Team Talk Fantasy Football GW22

Team Talk Fantasy Football GW22

Welcome to Team Talk, the place on the interweb to talk about teams and all the talk that is team-related to talking about teams. You’ll find the column under different management this week as we’ve agreed a loan deal with New York City FC for Lawdogg (a/k/a LapDogg)…
This week the Premier League gifts its fans a wonderfully spaced-out set of league fixtures. If so inclined one could watch a whopping 7.5 hours of live football. For an EPL (and FPL) addict, that is brilliant stuff and allows us a chance to scout potential transfer targets.
With a week somewhat complicated by FA Cup replays for Everton, West Ham, Southampton, Tottenham and Burnley, managers will have to keep the risk of rotation in the back of their mind when deciding on their squads. Luckily we’re here to help you sift through the noise and get you the information you need to be fully informed.
The gameweek kicks off on Saturday with six 3pm fixtures as Liverpool travel to Villa Park, Burnley and Crystal Palace face off in a match with relegation implications, Leicester faces Stoke at home, QPR welcomes Manchester United to Loftus Road, Sunderland travel to White Hart Lane to face Spurs while Swansea will face a surging Chelsea team at home. The lone Saturday evening fixture sees an in-limbo Newcastle host an in-form Southampton. Sunday afternoon sees West Ham and Hull warm us up for the match of the week: the Sunday evening match between Manchester City and Arsenal. To end the week Everton welcomes West Brom to town in an intriguing Monday night match.

Aston Villa vs Liverpool (Sat 17 Jan 15.00)
Aston Villa welcomes Liverpool to Villa Park having scored just one goal in their last five league fixtures. Surprisingly, Villa has gone undefeated in their last four at home (one win, three draws) despite scoring just three goals in those games. Liverpool have won three and lost once in their last four road games despite outscoring their opposition by a single goal. This one is a literal toss-up: the teams are 2-2-2 in the last six matches they’ve played against one another.

For the Villains, Ciaran Clark will miss out due to suspension while Fabian Delph returns following his suspension. Philippe Senderos is targeting a return at the end of the month while Ron Vlaar still appears at least 4 weeks away. Finally, new arrival Carles Gil, signed to aid an attack that’s produced a league worst 11 goals, has practiced with the club and could make his club debut.

In Liverpool news, Raheem Sterling has returned from a holiday in Jamaica and should come straight back into the side. Adam Lallana is ahead of schedule but remains a doubt for the weekend. Daniel Sturridge has returned to training but Rodgers has set no timetable for his return, insisting the striker won’t be risked until fully fit. Jon Flanagan is out, while a late decision will be made on Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson after training today.

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Burnley vs Crystal Palace (Sat 17 Jan 15.00)

Burnley has lost just once at home in their last four: a respectable 1-0 loss to Liverpool. Crystal Palace are winless in their last eight road games and have managed just three goals in those games. Alan Pardew finally escaped Newcastle and gets his return to Palace off to a cracking start with a massive swoop for …erm … Yaya Sanogo. At least they finally have someone to room with poor Marouane Chamakh. The teams have faced each other just once in the Premier League: a 0-0 tie back in September.

The only concern for Sean Dyche’s side appears to be Kieran Trippier. Despite being withdrawn midweek with a tight hamstring, Dyche expects the right back to be healthy to face Palace. Michael Duff and Sam Vokes both came through the midweek Cup defeat to Spurs and are set to give Dyche selection headaches.

For Palace, new arrival Sonogo is set to make his debut for the Eagles this weekend with Pardew lauding the player’s “chaos factor” and stating there’s a 50/50 chance Sanogo will start. Nothing definite from the club regarding the status of Marouane Chamakh, but if you’re honestly considering starting him then you’re probably not the kind of person checking injury updates on a Friday night.

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Leicester vs Stoke (Sat 17 Jan 15.00)

Bottom of the table Leicester welcome Stoke having taken maximum points just twice in their last eight matches at home. While Stoke may have won just three times on the road all season, they boast victories road wins against Everton (1-0), Manchester City (1-0) and Spurs (2-1). Earlier this season Leicester beat Stoke 1-0 in the only Premier League match the two sides have played against each other.

