Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 13

Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 13

Welcome to Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 13.When your game-week is saved by the likes of Capoue, Anichebe, Fletcher or Nyom then one knows it’s a strange one and that of course is what we saw last week. This week gives us all a chance to bounce back and restore our faith in our squads! It’s a short and sharp game-week, spread over Saturday and Sunday and begins with Man City’s short trip to Burnley. Just four 3pm kick offs follow as Hull welcome West Brom, Boro travel to Leicester, Liverpool take shooting practice at Jordan Pickford and bottom club Swansea host hopefully soon-to-be-bottom club Palace. If last season’s affair is anything to go by then the evening clash at the Bridge of Chelsea and Spurs should be explosive! And then onto Sunday but don’t get too excited as our first match is Watford vs Stoke. Arsenal then welcome Bournemouth to the Emirates before the Hammers travel to Man Utd and Everton go to Southampton.
It’s been a busy week of European action with Leicester, Spurs, Arsenal, City, United and Southampton all in action so let’s go Around the Grounds to see what the managers have got to say.

Burnley vs Man City (Sat 26 Nov 12.30)
If last weekend is anything to go by then City should cruise this one. They of course battled to a Yaya-inspired hard-fought win at Palace while Burnley were torn apart by West Brom. Yes you’ve read that intro correctly!!! However, history suggests this may be closer – after all the last time Burnley were in the top flight in 2014/15 then beat City at home and held them to a 2-2 draw at the Etihad. So which Burnley will we see? Well, only time will tell of course but if they perform like they did at Albion then they’re doomed while City will hope that Wednesday’s visit to Mönchengladbach will not have too much of an adverse effect on them – though let’s be honest they have the squad to deal with such things.

Burnley have no fresh injuries for the weekend as they look to bounce back from their toothless display at West Brom. There wasn’t much to cheer on Monday for Sean Dyche, though the manager did single out Ashley Barnes for praise after impressing as a substitute for the second successive match.

Ok, most of you care for Sergio Aguero so here is Pep’s exact words: ‘Sergio is not injured but he has a problem with his foot. Today he has training at 4pm and we will see his condition.’ There you go. Your guess is as good as mine! Meanwhile Vincent Kompany has been ruled out for 4-6 weeks by Pep who praised Yaya Toure but also said he has no plans to use him at centre back where “we have other options”…i.e Stones (gulp), Otamendi, Sagna and Kolarov. Pablo Zabaleta will be monitored along with Kun but Fabian Delph is still out.

Hull vs West Brom (Sat 26 Nov 15.00)
Now being a United fan I really like Micky Phelan but the Hull owners may not be so keen after watching the horror show unfold at Sunderland last week. 3-0!!! Hull lost 3-0 to Sunderland, no-one loses 3-0 to Sunderland (apart from Newcastle). These are tough times for Hull and its staff – they are in the relegation zone but it was only a fortnight ago that they downed Southampton at home so maybe they’re just not great travellers. West Brom come into the game confident after their Monday slaughter of Burnley, that’s two wins in a row (riches indeed) which sees them start the weekend in 9th position. Fixture form here is a bit mixed – the Baggies haven’t won any of their last three visits to Hull, yet Hull haven’t scored in either of the previous two meetings between the two.

Phelan reports no new injuries for his team – instead a couple of positives as Andrew Robertson has recovered from his calf injury and has trained and is therefore available if needed and striker Adama Diomande has served his suspension and comes into contention. Abel Hernandez, Will Keane and Alex Bruce are definite absentees.

Pulis was his annoying self at the presser – “we have a couple of knocks” blah blah blah, you know the form by now. The little specific news that Pulis gave was that he will be making a late decision on Nacer Chadli, but even if he proves his fitness Pulis said, “I can’t wait to get Nacer back in the team but at the moment I don’t think I can get him back in. Everyone has done so well.” Thanks Tone.

Leicester vs Middlesbrough (Sat 26 Nov 15.00)
It’s certainly been a mixed start of the season for both clubs who go into the weekend separated by just a single point. Boro have again proved themselves tough to break down but are also the division’s lowest scorers alongside Hull, while Leicester, who were so impenetrable last season, have already been beaten six times this term and seem to be more focused on the Champions League than defending their trophy. So, if current form is to be interpreted, don’t expect a classic end-to-end thriller full of goals. The last ten meetings between the two have all been in the Championship and has seen the Foxes win six with the other four matches drawn – yet the last five meetings between the two in the Premier League has seen three Boro victories and two draws.

