Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 12

Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 12

Welcome to Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 12. Well that was a long fortnight! However, that’s the international breaks over until the New Year, we now have a free run into the exciting and hectic Christmas period. It’s a full game-week this time, spread over three days and started off by Mourinho vs Wenger as Arsenal travel to Old Trafford Saturday lunchtime. We then move onto the 3pm matches, of which there are six – Pep has the pleasure of taking his superstars to the Lord’s Palace, Ashley Williams welcomes his old Welsh mates to Goodison, Southampton parade their next crop of Liverpool first-teamers at St Mary’s, Jack Wilshere resumes his battle with Stoke but with Bournemouth, Steve Bruce’s two exes Sunderland and Hull do battle without a Steve Bruce in sight and Champions Leicester take the shortish trip down to Watford. The evening sees those old London buddies Spurs and West Ham meet, greet and beat each other at the Lane. And that’s before we get to the pitch action. Moving onto Sunday and the FPL world waits in expectation for Hazard and Costa to carry on their form, this time at the expense of ‘Boro. And then finally, Tom Heaton owners will be hoping for another clean sheet and 78 saves as his Burnley lot go to West Brom.

Loads to catch up on after all the internationals so let’s go Around the Grounds to see if the managers are in a helpful mood.

Man Utd vs Arsenal (Sat 19 Nov 12.30)
Little introduction is needed for this fixture with all the history that is wrapped up in clashes past between the two – Keane vs Viera, Schmeichel’s penalty save vs Bergkamp en route to the Treble in 1999, Keown and co vs van Nistelroy, an 8-2 victory, RvP scoring vs his old fans and now Fergie vs Wenger has moved on to Mourinho vs Wenger. They are not the best of friends and frankly there is not even the respect that was there between Fergie and the Frenchman. Touchline bust-ups, ‘specialist in failure’ comments, it won’t be dull, trust me. It’s Arsenal that come into the game in a better frame of mind – North London’s no.1 team in red are happily occupying their beloved 4th position while Jose’s United are having a tough time and are six points shy of the Gooners in sixth place. However, Mourinho has never lost to Wenger in 13 competitive meetings – will this be the match that breaks Arsene’s hoodoo or will Jose taste success again vs his old adversary?

Jose says that his captain and bartender Wayne Rooney has trained and “wants to play” – then again he probably wants to go for a beer also but that’s not necessarily recommended. Luke Shaw has also recovered from injury while Ander Herrera is available again after suspension. Zlatan Ibrahimovic misses out however after picking up his 5th yellow card last time out. Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia remain out.

Wenger says he will play a waiting game on Alexis Sanchez – the basic story is that Alexis played 84mins midweek for Chile, scored a brace and sent a text to Arsenal saying he is in good shape and will be fine to play vs United. But with Alexis not due back until Friday morning, Wenger will make a late call on his attacker with next week’s Champions League match vs PSG also on his mind. Hector Bellerin has been ruled out for around four weeks with an ankle injury – Wenger will decide between Carl Jenkinson and Gabriel as to who will fit in at right back at Old Trafford – while Mathieu Debuchy appeared for the U23 side on Friday afternoon and could be a consideration from next week. Santi Cazorla remains out with Wenger saying he doesn’t know when he will return. Per Mertesacker, Danny Welbeck and Lucas Perez also remain sidelined. Owners of Theo Walcott should be warned that Mrs Walcott is expecting to deliver their baby at anytime…..

Crystal Palace vs Man City (Sat 19 Nov 15.00)
Two different styles brought together by the arrogance of the two managers. Pep – stylish, successful, confident, winner of 2 Champions Leagues, 3 La Liga’s and 3 Bundesliga titles meets the Lord – who thinks he is stylish, suave, a bit of a player and who has won errrrm the Football League Trophy with Southampton in 2010. Four defeats on the spin has seen the Eagles plummet to 16th place and brought a bloody great big grin onto my face – but I must try and remain impartial as I write. Yeah righto!!! City’s disappointing home draw vs Boro saw them drop to 3rd below the inform Liverpool and Chelsea so they will be extra keen to return to winning ways on Saturday. They have won all but one of their last eleven matches vs Palace and should really win again this weekend – let’s hope so anyway.

Palace keeper Steve Manadanda has picked up a knee injury that will likely keep him out for a couple of weeks so Wayne Hennessey will deputise. Joe Ledley is a doubt with a knock, while Pape Souare and Loic Remy remain out. The Lord said the loss at Burnley was a big blow and is demanding an improvement but accepts that his team are under pressure.

