Team Talk Fantasy Football Game-week 24

Team Talk Fantasy Football GW24

Welcome to GW24 and it’s another of our beloved midweek game-weeks, where we are hopeful of a major captain’s contribution and our mini-league comrades not realising there are any matches at all! The majority of the matches take place tonight as Arsenal host Southampton, Liverpool travel to table topping Leicester, Norwich welcome Spurs, Sunderland meet Man City, West Ham entertain Villa, Bournemouth travel to Crystal Palace, Stoke look to pour more misery on LVG and United and West Brom take on the Swans. Our game-week is wrapped up on Wednesday with Everton welcoming Newcastle and Chelsea taking the short-ish journey to Watford.
Let’s go Around the Grounds to see how the teams are shaping up this week.

Arsenal vs Southampton (Tues 2 Feb 19.45)
Undone by their nemesis Diego Costa last time out, the Gooners will look to bounce back vs the Saints this evening. However, it’s with contrasting fortunes that the teams come into the game – and not the way we would have envisaged for Arsenal are winless in three, while Southampton have won their last three without conceding a goal, including the win at Old Trafford in GW23. Ronald Koeman’s men will know however to expect a bigger attacking threat this week especially if the Gooners can keep 11 men on the field for more than 17mins. The return of Alexis Sanchez should certainly help Arsenal as they seek to score for the first time in three matches but they will still have in their minds the 4-0 pasting they took at St Mary’s on Boxing Day.

Mesut Ozil returns for the Gooners after being rested at the weekend. However, Laurent Koscielny is a doubt after picking up a knock vs Burnley, while his defensive partner Per Mertesacker is available after suspension. Sanchez played 80mins at the weekend with no ill-effects and is raring to go. The same cannot be said of Tomas Rosicky who suffered an injury in a reserve match and could miss 4-6 weeks!! Wenger says Danny Welbeck is almost back, but will need a couple of reserve games to build up his fitness….oh oh, careful there Danny Boy.

Koeman says his team are confident and well rested for the trip to the Emirates. Striker Graziano Pelle is still struggling with a knee injury and is a doubt, with the boss saying that Charlie Austin has a very good chance of starting. Steven Davis and Jay Rodriguez continue to miss out.

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Leicester vs Liverpool (Tues 2 Feb 19.45)
Have to love a game where everyone is expecting goals – remember when Leicester entertained City in GW19? “There will be goals” we were told, “neither side can defend and are free scoring.” End result – 0-0!! So be warned. I will admit however that goals do seem likely, given Liverpool’s last away trip when they went to Norwich and won 5-4 in a game described as the “best worst game of the season” in terms of the inability of either defence to get anywhere close to doing the basics. Leicester saw off Stoke 3-0 in GW23, not a mean feat in itself and they have now kept four clean sheets in their last five, which may deter some looking to jump on the Firmino bandwagon. The Foxes have failed to beat Liverpool in any of their last seven Premier League matches, but write nothing off here – Leicester are not top of the league for no reason, while we have come to expect the unexpected from Klopp’s Liverpool.

The Foxes report no new injuries and could welcome back Shinji Okazaki after the striker recovered from injury. Jeffrey Schlupp is set to miss another 3-4 weeks while Matty James has suffered a small setback and is likely to be missing for another fortnight. Ritchie de Laet is ready to play, which is great for Middlesbrough who he has joined on loan. New signing Daniel Amartey will not feature vs Liverpool but may be ready to face City at the weekend.

Klopp is happy that the likes of Firmino could get a proper rest at the weekend and are fresh for the trip to Leicester. Liverpool picked up no fresh injuries in the draw with the Hammers and could also have some positive news to report on the injury front soon with Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Phillipe Coutinho set to return to training later this week and Martin Skrtel to follow at the weekend.

