Team Talk Fantasy Football Game-week 33

Team Talk Fantasy Football Game-week 33

Here we go boys and girls, double game-week FPL kicks off this season with Everton and Palace playing “double bubble” for those managers investing in their assets. With much of the focus centred around this DGW and then the biggie next week, it’s a wise fantasy manager who keeps his eyes on the other fixtures outside of the doubles. And we do have some corking matches this week to stir your FPL loins. First up we have a good ol’ knees up in the East End as West Ham host the Arsenal. Five 3pm kick offs follow as Bournemouth travel to nail the Villa, Palace open their DGW at home to Norwich, the Saints host Newcastle, Chelsea travel to Swansea and Everton begin their double at Watford. The evening sees a potential goal fest for Kun and crew as City take on West Brom at the Etihad – triple captain anyone? Sunday sees a big day for the title contenders as Leicester go to Sunderland and Spurs host Man Utd. Oh and inbetween Liverpool play Stoke. An agonising 72 hours follow as we wait for the conclusion of our gameweek when Palace host the Toffees on Wednesday evening – aaarrrgggghhhh the wait is going to be unbearable for those Lukaku TCers!
Let’s get this show on the road then and go Around the Grounds to see what the managers have had to say.

West Ham vs Arsenal (Sat 9 Apr 12.45)
Nothing like a local derby to kick off our game-week and both teams still have plenty to play for. Arsenal still harbour ambitions of catching Leicester and with their generous fixture list, we may have written them off prematurely. The Hammers still hope to bring Champions League football to their new stadium next season, so this really is a must-win game for both clubs if their dreams are to be realised. West Ham shocked the Gooners when they won at the Emirates in GW1, but their record vs Arsenal previous to that makes for pretty horrific reading as they had lost the previous ten to Wenger’s men! The Hammers are unbeaten in six, but have conceded six goals in their last three matches and with the Gunners hitting top form we could be in for a high-scoring, exciting derby.

Slaven Bilic was confident at his presser and said that his team’s performance this season proves that the Hammers’ victory at Arsenal earlier in the season was no fluke. There was no talk of Cup distractions with the manager stressing his team is fully focused on Champions League qualification. This week comes too soon for James Collins and Sam Byram but James Tomkins has had a full week of training and could come into consideration, while Cheikhou Kouyate is available after having his red card rescinded.

Potentially good news for those FPL managers who have selected Gabriel, Danny Welbeck or Alex Iwobi in their squads as Wenger says, “I’m always reluctant to change what works. Team play has improved in the last two games and our game is based on mobility, speed and technique. We have found a good balance in our game.” There are however more options becoming available for Wenger in midfield as Mathieu Flamini has been passed fit and Aaron Ramsey “might” return this weekend. Serial injury addicts Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky will play for the U21s on Friday, no doubt Jack will be hitting the west end afterwards – and likely hitting anyone who dares come near him if last week’s events are to be believed. Petr Cech is expected to return in goal. Wenger says his team has a strong chance of winning the league, at least while it is mathematically possible. Looking forward to the trip to face the Hammers, the manager said, “We watched Payet many times.” Another one that got away eh?

[divider_1px]

Aston Villa vs Bournemouth (Sat 9 Apr 15.00)
This week could be the week that relegation is mathematically confirmed for Villa – if they fail to beat Bournemouth and Norwich avoid defeat at Palace then Villa will be down. Of course, we know they’re down anyway – last week’s 4-0 defeat at home to an experimental and injury-hit Chelsea was just another nail in their coffin. Bournemouth suffered the same fate, they were hammered 4-0 at home to Man City and it looks very much like their season is petering out either due to fatigue or subconsciously taking their foot off the pedal having got to 38pts. It’s therefore not obvious what to expect here, both teams would like to regain some confidence but this is about as much of an “end-of-season-kick about” as you will see. One of Villa’s three league wins this season actually came at Bournemouth on the opening day of the season – maybe, just maybe they will do the double over someone before the trap door opens.

It may be too late to stay up but suddenly Villa have a few lads back from injury – they are Libor Kozak, Ciaran Clark, Adama Traore and Jack Grealish. Ah, you don’t care. Gaby Agbonlahor, he who was smoking dodgy stuff abroad (no, not you Kop) is a doubt with a “virus” – jeez, he had a proper time in Dubai. Alan Hutton completes the most pointless team news of the season – the full back is suspended, lucky chap.