For Leicester, Daniel Drinkwater appears set for a return while Dean Hammond will be a game-time decision. Esteban Cambiasso hasn’t fully returned to training and won’t feature at the weekend. Nigel Pearson is hopeful new signing Andrej Kramaric’s paperwork will be complete before Saturday. If so, expect to see the Croatian striker (21 goals in 18 games this season in Croatia top flight football) come straight into the side.

News leaking from the depths of Mordor indicates Victor Moses is now 100% and should play this weekend. Erik Pieters will be a game-time decision with Marc Muniesa the likely replacement if he isn’t available. Robert Huth is still out due to lack of match fitness and Mark Hughes has indicated Huth may leave on a short-term loan in an attempt to regain fitness. Meanwhile, Shawcross and friends’ continued search for The One Ring continues…

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QPR vs Man Utd (Sat 17 Jan 15.00)

For QPR it’s very much a case of “There’s No Place Like Home.” The Hoops boast five wins and four draws in their 11 home matches. On the road they are the worst in the league: no points from 10 games and scoring just five goals while surrendering a league-worse 24. Manchester United has stumbled into the New Year after a December which suggested Louis van Gaal’s team might finally be coming together. Despite being a very ordinary 2-6-2 on the road this season, all signs point to a United victory: QPR has lost all five of its previous meetings with the Red Devils and have been outscored 13-1.

In QPR news (don’t pretend you care), Suk-Young Yun and Sandro Ranieri Guimaraes Cordeiro will miss out against United but are expected back next week against Stoke. Armand Traore is out while it’s been revealed Shaun Wright-Phillips turned down the opportunity to go out on loan. Rio Ferdinand is back fit and available for selection.

Louis van Gall confirms van Persie is a doubt against QPR but could return for the club’s upcoming FA Cup match meaning a likely return to the team for Radamel Falcao. Marcos Rojo is available for selection though a lack of match fitness makes it unlikely he’ll play a full 90 minutes if he starts. Ashley Young remains out.

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Spurs vs Sunderland (Sat 17 Jan 15.00)

The emergence of Harry Kane has helped Spurs go undefeated in their last four at home while scoring a second-best 12 goals in their last six home games. Sunderland comes to town with two wins and four ties in its last eight trips away from home. Since 2011 Tottenham has dominated the Black Cats, going 6-2-0 and outscoring them 15-6.

Mum is the word around White Hart Lane but reports indicate Ryan Mason and Erik Lamela, the Spurs only injury concerns, will miss Sunderland’s visit.

Good news for the Black Cats: the Jermain Defoe transfer is complete and he’s available for selection against his former team. Steven Fletcher has passed a fitness test and is available while Lee Cattermole remains a doubt. Anthony Reveilere and Jack Rodwell have returned to training and should be available for selection. Liam Bridcutt will miss out through suspension.

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Swansea vs Chelsea (Sat 17 Jan 15.00)
Swansea has scored at least one goal in their last 11 matches.
Chelsea has scored at least one goal in their last 8 matches.
Swansea has scored in 91% of their home games.
Chelsea has scored in 91% of their road games.
Bottom line: don’t expect either side to keep a clean sheet.

Gary Monk has revealed Gylfi Sigurdsson’s dip in form is due to his playing hurt over the last few weeks and even missing out on training sessions. That being said, there are no plans to rest him. Bafetimbi Gomis will be the Saints’ first-choice striker moving forward with new arrival Nelson Oliveira ready to step in if needed.

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibault Courtois is “available for selection if necessary”, which means he’s either 100% or died in the middle of the night and was buried under the Stamford Bridge by Jose Mourinho in a secret Wiccan ceremony – best to have a playing backup keeper if you have Courtois in goal. Cesar Azpilicueta is confirmed out but will resume training next week.

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Newcastle vs Southampton (Sat 17 Jan 17.30)

Newcastle are without a manager and have won just once in their last six matches. Welcome to town the league’s hottest team. With victories in four of its last five, including clean sheet victories over Arsenal, United and Everton and a 1-1 tie against Chelsea, all signs point to a Saints’ victory.

