Team Talk Fantasy Football Game-week 22

Team Talk Fantasy Football GW22

Truly there is no rest for the wicked FPL manager – no sooner has GW21 finished then three days later GW22 kicks off. No time to cry or moan or despair on a low scoring week. But this is what we all love, the fast moving, non-stop, relentless decisions on who to captain, who to buy, who to leave out, whilst trying to dodge a Mitro RMT request. We kick off Saturday lunchtime with Spurs taking on Big Sam’s Sunderland – we then have five 3pm matches as Bournemouth welcome Norwich, Chelsea host Everton, Crystal Palace travel to Man City, Newcastle and West Ham do battle and Southampton face West Brom. The evening match sees Mahrez and Vardy lick their lips at the thought of Leicester’s match at Villa. Sunday sees two matches – the first should be a cracker, but will likely be a bore fest as Liverpool host bitter rivals Man Utd before Arsenal make their way to Stoke – never a comfortable game for the Gooners. Our gameweek finishes on Monday as Watford travel to South Wales to take on Swansea.
With the quick turnaround between matches, let’s go Around the Grounds and see what injury news the managers have for us.

Spurs vs Sunderland (Sat 16 Jan 12.45)
Contrasting fortunes in midweek has made the early game perhaps not as clear cut as we had thought. The home defeat to Leicester was Spurs’ first loss since the opening day of the season and having picked up just a point from their last two games, Manuel Pochettino will be keen/desperate for his side to get back on the winning trail to further consolidate their Champions League hopes. I’m sure some were mentioning them as title contenders just a fortnight ago. This is Spurs everyone – smell the coffee!! Meanwhile, the annual game of great escape is well under way at Sunderland – the win at Swansea was their second on the bounce and has lifted them above neighbours Newcastle on goal difference and within a point of being out of the relegation zone. Spurs have won the last four between the two at the Lane and are unbeaten in the last eleven with Sunderland – but with Jermain Defoe having scored five goals in the last two matches, he’d like nothing more than to continue his and Sunderland’s hot streak against his old club.

Pochettino will select from the same squad as midweek, with just Ryan Mason ruled out. Mousa Dembele came off the bench for the last 20mins vs Leicester, giving Spurs more options in midfield.

Big Sam says any points gained at Spurs would be a bonus as he admits that his squad has some very tired legs ahead of the weekend. New signing Dame D’Doye won’t be available for selection this week, but Jan Kirchhoff could feature. Younes Kaboul, Adam Matthews and Seb Larsson are still sidelined. According to reports, Sunderland are trying to cancel the loan deal for Ola Toivonen but Rennes don’t want him back!!

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Bournemouth vs Norwich (Sat 16 Jan 15.00)
Norwich face another away day, their second in four days, but this time get to travel to the seaside, a huge uptick on a visit to Stoke on a Wednesday night. Both teams will be hopeful of a bounce back after suffering 3-1 defeats and a win for either would be a huge boost in their battle against relegation. 3-1 seems to be a popular score as Norwich triumphed by that scoreline when the teams met at Carrow Road in September and the Canaries have won three out of the last four against the Cherries. Bournemouth have now gone four without a victory and Eddie Howe will be keen for his new signings to hit the ground running, otherwise a long, tough end of the season could be in store.

Cherries boss Eddie Howe says Matt Ritchie is 50/50 for the weekend after picking up a dead leg vs West Ham, but is encouraged that his squad is now looking in better shape due to those players who have returned from injury of late coupled with the new signings, who Howe says have all fitted in well. Tommy Elphick remains out but is making good if slow progress, while Callum Wilson is a “long way off”. Max Gradel also remains out. Howe admitted that Bournemouth’s home form has been “patchy” and is looking for consistency and knows that a home win this weekend could really be the fillip his team needs.

Norwich have no fresh injuries but will be without the suspended Gary O’Neill, who was red-carded at Stoke. Alex Neil is proud of his played two, won two record as Norwich manager vs Bournemouth and is naturally keen to continue that run. New signing Ivo Pinto is still getting up to speed with his new surroundings, club etc and won’t be included this week.