The Foxes will be without Danny Drinkwater who starts a 3-match suspension after accepting an FA charge. Ranieri says that Andy King and Daniel Amartey are likely to start in the middle of the park, while Leonardo Ulloa is “much better” after his recent back injury. Kasper Schmeichel, Ben Chilwell and Papy Mendy have begun light training but won’t be available quite yet. Having qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, Ranieri says he has told the players to ‘forget the CL and concentrate 100% on the league and Boro.’

Boro will continue to be without George Friend with manager Aitor Karanka believing the defender may miss at least the next 3-4 weeks. There is some positive news though as Daniel Ayala is expected to be available after recovering from his ankle injury.

Liverpool vs Sunderland (Sat 26 Nov 15.00)
Surely it’s just a matter of how many? Scoring goals for fun, clinical and entertaining, ownership levels rising, the question must be asked – can Liverpool stop Jermain Defoe and Victor Anichebe? Maybe we’ll have one of those Anfield thrillers normally reserved for Sunderland’s nearest and dearest, because there is no way this is ending 0-0 – no way. There I’ve said it. And as I have told you before, I am up there as the worst gambler in the world. Then again Liverpool were held to a bore draw at Southampton last weekend, but we’ll blame that on the likes of Firmino and Coutinho being weary after their travel to South America. So are we right to discount two successive wins for the Black Cats? History suggest we are as we have to go back to 1983 for Sunderland’s last win at Anfield, though it would be improper of me not to mention that those relegation-avoiding Black Cats have held Liverpool to draws on their last two visits to Anfield.

Adam Lallana again misses out for Liverpool but is expected to be available for the trip to Bournemouth in GW14. Klopp tantalisingly says, “we had a few players who couldn’t train this week” without naming them, but nothing serious is expected. Klopp says he is wary of the threat posed by Defoe and Anichebe, but his team will be ‘prepared’. Inundated with questions on the retirement of one of England’s greatest sportsmen, Klopp replied that he had never met Jenson Button but is sure he is a nice guy.

The Black Cats have a couple of issues in defence with Papiss Djilobodji suspended and Paddy McNair ruled out for the season. John O’Shea will likely come in at the back. Some positive news as Seb Larsson will travel with the squad but is “unlikely to feature” and Jason Denayer has shaken off his hamstring injury, but Jan Kirchoff remains out, Lee Cattermole is out for around four months and Fabio Borini is not available. Steven Pienaar is available after serving his suspension.

Swansea vs Crystal Palace (Sat 26 Nov 15.00)
The nights are long, the fog is rolling in off the hills, the air is damp – these indeed are dark days in the valleys. The Swans who for the last few seasons have outperformed and entertained are now looking down the barrel at relegation down to the Championship. The Welshies are bottom, below even Sunderland, Hull and errrr Palace. However my Welsh comrades – we are all with you this weekend as you look to dethrone the Lord from his self-appointed throne of rule over South London. For Palace, their form is hardly better – five defeats in a row has seen them slide (albeit not quickly or suddenly enough) to just a point clear of the drop zone. Four of the last five meetings between these two numptys have ended in draws and it would surprise no-one if we saw another stalemate on Saturday to increase the gloom in south Wales and probably lead to a Pardew-led party on the coach back to Selhurst.

Despite the disappointment of conceding a late equaliser at Everton, Swans manager Bob Bradley says his team have trained well and cannot wait to get back on the field this weekend. Ki Sung-Yeung however won’t be involved as he has broken his toe and will be missing for a couple of weeks. There is some good news though as Leon Britton and Jefferson Montero return to the matchday squad.

The Lord says that Wayne Hennessey will again play between the sticks as Steve Mandanda is ruled out. There are no new injuries for the Eagles but Loic Remy has managed to pick up a calf problem which has set his recovery back by three weeks or so. Pape Souare remains missing, but Joe Ledley could return.