Pep says all his internationals have returned safe – those that played at least 90mins are “tired but fit”. Bacary Sagna has indicted he is fit if required leaving Fabian Delph as the only definite absentee through injury. Don’t ignore Kelechi Iheanacho this weekend, he has scored twice and assisted twice in just 150mins of playing time vs Palace. It may also be worth noting that with Pep talking tiredness among his internationals that Ilkay Gündogan played 180mins for Germany over the last fortnight.

Everton vs Swansea (Sat 19 Nov 15.00)
The signs are not good for the Swans – no wins since the opening day, a Yank in charge and if that ain’t bad enough, they then go and let Man United score three times at the Liberty. They say it’s always darkest before the dawn so maybe they have reached their nadir – after all they can’t get much lower than a single place above Sunderland! A trip to Goodison won’t make their life easier, although the Toffees were rocked by the 5-0 loss at Chelsea where they struggled to even be second best. They are however unbeaten at home this season, but the Swans do have the memory of a 2-1 victory there last season – Everton fans will be quick to remind us though that they were the days of Martinez. A return to form will reignite Everton’s challenge for a European place while for Swansea any returns from the match will be welcomed as a dark and long winter in the valleys looms large.

Ronald Koeman says the manner of the defeat at Chelsea was “unacceptable” and is optimistic about getting a reaction vs Swansea. The good news is that Leighton Baines and James McCarthy are fit and available for the weekend but Gareth Barry misses out through suspension.

Bob Bradley is still looking for his first victory as Swans’ manager and is craving a repeat of last season’s result as his team comes up against ex-skipper Ashley Williams. The American admits his team are missing Williams’ leadership on the pitch. Nathan Dyer could play some part following ankle surgery but he is not ready to play 90mins while Jefferson Montero hopes to feature despite breaking a bone in his hand in the defeat to United.

Southampton vs Liverpool (Sat 19 Nov 15.00)
The hunted tempts the hunter into his lair. Or in other words, Southampton vs Liverpool. Lallana, Clyne, Mane and Lovren all return to their old haunt on the South coast having traded the beaches and coastline of Southampton for the paradise that is Liverpool. It’s certainly a blissful existence for the quartet and their colleagues as they are perched at the top of the division having seen off Watford with Trump-like ease to record their 7th win in 8 matches. The positive for the Saints is that their opponents cannot keep a clean sheet so the likes of Charlie Austin, Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic may just end up in a “if you score 4, we’ll score 5 battle.” Keep an eye on Mane, he has scored four goals in the last three meetings between the teams, albeit for Southampton, who won this fixture last season. The last two meetings have produced 12 goals and there seems little reason to suggest this won’t continue.

As if facing the league’s top scorers wasn’t bad enough, the Saints have doubts over keeper Fraser Forster and defender Ryan Bertrand, who will both need to be assessed after training to see if they can feature. Manager Claude Puel says he is hopeful the pair can make the game, I bet he is! Cedric Soares should be available after shrugging off an ankle injury, while Dusan Tadic suffered a broken nose while playing for Serbia and if he does play then he will likely wear a protective mask – “Serbia people are not soft” according to the player!

It was all looking so sweet at Anfield. Adam Lallana is a doubt for the weekend after limpimg off vs Spain but there were no other more pressing issues. Philippe Coutinho impressed for Brazil, Firmino sat on the bench, both were flown home via private jet and then Thursday night reports surfaced that Coutinho was spotted leaving a Liverpool hospital following a scan. Now these reports are unconfirmed, some are even suggesting that it was an old photo of the Brazilian, others implying it may just have been a routine check. There has, thus far, been no word from the club and Klopp didn’t mention it at his presser earlier in the day. So, we need to wait and see, keep your eyes peeled on here or on twitter to see if any news breaks concerning the game’s most owned player. Mamadou Sakho and Danny Ings remain unavailable and Joe Gomez continues to build up his fitness. Dejan Lovren has recovered from the illness that kept him out of the win over Watford.

Stoke vs Bournemouth (Sat 19 Nov 15.00)
Now Stoke vs Bournemouth may not immediately strike one as terribly exciting, but bear in mind we have Sunderland vs Hull to write and read next, best make the most of this one. We hope for an attractive match from two teams who now like to play football, yes Arsenal fans, Stoke has changed and you can embrace them. Both teams sit fairly content just below mid-table – for Bournemouth one imagines that this position will be acceptable for a few seasons yet as they fully establish themselves as a top tier club while Stoke have risen to these heights on the back of a 6-match unbeaten run. It was the Potters who had the better of things when the teams met for the first time in the Premier League last season as they completed the double over the Cherries, who have struggled on their travels so far this season.