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Chelsea vs Everton (Sat 16 Jan 15.00)
Just as soon as we all thought Guus Hiddink was leading a Chelsea revival, along came the Baggies to nick a draw at the Bridge on Wednesday, to keep the Blues firmly entrenched in the bottom half of the division. Life won’t get any easier this weekend with the Toffees in town – Roberto Martinez’s men will be confident after keeping out the likes of Aguero & KDB at the Etihad in midweek and it would be no surprise to see Everton go one step further and come away with the three points. Chelsea have won the last four vs Everton at the Bridge, but more significantly, the Toffees triumphed 3-1 at Goodison earlier in the season. Romelu Lukaku travels down to the Bridge with a point to prove against his old club.

Hiddink reports no new injuries from midweek, while Eden Hazard and Radamel Falcao remain out injured. Hazard will however train fully next week. The caretaker manager says that relegation is as much a possibility as a top four spot and as long as Loic Remy stays fit, he doesn’t expect to be very active in the transfer window.

Martinez reports no new injuries but Tom Cleverley is rated at just 50/50 to play as he is suffering with a calf injury, while fellow midfielder James McCarthy is ruled out with a groin strain. Seamus Coleman, Tyias Browning and Tony Hibbert remain missing, while Martinez admits there has been interest from another Premier League club for striker Steven Naismith.

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Man City vs Crystal Palace (Sat 16 Jan 15.00)
City will be wanting to get back on the winning trail after their goalless draw with Everton in midweek and will fancy their chances vs Palace, who were beaten by Villa on Tuesday. By Villa hahaha. Oh the shame of it, my Lord. Palace have failed to score in their last four and are in danger of seeing what was looking like a promising season peter out into mid table mediocrity. The match vs Everton was the first time City have failed to score at home this season, disappointing many Kun and KDB owners, but they have won the last six at home vs Palace including a 5-1 trouncing in the Capital One Cup in October.

City have no new injuries but will again be without Vincent Kompany, Elaiquim Mangala, Wilfried Bony, Fernandinho and Samir Nasri. Manuel Pellegrini hasn’t yet decided if Kelechi Iheanacho will start up front, but he says the young striker has always taken his chance when given one. A stat that may concern Sergio Aguero owners – the striker hasn’t scored in any of his three Premier League games vs Palace. However his manager is only glowing with encouragement, “Sergio is very near to his best. He is making all the movement. That means his body is ok.”

Palace will again be without Yannick Bolasie, Dwight Gayle and Connor Wickham. Bolasie will be missing for another 3-4 weeks, while Gayle and Wickham have returned to training and could be available next weekend. Marouane Chamakh and Bakary Sako are lacking match sharpness and Pardew has a heavy cold. Bless. He also says he is looking to bring in a striker, with Emmanuel Adebayor on the list of possibles. Now, wouldn’t that be a thing – Ade and the Lord in one TT report?

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Newcastle vs West Ham (Sat 16 Jan 15.00)
Both teams come into the game with some confidence after impressive midweek results. The Toon clawed back Man Utd to nick a point in an exciting 3-3 draw, while the Hammers fought back from an early deficit at Bournmeouth to triumph 3-1. Seems that we should expect goals here then, although the last six matches between the two has seen the home side keep a clean sheet. Whether the Toon defence can keep the impressive Dimitri Payet, Enner Valencia and Michail Antonio quiet seems unlikely – after all Payet has already scored twice vs Newcastle this season in a 2-0 win for the Hammers at Upton Park in GW5.

New Toon recruits Jonjo Shelvey and Henri Saivet go straight into the squad for the visit of the Hammers with Macca saying both have a chance of making their debuts. Well, of course they do if they’re in the squad you nob. Shelvey endeared himself immediately to the fans by saying he was amazed at the stadium….and also the size of the Metro Centre, which is apparently not even in Newcastle but Gateshead. Jeez where do they get these numpties? That’s not the end of it. Chieck Tiote is offski to go and play in China, like you do, while Siem de Jong won’t feature this weekend because he got poked in the eye and had to go to hospital and will miss a week or two. Monty Python couldn’t make this lot up. Papiss Cisse has been ruled out for 6-8 weeks, but Florian Thauvin will make the squad. There is also good news as Rolando Aarons, Sylvain Marveaux and Emmanuel Riviere are all on the comeback trail after appearing for the U21s on Thursday. Can’t wait to see this all play out.

