa can return within four weeks:
“We initially feared Marc’s injury was a really bad one, about eight weeks. He had a scan on Monday and they’ve come back and said it’ll be between four to six weeks. Hopefully he will be back in four weeks rather than six.”
Meanwhile, Bowen expects Shawcross to be in line for a start against Hull in Gameweek 27, as the club captain receives treatment for a persistent back complaint.
“It’s quite complicated. He’s had another injection and they have to hit the right spot going into the disc. We’re hopeful he will progress over the next 48 hours it will settle down significantly. It won’t be enough to put him in the frame to take on Aston Villa but maybe it will be ok for the following week against Hull.”
The Scout Says: With Stoke facing a favourable schedule in the next five Gameweeks (avl, HUL, EVE, wba, CRY), many had been eyeing up the Potters as a source of defensive returns. The number of injuries, allied with Geoff Cameron’s suspension, brings the 4.5-priced Philipp Wollscheid onto the radar, though it’s fair to say that our faith in Stoke’s defence has taken a turn for the worse in light of the number of call-offs. Up top, Walters (three goals and an assist in his last three) and Crouch (a goal in each of his previous two) have been the form options in recent matches, with Victor Moses failing to translate his underlying stats to attacking points. Hughes could be set to hand Mame Biram Diouf the lone forward role should the injury situation fail to clear in time for the trip to Villa.