There is good and bad news for the Potters as they prepare to take on the Cherries – Xherdan Shaqiri has recovered from injury and Marko Arnautovic returns from suspension, but Glenn Whelan picked up a slight hamstring injury on international duty and will need to be assessed before the game. If Whelan doesn’t make it then Joe Allen could drop deeper with Geoff Cameron again ruled out. Glen Johnson, Stephen Ireland and Ibrahim Affelay remain out.

Popular FPL defender Adam Smith misses the trip to Stoke after picking up his 5th yellow card of the season in the defeat at Sunderland. Hmmmmm, smacks of conspiracy that one – after all would you prefer a weekend by the sea in Bournemouth or a 400 mile round trip to Stoke? Hamstring victims Callum Wilson and Andrew Surman have made good progress but manager Eddie Howe says he “has to be mindful of hamstring injuries” and will make a late call on the pair.

Sunderland vs Hull (Sat 19 Nov 15.00)
Ok, so here go. Let’s try and find something relevant for our FPL existence. Jermain Defoe maybe? The short yet prolific striker continues to outperform those around him and has scored in each of his last two matches. Or Jordan Pickford, the young keeper who was given the chance when Vito Mannone became injured and has thrived and rewarded his owners with some decent returns. Yeah, that’s pretty much it to be honest. There is little else to get excited about for two teams who frankly look doomed, despite Hull’s win over Southampton last time out. Both teams are locked in the drop zone, separated only by Swansea. The Black Cats can’t even claim fixture form here – they have failed to win any of the last five clashes vs Hull, losing the last two at home.

Gotta love Moyesie – he opens his presser by saying he hopes “all the injuries are behind us” and then proceeds to say that Fabio Borini is out, Jack Rodwell is still out, Lee Cattermole has been ruled out for four months and Jan Kirchoff isn’t quite ready to return. Moyesie must be so in love with Victor Anichebe that no-one else matters – his striker has recovered from a rib injury and is set to play alongside Jermain Defoe who is one goal shy of 150 Premier League goals. Steven Pienaar misses out through suspension.

Hull boss Mickey Phelan says his squad has survived the international break pretty well and his boys are looking forward to the weekend after the win over Southampton. Allan McGregor, Andrew Robertson, Alex Bruce, Moses Odubajo, Shaun Maloney, Abel Hernandez and Will Keane are all definite absentees while Adama Diomande remains suspended, so Phelan is relieved that Robert Snodgrass and Dieumerci Mbokani are both available.

Watford vs Leicester (Sat 19 Nov 15.00)
Both Watford and Leicester come into the weekend on the back of disastrous results in GW11 – Watford, as we have touched on above, were trounced by Liverpool at Anfield, while the Foxes, the Champions were beaten at home by West Brom. Yes, West Brom!! So there is much to react to for each team who are only separated by a single point – oh how things change – this team last season the Foxes were well on their way to their historic and unprecedented title win and this term looks a hell of a struggle for them as they seek to compete in the Champions League. Last season was a close affair with the Foxes emerging victorious in this fixture courtesy of a Riyad Mahrez goal.

Watford are confident that keeper Heurelho Gomes will have recovered from the knee injury that forced him off after 32mins at Liverpool, while there are positive updates on Sebastian Prodl and Stefano Okaka who should also both be available. However, Isaac Success, Craig Cathcart and Christian Kabasele all remain sidelined and wing back Jose Holebas misses the game through suspension.

Jamie Vardy’s goal for England in midweek will be a magnificent boost for him and the Foxes according to Claudio Ranieri – “Finally he breaks the ice. I think it’ll be a new Vardy.” Well, there you go. The boss reveals that Danny Drinkwater and Demari Gray have returned to training but will be assessed after training on Friday and keeper Kasper Schmeichel has also made an appearance on the training pitch but as an outfield player – “He is better in goal”, according to his manager!! Midfielder Nampalys Mendy has suffered a setback in his recovery and has to return to the surgeon.

Spurs vs West Ham (Sat 19 Nov 17.30)
A friendly derby it ain’t, let’s be honest. They don’t like each other and likely never will. The hatred is fierce so what good planning to give the fans eight hours of drinking time before kick-off. Tres intelligent. Oh well, may as well just let them beat the hell out of each other and do us all a favour. Back to the game and Spurs remain unbeaten, but they have forgotten how to win. Four draws in a row has seen Spurs’ title charge slow considerably but the HurriKane is back and scored on his return vs Arsenal in GW11. For the Hammers, well things have been a struggle to say the least and they are only a point clear of the drop zone and have already lost six times. It was Spurs who won this fixture last season as they triumphed 4-1, courtesy of a Kane brace.

Mauricio Pochettino reveals that Toby Alderweireld, Erik Lamela and Ben Davies have all failed to recover from injury and will miss out while Dele Alli will face a late fitness test. The good news however is that Danny Rose, Christian Eriksen and Mousa Dembele have all recovered from knocks, Vincent Janssen will be ok after suffering a concussion while on international duty and Kane has spent the last week working on his fitness.

