Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 6

Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 6

Welcome to Around the Grounds FPL Team News Game-week 6. How divisive our beloved FPL can be – those who had Lukaku, Sterling, KdB, Antonio, Chadli, Alexis and played Capoue had it off last week, while those who persisted with the likes of Hazard, Firmino, Silva, Barkley, Ozil and capo’d Ibra were left disappointed and saw their rank plummet alarmingly. The latter situation has led to many a wildcard being played this week as thousands chase the points they missed out on last week and abandon those players they considered a “must-have” just a week or so ago. We have a more traditional game-week this week, no Friday night madness equals no early deadline, so relax, chat away as you consider your transfers or last-minute changes to your wildcard bonanza. Highlights this week include United and Leicester kicking us off Saturday lunchtime, Arsenal and Chelsea doing battle Saturday evening and our Monday special gives many of us the chance to finally play Capoue….I can see now how this is going to play out!!
Let’s go Around the Grounds to see what the managers have had to say.

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Man Utd vs Leicester (Sat 24 Sept 12.30)
After a blistering start to the season, United have hit the buffers. Confusion surrounds Old Trafford – it wasn’t supposed to be like this. The Messiah has arrived to exorcise the ghosts of Moyesie and LVG, but instead the fairytale is in danger of turning into a horror show, much to the amusement of the rest of the country. The Champions arrive on the back of a decent win over Burnley, with confidence slowly returning to the Foxes. Leicester’s last win at Old Trafford came in 1998 courtesy of a Tony Cottee goal, while last season’s meeting ended in a 1-1 draw – United of course won the Community Shield in August, but with confidence at a low ebb, the dressing room apparently divided and Jose under some early pressure, don’t discount another happy away day for Leicester.

Jose revealed that Anthony Martial will miss the visit of Leicester after injuring his calf in the defeat at Watford, meaning Marcus Rashford will likely start alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Mourinho said recent criticism of Wayne Rooney was unfair, suggesting that Shrek’s form reflected the whole team’s performance. There was no mention of Luke Shaw or Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but Phil Jones continues to miss out. Obviously.

Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel may be a slight doubt as he is suffering with a muscle issue – Ranieri says of his keeper, “If it’s nothing serious, he’ll play.” Nampalys Mendy continues to miss out through injury while Marcin Wasilewski is suspended after his red card in the midweek defeat to Chelsea, but Luis Hernández is available after missing the Cup match as his baby was being born.

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Bournemouth vs Everton (Sat 24 Sept 15.00)
After four wins in their opening five matches the Toffees find themselves in the lofty heights of second place, the club is reborn under the new ownership and the stewardship of Ronald Koeman. At last, Merseyside is blue again. Bournemouth host Everton this week and it’s been a rougher start to the season for the south coast beach babes who find themselves sitting perilously just above the relegation zone after just one win in five. If last season’s meeting is anything to go by we are in for a treat – the 3-3 result only tells half the story as two late Junior Stanislas goals forced an unlikely draw. Romelu Lukaku has scored on his previous two trips to Bournemouth and appears to have started one of his streaks of goalscoring.

Eddie Howe recalls the match with Everton last season and says it was a turning point for their season and hopes that the same will happen this weekend. The Cherries squad will be similar to the one that was thumped at the Etihad last week. Great expectations remain of Jack Wilshere but the Gooner faces a fight to get into the Bournemouth midfield, with Howe having a plethora of options.

The major injury news at Goodison surrounds Romelu Lukaku who picked up a toe injury in the win over Boro last weekend. Big Rom has been training by himself for most of the week but the striker trained with the first team today as is therefore expected to be ok for the trip to Bournemouth. There are no other new injury concerns – James McCarthy has resumed light training and Darron Gibson may do likewise next week.