Chelsea vs Spurs (Sat 26 Nov 17.30)
Six wins and six clean sheets on the spin has seen Chelsea leapfrog the crowd to start the weekend in top spot and one has to admit they are looking strong. However, they will be tested to the full on Saturday evening as Spurs march across the capital for what they hope will be a happier experience than when they last visited the Bridge. Now call it morbid fascination or perverted celebration or indeed call it whatever you want at seeing a club self-destruct, but how most of us laughed in May when Spurs threw away a 2 goal lead, completely lost their heads, had 9 players booked and finally surrendered their title challenge as they drew 2-2 with Chelsea. Of course it was Costa and co at their best, winding up the likes of Dembele, Alli and Kane – and it may well be that memories are refreshed and it all kicks off again – which will provide some fun sport for us, though it may well be that young Diego can behave himself no longer and receives that 5th yellow card. Back to the actual match and it was 1990 when Spurs last won a league match at the Bridge so their record is poor and they will have to play a whole load better than last week when they pick-pocketed those Cockney Hammers if they are to stop Conte’s Chelsea marching onto another victory.

Conte says that John Terry and Jon Obi Mikel will be missing from the weekend squad due to muscular injuries, which if my maths is correct, will worry 87,034 managers – worry is probably the wrong word for these managers as they clearly don’t give a toss and are either not playing seriously or have given up already. Anyway, you can tell how interesting Conte’s presser was. The Blues are likely to be unchanged of course, though the Italian did say that Willian “has been unlucky in recent weeks” and “I do count on him a lot.” Well, clearly not right now you don’t do you Tone?

Having been dumped out of the Champions League by Monaco, Spurs now need a reaction at the Bridge. However, they will need to react without the suspended Danny Rose, while his stand-in Ben Davies misses out through injury. Just to compound things further Toby Alderweireld continues to miss out though he has started light training. All in all it could be another busy 90mins for keeper Hugo Lloris who was in world-class form in Monaco and may need to be again on Saturday evening. Jan Vertonghen and Kyle Walker were rested for the trip to the south of France and both will return this weekend as part of what looks like will be a makeshift back line that could see Eric Dier and Kevin Wimmer play in the middle with Vertonghen on the left or Kieran Trippier could play left with Vert in the middle with Dier. Oh and Erik Lamela is sidelined also.

Watford vs Stoke (Sun 27 Nov 12.00)
Anyone who stays in to watch this match must really love their football. Or have no friends. Or must have captained Wilfried Bony. Yeah – here’s looking at you DMC! One of the site’s greatest friends, DMC quite correctly decided that the likes of Alexis, Aguero, Coutinho and Hazard would be worth ignoring for the armband last weekend and went with his gut call – Mr Bony. Sadly it didn’t quite work out, but let’s be fair fortune favours the brave so maybe he’ll go again this weekend and good luck to him. The game is one that could easily go either way and consistency is not a word to be associated with either team this season. Watford upset the Champions in GW12, a week after being trounced at Anfield, while Stoke came off an unbeaten run of six matches only to lose at home to Bournemouth. Last season’s fixture form saw the away side win on each occasion with Troy Deeney scoring in both matches.

The Hornets have a couple of new injury concerns for the weekend – defender Younes Kaboul has missed some training this week and will need a fitness test before the game while utility player Juan Zuniga is more of a doubt, but his potential absence is offset somewhat by the return from suspension of Jose Holebas. Craig Cathcart, Isaac Success, Christian Kabasele, Kenedy and Brice Dja Djedje all remain sidelined.

Stoke boss Mark Hughes says that Glenn Whelan should hopefully be ok for the weekend, which will help in midfield as Joe Allen is suspended and Geoff Cameron remains unavailable. Phil Bardsley has been ruled out for a few weeks but Stoke are again lucky in that Glen Johnson is 100% fit and ready. Giannelli Imbula may also get the nod this weekend, while Jack Butland is slowly continuing with his recuperation.

Arsenal vs Bournemouth (Sun 27 Nov 14.15)
Two carefully planned 1-1 draws on the bounce has seen Arsenal cement their 4th place position so all is well at the Emirates. They will of course expect to win on Sunday as they have a 100% record vs the Cherries, although I must qualify that by informing you they have only ever met three times previously. The two league meetings last season both ended 2-0 the Gooners with Mesut Ozil scoring in both matches – it’s been a quiet season for the “assist machine” who has been limited to just 2 assists and 3 goals this far. Bournemouth meanwhile will be cheered by last weekend’s victory at Arsenal’s best friends, Stoke – this victory stopped a two match losing run to Sunderland and Boro. If Ozil finds his touch early this could get messy.