Eddie Howe is urging his players to fight back from their recent defeats and says, “We have to respond with a better performance. We’ve come up against two top teams (City and Spurs) and they’ve shown us how we have to improve.” Luckily for the Cherries it’s Villa this week and they’ll get an immediate opportunity to put things right and leap over the 40pt mark. Howe also emphasised the financial advantage to the club of finishing as high as possible and is looking to win every game until the end of the season. On the injury front, Adam Smith has got a hernia and his game time is being managed so he is a doubt, while Harry Arter, Benik Afobe, Callum Wilson and Junior Stanislas all remain sidelined.

[divider_1px]

Crystal Palace vs Norwich (Sat 9 Apr 15.00)
Palace open their DGW with the visit of Norwich, who sit only three points behind them just above the drop zone. Due to their inferior goal difference even a win won’t see the Canaries leapfrog the Eagles, but it’ll sure put a scare up the Lord and his team. Norwich of course gained an important win over Newcastle last weekend and will come to South London confident and on a high, but Palace themselves did well to gain a point at West Ham, although they are still winless since GW17. Goals from Zaha, Delaney and Cabaye gave Palace a 3-1 victory at Norwich in GW1 although the last two meetings at Selhurst Park have both ended in a draw.

The Lord was very upbeat in his presser, promising Norwich that they can expect a loud and intimidating atmosphere on Saturday and that Palace will attack them as they seek a much needed victory. There is good news on the injury front with Yohan Cabaye and Connor Wickham both passed fit. Emmanuel Adebayor remains a doubt and will have a late fitness test – if he doesn’t make it, Pardew expects him back for Wednesday’s visit of Everton. James McCarthur is still a few weeks away from playing and Brede Hangeland is also unlikely to feature. For gamblers, don’t write off Dwight Gayle as Pardew says of him, “Dwight is the one we think can get us goals. He’s got that knack of getting us goals from nothing.” Interesting punt for anyone looking for a one-week gamble – Gayle only costs 5.1mln and scored at West Ham last week.

Norwich boss Alex Neil said his team are going into the weekend with good momentum after two successive wins and have the bonus of welcoming back Russell Martin and Nathan Redmond. The squad has no fresh injuries, though Alex Tettey remains out. In response to the Lord’s comments about Norwich facing a hostile and intimidating reception, Neil said, “We played in front of 90,000 people at Wembley last season, so tomorrow won’t bother us.” Haha get in there Alex, I like you pal!

[divider_1px]

Southampton vs Newcastle (Sat 9 Apr 15.00)
Last week’s defeat at Norwich has made things fairly precarious for the Toon and they go into the weekend six points behind the Canaries. This weekend won’t be any easier against a Southampton side who could easily have beaten Leicester last weekend and have tightened up significantly since the return of naughty boy Victor Wanyama. The Saints have little to play for but Koeman will keep them battling and our old mate Graziano Pelle has scored three goals in his last three appearance versus Newcastle, while for the Toon it seems like if Mitrovic doesn’t do it then no-one else will – the Serb scored twice at Norwich after starting the match on the bench, which sums up the fate of the Toon perfectly – Benitez has been talking him up, so he benches him, brings him off the bench for the last 30mins and he scores twice. Pretty sure he should have started Rafa.

Koeman says that midfielder Steven Davis will miss the game after picking up a knock at Leicester, but Shane Long is fit and available to return to the squad. The Saints have no fresh injury concerns. Maybe it’s worth pointing out that Southampton have won more Premier League game and scored more Premier League goals against Newcastle than vs any other team.

Rafa has called for his Loony Toons to improve mentally and approach the game with confidence, which is easier said than done when it looks like relegation is a probability. Benitez is pleased to have different options up front with Papiss Cisse, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ayoze Perez all available. Kevin Mbabu and Paul Dummett are expected to miss the match, while Jack Colback is suspended.

[divider_1px]

Swansea vs Chelsea (Sat 9 Apr 15.00)
The Swans are now 10 points clear of the relegations spots but would like one more win to make them feel more secure, while Chelsea’s unbeaten run under Guus Hiddink continues and they are within touching distance of overtaking Liverpool. The Blues continue to experiment with their line up making FPL tricky for those wanting some cover from Stamford Bridge, though Pato impressed last week at Villa – then again I could have donned a blue shirt and impressed against that rabble. The Swans have never beaten Chelsea in the Premier League and were taken apart 5-0 last season at the Liberty, though they did perform better at Stamford Bridge at the start of the season, when they held Chelsea to a 2-2 draw.

Swansea welcome back Andrew Ayew who has missed the previous three matches with an ankle injury, while Neil Taylor is likely to return at left back in place of Kyle Naughton. However there is not so good news of Jordi Amat and Leon Britton who have both picked up back injuries and are doubts for the game. If Gylfi Sigurdsson scores for the fourth time in five matches he will join Wilfried Bony as Swansea’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League. Modou Barrow should also be ready to rejoin the squad.