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Liverpool vs Hull (Sat 24 Sept 15.00)
We could wax lyrical about Liverpool and with every good reason – goals are flying in from everywhere, Sadio Mane has teamed up superbly with Philippe Coutinho and Firmino in midfield, last week’s win at Chelsea was as well deserved as their opening day win at Arsenal…..but until they start beating the likes of Hull we cannot get too carried away. It was the same Liverpool who of course lost at Burnley, hence the caution. Hull of course are gradually slipping down the table as we knew they would and last week they were taken to the cleaners by Arsenal….as we knew they would be. Can they recover this week? Well, it’s the sort of fixture that Liverpool have struggled with over the years.

Jurgen Klopp has a decision to make with his keepers now that Loris Karius has proved his fitness – the manager would not divulge which way he was leaning. Meanwhile, Daniel Sturridge failed to train until Wednesday due to him picking up a knock in the win at Chelsea, but will be given every opportunity to make the game, while Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum were rested for the League Cup as they had minor knocks but both will be fine for Saturday.

Mike Phelan says he knows which team he wants to play at Anfield and that all those players are available. Errrrr ok thanks Mike, we’re really pleased for you pal but why are you keeping things top secret? What we do know is that Allan McGregor, Michael Dawson, Moses Odubajo, Alex Bruce and Greg Luer are long-term absentees, while Brian Lenihan and Josh Tymon are doubtful. Jake Livermore is available after suspension.

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Middlesbrough vs Spurs (Sat 24 Sept 15.00)
Oh dear Spurs, oh dear. It was going so well – a slow start to the season had been built upon with two successive victories, with streaky Harry Kane scoring in both before the talisman injured his ankle ligaments late on vs Sunderland last weekend. So for now we have to see how Spurs get on without their main man. Boro meanwhile have lost two on the spin and will be keen to stop that run before it gets too much of a habit and they quickly find themselves in the middle of a relegation scrap. Boro are actually unbeaten vs Spurs in their last two meetings at home – but that was 8/9 seasons ago so don’t read too much into that – much more will depend on how the Boro midfield and defence can constrain the likes of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela while they will be ever-optimistic that they can penetrate the resolute looking Spurs defence.

Not much new for Boro as just the usual names of Fabio, Grant Leadbitter and James Husband miss out. Cristhian Stuani and Jordan Rhodes have both been passed fit while Adam Clayton is also fit after picking up a knock at Everton.

Today’s brief encounter with Mauricio Pochettino didn’t enlighten us much – sure he told us that Kane is out, but my dead cat worked that one out. Danny Rose, Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele will all need assessing after training today. Much is now expected of Vincent Janssen in Kane’s absence, while Christian Eriksen may be preferred to Erik Lamela.

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Stoke vs West Brom (Sat 24 Sept 15.00)
Another week, another 4-goal reverse for Stoke – this is turning into a bit of a crisis for Mark Hughes, as his team find themselves bottom of the league with Sunderland, but with a worse goal difference than the Black Cats. Now if four defeats and a draw from your opening five matches isn’t bad enough, then having a worse goal difference than the goal-shy Moyes boys speaks of utter disaster. The Baggies meanwhile shocked us all last week by smashing the Hammers courtesy of Nacer Chadli to give under-pressure Tony Pulis his second win of the season – Pulis returns to Stoke this week knowing he can stick another knife into the Potter and Hughes coffin.

Hughes remains confident he and Stoke can turn things around after their poor start and says he was encouraged by their midweek display vs Hull, despite another defeat. Xherdan Shaqiri has trained and will be checked today with Hughes saying if the influential and creative midfielder feels confident then “we will go with him.” Bojan Krkic returns to the squad after being rested midweek but Jon Walters is a doubt with an ankle injury – elsewhere, it’s just the longer term absentees that definitely miss out, namely Jack Butland, Stephen Ireland and Ibrahim Afellay. With Hughes saying they have worked on their defensive frailties, second guessing their line up at the back is mission impossible….which pretty much summarises Stoke’s current situation perfectly.