Hammers striker Andy Carroll will not be facing his old club after limping off early in the win at Bournemouth with a hamstring problem, which a scan has confirmed is likely to see him sidelined for around four weeks. There is better news for Slaven Bilic though as Victor Moses, Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate are all available for the match. Manuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho remain missing through injury. Avoiding defeat will set a new Hammers club record of nine Premier Leagues games unbeaten.

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Southampton vs West Brom (Sat 16 Jan 15.00)
Urgh this one has every chance of being duller than dull. The last five meetings between the two have seen a total of just three goals. However, both teams will come into the game with some new found confidence – the Saints recovered from two defeats in a row to beat Watford in the week and kept Ighalo and Deeney off the scoresheet, while the Baggies were impressively defiant in scrapping for a 2-2 draw at Chelsea, extending their unbeaten run to three matches. Small mercies. The two sides are locked together on 27pts and that’s about as interesting as it gets.

Saints keeper Fraser Forster will start again between the sticks as Maarten Stekelenburg remains out with a hamstring injury – with Forster being able to improve his sharpness it’s possible that’s the last we’ll see of the Stek for a while. Ronald Koeman reports no other injury concerns aside from J-Rod’s enforced absence. Victor Wanyama is available again after suspension.

Pulis was in fine form this morning – chatty, amiable and helpful. He says he brought the team down to Southampton a day early due to the hectic period – assume from this he’s just happy to be away from the mrs and enjoyed a moan-free night’s sleep. James Morrison is out of the game with a hamstring injury, while Jonas Olsson will need to be assessed. Pulis even spoke slightly favourably of wantaway striker Saido Berahino by saying, “he came on at Chelsea and did well. He is getting fitter.” Praise indeed. Ex-Saint Rickie Lambert is also in contention after missing the trip to Chelsea with illness.

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Aston Villa vs Leicester (Sat 16 Jan 17.30)
Wonders will never cease – Villa won a game at last, their first victory since GW1 and what’s more it was against the Lord’s Palace. Oh the joy. Amazingly Tim Sherwood has yet to claim credit for the win, but I’m sure it won’t be long. So with their tails up, the fans belief restored and manager Remi Garde finally achieving a win they go into the weekend 8pts from safety knowing that a second successive win would really make things interesting at the bottom. Leicester are the visitors to Villa Park and they too will be buoyant after coming away from the Lane with the three points, their first win in four matches, which takes Leicester level at the top with Arsenal. Villa have won the last three league matches at home vs the Foxes and if they can make that four then the likes of Newcastle, Sunderland, Swansea and Bournemouth will suddenly feel the pressure heat up even further at the bottom. Avoiding defeat will see Leicester go back to the top before the Gooners play on Sunday.

Villa duo Carlos Sanchez and Gabby Agbonlahor have both resumed training and could be available for the visit of Leicester if Garde decides to change a winning line up. Jack Grealish is also an option after recovering from tonsillitis. Defenders Jordan Amavi and Alan Hutton will both miss out again.

The Foxes picked up no new injuries at Spurs, while Claudio Ranieri was impressed by their strength in staying in the game while Spurs were dominating. The Tinkerman says Jamie Vardy was fine after the game and is only getting stronger and will likely train with the team next week and rest up before this weekend. Jeffrey Schlupp remains out.

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Liverpool vs Man Utd (Sun 17 Jan 14.05)
Oh yeah, Liverpool vs Man Utd – one of the most competitive fixtures on the calendar, hatred between the fans, rivalry between the clubs, rain in the air and the scousers still looking to find a way to get back on their perch. Both clubs now find themselves as poor relations of the teams they used to be when between them they dominated English football from the late 70’s through to three years ago – the rebuilding is showing signs of cracks, LVG is being knocked down by the press on a weekly basis, but at least Jurgenn Klopp retains his humour – for now. 3-3 draws for both clubs in midweek saw more dropped points with a top four place the best either can hope for. United have won the last three meetings, including the 2-1 victory at Anfield last year which saw Gerrard sent off seconds after appearing as a second half substitute.