From St. James Park, injuries and ACON absentees are still the order of the day. Steven Taylor, Ryan Taylor, Gabriel Obertan, Rolando Aarons, Mehdi Abeid, Siem de Jong and Jonas Gutierrez all remain sidelined with injury and illness, while Papiss Cisse and Chieck Tiote are on ACON duty.

Gabriel Obertan is still a few weeks away from returning while disappointing summer signing Siem De Jong has returned to training and is hoping to return before the end of January.

The Saints FA Cup victory over Ipswich Town and last weekend’s win at Old Trafford came at a cost as Morgan Schneiderlin (3-4 weeks) and Victor Wanyama (4-5 weeks) both suffered injuries. Add these to Toby Alderweireld’s injury (out for 4 weeks) and Soton’s clean sheet prospects in the coming weeks don’t look as promising as they did.

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West Ham vs Hull (Sun 18 Jan 13.30)

West Ham have won six of 11 at home this season and Big Sam’s men have collected 20 of their 33 points in Upton Park. And then there is Hull. Poor Hull. With an injury list that rivals only Newcastle and Arsenal, it seems like every key player for the Tigers is either injured or just getting back from injury. It comes as no surprise then that Hull has lost four of its last six. There’s reason for Hull fans to hope though: in their last three meetings each side has won once with the third match ending in a tie.

For West Ham, Alex Song will play some part in West Ham’s match against Hull, with Big Sam saying he’ll either start and come off early or come on as a substitute. Winston Reid has returned to training and has “a chance of being available”. Diafra Sakho has been ruled out.

For the Tigers, Nikica Jelavic is out 3-6 weeks with a knock to his knee while Abel Hernandez is still 4-6 weeks away. Andrew Robertson is on target for a return at the start of February and Gaston Ramirez and Sone Aluko have an outside chance of playing at the weekend. There is no update on Mohamed Diame’s return.

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Man City vs Arsenal (Sun 18 Jan 16.00)

What can we tell you about City that you don’t already know? They’ve won six of their last eight and have gone undefeated at home in their last eight matches, outscoring opponents 17 to 7. Arsenal comes to town having won just one of their last four road games despite boasting the league’s fifth-best road record. The Gunners boast just one victory over City in their last six league games, but have managed three ties in that span. As Lloyd Christmas once said, “so you’re telling me there’s a chance!”

The last time Sergio Aguero played 23 minutes coming back from injury, he played 90 minutes the following week. He played 24 minutes last weekend…. Samir Nasri has been ruled out for 3-4 weeks. Vincent Kompany is back to full fitness and is available, while Edin Dzeko remains a doubt and Yaya Toure is at the ACON recruiting new strikers.

For Arsenal, Mathieu Debuchy (Orc bite) and Mikel Arteta (popsicle-stick ankle) have undergone surgery and are expected out at least three months. Kieran Gibbs returned to full training and will be a game-time decision while Calum Chambers has recovered from a slight case of Falling Sickness and is available for selection. Danny Welbeck isn’t healthy enough to feature against Manchester City while Jack Wilshere (pleurisy), Serge Gnabry (quincy) and Abou Diaby (windy rupture) will miss out as well. Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil are all available.

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Everton vs West Brom (Mon 19 Jan 20.00)

This mid-table matchup features two teams struggling to find form. Everton have lost five of their last eight and have won just once in their last four games at home. West Brom have won just twice in their last ten games and have won only two of their ten games away from home with season. Since 2012, Everton has dominated this fixture with a 4-2-1 record.

Robert Martinez reports Tim Howard, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar have all been ruled out, while Tony Hibbert and Sylvain Distin will both face late fitness tests. Aiden McGeady will serve a one-match ban after picking up two yellow cards in Everton’s FA Cup replay. Kevin Mirallas has revealed he’s been “playing through the pain barrier” but remains available for Monday.

From The Hawthorns, newly appointed boss Tony Pulis, says there are a couple of players he is “being careful with” but he expects everyone fit for the match against Everton with the exception of Jonas Olsson, who is targeting a return by the end of the month.

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Thanks for reading Team Talk Fantasy Football GW22. This article was written by Lawdogg

Follow @PlanoGooner

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