Saturday’s match will be Tony Pulis’ 1,000th as a manager, so it’s ironic he should be returning to Stoke for the occasion. Yeah, knew you’d be thrilled about that. On the injury front, well there are no new injuries and new hero Chadli has recovered from cramp while Chris Brunt came through a reserve game in the week as he builds up his fitness.

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Sunderland vs Crystal Palace (Sat 24 Sept 15.00)
Oh no, two wins in their last two has seen the smile return to the Lord, so I declare this weekend we must all become Moyes fans – if only for a day. Take yourself back to the Cup Final and that ridiculous jig that Pardew performed when Palace took the lead – do you really want to see that every week and then hear in the post-match presser how great he has made his team. So come on the Black Cats, it’s time for your first win of the season, get yourselves out of that drop zone. Last season’s meeting at the Stadium of Light ended in a 2-2 draw with Connor Wickham grabbing both Palace goals – he has now been overshadowed by the arrival of Christian Benteke, who scored the winner for Liverpool here last season.

Moyesie says his team feels much better after winning in midweek. In the League Cup. At QPR. The same QPR that Newcastle put six past last week. One look at the league table suggests it’ll be another season where the Black Cats have to perform a great escape so it’s lucky they can call on Jack Rodwell this week. Vito Mannone, Seb Larsson and Fabio Borini are longer term absentees. Jermain Defoe has only returned to training today (Friday) with Moyes saying, “we hope he will be ok”, while Wahbi Khazri is in the same boat. Victor Anichebe isn’t far away, which interests no-one.

Scott Dann will miss out this weekend after injuring his hamstring in midweek, with the Lord suggesting his defender could also miss next week’s trip to Everton. There is better news as James Tomkins has recovered from his knee injury, while Martin Kelly will again play in the absence of Pape Souare, though Pardew suggests Zeki Fryers could compete for a spot at full back after impressing in the week.

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Swansea vs Man City (Sat 24 Sept 15.00)
Yeah, yeah we all know how this is going to turn out don’t we? Another City win, to make it six out of six and the march towards a first Premier League title for Pep looking an odds-on bet and we’re still only in September. Swansea would appear to be unable to offer much resistance though they did show fight a fortnight ago at home to Chelsea, but with just one win thus far this has all the hallmarks of another struggle of a season for the Welshies. City have won six and drawn the other two of the last eight meetings between the two, but what may just surprise you is Sergio Aguero’s form vs the Swans – he has failed to score in his last seven appearances, while young Kelechi Iheanacho has scored in both his last two matches vs Swansea. You have been warned.

It’s déjà vu for the Swans as City come visiting again. The Welshies battled bravely in the week, albeit vs City’s reserves which may give Francesco Guidolin some selection headaches. Nathan Dyer is a definite absentee, while Borja Baston finally made his first start in the week and will provide some competition to Fernando Llorente up top.

City preview. KUN IS BACK! The end.

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Arsenal vs Chelsea (Sat 24 Sept 17.30)
Ah now this is just not going to be the same without Wenger vs Mourinho snarling at each other on the touchline. You get the feeling that Wenger and Conte will hug before the kick off and all will be calm and dull. That’s until Diego Costa gets going of course, we can always rely on the placid, fun-loving, ageless Spazilian to spice things up. It’s been a while since the Gooners beat Chelsea in the league – almost five years to be exact – but they will feel this is their best chance for a while, especially with the “Specialist in Failure” tag not being thrown at poor ol’ Arsene from the other dugout. Both teams are locked together on 10 points with the Gooners sitting comfortably in their beloved fourth placed spot – it would be rude of the Blues to take that away from them, especially so early in the season.

No Jose to contend with but Arsene Wenger throws the first punch nonetheless – when asked what is the best way to deal with Diego Costa, the Godfather replied, “By being cold blooded and respecting the rules of the game.” Ohhh this is spicing up. Gooner forward Olivier Giroud will have a fitness test after training today to see if he can feature, but midfielder Aaron Ramsey misses out again and is unlikely to be back – if Giroud continues to miss out then Alexis Sanchez could continue up front or Lucas Perez could be given the nod after his midweek brace. Gabriel is fit again, but is unlikely to unseat Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi, while Per Mertesacker, Carl Jenkinson and Danny Welbeck all remain out.