Hiddink says that John Terry, Eden Hazard, Loic Remy and Nemanja Matic will all be missing through injury, while nut job Diego Costa completes his suspension. The manager confirmed he will again have to bring in some of the younger players. Gary Cahill trained on Thursday and will face a late fitness test.

[divider_1px]

Watford vs Everton (Sat 9 Apr 15.00)
The first of Everton’s two matches this week sees them travel down to Watford, with both sides in terrible form. The Hornets have lost their last four matches, won just once in eight games and have scored one goal in their last five while the Toffees have lost their last three. Lucky both teams still have eyes on the Cup then. Watford have never beaten Everton in the Premier League and previous to the 2-2 draw the two played out in GW1, Everton had won the last nine league and cup meetings between the two. Little to get too excited about here from a footballing point of view, though no doubt many of you will have loaded up on some Blues as they have consecutive double gameweeks. Good luck with that.

Watford will be able to call upon the services of Valon Behrami who has recovered from illness – this must be a huge relief to QSF for the midfielder has been awesome for the Hornets this season, assisting once and scoring none. Defenders Joel Ekstrand and Tommie Hoban both played for the U21s in the week but will not be rushed back, as both have missed the whole campaign thus far. QSF says no-one is happy with the current run of defeats and the team is looking to bounce back, especially from last week’s tepid first-half display at Arsenal.

The Toffees welcome back Gareth Barry who has served his suspension, which could lead to Ross Barkley playing further forward than he did at Old Trafford last week. Steven Pienaar returned to training on Thursday and has an outside chance of making the squad, but Leon Osman remains out after picking up a knock last week. Roberto Martinez says it’s difficult to get excited after three defeats in a row and admits that the hype of reaching the Cup semi-final has impacted on performances in the league – however the manager says his players need to be “obsessed” with league form.

[divider_1px]

Man City vs West Brom (Sat 9 Apr 17.30)
KDB is back, City are back. Well that’s the evidence gained from witnessing last week’s demolition at Bournemouth anyway. All this nonsense that City, KDB and Kun are rubbish away from home got quickly kicked into touch by their impressive display on the south coast. This week West Brom visit the Etihad and City like playing West Brom – they have won ten and drawn the other of their last eleven meetings and have scored three goals in each of their previous five encounters. With nothing left to play for except trying to fend off United for a top-4 slot, expect City to extend their run against the Baggies and those of you captaining Lukaku this week….beware the Kun!

City will be buoyed by their draw in Paris but will be without David Silva this weekend as the midfielder has (another) ankle injury. Captain Vincent Kompany and Raheem Sterling both continue to miss out, while Yaya Toure resumed training on Thursday and will face a late fitness test. It’s probably worth noting that Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy played vs PSG, so it’s likely that Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov will feature vs the Baggies.

Tony Pulis was his normal unhelpful self – “We have one or two knocks so we will decide who is ready to play on Saturday at a later stage.” Chris Brunt is a long term absentee, while Callum McManaman did return for the U21s in the week, but got sent off!! James Morrison is nearing a return and is looking to build up his match fitness.

[divider_1px]

Sunderland vs Leicester (Sun 10 Apr 13.30)
Seriously, shall we just keep the preview to, “Leicester will likely win 1-0”, for five 1-0’s in a row has taken the Foxes seven points clear at the summit and within touching distance of a historic League title. Sunderland of course will have other ideas and are desperate for the points as they are marooned in the drop zone, four points from safety, having drawn their last four matches. We did have goals on the opening day when Vardy and Mahrez kicked off their season with a goalscoring performances when beating the Black Cats 4-2 – those heady days of goals galore and gung-ho football look long gone as Ranieri’s men go all Italian at the business end of the season. Anyone willing to beat against another 1-0?

When all else fails and you don’t know what else to do, pray for luck. That’s what Big Sam is doing, “I’m looking for a bit of good fortune, to be honest.” Not the most comforting message to the fans, but then to be fair they must be used to the annual fight for survival. The Black Cats have no new injuries, just Duncan Watmore is unavailable and Big Sam describes the weekend visit of Leicester as a “must not lose” and next week’s trip to Norwich as a “must win”.

Ranieri reports a fully fit squad as Jeffrey Schlupp has recovered from his knee injury. Happy that Europa League qualification has been secured, the Italian is focused on reaching the Champions League but is wary of a Sunderland side who are battling for survival.