Hammers boss Slaven Bilic says the injuries are easing as Winston Reid has returned to training and is “looking good” (and is available again after suspension) and fellow defender James Collins should also be available. Diafra Sakho is also available which will give Bilic more options up front, while Andy Carroll remains out, but is expected back in a couple of weeks – now where have we heard that before?! Mark Noble misses out due to suspension as do the injured Sam Byram, Arthur Masuaku and Gokhan Tore.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea (Sun 20 Nov 16.00)
So Boro drew at City and some think they will take points off Chelsea – oh please! This is a different Chelsea to the one that was so disjointed under Jose last season. Conte has come in, taken his time to make his mark but has now got his team firing, playing well and conceding little, despite having David Luiz and Gary Cahill playing beside each other. Conte is a genius! Here are the facts my friends – Boro have won just twice this season, vs Sunderland and Bournemouth. Chelsea have won five in a row, scoring 16 goals, conceding none. The Blues have won their last six vs Boro, scoring fifteen goals and conceding… none. Facts are facts and stats don’t lie – dress them up as you will but they still only point to one winner on Sunday.

Boro boss Aitor Karanka says his team’s confidence has naturally been boosted by holding City and Arsenal to draws but accepts his team faces another tough challenge on Sunday. There are problems in defence with Daniel Ayala ruled out and George Friend needing a late assessment after he picked up a knee injury. Gaston Ramirez and Cristhian Stuani will also be monitored after their late return from international duty.

Relief for FPL managers worldwide as Antonio Conte reveals, “all my players are available.” On a specific level, Conte says of Costa, “his physical condition is good, there is still tomorrow to see perfectly the situation. At the moment, he can play.” Of Hazard, “Eden only had a tackle – he has recovered well.” Lovely insightful stuff from a Chelsea manager, times are a-changing folks! Both Kurt Zouma and Cesc Fabregas are in good shape, but Conte says he would rather Zouma gained fitness and confidence for the U23s after being out for so long, while Fabregas is available for Sunday. As is John Terry as the manager says Terry “is in good shape and can fit into this system.” However, it’s diffiucult to see Conte changing his winning formula while it is working so effectively.

West Brom vs Burnley (Mon 21 Nov 20.00)
Another mid-table clash brings our game-week to a close. Don’t expect a thriller, indeed it’s more likely that those with interest in the game will be hoping for a Tom Heaton and Burnley clean sheet. The Baggies however should be confident after their win at the Champions last time out, which lifted them away from the relegation zone and indeed above Monday’s opposition. The last time these two met at the Hawthorns saw the Baggies win 4-0… with Heaton again in goal for Burnley. The Clarets away form was poor with three defeats in three before they went to Man United and gained their infamous 0-0, while West Brom have won just once at home so far this season.

West Brom will need to make a late call on Nacer Chadli following the midfielder’s knee surgery – clearly Tony Pulis would want his best player on the park and will give him as much time as possible to prove his fitness – Chadli trained for the first time post-surgery on Thursday and the manager is hopeful the extra recovery time will help. Pulis says that Salomon Rondon “will be fine” after pulling out of international duty with a hamstring strain. The club’s three Northern Irish players, Chris Brunt, Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley still have to be checked on their return but no problems are expected. James McLean has served his suspension.

Not much to report from Burnley as Sean Dyche confirms a clean bill of health after the international break. Defender Stephen Ward is making a good recovery from his hamstring injury but is unlikely to feature on Monday, so Jon Flanagan is in line to deputise again.

Suspension Report for GW12

Any player who receives 5 yellow cards before 31st December will face a one-match suspension. There are a number of players on four yellow cards so we thought it prudent to detail those suspended and those nearing a suspension in case it affects your transfer decision.

Suspended for GW12:

Adam Smith (Bournemouth)
Gareth Barry (Everton)
Adama Diomande (Hull)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man Utd)
Steven Pienaar (Sunderland)
Jose Holebas (Watford)
Mark Noble (West Ham)

One yellow card away from suspension:

Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace)
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
Sam Clucas (Hull)
Robert Huth (Leicester)
Danny Simpson (Leicester)
Aleksandar Kolarov (Man City)
Marouane Fellaini (Man Utd)
Paul Pogba (Man Utd)
Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City)
Danny Rose (Spurs)
Jan Vertonghen (Spurs)
Joe Allen (Stoke)
Lynden Gooch (Sunderland)
Didier Ndong (Sunderland)
Valon Behrami (Watford)
Craig Dawson (West Brom)

Thanks for reading Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 12. This article was written by Cookie

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