Team Talk Fantasy Football Gameweek 21

Team Talk Fantasy Football GW21

The parties are over, the tree has been taken down, the decorations have been put away for another year, no one is going out in January and the evenings are long and dark. But while those around us are miserable, depressed and dull, we still have our FPL, who in their kindness give us a late Christmas present with the January wildcard. With many hitting the activate button and tinkering this week, it’s been a busy and stressful time for those looking for the perfect defensive rotation, the magic midfield and a striker in half decent form that isn’t called Harry Kane.
But the time for tinkering is almost over, GW21 is just hours away and begins Saturday lunchtime as Sunderland welcome Liverpool to the Stadium of Light. There are then six 3pm kick offs as relegation rivals Burnley and QPR do battle, Chelsea host Newcastle, Man City take the short trip to Everton, East Midlands meets West as Leicester take on Aston Villa and Swansea play West Ham at the Liberty. Our Saturday evening kick off is a London derby as Tottenham venture south of the river to Crystal Palace. And then onto Sunday. Lunchtime sees Arsenal take on their arch enemy Stoke before our gameweek is wrapped up at Old Trafford as 3rd placed United welcome fourth placed Southampton.
The pressers have been held and the managers have spoken. Let’s go Around the Grounds to catch up on the latest team news.

Sunderland vs Liverpool (Sat 10 Jan 12.45)
As Liverpool turn up at the Stadium of Light wary of beachballs and dodgy keepers on the pitch, many of the recent headlines distract from the fact that they have only lost one league game in their last eight, while it’s the Black Cats who are in search of some form, having won just one in ten and failing to win at home since the first weekend of October. Fixture form here certainly favours Liverpool, who have lost just one of their last ten league matches against the Black Cats.

Sunderland defender Patrick van Aanholt has trained well this week without a problem following his goalscoring return against Leeds, while Anthony Reveillere could also feature. Jack Rodwell is unlikely to be available, which will surprise no-one, while defender Sebastian Coates is ineligible to play against his parent club, which should also not surprise anyone. Lee Cattermole is “touch and go” for the game, but if he is not risked, Liam Bridcutt will continue in his absence.

Liverpool will continue to be without Adam Lallana (not good news), Glen Johnson (very good news), Joe Allen (bothered), Jon Flanagan (irrelevant) and Brad Jones (bad news, Mignolet plays) for the trip to the North East. Dejan Lovren is expected to return. Daniel Sturridge is in the final stages of recovery and has returned to the club from America, with Brendan Rodgers expecting the striker to be available at some point this month, while defender Kolo Toure is away at the ACON.

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Burnley vs QPR (Sat 10 Jan 15.00)
All to play for at the wrong end of the table as Burnley host QPR at Turf Moor. Just one win in eight matches will not do a great deal for the confidence of Sean Dyche’s men, who will have fresh memories of losing to Rangers at Loftus Road in December. The R’s however have lost all nine matches on the road this season and another defeat here will set a Premier League record. Goals at Turf Moor have been few and far between this season, with just seven goals scored in the last five games there. Danny Ings however has good memories of the fixture as he scored twice vs Rangers at home in the Championship last season.

Dyche hopes to have Jason Shackell back in contention, while fellow defender Michael Duff has finally resumed training and could make the squad. Striker Sam Vokes is fully fit, but it is thought the manager will continue to start with Danny Ings and Ashley Barnes as Vokes continues to build up match sharpness. Michael Keane has joined the club on a permanent deal from Manchester United. Kevin Long will miss the rest of the season, while Matty Taylor and Stephen Ward continue to miss out.

‘Arry says his squad has one or two knocks Mauro Zarate has joined on loan from West Ham to help out Charlie Austin and Bobby Zamora up front. Defender Suk-Young Yun and midfielders Sandro, Alejandro Faurlin and Adel Taarabt remain sidelined.

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Chelsea vs Newcastle (Sat 10 Jan 15.00)
Still licking their wounds from the 5-3 humiliation at White Hart Lane, Chelsea have the chance to get back on track at home to a rudderless Newcastle side. This is of course though, the Newcastle side which ended Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season in early December, though that of course was mainly down to Pardew’s ingenious tactics, substitutions and managerial prowess. According to Pardew. Chelsea have a perfect home record with nine wins out of nine and a return to form and a tenth home victory is certainly on the cards this weekend.

Chelsea have a fully fit squad for the visit of the Toon. Ramires has recovered from a thigh injury, is 100% fit and available for selection.

Caretaker manager John Carver takes charge of a squad beset by injury and players at the ACON. But let’s start with the good news as Tim Krul returned to action for the U21s on Thursday and is hopeful of being available for the weekend. Now for the bad news. Steven Taylor, Ryan Taylor, Gabriel Obertan, Rolando Aarons and Siem de Jong are all injured, while Chieck Tiote and Papiss Cisse are on ACON duty. Daryl Janmaat, Fabricio Coloccini, Jack Colback, Moussa Sissoko and Sammy Ameobi all have minor knocks, but are expected to make the game but will need late assessment.