[divider_1px]

Liverpool vs Stoke (Sun 10 Apr 16.00)
Sturridge back, Coutinho on form, Firmino recovered, high pressing football must equal goals, goals, goals, yeah? Well, that’s the theory. Those with any sort of memory will remember Stoke’s 6-1 victory over Liverpool last season, while just a season before Liverpool won 5-3 at the Britannia. However, at Anfield, things are different – the last three meetings between the two at Liverpool have resulted in just a single goal per game, while the two before that were goalless draws. Quite bizarre if the trend continues, given that both defences are, how can we put it politely? – unreliable.

Liverpool, fresh off their impressive draw in Dortmund, welcome back a fit Firmino, who like Daniel Sturridge, came off the bench in Germany. However, Jordan Henderson is set for a spell on the sidelines after being forced off with a knee injury, with Klopp saying he “doesn’t look good”. Yeah we know that Jurgen pal. Emre Can is suspended for the visit of Stoke with Joe Allen likely to deputise. Joe Gomez, Lucas and Danny Ings remain out.

The injuries continue to hit Stoke hard – with his team’s medical record as it is, Mark Hughes will be well qualified to go manage Arsenal when Le Professeur decides he can frustrate the fans no more. Back to Stoke and Marko Arnautovic is a doubt with a with a twisted knee, while Glenn Whelan locked his back getting out of the car. We’ve all been there – I remember ricking my neck once while cleaning my teeth, very painful it was. Ryan Shawcross has trained well and could play, Geoff Cameron and Xherdan Shaqiri are ok and Marc Wilson has returned to training but is not yet ready to return. Glen Johnson, Jack Butland and Jon Walters remain out, while Hughes says that Jakob Haugaard will continue in goal.

[divider_1px]

Spurs vs Man Utd (Sun 10 Apr 16.00)
The last match of the weekend, but not the gameweek. And it’s a biggie. Spurs will know by the time they kick-off how Leicester have got on at Sunderland – a win for the Foxes may deflate the Spurs as they would sit 10pts behind the Foxes, but if Sunderland can get anything out of that game, it will likely inspire Spurs to push for glory vs LVG’s United. Recent history suggests the game will be tight – the last three meetings between the two at White Hart Lane have all ended in draws, but draws are not enough for Pochettino’s men, they need wins, as do United if they are to overtake neighbours City for a Champions League spot.

Ah, now don’t we all love having Harry Kane appear for us on a Sunday when most of the other matches have been completed? A goal or two from the league’s most in form striker will surely propel us up the rankings nicely, come Sunday evening. Oh, I forgot, many of you have sold him haven’t you? A nervy Sunday for many then it seems. Manager Mauricio Pochettino says that Erik Lamela has shrugged off his knock and is fit to face United, but has yet to decide if the Argentine will start. Jan Vertonghen and Clinton N’Jie have also returned to training and will be assessed further on Saturday.

Oh dear – if you didn’t like LVG before, you’re going to despise him now as he reveals that Ashley Young and Phil Jones are fully fit after playing for the U21s in the week and are back in contention, just to add to the defensive conundrum as to who will start for United. You’re going to really hate him now though as he reveals that Wayne Rooney has returned to training, but will feature for the U21s first to regain fitness. The U21s play on Monday so expect Rooney to be involved in that, which presumably makes him likely to feature in DGW34 at some point. But check this from LVG: “You cannot be fit after one game at a lower level”. In that regard, make Marcus Rashford is safe….for now.

[divider_1px]

Crystal Palace vs Everton (Wed 13 April 20.00)
Monday and Tuesday will be long drawn out days as we fret over injuries that may have occurred in Palace and Everton’s first matches of the game-week. In that regard, we can’t really bring you any team news. It could be worth noting however that in their last teen meetings, the home side has only won once. Romelu Lukaku has scored in each of his last three matches vs Palace, surely that’s enough for you all to captain him this week. Isn’t it?

[divider_1px]

Suspension Report for Game-week 33

Those players suspended this week are:

Alan Hutton (Aston Villa)
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
Emre Can (Liverpool)
Jack Colback (Newcastle)

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

Those players one booking away:

Ashley Westwood (Aston Villa)
Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle)
Eric Dier (Spurs)
Erik Pieters (Stoke)
Claudio Yacob (West Brom)

[divider_1px]

Thanks for reading Team Talk Fantasy Football Game-week 33. This article was written by Cookie

Follow @SteveCook9

[divider_1px]

[divider_1px]

[row][span6]

Vote on our Captain Poll Now

[/span6][span6]




[/span6][/row]

[divider_1px_dashed]

[divider_1px_dashed]