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Norwich vs Spurs (Tues 2 Feb 19.45)
If Norwich defend like they did vs Liverpool then Kane, Alli, Eriksen, jeez even Lloris will be looking forward to this one!! The Canaries have conceded eleven goals in their last three matches and are now just two points clear of the relegation zone while Spurs are sitting comfortably in Arsenal’s spot and are only two points off their nearest and dearest, building some nice momentum at a crucial part of the season when others around them are dropping points. Spurs have failed to win any of the last three matches at Norwich, losing two of them, but beat the Canaries 3-0 at the Lane on Boxing Day with that man Kane bagging a brace. If Alex Neil hasn’t been able to sort his defence out it could well be a case of more pain from Kane again.

Norwich manager Alex Neil says his squad have been hit by a bug circulating around the club which he hopes doesn’t impact on selection. Alex Tettey has recovered from illness and will be available, while Andre Wisdom will also come into contention after missing the dramatic loss to Liverpool as he was ineligible to play vs his parent club. Loanee Patrick Bamford will be monitored in training before Neill makes a decision on whether the striker will feature, while Gary O’Neill remains suspended.

Spurs will be without Jan Vertonghen after the defender suffered a knee injury in the win at Palace. Kevin Wimmer is likely to deputise alongside Toby Alderweireld, though it’s possible that Eric Dier could slot in alongside the Belgian. The only other definite absentee is striker Clinton N’Jie, although Ryan Mason has only just recovered from an ankle injury and is unlikely to be risked. With Ben Davies playing in the Cup win at Colchester, Danny Rose is likely to play at Norwich, while Kyle Walker could also return.

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Sunderland vs Man City (Tues 2 Feb 19.45)
City go to Sunderland with the belief that if they can turn draws into wins they will likely go on and win the league – now that may sound like a fairly obvious statement and one which could also be true of anyone in the top four. But with the squad City have, with Kun back firing and with the experience of having “been there and won it”, Pellegrini will be urging his lads to push on now and put some proper pressure on Leicester. Sunderland will of course have other ideas and are entrenched in their annual relegation fight but two wins and a draw in their last four have given them hope. Hope is maybe their best and only weapon tonight though as City have won five and drawn the other of the six meetings between the two with City scoring 22 goals in those matches and Kun scoring three in his last two matches vs the Black Cats.

Big Sam is tempted to throw new signings Wahbi Kharzi and Lamina Kone straight into the starting eleven for the visit of City. The manager is well aware of the threat of Kun and has said to “expect the striker to be heavily marked”! Good plan that Sam. Younes Kaboul and Seb Larsson are still unavailable for the Black Cats.

City will continue to be without captain Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony and of course Kevin De Bruyne while Fabian Delph has a small calf issue which isn’t serious but means he won’t be risked at Sunderland. Aleksandar Kolarov is fit again.

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West Ham vs Aston Villa (Tues 2 Feb 19.45)
A night under the lights at the Boleyn normally means the locals getting tanked up nice and early and create a brilliant atmosphere, unless you’re the away team. City found this clear enough in GW23 but managed to scrape a draw, but they of course had a certain Sergio creating mayhem in the Hammers defence. Villa don’t. The Villans are at least unbeaten in their last three which has managed to get them into double figures in terms of points. That’s about as good as it gets….or is it? Well, a quick look at fixture form shows that the last two meetings between the two at West Ham show two goalless draws. In fact goals are rare between the teams as there have only been nine goals scored in the last seven clashes. Should make for a fun night – best get on the local Cockney brew.

The Hammers are able to include James Tomkins in the squad despite the defender suffering a nasty head injury at Anfield at the weekend which required 12 stitches. Sam Byram is likely to miss out with a knock and Carl Jenkinson has returned to Arsenal after his season ending knee injury that he sustained vs City. Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho and Manuel Lanzini remain out and Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate are doubts and will face late tests. Loan signing Emmanuel Emenike could go straight into the squad if his work permit is sorted in time.

Villa will be without injured trio Libor Kozak, Rudy Gestede and Carlos Sanchez and will give late fitness tests to Ashley Westwood, Alan Hutton and Kieran Richardson. Jordan Amavi and Adama Traore remain out as the Villans look to avoid another embarrassment after getting a kicking by City at the weekend.