Jordan Henderson, Jordon Ibe and Mamadou Sakho are all fit for the game, while Klopp describes Kolo Toure as “still in the ice bath”. Dejan Lovren has been ruled out of the weekend and Klopp said he can give no definitive timeline on the return of Daniel Sturridge. Martin Skrtel, Philippe Coutinho, Divock Origi and Danny Ings remain out.

United will again be without midfield duo Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Carrick for the short trip along the M62. LVG says Schweinsteiger is training but not ready. Phil Jones could be “back soon”, while Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia and Marcos Rojo are still unavailable. The last time LVG faced Klopp, it was the German who came out on top and only a few weeks later our Dutch mate was looking for a new job. Hmmmm, I wonder…….

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Stoke vs Arsenal (Sun 17 Jan 16.15)
A tricky trip to the Britannia awaits the Gooners as they look to push on with their title challenge. Just one win in their last five away matches has stopped Arsenal stealing a march on their rivals at the top and interestingly enough the away side hasn’t won any of the last nine between these two. Stoke scrapped past Norwich in midweek and as a result Mark Hughes’ men now sit in seventh , just four points off a Champions League spot. Arsene Wenger seems to find enemies easily enough at Stoke, whether it be Tony Pulis in the past or Ryan Shawcross or Hughes himself. So it should be entertaining, if for nothing else but to see Wenger picking a fight with someone other than his zip.

Stoke will continue to be without Xherdan Shaqiri, Geoff Cameron and Marc Muniesa. Hughes says Shaqiri could be back for the match vs Leicester next weekend, while Cameron has a chance of resuming training next week. Marko Arnautovic is still managing a slight hamstring injury but the manager is fully expecting him to be ok for Sunday, while Steven Ireland and Phil Bardsley are both available again.

Wenger says “we have a decision to make” regarding Alexis Sanchez – it is thought the midfielder will have a fitness test on Saturday and then a firm decision will be taken with the manager describing him as having a 60/40 chance of being available. New signing, defensive midfielder Mohamed Elneny, is available for selection and gives the Gooners cover in an area they are short due to the injuries of Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla. Wenger reports no new injuries but hopes to have Danny Welbeck available in 2-3 weeks, while Tomas Rosicky will likely play a couple of U21 matches before being considered.

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Swansea vs Watford (Mon 18 Jun 20.00)
Monday night sees the end of our game-week down in South Wales – where else would you rather be? Swansea and Watford come into the game on the back of midweek defeats and looking to put recent disappointments behind them. The Swans loss to Sunderland was probably a bigger shock than the Hornets losing at Southampton, though both sides would of expected to win those games. The Welshies are just a point off the relegation zone with even Villa threatening to stage a late rally and for Alan Curtis and his men it could be a nervy night as they seek to contend with Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney. Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Ayez have showed some decent form of late and one suspects those two will be pivotal in Swansea avoiding a late season relegation scrap. Watford are unbeaten in their last three visits to the Liberty Stadium and have already beaten Swansea at home this season. Let the shoot-out between Siggy & Ayew and Ighlao & Deeney begin!

Swansea are still waiting to hear if Kyle Naughton’s red card from midweek will be rescinded, with most believing the decision was extremely harsh. Angel Rangel will play if Naughton fails in his appeal – and could in fact play anyway. French defender Franck Tabanou is set to return to St Etienne on loan. The Swans have announced that the Shirt Amnesty van will be at the match – this initiative basically gives fans the opportunity to swap their shirt with a recently sold player on the back for a new one – in other words, “f*** off Shelvey”.

The Hornets have no new injuries for their trip to the Valleys and will be encouraged (I think) that defender Joel Ekstrand completed 45mins for the U21s on Thursday. Ighalo has won the Premier League Player of the Month award for December and on receiving the award, tried to calm supporter’s nerves by saying, “I’m not in a hurry to go anywhere.” Especially Wales on a Monday night.

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Suspension Report for GW22

Those players suspended this week are:

Gary O’Neill (Norwich)
Kyle Naughton (Swansea) (awaiting appeal decision at time of publish).

Players who earn 10 yellow cards by the second Sunday in April will receive a 2-match ban.

Those players one booking away:

Jack Colback (Newcastle)
Alex Tettey (Norwich)

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Thanks for reading Team Talk Fantasy Football Game-week 22. This article was written by Cookie

Follow @SteveCook9

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