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Everton vs Man City (Sat 10 Jan 15.00)
Four league defeats in a row is not the best preparation for the visit of the Champions, who themselves have taken 25 points from the last 27 available, which has lifted them level with Chelsea at the top of the league. Everton find themselves firmly entrenched in the bottom half of the table, with pressure beginning to grow on manager Roberto Martinez – just to make matters worse for him, he has the unenviable record of ten defeats and one draw vs City in the Premier League. With City in red hot form and smelling a second successive title, it could be a sticky afternoon for the Toffees.

Martinez is hoping to welcome back Leighton Baines, who missed the midweek draw with West Ham with a knock, while Antolin Alcaraz returns from suspension. However, Sylvain Distin misses out with a groin strain and Tim Howard, Tony Hibbert, Leon Osman, James McCarthy, Steven Pienaar and Darron Gibson continue to miss out through injury.

Since being injured 6mins into the game at home to Everton in December, Sergio Aguero’s price has fallen from 12.9mln to 12.3mln. Don’t expect it to be at that price for long, as the Argentinian striker has returned to full training and will be in the squad for the return fixture with the Toffees. He is back! Don’t expect him to start, but expect a multitude of wildcards and early transfers next week. If that wasn’t bad enough news for Everton, then just compound things, skipper Vincent Kompany and striker Edin Dzeko have also been passed fit. Fortunately for the home side, Yaya Toure is away at the ACON.

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Leicester vs Aston Villa (Sat 10 Jan 15.00)
Images of Emile Heskey and Martin O’Neill spring to mind as we look forward to this fixture. Fortunately for both sides, Heskey won’t be appearing for either. It’s reaching “win or bust” time for the Foxes who start the gameweek stranded at the bottom, four points from safety. They have three home games in their next four which one imagines may well decide their top flight fate, while Villa will be eager to get the job done here before they face a tough run of fixtures vs Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. The Villains have lost just one of their last eight matches vs Leicester, but will need to pick up their scoring form which has seen them score just one goal in their last five matches.

Foxes midfielder Esteban Cambiasso will miss the game with a thigh injury, but Daniel Drinkwater and Andy King have trained this week and have a chance of being available, while Dean Hammond should be ok. Jeffrey Schlupp will be unavailable for a few weeks with a knee injury and keeper Kasper Schmeichel is still struggling with his foot injury. New signing Mark Schwarzer will go straight into the matchday squad but Riyad Mahrez is away on ACON duty.

Villa boss Paul Lambert has revealed that Ron Vlaar is expected to be missing for 4-6 weeks with a(nother) knee injury, while fellow defender Philippe Senderos continues to be ruled out with a calf injury. Nathan Baker and Kieran Richardson returned to training this week, while Gabby Agbonlahor could also be available for the weekend.

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Swansea vs West Ham (Sat 10 Jan 15.00)
Two of the most enigmatic teams in the league meet at the Liberty, with both Swansea and West Ham giving the impression that they may have peaked already this season. The Hammers triumphed 3-1 vs the Swans at home in December and are unbeaten in four matches against the Welshies. Swansea have won just three of their last 20 home games against teams positioned higher than them in the table – expect a tight, tense battle in a match which may well see both defences dominate.

Garry Monk hasn’t proved the most reliable of informants this season, but does confirm that Jefferson Montero remains sidelined with a hamstring injury and Jonjo Shelvey misses out through suspension. New signings Nelson Oliveira and Matty Grimes are both available. Monk confirmed that Wilfried Bony is in talks with Man City, with both the striker and midfielder Sung-yeung Ki away on international duty.

The Hammers will have a fully fit squad to choose from with the exception of the injured Diafra Sakho and the ACON bound Cheikhou Kouyate. Sakho is likely to miss ACON with a back injury, with an angry Senegalese FA threatening to seek legal action against the Hammers. Brilliant. Alex Song is available after retiring from international football.

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West Brom vs Hull (Sat 10 Jan 15.00)
Transfer out your West Brom forwards, get in the defenders – Tony Pulis is in town! He’ll have his work cut out with this lot as the Baggies have only kept three clean sheets in their last fifteen league matches….and they were against Leicester, Villa and Hull! Well, it’s Hull in town this week and Steve Bruce’s men have failed to score in eight of their last twelve matches, so Pulis will fancy his chances of hitting the ground running. Or defending at least. Hull have had the better of the Baggies in recent times, winning three and drawing three of the last six clashes. It won’t be pretty, it won’t be exciting, but it may just be the start of another Pulis escape act.

Pulis, in his first pre-match presser as West Brom boss says he has a fully fit squad to choose from, apart from defender Jonas Olsson who continues to recover from his Achilles injury. Midfielders Craig Gardner and Graham Dorrans have shaken off knocks, while Youssuf Mulumbu is away at the ACON.