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Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth (Tues 2 Feb 20.00)
Oh Lord, what’s happening man? No wins in six, lost their last four, one goal in six and that was an own goal. Hmmm can’t be your fault, my Lord, let’s blame the Chairman, or injuries, or the mrs, or LVG. Yeah let’s blame that idiot. Anyway, Bournemouth arrive in the capital in “ok” form – they win one, lose one, draw a couple but are at least picking up points along the way which may just be enough to keep them up if they can continue accumulating. The match between the two in December ended 0-0, and a repeat would undoubtedly please many FPL managers with the likes of Hennessey, Dann, Daniels and Smith lurking around their squads. Although our good friend Gallant Pioneer will be hopeful of a goal or three from Afobe who has scored two in two. The Lord has has also been shopping for a new striker, but sadly ended up with Emmanuel Adebayor, who no doubt made an instant impression on Eagles’ fans by saying, “I must Google Crystal Palace to learn about them.” Let me save you the trouble Ade and tell you all you need to know – there is a cashpoint in the Sainsburys adjacent to the ground.

Well the Lord giveth, but he may have taken away also. Having said in the presser that Adebayor has looked great in training and would be in the squad, then not an hour later the striker posted a picture of him resting a bandaged ankle after “suffering a minor knock in training.” Basically the lesson here is to hold fire for now on that investment. Joe Ledley has been forced out but should return at the weekend while Yohan Cabaye’s ankle injury is described by Pardew as “not as bad as we first thought” and he will have a late fitness test, though it would be a surprise if the French midfielder was risked. Yannick Bolasie and Bakary Sako remain sidelined.

Bournemouth could welcome back skipper Tommy Elphick after the defender played 75mins at the weekend – this could mean either Steve Cook (legend) or Adam Smith (cheap and nasty) missing out. Tyrone Mings, Max Gradel and Callum Wilson remain out, while Junior Stanislas is also a major doubt.

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Man Utd vs Stoke (Tues 2 Feb 20.00)
Excuse my language, but f*** me this one could get dull. United can’t score, don’t let in many and will likely strangle any attempt by Stoke to knock it around and make a game of it. The Potters will have gained confidence from their 2-0 victory over Yawnited on Boxing Day so LVG will likely play another defensive midfielder, if he can find a fit one, to nullify any enjoyment. Enough said, don’t get excited, this won’t be a thriller, more likely a video nasty. #neverbenchbutland.

United expect to continue to be without Matteo Darmian and Phil Jones at the back, which would likely see youngsters Guillermo Varela and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson continue as full backs. Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Antonio Valencia, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ashley Young remain unavailable, but Michael Carrick returned off the bench during the win at Derby and could well start tonight.

Stoke welcome back Marko Arnautovic, Glen Johnson and Jon Walters, who were all rested for the Cup defeat at Palace. However, the Potters still have issues at the back with Ryan Shawcross, Geoff Cameron and Marc Wilson all ruled out – luckily they’re only playing United. Charlie Adam is likely to miss six weeks with a calf injury. Record signing Giannelli Imbula did not complete his move in time for GW24 but has every chance of making his debut at home to Everton in GW25.

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West Brom vs Swansea (Tues 2 Feb 20.00)
Forget form, forget new managers, forget two wins on the bounce for the Swans, West Brom win this. Am I mad? No, hear me out – this fixture is a beautiful example of fixture symmetry – the last six matches between the two have resulted in: WBA win, Swansea win, WBA win, Swansea win, WBA win, Swansea win. So WBA win. Easy. Never try and complicate things.

Not sure where to start with West Brom. Saido Berahino is still at the Hawthorns after the club turned down late bids from Newcastle – understandably the Baggies didn’t want to sell the striker to a relegation rival. Funnily enough Berahino missed training with a “dead leg” and we can assume now that he also has a “bruised ego”, which makes him a doubt to face the Swans. Sandro and Alex Pritchard have joined the club on loan this window, while Ben Foster and Darren Fletcher are expected to return from injury. James Morrison and Callum McManaman remain out and Chris Brunt is a doubt with a calf injury.