Great news for Arsenal as Chelsea skipper John Terry is again ruled out with his ankle injury – so we’ll have the comedy pairing of Gary Cahill and David Luiz facing Alexis, Ozil et al. Superb, should be fun! Kurt Zouma is the only other definite absentee for the Blues with the French defender expected to return to light training next week. Antonio Conte is facing a dilemna over whether to recall Cesc Fabregas to face his former team after the Spaniard scored twice in the comeback midweek win at Leicester.

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West Ham vs Southampton (Sun 25 Sept 16.00)
Sunday fun in the east end – what more could we want. Jellied eels for lunch, a few lagers either side and then some comedy Hammer defending for dessert – lovely jubbly guv. West Ham have now lost four matches this season and are in the relegation zone – music to my ears for someone who grew up amongst those fans who hate anyone and everyone. The Saints are not doing much better but did at least pick up their first win of the season last week at home to Swansea and will look to push on from that, but will be wary of inform Hammer Michail Antonio who has scored five goals already this term and scored in the home win over the Saints last season.

Problems at the back for the Hammers as Arthur Masuaku has damaged his ankle ligaments and could miss up to six weeks – he joins fellow left back Aaron Cresswell on the treatment table and means we could see Álvaro Arbeloa deputise on the left and Sam Byram return on the right. There is good news as Winston Reid has resumed training, while Bilic says rumours that Andy Carroll has suffered a setback are false and his gladiator striker could be ready to return after the international break.

Saints will be without J-Rod who has been ruled out until after the international break with a knock. Charlie Austin has scored in the last two games and is likely to be a starter at West Ham with Shane Long expected to drop down to the bench. Jérémy Pied is a longer term victim while midfielder Sofiane Boufal is still building up his fitness bless him.

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Burnley vs Watford (Mon 26 Sept 20.00)
The end of our gameweek and at first glance Burnley vs Watford doesn’t strike one as a glamour game or indeed one which will force the extraction of the remote control from the clutches of the mrs. But my friends, if you haven’t done so already, it is now time to release one Etienne Capoue, our beloved Watford “enabler” who may just turn into the first name on our team sheets if he can continue his ridiculous run of scoring, which has seen the midfielder score four in five matches, assist once and claim eleven bonus points already to lead the FPL scoring charts. That’s your preview for this match – there is little to say of any interest about Burnley, excpet to say that Andre Gray is still waiting for his hearing!!!

Ashley Barnes remains the only absentee for Burnley. With Sean Dyche desperate for a win he may decide to return to a more attacking 4-4-2 after his change to 4-4-1-1 proved unsuccessful at Leicester last week. This could see Sam Vokes returning to join Gray up front, with Dyche hoping the pair will be the producers.

Watford have been hit by the news that Daryl Janmaat’s shoulder injury is worse than first feared and could be missing for up to six weeks. Nordin Amrabat is the likely replacement for Janmaat. Jose Holebas needs to be checked as he is suffering with an abductor injury – he will be checked over the weekend with manager Walter Mazzarri “hoping he is ok.” Jerome Sinclair, who scored for the Under-23s on Monday injured his hamstring in training yesterday and he will undergo assessment today to discover the extent of the tear. He becomes the third hamstring victim in a fortnight, following on from the one Stefano Okaka picked up against West Ham United and the one Younes Kaboul picked up in training last week. The defender trained on Saturday but reported some discomfort and with the back three performing so well against United, he is likely to be given further time to recover.

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Thanks for reading Around the Grounds FPL Team News Gameweek 6. This article was written by Cookie.

Follow @SteveCook9

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Fixture Tracker – the next 6 games

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