Hull defenders James Chester and Michael Dawson have both recovered from injury and will make the matchday squad, but Andrew Robertson, Liam Rosenior, Mohammed Diame and Gaston Ramirez have all been ruled out, while Sone Aluko is very doubtful. Striker Nikica Jelavic is expected to recover from illness but Robert Snodgrass remains a long-term absentee.

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Crystal Palace vs Tottenham (Sat 10 Jan 17.30)
As if a trip to South London wasn’t bad enough for Spurs, then it’s just been made worse as they are welcomed by Dover United’s favourite guru. Yep, it’s Pardew’s first home match in charge of the Eagles and one can smell the arrogance, self proclamation and smugness resonating around Selhurst Park already. Thinking about it, Lord Pards would actually get on great with the Spurs fans and is surely destined to end up there one day. Well, Lord Pards is confident that his arrival will be enough to give the dressing room a lift as they attempt to escape from the threat of relegation. Urgh. I actually nearly gagged when I heard that. The Eagles have gone eight league games without a win, while Spurs are unbeaten in their last six, winning four of those, including, of course, the 5-3 win over Chelsea.

Palace will be missing vital midfielders Mile Jedinak and Yannick Bolasie, who are away on Asian Cup and ACON duty, but may be able to include Marouane Chamakh in his squad, after the striker stepped up his recovery from a hamstring injury. Midfielder James McArthur is expected to shake off a knock as is striker Glenn Murray, who limped off in the Cup win at Dover.

Spurs will be without midfielders Erik Lamela and Ryan Mason for the derby. Lamela picked up a calf injury in training, while Mason damaged his hamstring vs Chelsea. Manager Mauricio Pochettino is hopeful both may be available for next week. The only other absentee is Nabil Bentaleb, who is on ACON duty with Algeria.

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Arsenal vs Stoke (Sun 11 Jan 13.30)
I remember writing the preview for the reverse fixture just a few weeks ago. It went something like this…”Arsenal hate playing Stoke. They get beaten up and bullied…..”. And so it came to pass. Sunday sees a chance for Arsene’s quivering pussies to put matters right at the Emirates. Monsieur Wenger is equally as cautious this time as he said, “Stoke are always especially motivated against Arsenal”. C’mon Arsene pal, toughen up mate and toughen up your side ffs. The Gunners have won their last twelve home clashes with Stoke and with players returning from injury a thirteenth is on the cards. Unless they get beaten up.

Wenger is delighted to tells us that Mesut Ozil is back. Life has been too boring with our favourite German sat on the sidelines these last few months. Young Mesut is available to face Stoke, sure he’s thrilled at that. Also in contention to play are Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini, while Olivier Giroud returns from suspension. Danny Welbeck remains out as does Jack Wilshire and Mikel Arteta, but the injuries are beginning to clear for the Gooners. Following Wojciech Szczesny’s horror show in the defeat at Southampton, it has been suggested that David Ospina could get a run in the side – Wenger refused to confirm this, instead he just said, “we have three class keepers at Arsenal.” Errrr, ok mate.

Stoke boss Mark Hughes says that central defender Marc Muniesa has missed training in the early part of the week, so so new loanee Philipp Wollscheid is on standby to replace him in the side. Marc Wilson is struggling with a knee injury, but Steve Sidwell and Stephen Ireland are both now fully fit, while Victor Moses has made a remarkably quick recovery at Chelsea and has returned to Stoke, though Hughes is wary of rushing him back too soon. Bojan Krkic has returned to training. Muniesa, Moses and Bojan will all travel with the squad and a late decision will be made on them. Peter Odemwingie remains a long term absentee and striker Mame Diouf is away at the ACON.

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Man Utd vs Southampton (Sun 11 Jan 16.00)
And so finally we arrive at the end of our gameweek at the Theatre of Dreams. With a victory, the Saints would leapfrog United into 3rd place, a defeat could mean dropping out of the top four for Ronald Koeman’s men. United were quite fortunate to win 2-1 at St Mary’s in early December, with RvP claiming both goals and LVG will be hoping for a similar scoreline, with a better performance. Southampton have got through their rough patch and have done well to stay in the top four and with a list of decent fixtures ahead, they will be hopeful of a first win in 12 against United, especially after taking four points from their two previous games vs Chelsea and Arsenal. They will come up against a United team who are unbeaten in ten matches.

LVG finally has some good news on the injury front as he reports that Ashley Young is the only first team squad member not training. Luke Shaw has recovered from injury and available to face his former club, though Rafael may not be risked at right back. Daley Blind, Marounae Fellaini and Antonio Valencia have all trained this week, Marcos Rojo will train tomorrow, while Angel Di Maria made a goalscoring comeback from the bench at Yeovil last week

Nathaniel Clyne is expected to return to the starting line up on Sunday, though Koeman said he would leave it up to the player as to whether he feels ready or not. Midfielder Jack Cork is fit after shrugging off a knock, but Sadio Mane is injured with a calf injury, which has prevented him travelling to ACON. Defender Maya Yoshida is at the Asian Cup.

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Thanks for reading Team Talk Fantasy Football GW21. This article was written by Cookie

Follow @SteveCook9

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