Swans manager Francesco Guidolin says that new signing Alberto Paloschi is available for the trip to the Hawthorns, but is unsure whether he will start or not. Leroy Fer has joined on loan from QPR – what you thinking you Welshies? Fer has been relegated in each of the last two seasons with QPR and Norwich. Bafetimbi Gomis should be available after missing the win at Everton as his Mrs was giving birth.

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Everton vs Newcastle (Weds 3 Feb 19.45)
Everton are scared to play at home according to Roberto Martinez. Well the city of Liverpool can be a scary place, but that’s nothing new. The Evertonians have been booing their “heroes” Stones (for wanting out) and Barkley (for constantly giving the ball away). For giving the ball away??? hahaha weird old scousers. Nothing like getting behind your team. I guess it doesn’t help when your team is losing at home to Swansea, who only ever win at Old Trafford and Villa Park. Oh well, let’s see what happens when the Toon arrive in town – before last week’s loss at Watford, Newcastle had beaten West Ham and drew with United, so they can clearly turn it on when they want to – and an early goal here would give them the impetus to carry on and would bring more discontent from the home fans.

Roberto Martinez is excited to parade new signing Oumar Niasse who the club have been tracking since September. The boss says of Niasse, “he is not back up for anyone” with some speculating that the Senegalese striker could partner Romelu Lukaku in a 4-4-2 formation, which would be a change for the team. Martinez is keen (desperate) for his team to improve their home form, which has been awful, especially defensively. Kevin Mirallas and Mo Besic will miss out vs the Toon, while keeper Tim Howard, another player who has come under fire of late, has suffered a knock in training and will be assessed tomorrow – Joel Robles is ready to deputise between the sticks if required.

Steve McClaren says that new signing Doumbia is still waiting for his work permit and it’s touch and go as to whether he will feature vs Everton – if the paperwork doesn’t come through in time, then the striker will make his debut at the weekend. Speaking of his striker, Macca says, “he will add goals.” Inspirational as ever, but inspired and innovative management, love it. Paul Dummett has recovered from injury and is available, while Jack Colback is “very, very close” (to a suspension, check the Suspension report below. Shameless plug). Andros Townsend has a good chance of starting at Goodison, while Massadio Haidara, Kevin Mbabu, Tim Krul, Vurnon Anita, Siem de Jong, Gabriel Obertan and Papiss Cisse remain out.

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Watford vs Chelsea (Weds 3 Feb 19.45)
Now I’m not the biggest lover of Chelsea, but how I laughed when Dastardly Diego got Wenger all hot under the zip last week. It’s another local away day for the Blues and having gone six unbeaten under big Guus the confidence levels will be rising and maybe even young Eden will stop sulking and come join the party. The Hornets won for the first time in six matches last time out and came away from Stamford Bridge with a creditable 2-2 draw in December. With Chelsea’s form improving and Watford having a small wobble it wouldn’t be a shock to see another Blues victory, after all they are unbeaten in nine vs the Hornets, winning seven of those.

The Hornets will be without Nathan Ake, who is ineligible to play vs his parent club – Jose Holebas or Ikechi Anya will deputise at left back. Nordin Amrabat played the majority of the Cup win at the weekend and will be pushing for a start, as will new signing Mario Suarez. Defenders Joel Ekstrand and Tommy Hoban are both nearing a return to first team action.

Chelsea’s injury situation is the same as last week according to Hiddink – Willian is expected to return to training today and a decision will be taken on him to tomorrow. Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao remain out, while new signing Alexandre Pato will be assessed before the game but it is thought that he may need more time to prepare.

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Suspension Report for GW24

Those players suspended this week are:

Gary O’Neill (Norwich)

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 24. This article was written by Cookie

Follow @SteveCook9

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