‘No one is coming back’ blasts Wenger. He doesn’t mean Jack Wilshire won’t be allowed into the stadium but that Hector Bellerin and Santi Cazorla are not yet fit enough to play, so expect Carl Jenkinson to entertain us at right back once again. Lucas Perez has returned to training and may appear in the League Cup in midweek, while Nacho Monreal should replace Kieran Gibbs on the left. Regarding the possibility of French Adonis and part time scoring sensation Olivier Giroud starting vs Bournemouth, Wenger said, ‘It is game by game. His physical presence gave PSG problems and I decide game after game. I need everybody on board.’ Read into that what you will and let me know what it means please.

Adam Federici is set to deputise again in goal for Bournemouth if Artur Boruc again misses out – manager Eddie Howe says his no.1 keeper continues to be a doubt with the back injury that kept him out of last week’s win at Stoke. Andrew Surman is also a doubt but there is some good news as Adam Smith is available after serving his suspension and Jordan Ibe has recovered from illness. Jack Wilshire misses out as he is ineligible to play vs his parent hospital.

Man Utd vs West Ham (Sun 27 Nov 16.30)
It’s not been a happy start to the season for either club. For United, a Jose-inspired title challenge was expected, nay demanded. Money was spent, there was optimism that the dreary, turgid stuff delivered by Moyesie and LVG was a thing of the past but things have not gone to plan and the Reds find themselves joint sixth with Everton. The Hammers meanwhile entered the season with similar optimism – last season’s sign off victory over United at Upton Park sparked the dawning of a new age at the club as they took residence at London’s Olympic Stadium – yet one look at the league table sees the Hammers in 17th place, just a point clear of relegation-bound Hull and level on points with their old mate Pardew’s Palace. Oh the shame. United have unsurprisingly had the run of things in this fixture over recent seasons, winning seven and drawing the other of the last eight.

United will be buoyed by Thursday’s commanding 4-0 win over Feyenoord but will likely face stiffer opposition when the Hammers turn up on Sunday. The only players unavailable to Mourinho are defenders Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly. Henrikh Mkhitaryan impressed on Thursday and Jose implied that the Armenian could feature on Sunday after his strong performance. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is available following his suspension.

West Ham will be without the suspended Winston Reid for the trip to Old Trafford, so James Collins is likely to deputise for the Kiwi. Slaven Bilic reports no fresh injuries meaning Pedro Obiang has recovered from his knock and is available, but Sam Byram, Arthur Masuaku, Gokhan Tore and Andy Carroll remain missing. Mark Noble returns to the heart of the midfield having missed last week’s loss at Spurs due to suspension.

Southampton vs Everton (Sun 27 Nov 16.30)
Ronald Koeman returns to St Marys as Everton boss with both teams desperate for a victory if they are to maintain some sort of European challenge. Everton struck late to nick a point last week at home to bottom club Swansea and the Toffees have won just one league match in seven while the Saints became just the third team to stop Liverpool scoring last week but are on a similar run to their opponents, having just recorded one win in their last six matches. Therefore the game is there for the taking if either side can find the key to victory – Everton won 3-0 at St Marys last season with Lukaku scoring a brace and it’s the Toffees who hold the form over the years as they have lost just two of the last 13 meetings between the two teams who frankly promise more than they actually deliver.

Dusan Tadic is unlikely to feature for the Saints on Sunday due to a broken nose – is this not the same Tadic who declared last week that ‘Serbian people are not soft’? Poor old Dusan must have some North London heritage. This is even worse news for the Saints as manager Claude Puel says that Jose Fonte is a doubt with the foot injury that kept him out of Thursday’s Europa loss in Prague – the defender will face a late fitness test – Maya Yoshida is in line to replace him if he doesn’t quite make it. Charlie Austin looks a sure starter after coming off the bench in Prague, although Shane Long is now available.

No fresh injuries for Everton, according to Mr Koeman, which means that just Mo Besic and Matthew Pennington miss out. Gareth Barry returns from suspension and will likely play alongside Idrissa Gueye with James McCarthy the favourite to sit on the bench.

Suspension Report for GW13

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 GW13:

Danny Drinkwater (Leicester)
Joe Allen (Stoke)
Papy Djilobodji (Sunderland)
Danny Rose (Tottenham)
Winston Reid (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)
Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)
Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City)
Lynden Gooch (Sunderland)
Billy Jones (Sunderland)
Didier Ndong (Sunderland)
Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham)
Valon Behrami (Watford)
Miguel Britos (Watford)
Craig Dawson (West Brom)
Michail Antonio (West Ham)

Thanks for reading Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 13. This article was written by Cookie

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